Home Cooking- Sunday Dinner

Sunday dinner is a big tradition for lots of families. For our little family of two, and the Chef's varied schedule, we don't always have a Sunday evening together, so for us dinner together is a real treat, and most of the time, it's my turn to break out the cookware, don the apron and create.

Yesterday out of sheer boredom I went on a mini road trip to the city, with the big supermarket as my destination. Our small town grocery store is fine for every day but once in a while I just NEED the variety you can only get at a bigger store. The produce selections are almost endless and provide me with loads of options for making dinner a little more special.

I already know what my dinner is going to be. I have the Parisian market carrots that came from the garden waiting in the fridge and I need to get them cooked, so something roasted- root veggies for sure, and a roasted meat of some sort. What sort of root veggies.......well I have been saying forever that I need to learn to like beets, so I choose some nice organic beets and in the basket they go. I was hoping for some fingerling potatoes but none were to be found, and I chose strawberry baby potatoes- something I had never seen before. A package of perfect mushrooms completes my roasted vegetable combination and I'm off to check out the meat.

Strawberry reds are firm, waxy red-skinned potatoes,
perfect for roasting.

Beef was out- beef prices right now are sky high and the smallest roasts just weren't in my price range today, and I honestly just wasn't in the mood for a beef roast. Chicken? Maybe, but I have other dishes I'm planning with chicken and I just get bored with the same thing all the time. Browsing the pork selections proved to be more what I was looking for- plus I thought pork would be awesome with this selection of vegetables. A boneless pork loin center rib roast was the perfect size for my planned dinner, so in the basket with the roast!

The best part about Sunday dinner is the actual cooking. For me anyway, it's very satisfying to pull a stool up to the counter and peel, chop and prep. A roast is the perfect thing to make in my Le Creuset dutch oven so I get that heating and ready to sear my roast. Just a touch of olive oil in there and get that beautiful piece of pork sizzling until it's seared nicely and has a caramelized crust. 

Some of the beets were pretty good sized, so I quartered them.

I pile in my firmer root vegetables first- the beets and carrots, and season them well. Then the mushrooms and potatoes go in, sprinkled with thyme and a little mushroom stock, pop the lid on and in the oven it goes at 400 degrees.

Potatoes and mushrooms, thyme and mushroom stock and it's
ready for the oven!

About an hour and a half later I had a dutch oven full of delicious. The potatoes were perfectly fork tender, the carrots sweet and flavorful and the beets- I can't say enough about how surprised I am at the beets. I have never cooked beets before- shocking as that may be, my beet memories consist of my mom heating up cans of tiny beet cubes with no flavor at all. However, roasting with the pork and mushroom stock changed the beets into something earthy and lush and amazing.

The roast was fantastic. Sliced about half an inch thick, it was like pork prime rib. Soooo good. The mushroom stock, thyme, the pre-roasting sear and essences from the roasted vegetables created the juiciest pork roast ever. I chose not to make a gravy as the beets left their signature on the pan juices and it wouldn't have been very attractive at all. A little glaze of pan juices and butter gave the veggies the perfect finishing touch. And we have leftovers for lunch! Can't beat that!

The Naughtiest French Toast in the World

I missed out on the Nutella craze. Completely. And on purpose. I thought it sounded disgusting and rich and too sweet and just could not imagine putting it into everyday food, let alone spreading it on my toast for breakfast. Then this happened-

I just had to go in IKEA. Well....like a trip to Minneapolis would EVER happen without a stop at IKEA. I love looking at the cool Euro-modern furniture and all the awesome kitchen and cooking stuff, but I REALLY love the grocery section. I'm a sucker foreign foods and Scandinavian especially. For one thing, I always grab my dad a few cans of "fiskerballer"- or fish balls, and no, not THOSE balls, but fish meatballs, which sound utterly repulsive to me, but he loves them. And for myself I like just browsing everything, stocking up on the old standards like lingonberries and European chocolates (Hershey's chocolate flavored crayon bars never pass my lips- I am spoiled by my European upbringing) and unique sauces and spice mixtures.

So anyway, I found no fish balls but my eyes did land on a display of this chocolatey naughtiness. I don't know WHY I had to have it, but I just DID, and so into my shopping basket it went, and ended up in my rural Iowa kitchen just daring me to make something outrageous. Since I haven't tasted Nutella, I can't really compare this, but I can best describe it as an indulgent mix of creamy and crunchy- the smooth chocolate reminds me of ganache, and the crunchy butterscotch pieces taste like crushed English toffee. Utterly delicious! I could have gone with the usual ideas- a cake filling, crepes, anything Nutella-filled, but the first time I tried it was on a piece of toast and I couldn't help but think this would make KILLER stuffed French toast. So that is just what I did!

You can SEE the crunchy toffee bits. It's sooo delicious- and NAUGHTY!

Here is what you need to make this indulgent treat:

• sliced bread 
• Chokladkrokant Bredbar (or Nutella, etc- see below)
• 2-3 eggs
• splash of milk or half and half
• butter
• whipped cream and maraschino cherries

Slice bread as thin as normal sandwich bread, if not already sliced. Make sandwiches with the bread and chocolate spread. In a shallow bowl or pie pan, beat the eggs with a splash of half and half. 

Heat a tablespoon or so of butter in skillet. Dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture, allowing excess to drain back into bowl. Fry in the melted butter until golden brown on both sides. Place on serving plates garnished with whipped cream and cherries. I didn't have any cherries, so a strawberry took it's place. I also gave just a little drizzle of caramel to dress it up a little- go easy though! This is rich!

Is it breakfast? Dessert? Snack? That's up to you, but one thing is for sure- it's delicious!

Now, if you can't find this IKEA product you can substitute Nutella or another brand of chocolate spread. And I wouldn't bother with any maple syrup- just a nice plop of whipped cream and maybe a cherry or four. Is it a healthy option? Probably not, but for a once-in-a-while treat it's not going to ruin your diet or send you to an early grave. Enjoy the naughty foods in moderation and you will be just fine.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."