$25 Gift Card to Savvy Tea & Herbs WINNER!

Thanks to everyone who entered this fun giveaway.  I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little jealous of the winner; I sure could use up that gift card in a jiffy.  I'm happy for you though, winner.  And that winner is none other than:

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Congratulations!  Please email me at the7riddles@gmail.com with your email address so I can get your gift card sent to you.

Everyone is invited to take advantage of Savvy Teas and Herbs' coupon code they are offering my readers.  Save 10% off your entire order with the coupon code SAV10.  Scrumptious!

Slow Cooker Chuck Roast Supreme ~ A Recipe

Picture this: You've been out all day, running errands and/or homeschooling.  It happened to be "one of those days" and you're finishing up school after conventionally-schooled children have returned home (not that I would know about those days or anything *ahem*).  It was a full-ish kind of day to say the least, and wouldn't it be nice if dinner would just appear on the table when it was needed?  Chuck roast to the rescue!

The way I see it, chuck roast was made for the crock pot.  I mean, when you get a nice, grass-fed roast, you don't need much to make the flavors pop, it's already pretty tasty.  Not to forget that it's usually on the cheaper side of the roasts department.  Let's hear it for chuck!  Here is a quick, GAPS-friendly, gluten-free recipe that can be started after breakfast with very little prep time.  It's aroma slowly envelopes the home throughout the day with a welcoming, enticing fragrance that is a blessing for hungry loved ones to come home to.  Once it's ready, you can fix it oh so many ways: on a bed of lettuce with grated cheese and creme fraiche as a meal-salad, use it instead of chicken in the easiest enchilada recipe, wrapped in a tortilla with beans as a hearty burrito, spooned atop a steaming baked potato, or thrown into a quesadilla to jazz things up.  Needless to say, leftovers are a joy because they can be turned into an altogether different dish than what was made the day before.  Cumin is included in this recipe not only for it's delicious flavor, but also because it's a potent stress-reliever and memory-booster (quite helpful after a long day).  Garlic and red pepper flakes boost immune function.  Always helpful.  Here's how it works:

Slow Cooker Chuck Supreme

• 1 chuck roast (or 7-bone roast), 3-5 pounds
• 1 jar of your favorite salsa
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 bell pepper (if in season, omit if not), chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Rinse off meat and place in slow cooker.  Add remaining ingredients and mix.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
2. One hour before serving, use two forks to flake the meat by pulling it apart to bite-sized shreds.  Remove any clumps of fat and bones.  At this time, if you'd like to add beans to this recipe, do so now to warm them up.  Cover and let cook for the last hour.  Serve any way you'd like it (suggestions mentioned above).
3. Enjoy!

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday, Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday, & Pennywise Platter.

Anatomy of the Perfect Potato Wedge ~ A Recipe

Every preggers has her cravings.  One of mine happens to be... the potato.  The warmth.  The crispy edges.  The melt-in-your-mouth insides.  The sea saltiness.  Pardon me while I wipe some drool off the keyboard.  It's almost dinnertime; a tricky time of day to be writing about food.  Needless to say, I take potatoes seriously.  I've experimented with a number of different methods to contrive the perfect potato wedge, and in my humble opinion, this is the one.

As I long for crisp, autumn days, we are expecting Friday to hit 109º, so the oven and I are still painfully on sabbatical from each other.  This recipe, however, is cooked on the stovetop.  It's that perfect dish to periodically scrape and stir on the side burner of the grill while you flip some meats and veggies, leaving the house unheated by any food prep.

Before I delve into the recipe, I must share my personal preference on how the potato wedges should be prepared.  Like I said.  This is serious.  First things first.  Don't over-stuff the skillet with potato wedges.    I've learned from experience that too many potatoes leave some wedges barely cooked and others burnt.  I use a 10 1/4-inch cast iron skillet and about six medium red or Yukon Gold potatoes, max.

Next, cut the potato in half lengthwise, and then cut the wedges out about four per half of a potato, as uniform as possible.  You don't want them too thick or else they take forever to cook and you don't get that perfect crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside thang goin' on.  That's what we're going for, here.  Okay, I think we're ready for the recipe now...

Perfect Potato Wedges

Serves about 6

6 soft-skinned potatoes (like red or Yukon Gold), sliced in about 8 wedges per potato

2-3 Tablespoons coconut oil (expeller-pressed) or ghee

Seasoning of your choice

Celtic Sea Salt (if your seasoning doesn't have salt in it)

4 cloves garlic, minced (optional)

1. Warm the oil in the skillet on medium-high heat.  Add potatoes and stir to coat the wedges.  Sprinkle your seasoning of choice.  I usually use something from this brand (very clean):  Don't be afraid to use lots of seasoning.  You want flavor.  Here's what mine usually looks like when I've seasoned them enough:
2. Stir well and cover.  Lower heat to more of a medium and less of a high heat.  On my burner with choices 1-10, I set it at a 6-7.  Uncover and stir periodically (about every 3 minutes), scraping the bottom of the pan and kind of flipping the wedges as you stir to get them browning evenly.  You'll know they're done once the outsides are brown and crispy but a wedge can be easily cut in half with your stirring spoon.  It usually takes mine about 20 minutes of cooking.
3. Add optional garlic and sea salt, give it a stir, let it sit a few minutes, then serve.

Enjoy!

~ Browse more Riddlelove recipes here. ~

I'm sharing this at Simple Lives Thursday, Fresh Bites Friday, Pennywise Platter, Monday Mania & Real Food Wednesday.