We did not eat Pot Roast all the time when I was a child, but we did have it now and then for our Sunday meal. When a Pot Roast was in the oven cooking, somehow the day seemed more special, like  Sunday was meant to be.  I’m not sure where this came from, probably from my Mom’s Irish and English ancestors, but my Mom designated Sunday to be the day that an extra special meal was to be prepared. She would call it “Sunday Supper.”

I’ve heard that Sunday Roast dates back to when the squire would treat his serfs to a meal of roast oxen every Sunday to reward them for the week’s work. Who knows for sure why my mom had these traditions, she was not fancy or organized, but there were just things that she did,  that were not contrived or planned….she did what her Mother taught her I guess. I appreciate my mom so much and know that she wanted to please us all….food was one way that she showed her love.

I don’t have my Mother’s pot roast recipe, probably because she rarely used a recipe. I recall only having one recipe book that was shoved in a bottom drawer; it was hardly used unless we wanted to make chocolate chip cookies or something like that.  In honor of my dear mom and acknowledging the realities of our modern hectic world here’s a super easy 4 ingredient Pot Roast recipe that I hope you’ll enjoy with your family. ~Anne  Read more...

Certain dishes just bring a flood of memories.  I recently made a big pot of chicken and dumplings for my sister and her family when they stopped by on their way back from a family road trip.  When my sister saw the bubbling stew in my green dutch oven pot she remembered our Mom.  Even her husband in his thick Bostonian accent commented that his mom used to make this dish as well and it seemed like such classic New England fare. Whenever I prepare corned beef and cabbage, I’m twelve again for a few minutes at least,  and my Mom’s in the kitchen cooking for our family.   Even a simple peanut butter and Marshmellow fluff sandwich on white bread brings me back to my childhood days. My mom used to make this sandwich for my siblings and I, and I assumed that she invented it herself.  Turns out this is a New England Classic as well.  This sandwich is called a flutternutter and generations of New Englanders fondly associate Marshmallow Fluff with their childhood. The flutternutter sandwich  is a local tradition almost as popular as a nice hot bowl of clam chowder (chowdah).  I always wondered why my husband (who has southern roots) had never had this sandwich.  I guess when my family headed west they brought  a bit of New England with them!

Sometimes I wonder if my children will have certain meals that they will remember and talk about when they are in their own homes with their children.  I wonder if they will keep some of the traditions and recipes from our family.  I hope they do.  Read more...