Thursday, May 5, 2011

Oh my, why did I do that?

Have you ever had a "why did I do that" moment?  I have them often enough to think that perhaps I have forgotten everything I ever learned.  As you may know the hubby and I have been on a healthy living kick.  We are watching our food intake and exercising at the gym.  As a treat for my sandwich and chips loving guy, we have been purchasing lean roast beef from the deli.  Well, I got it in my head that it would be healthier if I cooked a nice roast here at home and sliced it for sandwiches.  Sounds reasonable, right? When I went to Kroger yesterday, my choices were either a nice cut of London Broil at $20.00 (which I could have easily afforded) or a sirloin tip roast at $10.00.  Well, old Miss Frugal went with the sirloin tip roast.  I got carrots and potatoes and was going to do my usual deal of cooking all the items together in a nice pot on top the stove.

Normally I'm a pretty good cook, but I sometimes get cocky. Perhaps that's what prompted my first mistake.  I started to think.  Hmmmm.  I wonder why do I always cook the roast like this.  Is it because Mama did it like that?  Did she do it like that because she was from the South?  Not me,  I'll be a gour-met cook and use a fancy beef rub, and cook this thing in the oven with dry heat.  I do my research and found a nice recipe online and went for it.  I did exactly what the recipe said, BUT what I didn't do prior to cooking it, was research the different cuts of beef and why you braise or pot roast, versus why you dry roast.  I certainly paid for that slight omission. Because after struggling with this piece of meat for entirely too long, I have ended up with a awful mess.  I may be able to rescue enough beef to make a pot of soup, but even that is questionable.  What did I learn today?  If it's not broken, don't try to fix it.

We had turkey bacon and scrambled eggs on rye toast with lettuce, tomato and mayo.  My favorite standby sandwich when there is nothing else in the house. All's well that ends well.

4 comments:

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

My favorite way to cook a roast of any kind is with liquid, bullion, liquid smoke onions, garlic pepper and seal it tight and cook it real slow...all day! No matter the cut of roast it's tender and juicy.

I agree, if it ain't broke...don't fix it. Live and learn, huh?

God bless and have a wonderful evenin'. :o)

Peri said...

I am SO happy that you did exactly the same thing I did the first time I decided to cook a roast in a way different from "the way Momma always did it"...I did is and we ended up with Hot Dogs on bread and boiled potatoes! I really needed this post to make my day happier!! Sometimes I forget about the not fixing it part...like the night I decided to re-invent the sloppy joe...'nuff said on that one!!

Peri said...

Obviously I cannot think and type at the same time...in previous comment, read "I did it" instead of "I did is"...Sheesh, I need to slow down!
Hope tomorrow night's dinner will be better....

Artgalcrafts said...

Hi Susan, thanks for coming into my blog after I have been off it so long , reading about your disaster with your beef, what a shame, think it might have tasted good tho.
Oh well there's always next time and your turkey etc. sandwiches sound just as nice, and good on you for owning up to your mistakes that's even good for the moral.
So glad you are back at your poly clay there is nothing like it is there.
My fav roast is always a Lamb Roast, but it seems to have gone right out the window these days because of price, but I still use lamb chops when I can get em.
Peri, dont worry about the mistakes, I do it all the time, a mind going too fast for the fingers and if you dont proof read funny things can happen, ah well that's life as it should be to us bloggers LOL.
Yes Nezzi that's a good method for any meat in the oven, if only Susan had done that Yummy.
Bye for now Susan
see you here again soon.
Love
E. XXX