Revisiting a Family Favorite

When I was younger my mom made this fantastic pot roast – it wasn’t really anything fancy. Just a pot roast cooked in a slow cooker with cream of mushroom soup and dried onion soup mix. It had the tastiest gravy and she always served it over egg noodles. This was by far one of my favorite meals!

It was so tasty!

So Thursday night, an unseasonably cool and rainy evening, when I was trying to decide what to make I settled on this pot roast recipe. Except I didn’t really have the ingredients….and it was too late in the day to whip out the crock pot. So, here is my latest version of this home-cooked family favorite:

1 pot roast

2/3 of an onion

1 can cream of broccoli soup

ground black pepper

salt

olive oil

I began by spraying a 9×13 pyrex dish (this was a giant beef roast). Then placed the roast in and peppered both sides. I then poured the can of cream of broccoli soup on top of the roast and smeared it around. Finally, I placed the sliced onion on top of that, with a couple slices in the pan surrounding the roast. I drizzled this with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt before covering it with foil and placing it in a 350 degree oven. Part way through I turned the roast over. After about 2 1/2 hours I took the roast out and let it set before cutting it into pieces. I whisked the juices left in the pan together, creating a tasty gravy. We ate it with egg noodles, just like my mom used to serve it when I was little.

Do you have any childhood favorites that you’ve revisited as an adult?

It was tasty!

Summer Reads 2013

Before my semester was even over I began compiling my Summer Reading List.  I don’t usually make a list, but last summer I didn’t read as much as I wanted.  Typically I end up spending more time looking for a book that interests me than actually reading.  Now that my semester is over, I’ve began my reading list and am well on my way.

Here’s what I’m looking forward to reading this summer:

• Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende (I actually already finished this one because I had started it a while ago, it’s not especially uplifting, but I loved it)
• The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling – I’ve been looking forward to reading this since it came out.  I started it this weekend and so far it’s fantastic
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• Vision in White by Nora Roberts – Figured it was good timing to try this one
• The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron – I can’t avoid school-type reading all summer, and this one was recommended by a friend
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
• The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp – I started this last summer, but then got overwhelmed by moving
• The Paris Wife by Paula McLain – my mom and sis-in-law both read this so I’m excited to be next!
• The Sisterhood by Helen Bryan – my mom and I are reading a lot of the same books this summer, this was her pick
• Whole Latte Love by Joanne DeMaio

Anyone else reading anything great right now?  Or have you read any of these ones?

Exciting News!!

I am seriously behind in what I had planned to blog about over the past week. I had hoped to share my thoughts and reflections on the NDEO Dance 2050 Symposium; I had hoped to share my experience running the light board for a dance studio recital; I had hoped to share the experience of going to the outdoor farmer’s market for the first time for the season. Instead, I got wrapped up in the excitement of life and surprises and have been waiting for the right time and way to share this news.

The morning of Memorial Day my boyfriend proposed to me – we’re engaged! He proposed over coffee in his backyard – one of my favorite ways to spend a wonderful time of day. It was perfect. We proceeded to have my parents over for breakfast (this was already planned) and shared the news with them, called my brother, and then shared the news with his family. Everyone knew it was coming at some point, it was just a matter of when, but everyone has been overwhelmed with excitement!

Friday we were finally able to have some time just the two of us when we didn’t have any other obligations or plans so we were able to celebrate together with some dark chocolate I had purchased a few weeks ago, and some tasty red wine.

I cannot explain in words how happy we are to be taking this next step in our lives together and to be preparing to plan a wedding!

If you have never had this chocolate – it is fantastic! They have lots of different flavors.

Most-Loving in May

Here’s a quick look at some of my favorite highlights from this month that I haven’t shared yet:

Balloons, Outdoors Fun & Birthdays

So much has been going on this past week and a half – I’ll be spending the next week or so taking time to reflect and sharing some of the exciting stand-out stuff. Here’s a quick look at my life last weekend and the beginning of last week.

Graduation Dances: a concert filled with the performing of graduating seniors and MFA students in the Dance Department. This concert had A LOT of props – which certainly made my stage managing job a lot more entertaining. Here are the rose petals and balloons that were used by some of the dancers.

Sunday morning the Boyfriend and I decided to venture out to get a patio set. It took us a couple hours to research and go shopping, and then another hour or two to put it all together with his dad, but it’s gorgeous! Here he is celebrating with a beer after all our hard work

Monday morning I got to spend some time with my mom. We started our day together with a tasty breakfast and homemade lattes! This experience reinforced my desire for my very own espresso machine – it would certainly be better than rushing out to coffee shops whenever I’m craving a tasty latte (and convenient when we get snowed in this winter)!

We spend the rest of the morning cooking for my dad’s birthday. Dinner was smoked ribs with Grandma’s BBQ sauce recipe (Dad got a new smoker attachment for his grill and was itching to try it out), grilled asparagus, potato salad and pasta salad – all so tasty! For dessert we made Rhubarb Cream Pie, one of our favorite recipes from the Rochester Public Market Cookbook. My parents have some beautiful rhubarb this year! Oh, and I had to add this adorable candle that has been sitting in our kitchen for over 10 years.

Bonus of visiting my parents? Snuggling with this cutie! It was a little chillier for May so she was ready to snuggle overnight.