Crock Pot Roast

Posted by Michele at 3:08 PM 0 comments

One of the easiest recipes in the world (and tastiest on a cool night) is my mom's pot roast in the crock pot.  It makes the house smell divine and warms you up no matter the temperature outside.

Toss the following into your crock pot, in this order:
2-3 pound roast, 1 bag of baby carrots, 1 white onion-diced, 4 red potatoes-diced.

Add your favorite spices.  I like to throw in 1tsp oregano, 1tsp rosemary, 1tsp basil, and 1tsp pepper.

Pour over 4 cups vegetable broth.  Cook on low for 6 hours. 

Remove 1 cup of the broth from the crockpot and whisk with 1/4 cup corn starch until there are no lumps.  Return to the pot and stir, shredding the beef as you go.

Serve with crusty bread or potato rolls.  This recipe freezes well; when you heat it up, add in 1/4 cup broth or water for every cup of stew.

Butternut Squash Soup

Posted by Michele at 2:19 PM 0 comments

I've made this both vegan and non-vegan, with equally delicious results.  So, pick your dairy (or non-dairy) poison and dig in!

Butternut Squash Soup

Peel one medium-large butternut squash and dice it into 1 inch pieces.  Toss them with 2tbsp olive oil and roast them at 400 degrees for an hour.

Place the cooked squash in a crock pot on low with 2 cups vegetable stock.  Mash the squash well, then add 1 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg and 1 stick of cinnamon, and stir.  Cook for 2 hours over low heat, stirring every 30-45 minutes.

Puree the finished soup with 1 cup light cream (or 1 cup nut milk for a vegan alternative; I prefer unsweetened coconut milk for its thickness). 

Serve immediately or freeze.  If freezing, defrost overnight in the fridge, then mix with 1/2 cup light cream/milk/nutmilk before heating.

Vegan Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze

Posted by Michele at 12:25 PM 0 comments

If I could bake only one thing that sums of "autumn", it would be this cake.  Moist and delicious, it doesnt even need the glaze, but if you have a bit of a sweet tooth, then drizzle some on!

Vegan Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze

In a mixing bowl, combine 15oz canned pumpkin, 1/4 cup canola oil, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1 cup white sugar.  Mix until 'creamed'. 

While your pumpkin mixture is mixing, combine 1 and 1/2 cups A.P. flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1 1/2tsp baking powder, 1tsp baking soda, 1/2tsp salt, and 1tbsp pumpkin pie seasoning.  Stir to combine. 

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the pumpkin, followed by 1/4 cup apple cider.  Repeat twice more, at the end adding an additional 1/8 cup apple cider.  (All together, you need 3/4 cup plus 1/8 cup of cider).

Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes in a bundt pan.  When done, cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate.  Glaze the entire cake or individual slices, as desired.  Serve warm or room temperature.

(Vegan) Apple Cider Glaze
In a jar, mix 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with 1/4 cup apple cider.  Shake well to combine.  Store at room temp. 

End of Summer Waffles

Posted by Michele at 6:53 PM 0 comments

As summer winds down and we welcome fall, treat your family to this warm breakfast with a hint of summer sweetness!

For the waffles... (makes 8)
Blend 2 cups of malted flour, 1/4 plain Greek yogurt, 1 cup buttermilk, 2 eggs, and 1/4 cup applesauce until no lumps remain.  Pour into a pancake iron on "3" (medium) and cook until done.  You can keep these warm in a low heated oven.

For the peaches...
Peel one peach and slice it.  Preferably in cast iron, melt 1tbsp of butter and saute the peach.  Add 1/4 cup of sweet/dessert white wine (you could use apple or white grape juice) and simmer on low for 15 minutes.

Top the waffles with the peaches and drizzle real maple syrup (grade B!) to your heart's content!

Vanilla Bean Cake with Honey Vanilla Buttercream and Figs

Posted by Michele at 6:47 PM 0 comments

This embodies the warm flavors of fall with the final summer harvest of figs.  We picked up the dozen I used from the local farmers market yesterday and yummy oh yummy... My mother-in-law says this is her new favorite dessert.

For your convenience, you can have the homemade recipe and my thoughts on a cheat (for the dry cake ingredients!)

