Roast Beast

I know it's a little early for roast beast (yes, I'm highly influenced by Dr. Seuss) because the summer's still here and we are all trying to hold on to the last threads of that perceived freedom the word 'summer' seems to carry with it, but I couldn't help tempting my husband into Autumn with a nice warm dinner last night!

We've discovered it's quite nice - and heat reducing - to cook our roasts on the BBQ instead of in the oven. A trick picked up from a friend: gauge the roast many times with a small paring knife and insert into the gauges (or slits) slices of fresh garlic. 1 clove sliced thinly should work fine for a small-med sized roast.

I also made roasted potatoes - his favourite - with gr. onions and garlic slices. Tip for roasting potatoes on the BBQ: par-boil before wrapping in foil. Keep both the roast and potatoes on the top rack of the BBQ so they don't burn.

The real adventure of dinner was the Yorkshire puddings! Holy moly! All that effort for something so temperamental. Will have to find another recipe as the one in the Joy of Cooking didn't satisfy my attempts. They rose, but were quite doughy. Not like I remember them to be.

Finally, to add the vegetable element (because for me, a meal without fruit or veggies is not a full meal!) I used this fabulous recipe from my cousin for Squash Casserole with some modifications: recipe below.

3 cups Butternut squash - chopped then cooked until done (modification: 1 1/2 cups squash + 1 1/2 cups cooked and mashed carrots)
1 onion chopped finely
2/3 Cup shredded cheese ( modification: mozzarella cheese; it's creamier)
15 Ritz crackers crushed (keep a few extra crackers for the topping)
1 egg beaten
2 Tbls. Miracle Whip (modification: pureed cauliflower; less calories)

Mix ingredients in an oven-safe casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese and crushed Ritz crackers (this will give it a nice crispy shell). Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 min.

In the end, while not a "low-cal" meal by any stretch, it was fabulous and tasty!! Thoroughly enjoyed.