I had originally intended to add my submissions to this challenge in the actual challenge announcement posts, but realised quickly that with the amount I "talk" and quantity of pictures which I generally take when sharing food posts, it was probably not a good idea as the posts would seem never ending haha (and this one is already long hehe) - so... I have decided to do them independently. So, on that note, here it is... my first official entry into my #whatscookingchallenge

#WhatsCookingChallenge: Slow Roasted Beef with the most DELICIOUS wet rub and a tribute to my aunt and uncle!

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So the focus of this post is really on the wet rub for the beef and not the actual plate of food itself. I have seen ideas for many kinds of wet rubs, and the end result of this one is a compilation of probably about three or different sources and if I am honest... it changes slightly every single time I do it! lol

I actually decided to do this roast today for sentimental reasons - and as a tribute to my mom @lizziesworld's sister and her husband - my Aunt Doreen and Uncle Jack who both passed away within hours of each other the day before yesterday in an almost fairy tale like ending... My aunt was a GREAT cook and I have wonderful memories of going to their house for the grandest Sunday lunches. She gave me this clay pot many years back as a gift because she knew how much I loved to cook. I have not cooked anything in it in years, and I thought it would be a wonderful tribute to the both of them to cook a beef roast in it yesterday.

💐 So this goes out to you Aunty Doreen & Uncle Jack. 💐
You will be sorely missed by all of us.

The pot, being clay needs to be soaked in warm water for about 20 minutes before you use it to prevent it from cracking. So let the soaking begin....

So, the ingredients for the rub this time around haha - are:

Mayonnaise
Olive oil
The juice and grated rind of a lemon
Garlic
Mustard (I used Hot english and Cape Mustard)
Freshly chopped mint
Freshly chopped lemon thyme
Ground black pepper
Salt

Don't ask me about exact quantities of any of them haha, as it varies everytime. But that's why there are pictures for you lol! Essentially, you put it all in a bowl.... and mix it up... complicated... right?! lol

At the last minute,
I decided to add in a nice big dollop of
@fionasfavourites famous Spicy plum Jam too :)

Apologies for the state of the label @fionasfavourites, lol
but I had to soak the bottle in warm water to get it open,
as it had been in the fridge hehe

I am a big advocate for "waste not, want not" so I will always try to use whatever is in my fridge... be it open packs of fresh goodies or left overs from last nights dinner. In this instance, I found an almost empty packet of stir fry veg, and a pack of baby tomatoes that were not quite as chipper as they used to be lol... so I decided to use those as the bed for the roast...

So, next is the messy part,
and I would highly suggest that you have some hot soapy water ready
before you get stuck into massaging your baby.... because it gets FUN! lol!

Once you are done,
you should have something that resembles this...

I had opted to do a really slow roast, so it cooked for 3.5 hours at 70 degrees Celsius. My visions were for a lovely RARE roast, but sadly motherhood got in the way... as it does haha! I was distracted by bath time for Jude, and failed to take it out at exactly the 4 hour mark, and those extra 20 min, unfortunately did away with the rareness that I was after... but nonetheless, it was still absolutely deliciously tender and juicy.

This method of roasting, requires you to cook it for the 3.5 hours with a lid on at the low heat and then for the last 30 min you remove the lid, crank up the heat to about 200 degrees Celsius to turn the mayo rub into golden deliciousness.

Separate to the roast, I had taken a whole sweet potato and baked that in the oven for approx. 45 minutes...and then again, in the spirit of "waste not, want not" - I served the roast and sweet potato with gravy made from the roast juices and then some left over rice and baby peas from the night before.

It was a very simple meal, but very tasty!
And as I said in the beginning,
the focus around this entry was the rub, not the plate of food....

So there you have it folks...
and as outlined in the rules of this challenge...
and to avoid plagiarism on the platform...

Here's me with both my dish, and a delicious glass of red!

CHEERS PEEPS!

Will see you again with my next entry soooon!!

