Beer Mushroom Roast

Food for thought:
One of my favorite books of the Bible to read is Ephesians because it constantly reminds me of why I believe the Bible, believe Jesus is Lord and follow Him.  This morning I was reading from Chapter 2 and was overwhelmed by these verses as usual.  I know I don't often post much scripture or information about my faith on here but I had to share these verses.  Today I am making a point to take some time to pray for anyone who reads this blog.  If you have a specific prayer request feel free to leave it in the comments below and I will pray for that also.  As for the verse, here it is.  A better testimony of God's love for me (and you) than I could ever write myself.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,  so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Ephesians 2:1-8

Now on to the recipe.  Last summer my husband and I went to Savannah, Ga and ate at a British pub.  It was a fun little place and had some great food.  My husband ordered bangers and mash, which basically is the British way of saying sausage and potatoes.  I am not a fan of sausage (the idea of how it is made honestly grosses me out sometimes) but I decided to try a bite.  The gravy on the meal was AMAZING!!!!  I asked the waiter about it and he said it was made with Guinness beer.  Since then I've been wanting to try to recreate the taste of that gravy and last night I did!  This was a great recipe that was extremely easy (needed now as I don't have much time with the new baby).  I hope you enjoy it!!!




Beer Mushroom RoastBeer Mushroom Roast
Ingredients:
1 bottom round roast of beef
1 container of sliced mushrooms (I just used sliced white but baby bella mushrooms would give a meatier taste to your gravy)
1 sweet onion (I used vidalia because we have a lot in Florida right now)
2 cups vegetable broth (I always use kitchen basics because it does't have added sugar and preservatives)
1 bottle of beer (any kind I used a pale brew beer but I think the Guinness would have been a dark brew - clearly I don't know about beer)
salt
pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground sage
5 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced in half

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cut 10 slits in roast and insert 1/2 a clove of garlic in each slit

Salt and pepper bottom round roast liberally
Mix together thyme, basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, and sage and press onto sides of roast
Slice onions place a layer of onions on the bottom of a roasting pan and place roast on top
Sprinkle mushrooms on top
Pour bottle of beer and 2 cups of vegetable broth on top (*you could use beef broth but my grocery store only had vegetable or chicken)
Cook in oven for 2 hours
Remove from oven
In a small pan on stove melt 2 tbs of butter
Add 2 tbsp of flour and make a roux (like making the starting point for gravy)
Cook until golden whisking constantly
Add roux to the pan juices and stir to combine
Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes more.  I allowed mine to sit for 30 minutes just to cool down (it was still very hot when we ate it) and to allow the gravy to thicken.
Slice and serve with gravy on top!It is so good!!!  The beer adds a tangy wheaty taste to the gravy that is just to die for and just so you know all the alcohol does cook off so this is a safe recipe for kids.  

Enjoy your weekend!  I know I will be enjoying mine with my two favorite boys!