Shop Cheap

Lots of chuck roast, asparagus and strawberries. That's what's coming from recipe researcher Sheila Kern in the Shop Cheap kitchen. Enjoy!

COUNTRY-STYLE POT ROAST

From www.recipesecrets.com

Serves: 8

Ingredients

3- to 3-1/2- lb. boneless beef pot roast (rump, chuck or round)

1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix

2-1/2 cups water

4 medium all-purpose potatoes (about 2 lbs.), cut into 1-inch pieces

4 carrots, sliced

2 to 4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

Directions

Brown roast in Dutch oven or 6-quart saucepot over medium-high heat. Add Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix blended with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered, turning roast occasionally, 2 hours.

Add vegetables and cook an additional 30 minutes or until vegetables and roast are tender; remove roast and vegetables.

For gravy, blend remaining 1/2 cup water with flour; stir into Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes.

SLOW COOKER METHOD: Combine 2 ENVELOPES Soup Mix with 2 cups water. Arrange vegetables, then roast in slow cooker. Pour soup mixture over roast. Cook covered on LOW 8 to 10 hours or HIGH 4 to 6 hours or until roast is tender. Remove roast and vegetables to serving platter. Blend remaining 1/2 cup water with flour and stir into juices in slow cooker. Cook covered on HIGH 15 minutes or until thickened.

Works also with Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Mushroom Soup Mix or Lipton Recipe Secrets Beefy Onion Soup Mix.

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Pot Roast with Orange and Dates

From www.epicurious.com

Bon Appetit | April 2007

Yield: Makes 8 servings

This recipe calls for two small roasts instead of one big one. If you'd rather cook one big one, that's OK, too.

Ingredients

2 (2 1/2-pound) boneless beef chuck roasts, each about 7x4x2 inches

4 teaspoons sugar

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 pound onions, thinly sliced

6 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

2 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 cup orange juice

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 cups pitted dates

1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sprinkle roasts on each side with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy wide ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add roasts. Cook until brown, about 8 minutes per side; transfer to plate. Add 1 tablespoon oil and onions to pot. Sauté until dark brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Mix in vinegar and allspice; boil until reduced to glaze, scraping up browned bits. Add broth, orange juice, and tomato sauce; bring to boil. Return roasts and accumulated juices to pot. Scatter dates around roasts; sprinkle with parsley.

Cover pot; place in oven. Braise roasts 1 hour. Turn roasts over, cover, and braise until tender, about 1 hour. Tilt pot; spoon off fat from top of sauce. Cool uncovered 1 hour. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Chill uncovered until cold; cover and keep chilled.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Transfer roasts to board, scraping sauce into pot. Cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices; overlap slices in baking dish. Spoon sauce over. Cover; rewarm about 25 minutes.

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Herb-Marinated Chuck Steak

From: www.csuchico.edu/agr/grassfedbeef

(A cooperative project between California State University, Chico College of Agriculture and University of California Cooperative Extension. Funded by Kellogg California Food and Fiber Future and Agriculture Research Initiative)

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 boneless beef chuck shoulder steak, cut 1 inch thick (about 1 pound)

Marinade:

1/4 cup minced onion

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed

Directions:

Combine marinade ingredients in small bowl. Place beef steak and marinade in food-safe plastic bag; turn steak to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or as long as overnight, turning occasionally.

Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade. Place steak on rack in broiler pan so surface of beef is 3 to 4 inches from heat. Broil 16 to 21 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, turning once.

Carve steak into thin slices. Grilling Note: Place well-trimmed steak on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, uncovered, 16 to 20 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally.

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Penne with Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis, 2008

From: www.foodnetwork.com

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

8 ounces penne pasta

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 pounds thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups (about 9 ounces) cherry tomatoes

1 cup shelled fresh peas

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock

1 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the asparagus, season with the salt and pepper, and cook for 3 minutes until slightly soft. Add the cherry tomatoes and peas. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour the chicken stock into the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until the tomatoes start to burst and the stock is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Transfer the asparagus mixture to a large serving bowl. Add the cooked pasta and 1/2 of the Parmesan. Toss well, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Garnish with the remaining Parmesan and chopped basil.

Asparagus with Creamy Mustard Sauce

From www.marthastewart.com

Ingredients

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

Steamed asparagus

Directions

In a bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar, and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard.

Season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle over chilled steamed asparagus.

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Strawberry Breakfast Pizza

From www.calstrawberry.com

California strawberry Commission

Yield: 5 servings

Ingredients

1 package (7 1/2 ounces) refrigerated biscuits (10 biscuits)

1 orange

2 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

4 teaspoons honey, divided

1 pint basket fresh strawberries, stemmed and halved

Mint sprigs, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stack 2 biscuits; roll out to a circle about 6 inches in diameter, 1/8 inch thick. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Prick all over with fork. Repeat with remaining biscuits to make total of 5 circles. Bake until lightly browned for 6 to 8 minutes. Loosen biscuits and cool slightly. Meanwhile, finely grate peel from orange. In bowl beat cheese, peel and 2 teaspoons of the honey to blend thoroughly; set aside. Juice orange into another bowl. Add strawberries and the remaining 2 teaspoons of honey; toss. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Spread biscuits with cheese mixture to within 1/2 inch of edges, dividing equally. Bake just until edges of cheese brown lightly. Top with drained strawberries. Garnish with mint sprigs. Serve immediately.

Frosty Strawberry Pops

From www.calstrawberry.com (California Strawberry Commission)

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

1 pint basket strawberries, stemmed

1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk

3 tablespoons frozen orange, cranberry or pineapple juice concentrate

Directions

In blender container, blend all ingredients about 1 minute until smooth. Pour into eight 3-ounce, wax-coated paper cups. Place in shallow pan and insert a wooden craft stick; or plastic spoon into the center of each. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours. After pops are frozen, they can be transferred to a resealable plastic bag for freezer storage. To release pops from cups, dip briefly into hot water up to rim of cup. Cups can be found in the paper goods or soap section of most supermarkets. Wooden craft sticks are available in craft stores and supermarkets, too.