Sundays have turned into one of the busiest days of my week around here.  I have meetings almost the entire day it seems, and I miss being able to spend a few hours making a fantastic Sunday dinner. 

I love walking into my kitchen after one of those crazy “days of rest(?)” and knowing that almost our entire evening meal is ready and waiting for us.  Thanks to the “timed bake” function on my double oven, I can put this on to cook when I leave around 9:00 AM, and when we are ready to eat around 4:00 - it’s waiting for us.

Now some of you may not think that banana squash is anything special.   But there is something about it in the middle of January that makes me happy I planted it, watered it, and then stored it in the coldest part of my garage last September.  A big hunk of this squash is the BEST when you score it all over, slather it with butter, and then salt & pepper it to enjoy with what my kids call “Fall Apart Roast”... 

This isn’t rocket science - it’s just using those great appliances for what they were made to do - make my life a lot easier.  It sure beats a wood stove, or a cast iron kettle over a campfire!

Should I admit that I only use my crock-pot during the summer?  A delicious tender roast is SO MUCH better baked long and slow in my oven...  The beef broth is richer (not so watery), and somehow the oven adds a deep rich flavor to the beef.  Beef roast slow cooked this way in the oven - beats a crock-pot roast hands down!  But I still enjoy my crock pot (when it’s 100 degrees outside - and those days are right around the corner, you know...)

If you still aren’t convinced that this Sunday Roast can simplify your life - check out what you can make with the leftovers during the week...

Biscuit Capped Beef Stew

Shepherd’s Pie

Hunter’s Stew

Planover Beef/Barley Soup

Roast with “Potato Socks”

“Fall Apart Roast”

Make sure you follow these steps for the best roast you’ve ever had...

1. 1. Purchase a chuck or cross-rib roast if you want it to fall apart.  Other cuts are fine, but these lend themselves to long, slow cooking - allowing the tough connective tissue to “gelatinize” into a tender, rich-flavored meat.  You can’t accomplish that with a round, rib, or other cuts quite as well.
   

2. 2.  Choose a baking pan/roaster that is just a little larger than your roast.  (Trust me on this... if you put a small roast in a larger pan, it will end up tough and dry)
   

3. 3.  Don’t add water!  I’m not kidding here.  You just need to try it...  Follow these directions and you will have plenty of beef broth to make gravy with...
   

4. 4.  Sprinkle the roast with garlic salt - then add pepper and dried minced onion if you wish.  But the most important thing is the garlic salt!
   

5. 5.  Cover tightly.  You can do this with a tight fitting lid (on a roaster for instance), or with heavy duty foil that is crimped tightly around your baking dish.
   

6. 6.  Bake for several hours - this means more than 3-4 hours!  If you have a LONG wait till dinner (say, 6-7 hours perhaps?)  - you will need to lower your heat a bit.  Here are some examples of different sizes of roast, baking temperatures, and baking times that have worked for me...   
   

                3-1/2 to 5 pound roast    bake at 275 degrees      5-7 hours

                2-1/2 to 3-1/2 pound       bake at 250 degrees      4 hours

                1-1/2 to 2-1/2 pound        bake at 200 degrees     3 hours

7. 7. Allow your finished roast to stand at least 15 minutes before you attempt to “carve” it...  And by the way, there is no need to “carve,” as it will probably just fall apart into tender chunks as you remove it for serving.
   

Baked Banana Squash - just piggy-back with your roast in the oven, although it usually only takes about 3 hours at the same temperature.

1. *I bake banana squash with a roast when we get a little weary of the old-standby potato dishes my family has come to expect. 
   

1. *You can use leftover banana squash to make “Smooth-As-Silk Banana Squash Soup”...