The homemade... (It's my basic butter cake with added vanilla)
Basic Butter Cake:
Mix & Set Aside: 2c A.P. flour, 1tbsp baking powder, 1tsp salt
Cream: 1/2c softened butter, 4oz. applesauce (a snack size cup)
Slowly beat in: 2/3c white sugar, 1/2c brown sugar
Add in, one at a time, and mix well: 6oz plain Greek yogurt, 1tbsp vanilla, 2 eggs + 1 egg white, 1/6c
almond milk, and 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped.
Add in the flour mixture slowly then beat on medium-high for 2 minutes
Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes (however your oven works) until done. Makes three, 8" squares.

If you dont want to mix your own, take a box of Duncan Hines French Vanilla and add 1/4c oil, 1/4c Greek yogurt, 1 1/3c water, 2 eggs + 1 egg white, 1tbsp vanilla, and 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped.
Beat on medium-high for 2 minutes
Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes (however your oven works) until done. Makes three, 8" squares.

For the frosting...
Beat 1 cup of softened butter, 2tbsp raw honey, 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped, and 1tbsp vanilla until light and fluffy.  A quarter cup at a time, add in 3 cups of powdered sugar, beating well between additions.  After you last addition, drizzle in up to 1/6 cup almond milk (add only as much as you need to make the consistency correct for frosting).

For the fig filling...
In a food processor, process on high: 12 small green and ripe peeled figs with 1tbsp raw honey.  Pour into a bowl and whisk in 1tbsp cornstarch.  Sit aside for half an hour while you cook and cool your cakes.

When the cake is compelely cooled, ice your first layer with the frosting then spoon over a thin layer of the fig filling.  Cover with a cake and repeat.  Cover with the top layer of cake.  Frost the outside of the cake.  When you serve each piece, drizzle over some of the fig mixture.

Enjoy this combo of summer and fall as the season changes!

Welcome to RDG!

Posted by Michele at 6:35 PM 0 comments

I know what you're thinking... Why in the hell is there a welcome some 30+ entries in???  This blog is new, as of September 2012, even with the backdated entries (which match up with their original posting dates on my blog, My Life After Loss.  So, my apologies for the confusion, but welcome anyway!

The Rantings of a Domestic Goddess are my rants and raves, my recipes and reviews, and whatever other "R" words I can come up with!  As someone who loves to cook and really glorifies in my role as a homemaker, housewife, and stay-at-home mom, I try to pull out all the domestic goddess stops in my daily life and thought maybe, just maybe, you might be interested in having them in your life too.

So wave your magic wand, grab a cup of coffee, and pull up a chair.  Domestic goddesshood, anyone?

Vegan Irish Oatmeal

Posted by Michele at 3:30 PM 0 comments

Originally posted here on September 14, 2012 as "Vegan Irish Oatmeal"

My mom used to make oatmeal for us on cool fall and cold winter mornings, before we'd head off to school. While Bobby and Maya aren't sold on the idea of oatmeal yet (unless it's in a cookie and, even then...), Peter and I have often spent a chilly a.m. with a bowl of piping hot, Irish oatmeal. And there's no better way to have it than with a hot cup of tea!

Vegan Irish Oatmeal (serves 4 @ 425 calories per serving)

In a pot, heat 1 cup of almond milk until boiling. Add in 160 grams (4 cups) steel cut oats (also called Irish or Scottish oats) and reduce the heat to medium-low (around 4/10 on the range). Cook for 10 minutes, then add 56 grams (about 1/2 cup) chopped walnuts and 80 grams (about 1/2 cup) raisins. Stir well every few minutes and cook for another 15 minutes. Add 28 grams (about 2tbsp plus 1tsp) brown sugar and 2tbsp vegan (or dairy if you prefer, but then it isn't vegan!) butter and stir well to combine, cooking for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 2-5 minutes, then enjoy!

I find the oatmeal a tad sweet, so if I'm making a single serving, I usually only add 1tsp of brown sugar; Peter on the other hand, always tosses in an additional squeeze of maple syrup. You could also omit the butter and add a dollop of apple sauce or omit/lessen the brown sugar and use maple syrup to sweeten completely.

Bainigí sult as an bia!
(ya'll dig on in!)