Whew! Busy week!

This has been a crazy week! I went to San Antonio and Houston in the early part of the week and didn't get a chance to go shopping before I went, so as soon as I got home Wednesday, I went shopping and now have stuff to make, but the issue I'm having is time. It's very very very busy right now.

So, this week has been deemed leftover week. My freezer is full of all the creations that I have made over the last month and I'm going to skip grocery shopping this month so I can eat my food and make the rest of the dishes that I bought stuff for.

Fettucini Alfredo

12 oz fettucini **I used shell pasta because I had it!
4 T salted butter
3 T all-purpose flour
2 c milk
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
1 1/2 c shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

Boil pasta until tender and drain. Heat butter on high one minute in the microwave in a two-quart glass bowl. Whisk in flour. Stir in milk, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and whisk. Heat on high five minutes in the microwave until thickened, stirring twice during cooking. Stir in one cup Parmesan cheese until melted. Toss with pasta in large bowl and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

What I liked about this recipe: It was SO freaking easy. Fifteen minutes and it was done. Plus, it didn't use heavy cream or half and half and that's pretty rare with any good Alfredo recipe.
What I disliked about this recipe: Not much. It was a little less salty than I would have liked, but I took care of that. Glad I used salted butter.
Cool kitchen gadgets used: I have a variety of Pyrex measuring cups which double as microwave bowls. I use them a lot for microwave cooking because they have handles on them that don't get scalding hot. I have two one-cup dishes, two two-cup dishes, a one-quart dish and a four-quart dish. I used the four-quart dish last night so I had plenty of room for the whisk.
Tastiness factor: This was seriously good. It was just as easy as making macaroni and cheese from the box and in my opinion, MUCH tastier. One of my friends and I were out and about and I invited her home, and raced home 15 minutes before her....and it was so quick and easy, I had it ready about ten minutes after she arrived.

Beef Pot Roast

4-5 lb beef chuck roast **I used a brisket because I couldn't find a chuck roast big enough
1 garlic clove, sliced in half
kosher salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 c chopped baby carrots
1 rib celery, chopped
half of a large onion, sliced
3/4 c sour cream
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 c dry white wine

Rub roast with garlic. Season roast with salt and pepper and place in slow cooker with garlic halves. Add carrots, celery and onion. Combine sour cream, flour and wine in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour into slow cooker over meat and vegetables. Cover and cook on low for six to seven hours.

What I liked about this dish: Very, very fast to make. It took about ten minutes to get this dish in the Crock Pot.
What I disliked about this dish: Next time I would probably cook it for six hours...the dish was just a tad dry.
Cool kitchen gadgets used: Love my whisk, love my tiny pink mixing bowl which is perfect for sauces like this and LOVE MY CROCK POT!
Tastiness factor: This was a good dish with mashed potatoes. Not my favorite roast recipe, but it's a basic recipe with no weird ingredients.

My canning kit has finally arrived, so if I can find time, I'm going to make raspberry jam this weekend! I am down to one container of strawberry jam since I gave one to my friend C.