Why Aren't You Cooking A Pot Roast?

Sitting at a basketball game with a friend the other night she leans in and tells me she is a bad mom. She said she doesn't cook dinner anymore because she doesn't have time.  The rush hour starts at 4pm and it doesn't stop until after practice at about 8pm.  So she just finds a "drive through".  I asked her if she had a crock pot and she said yes....but she's never liked anything from it.  (been there).

Years ago, working full-time and picking up my children in the evening at my friend Mary's house I use to be so jealous of the wonderful dinner smells that would come out her front door. I'd walk in and be like.....yum! What is that? My favorite smell of all time was her Pot Roast.  If you are not cooking pot roast, you are missing out on one of the best comfort foods of all time.  And.....it is so easy! You can start this before you leave for work or start it mid-day.  It all goes into one pot and you just wait til it's time to eat.

The key is to find a good "Chuck Roast".  Sometimes it says Pot Roast, but look for a Chuck Roast and  you are set.

Put the chuck in your crockpot.  Season it with some salt and pepper.  Put water in the pot until it is halfway up on the chuck and throw in a couple of beef bouillon cubes (or just use beef broth).  Chop up a big onion, throw in a bag of carrots, celery, mushrooms....red potatoes if you want and put the lid on it and walk away.  Depending on the size, a good chuck roast will cook on low for about 6 hours.

You can play around with this based on your families tastes.  My family doesn't like potatoes with their pot roast.  We like it over rice so I leave them out and cook the rice right before we eat.  I also like to throw in a cup of red wine sometimes too.  The point here, is that with minimal effort, you have a great meal.  The house smells awesome and your family will be happy.  Serve it with a salad and some bread....and you way better off than the drive through.

And if you don't have a crock pot - you can use the oven too. McCormick sells these easy to use bags that you can throw everything into and it even comes with some seasoning.  Pop it all in the oven for about three hours and wholla!  

Now of course, you can get more creative with your pot roast but my friend was looking for quick.  You just have to get the ingredients and you are good to go.  Try it.

Enjoy!

Paula

p.s.  I grabbed that pot roast picture off of pinterest so you can see what a quick crock pot meal looks like.  It's that good!