The Perfect Fall Meal

This past Sunday I hosted dinner for my family to celebrate my sister Michelle's birthday.  I know I might be crazy but I decided to try THREE new recipes that . . .yes . .THREE.  That can be nerve wracking because you just don't know how they will turn out but since it was family I decided to risk it.  I have great news to report!  All three recipes turned out FANTASTIC so I thought I would share them here.

I have cooked many roasts in my lifetime and many of them in my slow cooker but I wanted to try something different so I found this recipe online for the 

Best Slowcooker Roast Ever!

Ingredients
1 (3 to 4 pound rump roast)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
salt and pepper 
2 (10 oz) cans cream of mushroom soup
1 packet of Lipton’s Beefy Onion soup mix 
about 1½ cups of beef stock

In a big pot over medium-high heat, add in a big drizzle of oil and brown up both sides of your roast.  Sprinkle a good amount of both salt and pepper on each side as you brown about 4 minutes per side.   Once both sides are browned, add the roast to your slow cooker and then add in your cream of mushroom soups, one packet of onion soup mix and your beef stock.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 4-6 hours or LOW for 8-10 hours.  I was home all day so I actually cooked it on HIGH for 4 hours and then on LOW for another 4 hours.  Once the roast is done take the roast out and put on a platter.  Let it rest for about 5 minutes before serving.  Now, one thing that this recipe produced is the BEST GRAVY.  You can see some of it in the picture above around the beef.  I was able to retrieve a large bowl and it was the perfect accompaniment to the roast.

The next recipe now wins the award for the BEST potato dish I have ever made or tasted.  It's super easy and it will be your new favorite side dish especially at Thanksgiving.   You all trust me . . .you are going to LOVE THIS and it will be on repeat!! I promise!  It's called:

Mashed Potato Casserole.

Shopping List
3 pkgs 4 0z or 1 1/2 pkgs of the 8 Oz Instant mashed potatoes - I used Idahoan Buttery Instant 
1 (1 oz) pkg dry ranch dressing mix
1 (16 oz) container of sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 pkg of bacon, cooked to crisp and crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9×13 baking dish.  Set aside.

Prepare bacon and mashed potatoes as instructed on packages. Crumble bacon and set aside. Mix mashed potatoes, ranch dressing mix, sour cream, 2 cups of cheddar cheese, and crumbled bacon together in a mixing bowl.  Spoon into prepared pan.   Bake for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. That's it!  So simple but OH SO GOOD!

Finally is a great vegetable side dish that can be easily tweaked.  This recipe is super simple and if you don't like Blue Cheese you can substitute Parmesan cheese or anything cheese you like.  Also, if you don't like almonds you can add walnuts or pecans or just eliminate the nuts totally.

 I really don't know what else to call it except:

Green Beans with Blue Cheese

Ingredients

1 1/2  pounds of fresh green beans

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/4 extra virgin olive oil

2 T lemon juice

1 small package of blue cheese

salt and pepper  

In a large pot boil the green beans for about 4 minutes. Drain and return back to pot.  Add in the rest of the ingredients and then stir.  If you aren't sure if your family or guests like blue cheese you can just toss in a half of package or put to the side.  I ended up throwing in the entire small package and it was fine.  That's it . . .so easy!

I hope try and enjoy these recipes as much as we did.  What are you favorite recipes or meals to make during the fall season?