Yesterday (and today) was Alan’s day off. He recently claimed the days off of a cook that departed the restaurant sans notice. It was nice to have a whole day together with Alan without one of us working or doing school work.

It was a nice, lazy day that started with us watching Man U versus Arsenal. Man U won, which is a good thing. I’m not that into it all, but I grew up playing soccer, so I can appreciate a good match. That wasn’t a good match.

After the match we went grocery shopping for dinner. To start, Alan made an asparagus salad with a shallot vinaigrette and goat cheese that was really good. Very light crisp flavors. For the entree, he prepared a pot roast braised in wine, balsamic vinegar, and tomatoes and topped with what I called a rustic olive pesto. He served it with some awesome blue cheese mashed potatoes that I absolutely loved (I am a mashed potato freak).

The meat was incredible. It was so wonderfully tender that there was no need for a knife, a fork did just fine. He made a sauce out of the cooking liquid that was divine and added more tasty goodness to the meat. I’ve had pot roast before and, no offense to my mom or grandmother (or even myself) who have made pot roast for me, but I never knew pot roast could taste oh so good!!! This is a recipe we will definitely have to make again.  For those of you who a curious, it is from a cookbook called How to Cook Meat, but I’m not sure who the author is.

I’m digging Alan’s new days off. I could handle him making more yummy meals on Sunday evenings. But more so, I will very much enjoy spending time with him for a whole day once-a-week.