Use electric skillets to cook a roast

I like to cook for my family and friends, while visiting and some times that means being creative to save time. When I cook roasts I like to use electric skillets, that way my stove is free for the side dishes like rice dressing, potatoes or sauteed carrots. It's easy to use electric skillets and it frees up time. Put the roasts in the skillet, turn it to correct temperature and check to see how long need to cook per pound per roasts. You'll want to add chopped or quartered onions, bell peppers and garlic at this point. Let it cook so it is juicy and falling off bone, if has one. Ummmm, Ummmm sa say bon.

So when your cooking that roast in the electric skillet and your stove is free for he sides go ahead and cook them. The rice dressing is different meats ground up. Different meats like ground meat and ground pork also some liver is ground up in there, don't be scared, it's good. Get out a pot and put just a little bit olive oil on the bottom and brown the meat mixture. After it's browned well add some chopped onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Get those sauteed with the meat and once that's good lower the fire and let it cook. Now, if you like the rice dressing a little creamy and wet and some roux in there and mix it well so that you can add a little water and it makes it creamy. Let it cook down now for a while, so put it the temp where it won't burn.

Now if you want some green beans on the side take them out. Use fresh or frozen (of course). Get a big enough pot out and put a little olive oil in it. Put a little butter (not margarine), unsalted butter in there and let it melt. Add onions and bell pepper (about a 1/4 each) and let saute down. When done add the green beans and let cook on low/medium heat. Watch the beans do not let them burn.

So because you're using the electric skillet and the stove burners are free you can cook rice dressing and green beans. You can cook more if you want there's 2 more burners free. Ha,Ha.

Cooking flavorful, healthy and delicious food

Welcome to How to cook and visit. This site provides tips and techniques for cooking and visiting with family and friends. How to cook and visit would love your ideas on cooking and visiting, let's face it we all can use good ideas.

When cooking it is best to use fresh quality ingredients. If fresh is not available frozen is the next best. The reason you want to use good quality ingredients is because it is healthier for your body. The nutrients are plentiful in fresh/frozen vegetables and fruits. There are hardly any nutrients (good quality) left in a can of vegetables. The process of processing foods boils most of the nutrients that the vegetable/ fruits have and then add chemicals, additives... most of the time.

Now, as for oil. We will need to add oil to our food some times. Instead of using animal fat oil use olive oil, extra virgin olive oil. Some times we will use butter (not margarine), to start some foods off. Use unsalted real butter in place of margarine. Use it sparingly, not a lot and it's okay. If your one who believes margarine is better for you do some research you may be surprised. These are my opinions based on the research I've done but don't think I know the answers, look it up yourself you'd be surprised at what's out there.

Herbs are nice to use in food. The fresher the better again but in the bottle/jar won't be so bad just check the source. Don't forget spices like Cayenne pepper, you can use it in place of black pepper if you want to. Some people want to use onion salt or garlic salt, go light with the extra salts, for sodium reasons.

So this is just an over view of what to start off with when choosing what to cook. Your basics, the food- fresh, the oil-extra virgin olive oil, the herbs-fresh, bottle, jar and the "spices"-some like it hot. So cook it up, spice it up and eat it up.

Don't forget your company when they visit. When company comes they get the good quality ingredients too they may not eat fresh foods and when you feed it to them they will notice the fresh quality and taste. The food we eat when we visit is part of the conversation.

Let's get cooking.