Hot Pot Roast Calling

Suddenly the north wind is blowing, the leaves are flying around and the hanging flower pots are swaggering and I'm hoping they don't fall off the shepherd hooks.

This weather is calling me home for something hot and comforting.

Pot roast is it today. I have everything I need in the fridge so I don't have to venture out on this first day of really nasty, cold, and damp wintery (even though the calendar says it's still fall) weather.

A traditional pot roast is made in a dutch oven. If I had a large enough dutch oven I would use it, but in all my years of cooking for my family I never did invest in a heavy duty dutch oven.

I use oven bags-- I know, I know, but I can't help my clean oven fetish. A friend told me about the bags when they first came out way back when and I've used them ever since. I like them because they help me control the splattering and burning in my oven (I need all the help I can get!).

Globalization and technology have influenced the way we eat and how we think about food today which is a far cry from the t.v. dinners we had in the '50's. With all the changes over the years we are the lucky ones. We've learned so much about flavors and cooking techniques that we can take a simple pot roast and be creative. We can use whatever our family likes and make the best comfort food meal of the week.

My recipe is not a family heirloom. The recipe included in the package of the oven bags is my recipe guide. I follow it for the proper cooking temperature, time and approximate amount of liquid.

• Liquids - I use is beef broth and 1/4-1/2 cup of leftover red wine. The wine adds a little more richness to the sauce.
• Vegetables - potatoes, celery, carrots, and onions which are what the family likes the most. I also had a few baby bella mushrooms left over so I used them also.
• Everything goes directly into the oven bag which I place in a heavy roasting pan.
• Roast at the recommended temperature and suggested cooking time.
• I add a package of egg noodles to a pot of boiling water just when the roast is done and voila! dinner's ready.
  

Hot Comfort Food just when you need it.

This post is linked to:
It's A Blog Party's Delicious Dishes
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday hosted this week at The Well


Mangia!
Winelady Cooks