Trick Carrots, Not Treats

We all succumb to the package of 'easy' when we shop. For the last 3-4 years those slimy, mangled, uniformly small snacking carrots have been thoughtlessly grabbed. They are convenient, and you get used to the cardboard nothingness. I think our minds are tricked, as we remember what a real carrot tastes like from the garden. Isn't this uniform little 'trick' we're eating technically a carrot? It is not a 'treat', however.

The other night, thoughts of an old fashioned pot roast made me salivate. It was drizzly and cold. Pot roast would be just the thing to warm us up, comfort us.

When I went grocery shopping, this loose mountain of bright orange carrots flaunted themselves shamelessly. The 'other' carrots had little appeal. I found such pleasure in picking out and bagging the perfect carrots,red peppers, and papery dry yellow onions.

The browned pot roast was cradled tenderly all day in the arms of my red crock pot. It met the needs of our bodies and souls. The silence, broken by sighs and a few little moans of satisfied pleasure while we scraped our plates clean, proved it.

There isn't a scented candle in the world to compare with the steamy aroma twirling out from under the lid of a pot roast smothered in onions, peppers, Montreal Steak Seasoning, potatoes and sweet caramelized chunks of real carrots.