Award Winning Pot Roast, Vegetarian Stew, Swedish Pancakes, and more Heartfelt Goodness

This pot roast recipe is an AWARD WINNING pot roast – award winning because it’s delicious and because I said yes to a marriage proposal. Tom didn’t ask me to marry him on that date that we shared this pot roast he made,  but the way I think about it, it’s award winning because he had won my heart with all that wonderful cooking he did at times and if I may say so, he had won such an awesome wife (well, it’s good to boost ourselves with words & thoughts sometimes, right?!)

I make my beef roast in a crock pot, but you can use a roaster if you don’t have a crock pot. I have cooked it in the oven in my roaster, and it works very well. You would have to add more water around the meat in the roaster to cover the vegetables around the beef. Put the cream of mushroom soup on top of the beef with no water on top. I  cook it at 350°F, the size of your chuck roast will determine the time, I cook mine for 2½ hours or less.

When using a crock pot, I fill my crock pot up with: (It’s important to follow this recipe & layer the vegetables like this starting with the carrots on the bottom of the crock pot)

• 4 – 5 carrots – cut into about 1″ pieces, enough to fill the bottom of the crock pot
• 4 big or 5 small / medium potatoes – cut in 1″ pieces
• ¼ of a cabbage head – chopped (can’t taste the cabbage primarily, it will just add to the combination of flavors)
• 1 onion – cut in eights
• put rinsed chuck roast on top of all the vegetables
• sprinkle a good amount of basil and marjoram on top of all that ( I just sprinkle it so that it covers entire top, put more basil then marjoram) & add 2 bay leaves around the sides of the roast, slide them down a little
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup on top of roast (no added water on top of that)
• fill 1/2 of the emptied cream of mushroom soup can with water & pour around the sides of the roast (not on top of the roast)
• I cook mine in the crock pot for 5 hours on high.

Enjoy the wonderful aroma as it is cooking!! I think you will really like this hearty dish!

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I am also going to share my vegetarian “stew,” as I call it.  I’ve been a vegetarian for a little over ten years now, and yes I do make the two now, one pot roast for Tom (which usually is shared with the kids when they stop over)  and my vegetarian stew for me. Many years ago when I first saw tofu in the stores I thought, I will never eat that. Well, now I do, and it really has no taste, it just soaks up the other flavors in the recipe. One day I want to try a recipe with it that would taste like the tofu I get at the restaurant, Noodles. It’s so yummy.

I cook mine in a wok: (If you don’t have a wok, you can use any skillet and cook it on top of the stove).

• I put about 3 Tbsp oil in the pan, usually canola because of the high heat & add:
• 1 chopped onion and 2 stalks diced celery. Sometimes I add ½ a Hungarian pepper chopped. This pepper is a little on the hot side if you like that. Cook until tender then add,
• 1 bag of any frozen vegetables or fresh vegetables you like. I like Steamfresh Bird’s eye; broccoli, carrots, sugar snap Peas & Water Chestnuts or I put in fresh sometimes, you can cook the vegetables for about 5 – 7 minutes, then add,
• 2 cans of stewed tomatoes (not Italian stewed tomatoes, just regular cans of stewed tomatoes, the can I buy has a little pepper and onion added to it, I buy the Kroger brand)
• Tofu – I buy one container of it, drain the liquid, and cut it in cubes. I get the firm kind, in the refrigerated health food department at Kroger or Whole Foods.
• I sprinkle a good amount of basil and some parsley
• Cook & mix occasionally until done, 15 – 20  minutes.

This lasts me for half the week, love this combination of food, it’s good!

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Swedish Pancake Recipe

I’ve been making these pancakes for forty-seven years, they are the most delicious pancakes I have ever tasted. I made them every Saturday when our kids were little. For awhile we tapped our maple tree to get syrup. (Doesn’t hurt the tree, it’s like if someone needs a band-aid for a very small cut).  I now make them just once in a great while for Tom or anyone who is around to eat them. I now eat oatmeal every morning and really love it as I mix my Light Soy Milk that has vanilla in it and don’t eat the pancakes.

• 1¾ c white all purpose flour if you want it like a crepe (they will be thin), 2 c all purpose flour if you want to make heart shaped pancakes or want to make them round and fluffier
• sprinkle sugar (to your taste), mix, then add,
• 3 c milk
• 3 eggs
• ½ stick (4 tablespoons melted butter)
• mix well with mix master
• make in iron skillet. I keep adding butter in the pan as I cook them.  Get your skillet hot enough so you only flip the pancakes once. I stack them on a small plate as I am making them.
• Serve with your favorite syrup or sprinkle powdered sugar.

