Happy Birthday to Paul!

Paul took a vacation week after New Year's Day so he could relax during his birthday.  His kids had all assembled in Seattle so we spent the day with them on Monday, and then Tuesday left for Portland for two days where his daughter's generously let us invade their apartment.  It was great to spend a couple days with the girls, and we enjoyed all the wonderful restaurants, breweries, and coffee shops that Portland is known for -- but it was really nice to come home and eat some home-cooked meals.

I asked Paul what he wanted for his birthday meal, and as usual he said whatever I made would be fine with him.  The other day I saw the browser on the computer had been left open on a beef pot roast recipe...hmm...I can take a hint -- beef pot roast it is!  

Now I'm not ashamed to admit I need to look at a recipe for pot roast since it's a dish I prepare maybe once every other year.  I found a delicious, classic recipe online at here at my recipes.com, but I made a couple of modifications:  I used 6 medium sized garlic cloves instead of 3, and I used smallish red potatoes instead of the Yukon gold.  Having learned from years past that potatoes tend to disintegrate into the sauce I simply cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, and they were nice, chunky, cooked, and intact for the meal.  

I sauteed some mushrooms and green beans for side dishes, and found an excellent cake/frosting recipe from Smitten Kitchen.  

I think Paul was pleased with his birthday dinner!