This week’s questions come from our good friend, and faithful participant, Gabrielle. Thanks so much for your questions, Gabrielle!! And everyone, thank you for playing and have a wonderful week! (I may be taking Christmas Day off, which is in 2 weeks, so if you don’t see questions posted that day, don’t panic. I will certainly be back the following week.) =)

1. What song gives you the most holiday cheer?
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire), closely followed by Silent Night.
2. Who is the hardest person to shop for on your holiday list?
I don’t know. I usually get pretty good ideas from everyone and that makes it easier.
3. When do you start your holiday shopping?
Around the beginning of December.
4. What food or drink do you love when it’s cold out? (Recipes and
recommendations, please!)

Braised Pot Roast with Wine and Fruit

One 4-pound lean boneless beef chuck cross-rib pot roast, tied
1/2 tsp pepper
2 envelopes (3/4 oz each) brown gravy mix
1-1/2 cups dry red wine
1/4 cup orange juice
2 medium-sized red onions (5 oz each), peeled and cut into 8 wedges
1/2 cup each, loosely packed apricots and pitted prunes
2 bay leaves (each about 2 inches long)

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Rub meat all over with pepper. Put gravy mix in a 4-qt. Dutch oven ( not uncoated aluminum). Stir in wine and orange juice until smooth. Stir over medium heat until boiling. Sauce will be very thick. Add meat to pot; scatter onions and fruits around meat, and then add bay leaves. Cover pot and place in oven. Bake 3 to 3-1/2 hours until meat is fork tender. Remove pot from oven and let stand for 15 minutes. Lift roast to cutting board; remove strings. Cut meat across grain; arrange meat slices on serving platter. Discard bay leaves. Spoon some sauce over meat and serve remainder on the side.

Makes 6 servings with leftover meat.

This recipe takes about 10-15 minutes to prepare and then you can put it in the oven and forget about it! I call it the recipe that makes itself! All the different flavors blend together and make a delicious sauce that we usually put over potatoes! No one flavor dominates over the rest. It works well in a crockpot, too!

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Chili is another family favorite and particularly yummy when paired with homemade muffins or Pillsbury breadsticks.

Dawn’s Chili

1 pound ground beef
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 onion, diced
1 can Campbell’s tomato soup
2 16 oz. cans tomatoes
2 cans kidney beans
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup uncooked macaroni, cooked

Brown ground beef, onions and celery. Add tomato soup, tomatoes, kidney beans, chili powder, oregano, paprika, pepper; heat to boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 45 minutes. About halfway through the simmering time, cook the macaroni. Add macaroni after it’s cooked.

Oh heck, now I’m hungry!

5. What do you do to get rid of a cold or flu?
Bleah. That’s where I’m at, right now. I’ve been taking Mucinex and occascional Ibuprofen, with thoughts of calling the doctor, to see if I warrant antibiotics. At least I’m not sneezing as much as I did yesterday. Heck, I have sore abdominal muscles, from sneezing so much. My nose is still running plenty, though.