If you’d like to top it with a blueberry sauce, here is my recipe for that:

• 1 c blueberries
• 1 TB cornstarch, mix with ½ c water
• add sugar to your taste, mix all together in a sauce pan
• cook over stove, stirring & watching till it thickens (serve warm)

Oh, my, I just remembered I made 88 of these pancakes when my oldest daughter volunteered for an animal shelter when she was about nine or ten. I made them for their fund raiser. So many happy memories!

Enjoy these wonderful pancakes!!

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I wanted to just share the rest of  heartfelt goodness we had on Valentine’s day and the week before:

What a wonderful Valentine’s day I had. I came downstairs to get things ready to take care of my 4½ month old twin grandchildren and Tom had surprised  me with these flowers on the table and the laundry was all folded.

Pancakes made on Valentine’s Day (sorry about the cloudy picture – I didn’t realize my lens was blurred, but wanted to give you some idea of how the heart pancakes turned out)

I made the heart pancakes for Tom and my two year old granddaughter who came over. My oldest daughter brought her over then went to her son’s Valentine party at his school. Our granddaughter really enjoyed the pancakes and her baby cousins. Did you notice in the background the two car seats for the twins? Every morning my daughter carries in those two car seats plus the diaper bag. I can’t even lift one!

I love using this heart made out of clay. My oldest son made it in Scouts when he was younger and I love it so much.  I used it the day I had the Valentine Get – Together to hold tea bags

I had so much fun putting these snacks together. Tom helped me prepare them in the morning for everyone to enjoy.

I had a wonderful time seeing friends I hadn’t seen for awhile and the children all loved playing together. The children enjoyed the story and craft.  A friend of my daughter’s had made the story board and gave one to my daughter,  that really worked out well to use for the story. Then, with help, the children put heart hands, eyes, and a smiley face on their Valerie the Valentine and took them home. We all enjoyed the tasty snacks.

The next day we got about nine inches of snow here in Michigan, so I’m really glad it was an o.k. weather day.

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Remember to check out new pictures on our slide show & below the slide show by my picture on the Home page of our website each month. Tom posts new pictures I have done or the ones I talk about on the blog post.

Also don’t forget about our sale – everything is 10 % off until the end of winter, March 19, 2018 except custom orders, which are Personal Touches, Newborn Portraits, framed Wedding Invitations, and  A Life Remembered Series.

I also want to let you know about our discount card for Custom orders – every 6th one you order, you will receive $25.00 off your order.  Just to list what custom orders are again, they are:

• Personal Touches – Choose from a selection of printed Pressed Floral designs which can surround your poem, saying, or favorite scripture within the design. Price is dependent on frame & size – typically $85 for an 11×14 with standard frame.
• Newborn Portraits – Custom Watercolor painting by Vicki from a photo of your newborn – Generally it will cost $120 in an 11×14 frame. To me this is so special. I remember how important it was for me as a new mom to remember what each child looked like when they were first brought home and what they were wearing and to capture that in a portrait – oh my, how awesome is that for you and for the child in later years – a very special memory. see my Dec 16, 2017 blog post
• Wedding Invitations – framed with one of my pressed floral print designs printed on the mat, tell us your wedding colors and send us a wedding invitation to be mounted and matted. Cost starts at $85.00 & up, depends on the complexity of the design you choose & the size of your frame & mat. This makes such a special gift and a wonderful memory for the Bride & Groom. We also mat and frame them without flowers printed on the mat.
• A Life Remembered Series – for someone who has lost someone – one of my Pressed Floral Art prints will surround your words of encouragement or scripture. We can help you with suggestions for sayings or poems to use – I have written some that are uplifting – or scripture. Price is dependent on frame & size – typically $85 for an 11×14 with standard frame

I can’t even begin to tell you in words what a blessing doing these custom orders has been for us and for those that have received them. When I think of all we have done, it has been an incredible journey. My heartfelt thanks to all of you who have crossed our paths and have ordered these incredible custom orders and have blessed others in this way.

I was incorrect in saying on the Feb 5, 2018 blog that when Tom does a cut out below the picture on the mat to insert a scripture or someone’s name and anniversary wishes or In Loving Memory of… for example,  it is considered a custom order, it is not considered a custom order. The cost for cutting and printing a cut out is $15.00 – you would still get our winter sale of 10% off.

Spring is just around the corner!

Much happiness to all of you… from my heart to yours,

Vicki