Pot Roast Bouquet | Gilmore Girls Coffee Klatch

I don't know whether to be proud of or horrified by myself right now. I binged over 2 seasons of Gilmore Girls in the past week. I know that I only "need" to watch an average of 3 episodes a day to stay on track, but last week was dreary and rainy and...well...it just sort of happened. But here's the thing—I'm going to run into some busy weeks pretty soon with Halloween, Thanksgiving and 2 birthdays (mine included) between now and Black Friday. Which means I'll probably have weeks that I'm struggling to find time to watch, so really, I'm just staying on top of things.

Two-plus seasons in quick succession means there's been an up and down rollercoaster of boys, men, food, and teenage hormones and angst flling up the last 7 days. The funny thing is, the recipe that I made was actually pulled from one of my first episodes of the week. But it was so funny, and inspiration struck so hard that I had to make it.


In true Gilmore form, words and thoughts were bandying fast and furious in the the first episode of season 2, as Rory is excitedly trying to talk wedding plans (Max) with Lorelai and she says...

Oooh, you should walk down the aisle to Frank Sinatra and a huge bouquet of something that smells really good.

To which Lorelai replies dreamily—Pot Roast.

Not only did I watch that part over no less than 10 times, I also laughed each time. It's in the delivery, of course, but also in the truth of the matter. Pot roast does smell amazing.

Here's my weekly recap....

Episodes Watched (far too many):

S1:E16 "Star-Crossed Lovers and Other Strangers"
S1:E17 "The Break-Up, Part II"
S1:E18 "The Third Lorelai"
S1:E19 "Emily in Wonderland"
S1:E20 "P.S. I Lo..."
S1:E21 "Love, Daisies and Troubadours"
S2:E1 "Sadie, Sadie..."
S2:E2 "Hammers and Veils"
S2:E3 "Red Light on the Wedding Night"
S2:E4 "The Road Trip to Harvard"
S2:E5 "Nick & Nora/Sid & Nancy"
S2:E6 "Presenting Lorelai Gilmore"
S2:E7 "Like Mother, Like Daughter"
S2:E8 "The Ins and Outs of Inns"
S2:E9 "Run Away, Little Boy"
S2:E10 "The Bracebridge Dinner"
S2:E11 "Seasons and Loans"
S2:E12 "Richard in Stars Hollow"
S2:E13 "A-Tisket, A-Tasket"
S2:E14 "It Should've Been Lorelai"
S2:E15 "Lost & Found"
S2:E16 "There's the Rub"
S2:E17 "Dead Uncles & Vegetables"
S2:E18 "Back in the Saddle Again"
S2:E19 "Teach Me Tonight"
S2:E20 "Help Wanted"
S2:E21 "Lorelai's Graduation Day"
S2:E22 "I Can't Get Started"
S3:E1 "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days"
S3:E2 "Haunted Leg"
S3:E3 "Application Anxiety"
S3:E4 "One's Got Class and the Other One Dyes"
S3:E5 "Eight O'Clock at the Oasis"
S3:E6 "Take the Deviled Eggs...
S3:E7 "They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?"
S3:E8 "Let the Games Begin"
S3:E9 "A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving"
S3:E10 "That'll Do Pig"
S3:E11 "I Solemnly Swear"
S3:E12 "Lorelai Out of Water"
S3:E13 "Dear Emily and Richard"
S3:E14 "Swan Song"
S3:E15 "Face-Off"
S3:E16 "The Big One"
S3:E17 "A Tale of Poes and Fire"
S3:E18 "Happy Birthday, Baby"
S3:E19 "Keg! Max!"
S3:E20 "Say Goodnight, Gracie"
S3:E21 "Here Comes the Son"
S3:E22 "Those Are Strings, Pinocchio"
Episodes left: 88

This week's cravings and obsessions:

• Yellow Daisies!
• This moment.

