Ellen cooks Cordray Farms Pot Roast!

When my six year old, Carson, began asking, "Mom, is it time for you to cook some more meat yet?", I figured we needed to try out our next recipe!

Tonight's dinner was the classic Pot Roast with Vegetables.  We did ours in the crock pot and it was fabulous!  You know how food tastes much better if you didn't cook it?  Well, the crock pot is kind of like that for me... get it started in the morning and then magically supper is ready at dinner time!  I also learned a couple things today:  1) I need a bigger crock pot.  It was definitely full to capacity with the generous 3.8 pound rump roast we had in it; and 2) Pot Roast has to be one of the best comfort foods around.  As I worked around the house today, the aroma from the kitchen kept tempting me to go take a peek.  Pot Roast reminds me of my great-grandmother, Hattie Mae, who always fixed the best roast dinner for Sunday lunch!  As we all sat down to the table tonight, there were many "ooohs" and "yums" being said before we even tasted the delicious beef and vegetables!  The meat was so tender and flavorful! My husband plans to use leftovers for sandwiches this week. 

One thing I wanted to mention was that I tend to substitute in recipes... a lot.  Sometimes it's because I don't have the exact ingredients I need (we live in a very small town with no quick way to run to the grocery store) and sometimes it's because I think something else might taste better!  So, feel free to add your own personal twist when using these recipes.  You know what your family likes.  Besides, you've already done the important part...started with a great cut of meat.  We're not gravy people, but feel free to use the juices left over in the crock pot to make the gravy for your roast.  Here's the recipe we used- enjoy!

Savory Pot Roast with Vegetables

INGREDIENTS

• Cordray's beef rump roast, +/- 3 pounds
• 6 potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups baby carrots
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 stalks celery
• 3 cubes beef bouillon
• 1/2 cup water
• minced garlic
• salt, ground pepper, additional spices to taste

Directions

1. Cut up potatoes, onions, and celery in to fairly large chunks and place in a slow cooker. Put roast on top of vegetables. Place 3 bouillon cubes on top of roast and cover with water.

2.      Replace lid and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or High for 4 to 5 hours (check your crock
         pot against these times, as it may cook faster or slower).

Heifer's first baby!

Definition time: A heifer is a cow that has never had a baby before. We always worry just a tad that she'll have the baby with no problems and naturally take care of her new little one. Over the years, we've kept cows that show good mothering instincts and have a calm disposition.  This mama did great!

When we drove up, he tried to quickly get to his feet, but that part was harder than he thought, I think!

You can see he was still wet, but Mama had licked him clean as a whistle! At first, he just kind of stood, a little wobbly and looked at us while his mom did that quiet cow lullaby they do. It's not exactly a moo, kind of a cross between a grunt and a moo! Ask Michael, he can do a passable cow lullaby if the occasion demands it!

At first, he was a little confused...

 but that lullaby thing must have directions!

BINGO! Now he'll nurse several times a day for about 4 to 6 months. We pretty much let the mamas wean them at their own pace, only interfering if a calf is still nursing by the time the mama is expecting again next year.  We once lived near a farm where the farmer separated the babies and the mamas according to his schedule, not theirs. It is a heartbreaking sound to hear them crying for each other. Our cows seem happier and more satisfied staying in these kinds of family units.  You even see moms and daughters kind of hanging together watching over the kids. They'll leave one cow with a group of babies and amble off for a kind of girls' day, but somebody's gotta watch those kids!