Christopher’s first football game of the season was last night. Around here, middle school teams play on Thursday nights. Elizabeth and I didn’t go to this one. She had a lot of homework and needed to study for a science test. It was actually the jamboree for area junior high schools. In case you’ve never heard of a football jamboree, it’s kind of like the preseason in the NFL and the games are usually abbreviated. In our case, last night, our team played two games – back to back. Each one lasted for 10-15 minutes. We won both! Michael is the team photographer, so he brought home lots of photos and even had another parent video the games, so I got to watch the highlights before bed. The team looks great! Our line is HUGE! Christopher is pretty much a moose at this point, but he isn’t the biggest one on the team! Many of the boys, especially the 8th graders, have stepped up into leadership roles and are passionate about the whole team working together as a family. I think we’re going to have a great season.
This has been a crazy week. We were out of school on Monday for Labor Day, and as any teacher will tell you, “short weeks” are even more exhausting than regular weeks. I think it’s because we try to cram all five days’ worth of work into however many days we are actually at school. We helped feed the team after practice on Tuesday night. We had church on Wednesday night. We had the games last night. I am SO ready for the weekend!
I knew I would be especially tired when I got home this evening, so I filled up the crock pot this morning. When I was mixing it all up this morning, Christopher asked what it was. I told him it was Cranberry Roast Beef and he smiled. It’s one of his favorites. When we got home after school, Elizabeth took a whiff and asked what was in the crock pot. When I told her it was Cranberry Roast Beef, she smiled. It’s one of her favorites, too. When Michael asked me what was for dinner, I told him Cranberry Roast Beef and he said, “Be sure to make a lot of mashed cauliflower!” Poor ole Low-Carb Larry is always excited when I make something that we can all eat. I usually serve this over mashed potatoes, but if it means that he can eat with us – and not just heat up sausage and eat it pitifully while watching us eat something else – I will absolutely make mashed cauliflower! If you need that recipe, you can find it here.
Cranberry Roast Beef
- 2-3 pound beef roast (OR 2-3 pounds of stew meat)
- 1 10-ounce package of frozen chopped onions
- 2 14-ounce cans of whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1/4 cup of soy sauce
Later:
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 cup of cornstarch
- 3/4 cup of water
Combine meat, onions, cranberry sauce, and soy sauce in your crock pot. Stir to break up the cranberry sauce clumps. Cook all day on low.
About 15 minutes before serving, add salt to taste. Switch heat to high and make a slurry with the cornstarch and water. Pour into the cranberry mixture and stir until it thickens. When it’s as thick as you’d like it (about the consistency of gravy) switch back to low or switch off.
Serve over mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower.
Well Duh #1: Just use whichever meat is on sale or cheapest. As you can see from the pictures, I used stew meat this time.
Well Duh #2: If you use a roast, you may want to remove it from the crock pot before adding the slurry. That will make it easier to stir.
We love this dish. The cranberry sauce gives it a slightly sweet flavor without making it sticky sweet. You may not need to add salt, depending on what kind of soy sauce you use.
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