Roast, carrots and potatoes—Matt’s mom’s version

“My mom makes it like this.”
“Well, my mom makes it like this.”
“Yeah, but your mom hates to cook and my mom doesn’t.”
Hmm….who won that argument?

We always make things the way my mom made them because I’m the one in the kitchen making it! I posted how my mom makes a roast on the Roast, carrots and potatoes post a few posts back. But Matt said to me the other day, “But don’t you like how my mom makes roast? It’s just as easy as you mom’s version.”

And it is. It also isn’t quite as rich, and I think my mom would love it. So, I’m not telling either mom I’m putting this up, and let’s see which mom catches it first! 🙂

End result

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Barbecue Chicken sandwiches

Michelle and I posted this on our Cook Me A Story page a while back. It was the first thing I ever showed her how to cook in the slow cooker and the one that hooked her.

Great for back yard barbeques/potlucks! Kids LOVE it, and it’s fun for them to make because teaspoons fit perfectly in little hands. My niece made it last time she was visiting. Matt looked at me and said, “Mmmm, this is good Jennifer!” My niece piped in, “I made it!” 🙂

In celebration of summer and weekend get-togethers, I thought I’d post it on this site too. It’s my Matthew’s fav-o-rite crock pot meal as well as my little niece.

End result of yumminess.

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Cheesy Lentils and Rice

This is one of my cheese-lover’s favorite dishes. We make it often. It’s vegetarian and full of protein.

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Roast, carrots and potatoes

I’m a “meat and potatoes” girl myself. I’ve heard that line from my mother my entire life. In high school, I experimented with soufflés and quiches. No one in the house ate my food, mostly because it wasn’t meat and potatoes. Frustrated and heart-broken, I remember tossing entire freezer-burnt concoctions in the trash.

18 years later, my family is much more open-minded. They always eat my new concoctions and love them. Or at least, they tell me they do! They’d better if they’re in my house, right? (joking!)

But I try to make things they will like, and things they are comfortable with. After all, you can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl.

So, here’s mama’s receipe for roast, carrots and potatoes. It’s what this girl grew up eating, and one of my husband’s favorite meals.

Roast bigger than 2 to 3 pounds won't cook through in 6 hours....

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Lentil soup gone wrong

I met a colorful character in the blogging world named Alison at Alison Amazed. Born British, but brought up in Canada, her blog is littered with both English and Canadian terms. I adore folks who have one foot in one culture, the other foot in another culture and a finger and toe in a third and fourth. She makes beautiful, vegetarian dishes, but alas, I am not a real cook and need a recipe. Alison gave me directions. Not quite the same. But determined to eat more lentils for the folic acid and the fact that my cousin who lived in Chile for years claims they are so delicious she could eat them daily, I thought I’d give it a try. I can do this….right?

Who am I kidding? This chick needs a recipe. I will never be Rachael Ray. (And that’s okay. I’ve come to terms with it.)

Cooking lentils...

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Black Bean Soup

A family member was kind and generous enough to send me one of her cookbooks. She collects cookbooks and reads them like magazines, but this was one she didn’t use much. She’ll be thrilled to find I discovered some recipes I really liked. I tried the black bean recipe courtesy of Kay Ward.

Addictive black bean soup with tortilla chips

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Roasted Chicken with Veggies

A whole chicken? With the insides and the bones? I’d never even tried. It seemed too…..overwhelming. But this year of cooking and the very reason for this blog is to try something different, be bold, take a chance. To cook!

So, I did it.

I cooked a whole chicken. I touched everything. I wasn’t afraid. And it wasn’t as bad or as difficult as I thought it would be. I can do this! I am like my grandmother!

What a scary sight.

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