With love, from my little kitchen to you...: Sunday night dinner for the powerless...

If you didn't already know, we got a new grocery store around here a few weeks ago. Nice little place called Wegmans. Took a trip out there yesterday to see what it was all about.
Mistake number One- going there on a Saturday afternoon, right before a blizzard.
Mistake number Two- going there without a list, just to "check it out".
I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I mean, this place is MASSIVE! And, when filled with tons of crazed pre-storm shoppers, it was also Insane! But, once I could get past the crowds, and my murder-suicide thoughts, things were good.
I started in produce.
Decided I would make a roast beef with winter veggies, so I loaded up the card with tons of random things: parsnips, turnips, butternut squash, mushrooms, brussel sprouts, onions, garlic, asparagus, heirloom tomatoes, strawberries, apples, pears, figs... just to name a few.
Then it was on to the meat department.
Got myself a lovely little top of the round, and a big package of chicken breasts that were on super sale.
Then I spent about another hour perusing the store, checking everything out, until I found myself at the end, in the liquor section. And, of course, I had to take advantage of this area, so I grabbed a giant bottle of Sangria, which I had for dinner with some cheeses and olives I got too.
And by the way- this may be, by far, some of the best sangria I have ever had. Plus it was only $13.99 for this big bottle. And if you know me, you know I love (and make my own) sangria. So this is a great review.

Now we get to Sunday. Or, as I like to call it- cooking day.

I got a call from my mom shortly after I woke up, asking if I had power (which I did) because she didn't- most people around here didn't thanks to yesterday's storm. So I decided to invite them for Dinner since I had all this food, and a nice warm house (with a TV we could all watch the Pats game on). And so I began tackling all this produce.

First order of business- dessert.

I decided to make a fruit tart with the figs and pears I bought yesterday.

Now, I have never cooked with fresh figs before (making this the first "new to me" ingredient of the day), but I love eating them so I knew I couldn't go wrong. And I also knew they would go great with pears.

Then I thought, I need another flavor. Something different. So I decided to put some almond paste and mascarpone cheese into the mix.

And so, the prepping began...

I mixed the almond paste and mascarpone (my second and third "new" ingredients) in the food processor with a little sugar and vanilla extract until it was nice and creamy. Then I put a thin layer on top of a pie crust. This would become a delicious base for my fruits.

Next: the fruits.

Pears (cored and sliced), and figs (stems cut off, then quartered), layered on top of the crust.

Once they were all layered nice and pretty, I folded the crust over the edges, then popped the whole thing into the oven. 400* for about 40 minutes.

OK, now while that is baking, I move onto dinner.

First step- peel and chop all these veggies and get them into a roasting pan. Garlic and white onion go first.

And, if you have never used garlic before, and plan on chopping it, or roasting the cloves like I am about to, here's a tip: whack the bulbs with the side of a large knife. This will Instantly free it from it's peel, making it far easier to work with. But you must know- this also releases all the oils in the garlic, which will make things a little sticky and fragrant. But it is a nice quick way to skin the cloves.

Next: turnip and parsnip (my fourth and fifth "new" ingredients of the day). Both peeled and chopped. Hint: chop these into smaller pieces because they take the longest to cook.

Then, purple potatoes (yes, I said purple. They are so Delicious, and added some much needed color to the mix), butternut squash (my fav!), brussel sprouts and mushrooms.

Little salt and pepper, and into the oven. 425* for about an hour or so.

P.S.- if you want to really Roast these, they need to be much further apart on a cookie sheet. The way I am cooking them, they will really steam/bake more than roast. Although, I did put them on broil near the end so they could crisp up a little.

Next- the beef.

This is really simple, it's just one ingredient: Top Round Roast. I got a 3 pounder.

I pan-seared it on all sides, then popped it into the oven. 20 minutes/lb. at about 325*. The veggies were about done at this point, so I lowered the temperature for the meat.