You win some, you lose some

You win some, you lose some. At least I do when I try new recipes. This past Sunday, Daniel had to work, which is very abnormal. But he traded to have Friday off so he can have a 4 day weekend coming up. That meant after church he had to go to the gym and me and peanut went home. So what was I to do while peanut took his afternoon nap?

Logical choice: cook, bake, try something new. I have pregnancy ADD so I can't just sit and rest plus I am nesting which for me includes cooking. Well at least I think so. I've been pregnant so long now, I don't really know anymore. Side note: for those of you new to the blog, this is my second year in a row being pregnant. I like to blame most everything on being pregnant now. Especially when I bake copious amounts of desserts in a week.

I was craving peppery beef and ran across a recipe not long ago that I hadn't tried in my recipe box. I had planned on black pepper encrusted beef, roasted garlic potatoes, fresh salad and chocolate chip cookies (Daniel's favorite). Quick search on the internet found me a few potato recipes to experiment with, had my beef recipe so off to the grocery store peanut and I went. What better way for Hubby to come home than to a yummy meal? Or so I thought.

The beef was a bust.

Not only did I over cook it (Note to self: need a meat thermometer) but it was waaaayyy too salty. I mean, I ate two bites and couldn't eat anymore because my mouth was shriveling from the salt. I think the salt and soy sauce it called for was just too much. I may try it again but minus the soy sauce or minus the extra salt. Or perhaps I should just try a new recipe. This one took 3.5 hours between prep, marinating and cooking. Hard to make on a weekday. And I was SO disappointed after spending all that time preparing it and it turned out so ick.

But the potatoes were a hit!  {hands raised in victory - cue the clapping crowd}

So I thought I'd share the recipe since it was super easy.

Garlic Roasted Potatoes

2lbs red potatoes (about 4-5 medium size), unpeeled and cut into chunks

1/4 cup olive oil

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbs fresh rosemary, chopped

1 Tbs fresh thyme, chopped

salt and pepper to taste (be generous so potatoes aren't bland)

In a saucepan large enough to hold the potatoes, bring water to a boil.

Boil potatoes for 2 minutes (you're not trying to cook them through)

In a large bowl, combine the other ingredients

Drain potatoes and add to garlic mixture, mixing gently but thoroughly

Cover bowl and let sit for 20 min up to 2 hours

Preheat oven to 450 and place potatoes in baking dish

Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered, then toss potatoes and bake another 10 minutes

A simple recipe with simple ingredients. Just what we need in our recipe box!

Bon Apetit!



 
So do you have a good black pepper beef recipe or something similar I can try? Otherwise, back to the cookbooks to find another one to try...I'll be sure to share successes (or failures) with you.