What Was Dinner 06/07/2012

I just couldn't resist I had to try it again so this time I put together what I am calling a Yankee Pot Roast Foil Pack. I needed advice on timing so I went to one of the cooking groups I follow on face book and asked my question. I got very good and helpful responses and so thanks to them we had dinner last night. My instinct was to have a high temp and fairly long cook time which would have resulted in mushy vegetables and a lump of coal for meat.
  I have to say this has been the week of advice for me,I have used recipes(that is advice if you think about it)and asked for help as well. Earlier in the week when making the rice bake I needed questions answered and a very helpful group of women from another Face Book cooking group where right there helping me out. True it was a dish I really didn't care for, however it wasn't the advice that made that dish less then awesome it was the recipe itself. I use to pick up the phone and call my Aunt when I had cooking questions, she would always have the answers and if she didn't Grandma did. Both of them are gone now so I am very happy to have another source of information,even if does make me shake my head in wonder at how much of the world is right there at my finger tips. I remember when Trim Line phones with push buttons was the product of the future.
 Dinner turned out very good in fact real good. The meat didn't fall apart the way I would have liked but it was tender and full of flavor. I think the cut of meat has a little to do with that. I picked a small london broil with as much marbling as I could find, I really want a chuck roast only they were all to costly. When did chuck get to be more expensive then london broil?
  My foil pack contained the small roast,  potato, carrot,   parsnip, onion and garlic cloves. I used only salt and pepper as well a 2 tbsp butter and less then a quarter of a cup of a real good red wine. I listened to all the advice I got from the freestyle foodies and from my nephew out west about not letting the meat dry out. I am so glad I did. The juice after cooking was some of the best french dip I ever tasted and I wasn't even trying for that. I cooked the pack on 375 for 30 minutes then lowered the heat to 350 for another 60ish minutes. The vegetables were done to perfection and the meat was nothing to sneeze at. As I said I would have gotten the fall apart consistency if I had splurged on the chuck,still the roast was very very good.  The serving portions were once again just right. Enough to fill and satisfy and no left overs. Foil packs are a win win kind of dinner, true you wouldn't want one every day it would get a bit limited, but when you do cook in this manner, it is quick and easy prep time,no fuss cooking, wonderful food you can't tell has been cooked on the healthy side of life,(well almost healthy the butter is a bit of a down fall) perfectly portioned plates and extremely easy clean up in the end.
 An Artichoke steamed and dipped in butter as well as some toasted Italian bread completed dinner very nicely.You always need your greens.

 Yankee pot roast with Artichokes, I think I will do this again.