Slow-Cooker Pot Roast

Dinner time around here can be a little crazy sometimes. By the time I get home from work, I'm famished (again) and if I wasn't organized enough to cook ten tons of food during the prior weekend, I usually can be found with my head in the fridge hastily assembling a random meal out of anything healthy I can find. This "meal" is usually consumed while I'm in my pajamas, about 30 minutes before I fall asleep and am useless for the rest of the night.

So it felt nice when I recently dropped a roast into the trusty old crock pot and was able to turn out an actual well thought out meal again. Pot roast, homemade bread, a nice green salad and even a lemon tart! For a brief evening, I actually felt like I had my act together and enjoyed daydreaming about preparing a similar meal sometime in the future when there will be three of us gathered around the kitchen table (although one of us will most likely be throwing their dinner at me and giggling...)

Slow-Cooker Pot Roast

The recipe below is actually a blend of several different recipes I've used over the years, and tends to change based on what I have on hand. For example, I prefer carrots and parsnips in the vegetable mix, but I had a lot of peppers on hand, so I used those instead. Feel free to use your favorite veggies, and enjoy your own relaxing Sunday dinner.

3 pounds boneless beef roast

1 tablespoon freshly grated horseradish (if you have it)

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon parsley

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon thyme (OR basil OR oregano)

1 large onion, sliced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 to 2 pounds potatoes, quartered

1 pound mushrooms, cut into large chunks

1 cup red wine

1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, chopped

1) Place roast in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix the horseradish, mustard, parsley and thyme together to make a paste; spread over roast.

2) Add remaining ingredients, spreading the vegetables around the roast; season with salt and pepper. Depending on the size of your slow cooker you may want to add some water if the liquid level isn't very high (I usually add 1 cup of water).

3) Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours; reduce heat to LOW and cook 4 to 6 hours, or until roast is tender.