The Funky Oven

Mississippi roast

I have been drawn to the photos of Mississippi roast on Pinterest for years. Sometimes I like classic roast with potatoes/carrots/gravy and sometimes sliced thin for sandwiches. Mississippi roast has the vinegar tastes that is perfect for a sandwich. The only problem with the recipes I found was that the roast cooked in 8 tablespoons of butter and ranch salad dressing in a crock pot. I wanted it a bit leaner and also I do not enjoy the texture crock pots create in the meat. I created my own version.

Bottom round roast – 2.5-3 pounds

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper – generous amounts

4-6 pepperoncini and 1/2 cup of the juice

2-3 cups water

2 cubes of beef boullion

Bring the roast to room temperature by leaving it on the counter for 4-6 hours. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Rub the roast with oil. Sprinkle all sides with salt and pepper. I use a lot… about 1/8 cup of each. Place the roast fat side up in a dutch oven or french cooker. Pour enough water on the side of the roast to cover the bottom 1/4. Add beef cubes to the water as well as the peppers and pepper juice. Cover. Cook for 2-2.5 hours. Let rest 10 minutes after removing this from the oven before slicing. Slice thin and against the grain. An electric knife makes it very simple to get thin slices.

Corn muffins

Bread

This was a recipe that is posted on Allrecipes. It is simple and very good. It made about a dozen corn muffins. I think they tasted better the day after I made them. Right out of the oven, they were a bit dry. The next day after sealing them in ziploc overnight, they were delicious.

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup flour

1/3 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin tin. Mix all of the ingredients together. Fill the muffin wells 2/3 full of batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Blueberry cream bread

Bread, Breakfast

This is adapted from a recipe that Williams Sonoma posted 12-15 years ago. It is fabulous. They do not have it on their website anymore.

1/2 cup butter room temperature

3/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 3/4 cup flour

2 cups berries

crumb topping:

1/4 cup flour

1/8 cup white sugar

1/8 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggsa and vanilla. Stir in the sour cream. Add the dry ingredients. Finally add the berries. Place into a greased 8×4 loaf pan. Preheat thr oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the crumb topping by mixing all of the ingredients until crumbly. Place on top of bread. Bake 60-90 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Chicken noodle casserole

Dinner, Uncategorized

2 cups shredded/diced rotisserie chicken

8 ounces dried egg noodles

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 yellow onion diced

1 red bell pepper diced

2 large carrots diced

2 stalks celery diced

1 cup fresh white mushrooms sliced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup half and half

1-2 cups water

1 cup panko unseasoned

2 tablespoons butter melted

1/4 cup fresh parsley

Cook the egg noodles as directed by package to al dente. Drain and let them sit.

Melt the butter in a skillet. Add onions, carrots, celery, and the red bell pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes – the vegetables should still be semi firm because they will bake in the oven later.

Add flour and seasonings. Slowly stir in the half and half. Continue to add up to 2 cups of water until it a thicker consistency. Go slow because you do not want the sauce too runny. Add in chicken and mushrooms. Cook 1-2 more minutes. You can add more water if it continues to thicken. Remove from heat. Mix with noodles. Pour into a prepared 9×14 or 8×12 pan.

Mix the panko crumbs with the additional 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Top the casserole with the panko mix and then chopped fresh parsley. This can remain refrigerated for 24 hours. Bake covered with foil at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Remove foil. Bake about 10 minutes or until panko crumbs have browned.

Ginger vanilla peach butter

slow cooker

10 peaches

1 vanilla bean

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Peel the peaches. Dice them. Open the vanilla bean. Place it all in the crockpot. Cook on low for 4 hours. Remove the contents and blend them. If consistency is too thin, return the contents to the crok pot and continue cooking. After blending, the mixture needs to be stirred often to prevent burning.

I did not continue with the canning process. I plan to use this all this week. It made 3 8 ounce jars of peach butter.

Country style pork ribs

Dinner

I like that these are boneless. They reheat very well for rib sandwhiches. The cook easily on the charcoal grill and are very forgiving because of the large marbeling on this cut of meat.

Let the rubs come to room temperature. I sprinkle them with my rib rub before they sit out.

Preheat the charcoal grill to 250-300. Cook the ribs until there in an internal temperature of 160.

When I eat ribs, I prefer that the fat is more caramelized and less greasy. This can occur at 190-200 degree internal temperature. At 160 degrees, I brush the ribs with bbq sauce and then continue to cook until done.

These ribs were finished in about 1.5-2 hours. They cook much faster than a bone-in rack of ribs but still have very good flavor and texture.

Mexican couscous

Side dishes

This is intended to be eaten cold. It takes about 10 minutes to make and is really simple. Great with chicken, fish, or even smoked bbq meats.

2 cups plain couscous cooked to package directions using chicken broth

1 can black beans drained

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup diced tomato

Dressing – combine the folowing then pour over.

the juice of one lime

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Refrigerate at least 2 hours prior to serving.

Bacon pasta salad

Side dishes

My mom used to make a 7 layer salad with this type of dressing. The sugar salt mayo combination turns into a sweet creamy flavor explosion. I am so happy that I found a way to combine it with pasta and not just lettuce.

2 cups elbow macaroni cooked al dente

6 pieces bacon cooked and crumbled

1/8 cup diced chives

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup diced celery

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1 teaspoon sugar

3 teaspoons white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all of the pasta and vegetables together. Mix together mayo, yogurt, sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix all together. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. Trust me the flavor will be bitter and not good inmediately. It will improve.

To reserve later, just add 1-3 tablespoons of milk and mix.

Salmon croquettes

Dinner, seafood

Now THIS is an old recipe. Some of the best recipes are the simple old ones. It reminds me of my childhood.

1 large baked russet potato

20 ounces canned salmon drained with bones removed – I used red salmon

1 egg

chopped fresh chives – 1/8 cup

1 tablespoon lemon zest

sat and pepper

3 tablespoons plain greek yogurt

crushed saltine crackers to coat – 3/4 sleeve

Mix everything except the saltine crackers together.

Roll into large balls using an ice cream scoop. Roll in cracker crumbs.

Heat crisco in a pan to 350 degrees. Fry the croquettes until golden brown while maintaining an oil temperature of 325-350 degrees. Drain on wire rack on baking sheet.

This makes about 12 croquettes and a serving size is 3-4. They freeze well both before frying and after. If you freeze before frying, you should fully thaw prior to cooking.

1 used 2 cans of salmon – the 14 ounce can as well as a 6 ounce. I know the red salmon is more expensive than the pink but it’s worth it.

Southern green beans

Side dishes

These 15-30 minutes are well spent. Southern green beans are waaaay better than canned beans.

1 pound fresh green beans cleaned, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

4-5 sliced bacon diced – not maple flavored

1/4 cup red onion diced

4 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Fry the bacon in a pressure cooker. When finished, add the onion and green beans. Cook 1-2 minutes. Cover in water, pepper, and boullion. Close pressure cooker. When steaming starts, begin timer for 12 minutes. Release pressure and enjoy.

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