Christmas Card (Joy) and a Recipe

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I enjoyed a weekend of relaxation and football.  My son, Easton, played in his last college game of the year for Southern Utah University. They were in Flagstaff, AZ on Saturday taking on the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks.  We won 27-24. YIPEEEE!  Easton had a good game (3 catches) and we felt he had a wonderful Freshman season. Unfortunately, they didn't make the FCS playoffs, but they did finish the year with a winning season. Easton had 23 catches for 304 yards, that's an average of over 13 yrs. per catch. Pretty darn good for a Freshman receiver, don't ya think? I love this photo of him (in red, #88) after a catch in a game earlier this year.  Darn that guy who caught his foot and tripped him up!

Now on to some artwork and a recipe...

I made this 'joy' card (4 1/4" x 5 1/2") using the following Close To My Heart products: White Daisy Cardstock, Cranberry Cardstock, Pear Cardstock, Flurry Dimensional Elements, Milepost Shapes, Hodge Podge Color-Ready Alphabet, Blush Stamp Pad (to sponge snowflake pink), Pearl Paint (painted over the pink snowflake for shimmer..hard to see in the photo), Clear Sparkles, Spray Pen (filled with a tiny bit of water and white acrylic paint to spray splatters and to paint the milepost shape star), 3D Foam Tape.  You can order any or all of these products on my website, 24/7.

And now the recipe....

PEDERSEN POTROAST (from Karen Pedersen)

Keep in mind that measurements are approximate. I think, for most families, averaging about 1/4 - 1/2 lb. of meat per person would be plenty. I am usually feeding a bunch of big guys and I usually choose a roast that will average about a lb. per person. That way, if there are leftovers, we can make roast beef sandwiches or even beef burritos the next day. So, choose what you think works for your family.

INGREDIENTS:

• Sirloin Tip Roast (it's worth paying the extra for a good cut of meat, at least I think so.  I choose a roast that averages about 1 lb. per person {see above})
• Red Potatoes (I usually do 2-3 per person)--wash and cut into 4ths (you can leave the skin on or off)
• Carrots (I usually do about 3 per person)--wash and peel and cut into pieces (see photo)
• Celery (I usually do about 1 stalk per person)
• 1 large onion
• 1-2 packets of Lipton Onion Soup Mix
• Cracked pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Steps 1-5

Step 6

Ready to serve

1. Wash and trim roast and pat dry.  Place in a lightly greased casserole dish (I prefer casserole dishes to a roasting pan with a lid. I'll explain a little later.
2. Sprinkle 1-2 packets of Lipton Onion Soup Mix over roast (I generally do 1 packet for every 3-31/2 lbs. of meat)
3. Add potatoes and carrots and celery.
4. Quarter a large onion and place on top of meat
5. Sprinkle everything with cracked pepper
6. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. This is the secret. Be sure to run your fingers along the edges and seal it tightly. This will insure a very tender roast that just falls apart when cut.  That's how we like it! A roasting pan with a lid lets in too much air.
7. Cook at 275 for approx. 5-7 hours (if my roast is between 3-4 lbs, 5 hours is plenty. If it's a 7-8 lb. roast, I usually cook it more like 7.  Hint: If you like your potatoes and carrots a little bit firm, leave them in much larger pieces.)
8. Remove foil and serve. The meat will just fall apart.  Yum!  Enjoy!