FALL in love

Fall really hit us today, so what better to come home to than a hot pot roast, already cooked and waiting for me! As of today I have officially fall-en in love with my slow cooker. It cooked me a nice hearty meal while I was away at work, so all I had to do was come home and enjoy. This recipe is so delicious. (I keep sneaking back into the kitchen to have another bite!) Greg doesn't get home until 6:30-7ish, so I'm trying to save an appetite so I can eat with him when he gets home. I don't know if Im going to make it though!

To make this pot roast I just cut up my potatoes and carrots the night before. I also defrosted, patted dry, seasoned with salt and pepper, and seared the roast (which took about 4 minutes after my pan was hot). Next, I put the meat in the ceramic pot that goes in the slow cooker. Then I spread the potatoes and carrots around it. I put the whole ceramic pot into the fridge to wait until morning. Then I made the seasoning/juice. Into a Tupperware bowl, I mixed 1 tablespoon of canola oil, 3/4 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon of beef bouillon granules, 1 teaspoon dried and crushed basil, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Those ingredients again

•  1 Tbsp cooking oil
• 3/4 cup water
• 1tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1tsp beef bouillon granules
• 1 tsp dried and crushed basil
• 1/2 tsp salt

This morning, I took the meat, potatoes, and carrots out of the fridge and poured the seasoning over the top.

Then I put it on low for 8 hours. Luckily this worked out. I didn't check to see how long you should cook a pound of meat. I also didn't look up how many potatoes or carrots to put in. This is the epitome of wingin-it Allison-style and, surprisingly, it worked!

(I used 5 medium-sized red potatoes cut in half, and 5 carrots cut in half, by the way)


Here I am putting the lid on and setting the time this morning. You can just barely see the sky lightening up through our tree in the front yard at 6:30 AM.

I was almost giddy when I came through the front door tonight. It smelled like I had hired a little old grandmother to come in and cook for me. The house felt warm and cozy right away!

This was the sight that awaited me. You can see where I pulled a chunk of meat off. Actually pulled isn't the right verb because it was like slicing through warm butter. It slid right off and was juicy and not dry or overcooked at all! 8 hours on low, 8 hours on low....this is my new mantra.

Here I am digging in.

Do you cook pot roast? How do you do it? My mom always made it in the oven in a roasting bag and it was delicious! It's so easy and so worth it to put in a few minutes of prep the night before to come home and not have to worry about preparing a meal.

I'm starting to think about Thanksgiving this week since it's now only 2 weeks away. I am in charge of making an apple pie, green bean casserole, sauerkraut, and corn (and maybe candied yams).  In the spirit of remembering to stay thankful...Thanks for reading my thoughts about food and happy November!