The Improbable Rise of Mississippi Roast

Many years ago, a woman named Robin Chapman from Ripley, Miss., made a pot roast in her slow cooker. Now known as Mississippi Roast, it would eventually become one of the most popular recipes on the web, especially Pinterest where it has been pinned more than a million times. It was a variation of  a recipe given to her from her aunt.

I had someone recount this recipe to me from Pinterest in a grocery store and thought they must be mistaken. A STICK OF BUTTER? IN A CROCKPOT ROAST?! (I mean anyone who has made a crockpot roast before knows how much fat is generated by the roast alone - without a stick of butter.)

So I left out the stick of butter and added a bit more juice from the pepperoncini. (And I have seen many variations of this recipe - one even calling for putting the whole jar in, juice and all.) I also seared the roast all over in oil before putting it in the crockpot, because I've never met a crockpot roast recipe that didn't do that.

I used my own Ranch dressing mix concoction to cut back on the chemical flavor from all of the instant packets. (I've never investigated how to make my own au jus packet, but I'm guessing it's mostly thickeners.)

Even without butter, it's pretty good!

King Cake Calzone

Vegas.com invited me to participate in a creative challenge in honor of the Annual International Pizza Expo hosted each year in Las Vegas. They asked for pizza creations inspired by Las Vegas hotels - and I chose the Mardi Gras Hotel & Casino.

In honor of the Carnival season, I created this King Cake Calzone (which would be perfect for your Super Bowl party too!).



1 can (13.8 oz each) Pillsbury™ refrigerated classic pizza crust
3/4 cup ricotta
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 lb. andouille sausage, browned
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1-2 cups mozzarella cheese
Chopped yellow pepper, green pepper and red onion for top of calzone

Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Unroll can of dough, placing in greased pan. Press out dough to long rectangle.

In a bowl, stir together ricotta, Parmesan, basil, pepper, and sausage.Spread ricotta mixture on center of dough, leaving a half-inch border all around. Fold over and pinch the edges to seal. Shape into an oval like a king cake.

Spoon tomato sauce over the calzone and sprinkle with mozzarella. Add diced pepper and onion alternately in thirds similarly to the pattern of a king cake.

Bake until crust is firm and cheese is golden - about 30 to 35 minutes.

Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

Oriental Chicken & Rice Soup

I had lots of leftover rice and lots of chicken stock that I needed to find a way to use up. I ran across this recipe and decided to use it for a start and mix it up a bit (as I don't really like miso and ginger that much). It was yummy! (And if your rice is cooked already, it can be ready in 30 minutes...which is my target for weeknight meals.)

Oriental Chicken & Rice Soup

1 tbsp sesame oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 container white mushrooms, sliced
4 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
3 cups chopped bok choy
1-2 cups wild rice, cooked
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp rice vinegar


Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms; sauté 6 minutes. Add stock, chicken, and bok choy; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. While soup simmers, stir rice, soy sauce, salt, and pepper into soup. Cook 4 minutes or until bok choy is tender.