Bloody Mary Pot Roast with Fall Veggies

I came upon this dish from an email.  I'd never heard of anything like it and I was intrigued.  Knowing I wouldn't be able to make this with the vodka while in Saudi, I wanted to make it before I left. 
Now, I have never cooked with a rutabaga before.  I had no idea what they even looked like.  I had to ask the grocer to show me where they were.  They are sphere shaped with a waxy film on the outside.  They felt slimy to me.  But, I was willing to give it a go.  When I got back to my grandma's I realized I had no idea what to do with it.  I had to google rutabaga and watch a video on prepping it!  LOL  
What you do is peel the thick skin from the outside.  Then you just cut it up into cubes.  I was curious as to how they would taste and let me tell you, I loved them!!  They absorbed all the delicious juices from the sauce and they were tender and so flavorful!  I can't wait to cook with them again.  I may end up using them often in place of potatoes, since the hubby isn't such a fan.
Great, fun fall dish that just slow cooks all day and makes your house smell heavenly!

slow-cooked and scrumptious!

Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Bucatini

I had such a great time cooking dinners for my family in Ohio.  I cooked up a few of my all time faves...Smokey Minestrone Tortellini Soup and Smokey Chicken Tortilla Soup, but I also wanted to try out a few new ones.
Since I am currently obsessed with cooking, I brought some of my fave cooking magazines with me.  Looking through Cuisine at Home, I found a really yummy sounding pasta dish.  (ok, so for me almost all pasta dishes are yummy, but anyway...)  It's light, easy and full of flavor.  Great for a weeknight meal.  And if you're really short on time, just use some canned tomatoes (though the flavor won't be as pronounced.)  Many stores are starting to carry bucatini now...it's a fat spaghetti noodle that is hollow on the inside.  Sort of like a really long macaroni.  If you can't find them, sub out regular spaghetti noodles.

I'm going to post the original recipe which states it serves 2 people.  I just doubled everything and had plenty for grandma, me and the girls.  Happy cooking!  :)

Poppy Seed Rolls

Christmas is a huge holiday for my family.  It's always been, well, just extra special.  Since we lived in Vegas and my mom's family was in Ohio, trips there for Christmas were something we cherished.  All the family, the fun, and the FOOD!  My grandmother would bake up more cookies and treats than her house had room for!  She used to store them in tins in the coat closet!  :) 

And these weren't just your run of the mill treats, oh no, these were only at Christmas goodies!  She would make apricot horns, snowflakes, nut horns, poppy seed rolls, nut rolls, the peanut butter ones with the Hershey kiss in the middle, and half a dozen more.  How we didn't gain 50lbs over the holiday is beyond me.

So, while I was staying with my grandma I asked her if she'd make one of my all time faves.  Poppy seed rolls.  (I saw the cans of poppy seed in her fridge...why there?  No idea, I don't question.)  She looked at me like I was crazy, but then I insisted that I just HAD to learn to make them, especially since I was in charge this Christmas (it's all up to me this year in Saudi!)  So, she caved. :)  Lucky me. 

These are actually very easy to make, you may just have trouble finding the cans of poppy seed.  Our rolls turned out huge...much bigger than she usually makes them, but oh, they tasted divine.  In our personal opinion, the best way to eat these is warmed just a bit in the microwave and have a nice cold glass of milk.  (it was my breakfast for 5 days straight)  :)  Happy Cooking!