Ree Drummond's Pot Roast

Okay, so I admit it, pot roast is one of the truly simple things to cook. It always comes out great and makes you look like Julia Child in the kitchen. Wrong!

I have to say that I have been kidding myself all these years. Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, has a pot roast recipe in her new cookbook that is amazingly simple, yet fail safe, and will have your family and/or friends forever kowtowing to your culinary prowess.

Ree serves her pot roast with mashed potatoes, but being far too lazy to make mashed potatoes, I opted for scalloped potatoes which everyone loves (which kind of sucks since there are rarely leftovers, and those of us in the know will all agree that leftovers are the absolute best things about a great meal, right, Beaver?)

I also roast whatever other green veggie I have around: asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, etc.--just toss your greens with a hint of olive oil, salt and pepper for about 30-40 minutes next to your Dutch oven and scalloped potatoes (check them about halfway through the procedure and toss them gently so that there is uniform browning/roasting). Man, oh, man, you've got just enough time to set the table (or get your lazy-ass teenagers to do it) and throw together a quick salad, throw the baguette in the oven to warm...and, voila, an amazing meal is on the table.

If you're in my situation, the conversation will focus on teenage boys: who is "hot," who is not and who will be coming to dinner in the near future (yikes! Ree, please give me more recipe suggestions!). You'll still be sitting at the table, savoring your meal (still on the first serving), enjoying a nice glass of Cab, lost in your thoughts, while your teenagers are itching to clear the table and finalize plans for their Saturday nights. Oh, the good old days!

Bon appetit, that's all I have to report.

Worms in Edamame

There have been lots of bloggers in the past few months complaining about finding worms in edamame pods. The simple, albeit not so fun, solution is to ONLY purchase frozen shelled edamame and to stop ordering edamame as an appetizer in restaurants.

If, however, you insist on purchasing the in-shell edamame, inspect each pod carefully for brown spots and holes, open each pod carefully and inspect the inside for discoloration and webbing before picking out each bean with your fingers and popping it into your mouth.

One other option is to chalk the worm issue up to added protein and ignore it altogether. They won't make you sick other than totally grossing, even the most hardy among us, out.