• Cider Ice Cream. Especially when made in an ice cream maker with the same name as my husband.
• Fried Marshmallow Pie. Hello! This obsession may very well carry over into next week (at least).
• Lorelai's red knit lace dress.

The coffee talk:

• There may have been major tears when Rory finally broke out the vat of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream after her and Sam-Dean's breakup. First love is so intense.
• Mrs. Kim rocks my world...I laugh every single time she is on screen.
• Okay, I hate to sound like a traitor to Sam-Dean, but I've always had a weakness for cute bad boys with hearts of gold. Crap. I'm Team Jess.
• It drives me crazy that nobody ever finishes a meal. Sometimes they never even take more than a single bite. Gah!
• Both Hillary and that guy running against her were referenced at some point in these episodes. Very prophetic.
• Sometimes the timeline really drives me batty. 
• I totally think Sam-Dean is rushing with the whole marriage proposal thing, maybe trying to prove to somebody (himself) that he is not in love with Rory anymore. He's such a decent guy. And so cute.
• Melissa McCarthy is so cute. I think that every single time she's on screen. I knew it was inevitable to see Ben Falcone...is Gilmore Girls where they met? Nope, I Googled it. They met in '98. 
• What is up with Kirk, jack of all trades? Does he really deserve a spot in the opening credits?
• For some reason Rory's talk with Richard and Emily about a loan for Yale made me cry. I mean, I'm always a crybaby, but this scene? I wonder if deep down it's related to the fact that I sent my oldest off to college this year and we couldn't afford his first choice school due to out-of-state tuition. He never complained. Not once.
• Is Nanny French or Spanish? What the heck.
• It seems like Sookie has been pregnant forever. She's still not showing. And she's talking about drinking champagne. Again, with the timeline.
• The age/grade mystery from my last post has been cleared up. At Rory's graduation, the headmaster announced her (valedictorian) as a "second year transfer" student. Makes much more sense. And I'm crying again.

Don't forget to drop by and visit Chef Sarah Elizabeth for some more Gilmore Girls talk and a Smashed Cheeseburger during this week's Coffee Klatch! And then, sit back and smell the pot roast.

yield: serves 6-8Author: Heather Schmitt-Gonzalezprint recipe

Pot Roast

prep time: 20 MINScook time: 2 hour and 50 MINStotal time: 2 hours and 70 mins

This tender pot roast with vegetables smell so heavenly that you make want to turn them into a wedding bouquet (inspired by Gilmore Girls).

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 pound boneless beef rump roast
• sea salt or roasted garlic sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 head garlic, outermost papery skin removed and tips sliced off the whole head
• 1 extra large parsnip, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes with their juices (fresh or canned)
• 1 1/2 cups red wine
• small handful fresh herbs (parsley, sage, oregano, bay leaves)
• 2 cups beef stock or broth

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Set a large, heavy pot over high heat and add oil. Season the rump roast generously with salt and pepper. Sear the meat until a dark crust forms, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
3. Carefully lift the meat out of the pot and into a pie dish (or something similar); discard the oil, taking care not to scrape any of the fond from the bottom of the pan.
4. Set pan back on the stove and reduce heat to medium. Add the butter; once melted, add the whole head of garlic, parsnips, carrot, and onion, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pot. Cook until veggies just start to color, 8-10 minutes.
5. Stir in the tomatoes and the wine and let the liquid come to a bubble. Move the veggies to the sides and tuck the roast back into the center of the pot. Nestle the handful of herbs in and add the beef stock.
6. Bring to a boil, then cover and slide into the hot oven for about 2 hours 15 minutes.
7. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before removing to a cutting board and slicing against the grain. Discard the herbs, squeeze the garlic heads from the skin into the pot. Serve sliced pot roast with cooking liquid and veggies spooned over and around the meat.

Notes:

1. Have a larger or smaller rump roast? Adjust cooking time, planning on 20-30 minutes per pound.

http://www.allroadsleadtothe.kitchen/2016/10/pot-roast-bouquet-gilmore-girls.html