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Why Youll Love It: Red wine pot roast looks like the cover of a fancy food magazine, but in truth its ridiculously simple to make. Pot roast works well as a weekend meal, when you have time to let it cook low and slow.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours minimum

Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

Salt

Pepper

2 pounds boneless chuck roast (approximate weight; does not need to be exact)

2 cups red wine

2 cups beef stock

1 pound carrots, cut into rounds

1 pound baby potatoes

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

1. Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat until hot. Season the roast on all sides with salt and pepper. Place the roast in the pot and sear on each side until the roast is mostly browned on the outside.
2. Pour in the red wine and broth. Add the carrots, potatoes, and bay leaves. Return to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for at least 3 hours, but possibly longer. Youll know the roast is done when a gentle tug with a fork causes the roast to fall apart.
3. Remove the roast and vegetables to a casserole dish, then cover it to keep everything warm and moist. Retrieve the bay leaves and discard.
4. In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch into 2 tablespoons cold water. Bring the liquid in the pot back to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture a little at a time, stirring the pot constantly, allowing it to boil for 1 or 2 minutes. The liquid in the pot will thicken into a rich gravy. (Note that it will thicken even more as it cools; dont be tempted to add extra cornstarch mixture, or the gravy will become too thick.)
5. Taste the gravy and add salt and pepper, if needed, to taste (start with a pinch of each and go from there). Serve portions of roast and vegetables with gravy ladled over the top.

Why Youll Love It: Bacon and blue cheese is a classic flavor pairing. Add in slices of strip steak and serve it over pasta, and you have a winning combination that satisfies. If you dont have a grill, you can cook the steak in a grill pan on the stovetop.

Instructions

1. Cook bacon until crispy according to package instructions. Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Once bacon is cool, cut into bite-sized pieces.
2. Place steak on a plate or platter. Drizzle 2 teaspoons olive oil on steak and rub to coat both sides. Allow steak to come to room temperature, about 45 minutes.
3. Heat grill to medium-high heat (about 450F).
4. Season steak with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Grill steak until desired doneness, about 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare.
5. Allow steak to rest for 10 minutes after grilling. Thinly slice diagonally and across the grain.
6. Remove and discard woody ends of asparagus (bend each and it will break where woody end begins).
7. Drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil on asparagus. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper on asparagus.
8. Grill asparagus until crisp-tender, about 2 or 3 minutes.
9. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some of the pasta water to use if needed. Drain pasta.
10. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
11. Add flour, stir, and cook for 1 minutes.
12. Slowly pour in milk, whisking constantly while pouring.
13. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and white pepper.
14. Bring milk mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
15. Add 4 ounces blue cheese and continue to cook and stir until cheese is mostly melted (there will be some lumps).
16. Stir in cooked pasta.
17. Fold in most of the bacon, steak, and asparagus.
18. If sauce becomes too thick, stir in a little of the reserved pasta water.
19. Serve topped with remaining bacon, steak, asparagus, and blue cheese scattered on top.

Why Youll Love It: Meat lovers will be thrilled with this pizza made with a meat base instead of bread. You can customize it by adding your favorite toppings before broiling in the last step.