Simple Prime Rib

I easily consider myself a "steak and potatoes" kinda gal -- red meat is something that I never tire of, particularly a good roast beef.  Of course, like every one else I have a budget, I value my health, and I also like to change it up, so I don't eat red meat every single day. Hello, Adulthood. Right after Christmas I purchased a turkey and a few prime rib roasts (see, that's my budget playing into my food choices!) to portion out and freeze for later on.
To celebrate the weekend (it's the little things in life) I served this prime rib roast along with a warm carrot and potato salad. Leftovers are going to be eaten today in the form of a sandwich... unless I get too lazy and just eat the roast beef straight out of the container. There's a high probability of that happening.

And, always a recurring theme on here, it's really easy to make.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 standing prime rib roast (3-4 pounds for two people, or 1 bone for two people)
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 teaspoons black ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1. Bring the prime rib out of the refrigerator and let it sit for about 30-45 minutes (to allow it come to room temperature). Preheat oven to 450 F.
2. Coat a roasting pan in foil and grease lightly.
3. Mix the salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Rub the oil all over the roast, then rub in the salt and pepper mixture to coat the whole cut of meat.
4. Stand the rib fat-side up in the pan and roast in the center of the oven for 20 minutes, and do not open oven. Turn the heat to 350 F and cook an additional 15-17 minutes per pound for medium-rare (use a meat thermometer for the safest and most accurate cooking: 115-120 F for rare, 125-130 F for medium).
5. Remove roast from oven and let it sit for at least 20 minutes before carving. At this time you can use the pan drippings for a gravy if you wish.

 Note: If you are serving the meat later on, you can reserve a portion of the drippings in the pan, carve the roast, then place the meat back in the pan to keep everything moist.

Homemade Granola

Granola is a very humble treat, but that's part of the beauty of this unassuming snack. It's like oatmeal cookies, not very glamorous but oh so tasty.  Plus, when you make your own granola you know what you put in it. I am not a big fan of super sweet granola and I also prefer a less-sticky granola, so by making my own I can make it exactly how I want. Also, it's a great on-the-go breakfast or snack that I can carry around. When I first make a batch I portion it out into a few small and medium containers so that I have it ready to go later on. AND just be to even more wild I add dark chocolate chips to my granola so it's just as lovely on its own as it is on top of yogurt, mixed with berries, stirred with milk... you get the picture!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup cranberries*
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 325 F. 
2. Mix the honey, brown sugar, water, vanilla, and oil in a large bowl. Mix in the oats and almonds until coated. 
3. Spread the oat mixture over a large rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring every 7-10 minutes. Bake until granola is golden.
4. Let granola cool on baking sheet, approximately 20 minutes. Pour granola into large bowl, mix in the cranberries and chocolate chips. Store in an airtight container. This granola will keep in the fridge indefinitely.

You can swap the cranberries for any other dried fruit such as blueberries, raisins, pineapple, mango, or goji berries. Remember, this is your granola, make it how you want!