Cranberry Roast--kinda

It is so quiet around here. Now my two big guys are all moved in back to college, and it is just the three of us left here at home. We had big portions tonight at dinner, and I have more leftovers than I am used to. I will adjust soon enough, but it is kinda sad ...

Tonight we had a Cranberry Roast that mimicked an old crock pot recipe I used to make with a can of cranberry sauce. Since that is loaded with sugar, I tried to replace a few ingredients. My experiment wasn't a complete success, but I will keep working on it. I won't post a recipe just yet. I will wait until everyone is happy. I liked it but John thought the sauce was too sweet. I know what to do differently next time. This time, I baked the roast with some cranberry beverage from Aldi. When the roast was done, I couldn't taste the flavor at all, so I added some dried cranberry drink to make a gravy. I think I got it a little too strong, and it was definitely too red. So look for another attempt as soon as roasts go on sale again.

For sides, I made crock pot green beans and a mashed rutabaga with parmesan cheese. I love rutabaga. This time I just peeled, boiled, mashed and added cream, butter and a couple of tablespoons of cheese. Very yummy. I can't believe the teenager prefers instant potatoes to that. Maybe it is just the name.