Italian Roast and Vegetables in the Crockpot

Today is going to be one of those days. I went to preheat the oven and smoke began to billow out of the vents. I don’t remember anything spilling over but nevertheless I had to start off the day by turning on the self clean feature. Whew! It was hard work but I managed to push that button. That fellow started producing some serious heat and some significant fumes. My husband, who works from home, came around the corner all smiles. He said that it smelled like good things were already being baked this morning. Sorry, hubby! That’s just the oven cleaning itself. ( I wish kids came with a self cleaning feature)

Since I had “managed” to clean the oven, I decided the floors needed some cleaning too. I like to vacuum my kitchen before I mop. I cook and bake a lot so it gets messy quickly. I also love it when my kids are in the kitchen making their glorious creations but we get a little wild. Batter splatters are a regular thing in my kitchen. Anyway, I went to vacuum and thought I had vacuumed a comb. (Doesn’t everyone have combs in their kitchen?) When I turned over the vacuum, I noticed a phenomenal amount of hair in the roller. There was enough to create an entire wig. All of us girls have long hair so we are always fighting with hair balls. I have become quite skilled with a coat hanger in the drains. I’m always fascinated with the results. Giant masses of hair are removed and I always call everyone in to look at my fishing haul. Then, I run the water and let it drain just to hear that welcomed sucking sound!

One thing I have learned is that if you own a house, you will always be working on it. There is always something that needs to be fixed, cleaned, or maintained.

On days like this, I really appreciate a crockpot meal. You can fix it and forget it and when you’re ready to eat, you have a tasty warm meal ready for you. It’s great if you have spent the day cleaning and don’t want to fuss too much over dinner.

Here’s a delicious recipe for you that you can use on a busy day. It’s s great combination of meat, vegetables and seasoning.

Enjoy!

Jennifer

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 pound chuck roast

5 medium rainbow carrots

4 medium Yukon gold potatoes

1/4 cup red onion cut into 1 inch pieces

2 cups fresh green beans

4 cups beef broth

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons Kosher salt divided

1/2 teaspoon black pepper divided

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Cut and peel vegetables. Cut all vegetables into 1 inch pieces. Place in a large crockpot.

2. Add beef broth.

3. Season vegetables with Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and garlic powder. Stir.

4. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil on medium high heat on the stovetop. Season roast with remaining salt and pepper. Lightly brown meat on both sides. Do not cook through.

5. Place roast in crockpot on top of vegetables. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours or until meat is tender.