It's official, I'm the worst blogger ever. Since my last post I have made many delicious meals but usually in such a hurry that I forget or don't have the time to write down the recipes, which is too bad because now I can't even remember how to make some of them. Well, it's still stinkin' cold over here and we are longing for the day the BBQ will get more use but here we are still making lots of comfort food, like stew, homemade mac and cheese, and hearty soups. Here is a recipe that is a little different than your normal pot roast. Morrocan Pot Roast 4 lb. blade roast 1-2 tbsp canola oil 1 lg. onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp. mild paprika 2 tsp. Moroccan spice (I use Victorian Epicure brand) 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp allspice 1/2 cup dry red wine salt and pepper red pepper flakes 1 - 28 oz. can diced tomotoes with juices 3 lg. peeled and chopped carrots 1/4 cup golden raisins 1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped 1/4 cup chopped parsley Preheat oven to 325 or use a crockpot Season roast with salt and pepper. Add oil to large Dutch oven and heat on med-high. Sear roast on all sides until nice and brown. Remove from pot and place on plate. Add a little more oil to pot if needed and saute onions on medium heat until golden brown, about 10 minutes. (You don't want the onions burnt, but brown, so medium heat for a long time works best to extract all those wonderful caramelized onion falvours for this roast.) Once the onions are brown add the garlic and spices, cook another couple of minutes. Add the wine and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes. Place the roast in pot and add the carrots. Place in oven for about 3 hours till beef is tender. Once the beef is done mix in raisins, olives and parsley and heat through for a few minutes. Note: If using a crockpot on high, cook 5 hrs, low 8 hrs. Serve this with Chick pea mash and pitas. Chick Pea Mash 1 large can chick peas, drained and rinced 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 1 tsp cumin 2 tbsp cilantro or parsley 1/2 water and a little more if needed juice of half a lemon salt and pepper Heat olive oil in a medium size pot, add onion and garlic saute until cooked, add cumin, cook another minute or so (toasted cumin tastes better than straight from the jar). Add chick peas and water and simmer until peas are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and mash with a potato masher or put in a food processor and pulse a few times, you still want a bit if texture to the peas, Add a little more water if it's too thick. Mix in lemon juice, cilantro, salt and pepper to taste. I served the chick pea mash on the side like mashed potatoes and the pitas mop up all the goodness.