MY NOMINATIONS

to participate this time are:

@therneau
@braaiboy
@rwedegis
@purepinay
@rea
@allasyummyfood
@infinityroad
@flamingirl
@sweetsssj
@everlove
@jerrybanfield
@mayasiam
@ramengirl
@homecook
@papa-pepper
@karensurestudios

The details for the challenge are below!

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🍒 This challenge goes out to all the real Steemit foodies 🍒
Yes peeps...
it's time WHIP out the creative cook in you!

And before I go any further,
Let me just say that this challenge is open to EVERYONE
(Boys and girls, Young and old)
whether you consider yourself a professional,
novice or complete disaster in the kitchen!

The objective here is purely creativity!

It's as easy as PIE, I promise hehe
(see what I did there...huh? huh? lol - ok, moving along...)

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INTRODUCING THE

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THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE CHALLENGE

In addition to being a complete wine glutton hehe, I am also a HUGE foodie as my @steemitbloggers family know well… I absolutely LOVE to cook (and eat...lol) - always experimenting with different ingredient and flavour combinations. I seldom follow recipes verbatim – most of the time, I will whizz through them, glancing briefly at the ingredients and method – then heading off to the supermarket, forgetting most of what I have read on the recipe and then improvising,
ending up with something totally awesome and unique!

I know how much I love pushing the boundaries and experimenting in the kitchen, no matter how outlandish the ideas may seem to others. I also love to learn from others and then adapt the ideas to my own tailored tastes. So I thought it would be awesome to see how creative other people get in their kitchens... whether it is a "pimp'd" toasted cheese sandwich or a "rebel" gourmet appetiser.

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HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Yes, here comes the boring recipe part
with rules and boundaries... JUUUST KIDDING!
Rules are meant to be broken!
>Insert evil grin here<

ok, ok.... seriously...

here's how it's going to ROLL:
(hehe could not help myself with that one)

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NB: The #whatscookingchallenge is an ONGOING challenge, so you can enter WHENEVER you want and as OFTEN as you want!

1: Use the #whatscookingchallenge tag and tag me @jaynie in your post.

2: Create and publish a post showcasing something that
you have prepared in your kitchen which is either
a) uniquely yours, or b) has been adapted and made your own.
(The more elaborate the post the better, naturally...)
PS. This is NOT limited to "plates of food" - it can be preserves, snacks, anything!

3: Accompany the post with at least 2 photos of whatever it is that you have prepared.
(and in the spirit of avoiding plagiarism, a photo of YOU WITH your dish would be a plus, but is not a requirement)

4: Tag at least 5 (but not limited to) of your foodie friends
that you think would like to participate...

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So what do YOU get out of participating?

Well you get to share your inner chef with Steemit, OBVIOUSLY... hehehe!

Oh, and... for whatever it is worth - you will receive...

1: An upvote from me (25 - 100%)

2: A resteem by me for those that follow ALL of the above
including the pic of you with your masterpiece.

3: Three random entries will be featured every time I re-announce the challenge.

4: And LAST, but DEFINITELY not least, those that include a photo of themselves enjoying a glass of good wine whilst preparing said masterpiece will receive a bonus 1SBD from me
NB: (said masterpiece must be included in the photo, whether on the chopping block, in the pot, or on the plate)

Most importantly, you get to HAVE FUN!!! sharing your creativity in the kitchen and you will also get to scout out the creativity of others by searching the #whatscookingchallenge tag.

GET IT? GOT IT? GOOD....

Ok Girls and Boys...
lets get cooking shall we
And pump up the JAMS while you are at it!
(hehehe, this just never gets old!)

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I will be re-announcing this challenge every few days (or more often, depending on my mood swings lol) and will feature three random entries in every re-announcement of the challenge.

Cannot WAIT to see what all you fantasticals share... hehe!

HAVE FUUUUNNNNN!!!!

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Until next time...

Much Love from Cape Town, South Africa xxx

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