Nothing Fancy

So yesterday afternoon I am watching Ellen and she has on her chef. This man named Tal and he has out a new cookbook called The Conscious Chef. All vegan. Ellen's vegan. And I am thinking maybe I could just try the vegetarian thing that I failed at twice last year...again. Not vegan..cause of my pizza love...just no meat.

Now the weatherman comes on for his update and he says RAIN. What? Rain? Are you kidding me? Does he really mean it? We have been bbqing out in the garden for weeks.You mean I could get my crockpot out? At last. Winter? Here? For me?

And what do I want to put in that crockpot? POT ROAST. How can I do a vegetarian pot roast. I can't. Why do I even consider it? I am thinking gravy and mashed potatoes.

So off I go to Scolaris and there it is. A beautiful pot roast. So I put it in my cart and head to the soup isle. I want the Lipton Onion Soup mix to make the pot roast like my mom made.And YES. You are seeing that right. Canned corn and gravy from a jar. Someone sometimes gives me a hard time about my Heinz gravy love.... (you know who you are.)

So this morning out came the crockpot....I browned the roast first, then put it in the crockpot with the soup mix, some water and a couple of splashes of red wine.

And it already smells good. So tonight, no Julia Child.No Alice Waters. Just old fashion and farmy.

And for dessert....did you see it...isn't it cute? We will each get two bites of that tiny berry pie...

I Have A Crush !

There he is. Isn't he adorable? I have to admit it..I have a crush on him. I couldn't resist taking pictures of him from all angles. He is just so cute. Yesterday we took a drive out to The Avila Barn. All the pumpkins are stacked. The barn is filled with apples and pears and nuts of all sorts. We played around, got ice cream cones, watched the kids on the tractor rides, and fed all the barnyard animals. With extra helpings to the donkey. It was a beautiful October afternoon. After we came home I rolled out our pizza dough that had been rising on the drainboard. John called and said he was going to be late. So I built a fire in the woodstove and read my Gooseberry Patch cookbook. You see, today I am pretending that I am on a farm in Vermont. My gate is bolted shut. I have a pot roast with Lipton Onion soup in the Crock Pot. No Thomas Keller or Alice Waters fare tonight. Just pure comfort. My kittys are laying in the early morning sun...all stretched out getting all that warmth. Butterscotch is laying by my side. I am going to go upstairs and put on my red plaid flannel L.L. Bean sheets on the bed. Might make a chocolate pie this afternoon. Newspaper says a big rain storm is on the way Sunday night from Alaska. That means COLD ! Finally. Pot roast sounds just right. With gravy. I wonder if I should make biscuits?