Chuck here. Being it was Mother’s day, I decided that I should cook and give the 2 cookin’ mamas a day of rest. That would be my wife and my daughter. We don’t normally eat a lot of beef, but it seemed a good day to make an exception. I looked up the recipe by Emerill shown below. He is known for very delicious recipes that may take a bit more than the usual preparation. The really cool preparation here was the creation of a garlic rub to go on the roast. The rub is actually simple. It’s roasted garlic mixed with rosemary and thyme. I roasted the garlic the night before and that was the beginnings of the great smells and tastes that emanated from the kitchen. I was a bit leery about being able to cut the fat off of the roast in one piece, but that went very well. The recipe says to tie the fat back on over the rub, but being a guy, I just used toothpicks to hold it in place. I embellished the recipe by adding small yukon gold potatoes around the roast one hour before the roast was due to be done.

The green bean recipe was interesting. It calls for bacon and toasted pecans. I cooked the bacon in the morning with breakfast and I toasted the pecans the night before. When the smells of the beans and bacon cooking in the pan mix with those of the roasting meat, your mouth begins to water.

I also served a garden salad with the meal (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers). The salad was fairly ordinary, but when I want to make a more remarkable salad, I add small chunks of meat and cheese, about 1/4-inch cubes. For this I added pepperoni and Swiss cheese. Unfortunately, we only had slices of pepperoni, and so the pieces were smaller and the effect wasn’t as dramatic as I would have liked, but it was noticed anyway. Sometimes I use ham or salami for the meat, depending on the guests tolerance for spicy food.

Lots of planning paid off and everything was done at the same time. I always think the meal was a success when I hear the words “divine chef.”

Standing Rib Roast
Original recipe by Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients:

• 2 heads roasted garlic
• 3 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 standing rib roast of beef (about 6 1/2 pounds), fat trimmed in 1 strip and reserved
• 1 1/2 cups red wine, plus 1 more cup if making au jus, optional
• 1/2 cup beef stock, plus 2 more cups if making au jus, optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Separate the heads of roasted garlic into cloves and squeeze the roasted garlic out of the peels. Place the garlic in a small bowl and mash with the back of a fork until mostly smooth. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the rosemary and thyme, and stir to blend. Pat this mixture evenly over the top and sides of the roast. Place the trimmed strip of fat over the garlic-herb mixture and tie with kitchen string in several places to secure the fat onto the top of the roast.

Season the roast all over with the remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Place the roast in a roasting pan and add 1 1/2 cups red wine and 1/2 cup beef stock to the bottom of the pan. Roast for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue to roast to the desired degree of doneness, about 18 minutes per pound for rare and 22 minutes per pound for medium. Let stand at least 5 minutes before carving. De-fat the pan juices and serve alongside the beef.

If making au jus, place the roasting pan on the stove burners over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup red wine and scrape the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add 2 cups beef stock and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Strain the sauce through a sieve to remove the solids before serving. De-grease, if necessary.

Find his recipe at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/standing-rib-roast-recipe/index.html

Green Beans with Bacon
Original Recipe by Pat Neely for Food Network Magazine

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 pound bacon, roughly chopped
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Toss the green beans into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook until bright green in color and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the beans and shock in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain the beans again and pat dry.

Cook the bacon in a large, heavy saute pan until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Spoon off the excess bacon grease, leaving 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add the onion to the pan and saute until soft and very tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until just fragrant, about 1 more minute. Add the reserved green beans and the pecans and cook until heated through, 5 to 6 minutes more. Return the bacon to the pan, pour in the lemon juice and toss. Season with salt and pepper.

Find original recipe at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/green-beans-and-bacon-recipe/index.html