New Pot. New Roast.

I love new kitchen gear. I have a tendency to get a little enthusiastic whenever I get something new. Like jumping up and down, happy dance through the house, excited in the store aisle enthusiastic. Pots, pans, knifes, gadgets; if its new, I'm pumped to use it ASAP. I also love new recipes, especially for meals I already cook. I recently came into some new pots and a new roast recipe. Let the fun begin!

First the good part: chuck roast. Pot roast in the crock pot happens on the regular in our house, but I'd never had a pot big enough for an oven roast. As it turns out my dutch oven is only big enough for a smaller roast and I had to nix a few potatoes and parsnips to get the lid on.

Just a little full after adding all the ingredients ...

  I used the Pioneer Woman recipe since I'm slowly working my way through her book. I was intrigued by the use of red wine, beef broth and sweet orange marmalade was a combo I wouldn't have considered, but that's why I need these cookbooks. It was so much better than the water and spice pack I usually throw into the crock pot. The rest was basically veggies, rosemary, and some salt and pepper. So simple! And nothing is better than healthy, homecooked, comfort food.

By the time it was done the meat was falling apart and the veggies were soft and flavorful. It made a lot of food for the little family dinner, but that meant everyone had some left overs for lunch the next day.

So much food I had to use my turkey serving tray to fit it all.

Speaking of parsnips, I'd never had one until I made roasted veggies for dinner this past Christmas. Now they seem to pop up everywhere. They are a tasty root vegetable, have a nice texture, and are easy to cook. Gavin did have some constructive criticism after I roasted some parsnips that still had a bit of a crunch to them -he pointed out that the larger pieces were undercooked, so I've started cutting the larger pieces in half and haven't had the problem since.

A few months ago my husband and I were married (!) and as a gift to myself, I bought a new pot and pan set that was on super sale. It's the Calphalon Elite set that has a triple layer non-stick coating, with a textured bottom so you can sear! It's safe for the dishwasher and metal utensils, which makes the hubby very happy. I bought a 10-piece set along with a few additional pieces to bring my total up to 16 pieces, including the steamer/poacher insert for the dutch oven.

The new dutch oven! (And my new sauce pot.) 

Now I know a lot of professional/semi/famous amateur chefs don't like cooking with non-stick cookware for various reasons, but in my house non-stick is king. My husband, Gavin, hates scrubbing dishes or washing anything by hand; and with one kiddo here and others in the future, I think non-stick is the most family friendly. So far I love my Calphalon Elite cookware (and I wasn't paid to say that, I'm just genuinely happy with it). It is easy to use and easy to clean, which is perfect for this stay-at-home-mom.

I'll still be making the standard crock pot roast, since I can leave the crock pot going all day without worry and it's still a comforting meal. But when I have the time and inclination, and when chuck roast is on sale, I'll enjoy making this.

--Karie