As much as I sometimes complain about living in Vegas, there are some definite perks for living here. Right now I’m really appreciating the blue sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-60s while the rest of the country and lots of places in the world are facing record breaking freezes. Have you seen this satellite photo of the UK covered in ice and snow? It is insane.

My sister and 2 nieces have extended their stay in Texas by a week since the farm where they live in Scotland is snowed in and a few of the pipes in their house have burst so they have no water or heating. Hopefully my brother-in-law who left to go back to Scotland yesterday will get the house warm for them when they return next week.

I now feel a little guilty about complaining that it was freezing in Vegas on Friday because it was in the 50s and grey outside. Although it did give me an excuse to wear my Longhorn snuggie all day and lounge on the couch. I think our matching snuggies just might have been the best present we got for Christmas–thanks Mum!

Anyway, freezing days (whether they are real or imagined as in my case) require something slow cooked on the oven as a way to warm the soul, both literally and metaphorically. This Italian Pot Roast recipe cooks for a few hours, but is perfect dinner to make on a cold day. This recipe makes enough for 8 dinners at $2.34 per serving.

Italian Pot Roast, adapted from Simply Recipes
3 1/2 to 4 pound rump or chuck beef roast
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 1/2 cups red onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
3 cups medium-bodied Italian red wine
1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, put through a food mill to remove the seeds

Trim any extra fat from the roast and pat it dry with paper towels so you can nicely brown the meat, and then generously season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over a medium-high heat, and when the oil is hot, add the roast and brown it on all sides. Once it is nicely browned, transfer the meat to a platter.

Reduce the heat to medium and then add the carrots, celery, and onions. Cook the vegetables while stirring occasionally until they are golden brown and begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, around 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic, parsley, and sage, and cook them for about 1 minute. Deglaze the pan by adding 1 cup of the wine and stirring until most of the wine evaporates and coats the veggies. Return the meat to the pan and baste it with the veggie sauce.

Increase the heat to high and add the remaining wine, bay leaf, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Let the roast simmer, turning and basting the meat every half hour, until the meat is very tender, around 3 to 4 hours. Once the meat is cooked, turn off the heat and let the roast sit in its juices for an hour.

If you don’t want to cook the meat on the stove, you can also cook it in the oven at 300¬?F while turning and basting the roast every hour. I’m sure you could also put the roast in a slow cooker too after browning the meat and sauteing the veggies.

Remove the meat from the pot and cover it loosely with some foil. If the sauce is too think, quickly bring the sauce to a boil and then lower the heat and let it simmer to thicken it up. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Cut the meat into thick slices and serve covered in the sauce. We ate our pot roast with some potato puree and brussels sprouts, which were the perfect accompaniments.