Rain, Rain...

...is on the horizon. The looming clouds are not yet the right shade of gray, but I can feel it in the air. The dampness in the air clings to my skin, so I know it won't be long before the rains come. I used to hate the rain, it always made for a boring day indoors when I was dying to go outside and soak up the non-existent sun. But nowadays I don't mind it as much. There's something incredibly comforting in the idea of taking shelter while the rain falls heavily outside, martini--I mean hot cocoa--in hand, snuggled under a blanket with a good book or great company. Hell, you could even throw in some freshly made kettle corn. But I digress from the intent of this post...

There's nothing more satisfying than getting inside when it's raining, changing out of your wet clothes, and having a hot, hearty meal to look forward to. When I woke up this morning and saw the clouds, my mind immediately went to "Hmmm, what should I make for dinner tonight?" Several things came to mind, but I've narrowed it down to two entrees. In fact, as I write this I'm still debating as to which one I'd rather have tonight.

First thought: pot roast. Beef slow-cooked in a rich onion soup until it's so tender it falls off the fork. Baby carrots and tender white potatoes that add depth and texture to the soup. It's pretty easy to make...

**POT ROAST**
- Beef (chuck, rump roast, etc.) I usually estimate 1/2lb per person.
- 1 pkg Onion soup mix
- Water
- Baby carrots
- Potatoes
- Flour/Cornstarch for thickening to make gravy

- Set your burner to high with a pot large enough to cover the meat in water.
- Place the meat fat-side down and let it brown. This makes your kitchen smell amazing, but it also gives a great flavor to the beef. Turn it over when it is sufficiently browned, you'll know when it's slightly past golden that it's ready to flip. Let each side of the meat brown.
- Pour a packet of onion soup mix over the meat, and then add just enough water to cover the roast. Your heat is still on high at this point, so let it come to a boil, then lower the flame to low, put the lid on and go do your thing for 1.5 hours. At this point, you may now add the carrots and potatoes, then let everything cook together for another half hour. Yes, 2 hours total. On low heat. It's not labor intensive, and is a great make-ahead meal, so don't be discouraged that it takes 2 hours. You'll find that the meat falls off the fork.
- Gravy:
In a separate deep saucepan, add some soup from the roast, tasting to make sure it doesn't need extra salt, it probably won't. Take some flour and mix it into a small amount of cold water, it should be like a watery paste. Stirring constantly so as to avoid lumps, add in the slurry. Boil until the mixture thickens. Plate your roast and veggies and generously bathe with the onion soup gravy.
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Ok recipe over. I try to serve a protein, a starch and a veggie at every meal, so I started thinking what to serve with it. The idea of freshly baked bread came to mind. I looked up a recipe for focaccia bread online and found one which I'd like to use. But then when I started thinking about it, I thought fresh bread and chili sound really stellar together.

So at the risk of boring you, gentle readers, with recipe after recipe I shall leave to your imagination how I make the chili and focaccia bread. But the hot chili and the warmth from the smoked paprika, rich garlic, cumin, even undertones of cocoa made me reconsider the roast idea. I like making mine out of ground turkey, it's healthier that way.

The focaccia recipe I found was simple, and I thought it would be awesome to add some chopped fire roasted green chiles (from the can!) and perhaps some monterey jack cheese on top and let it bake. Bread takes a while to make, so I think I'm going to get going on that!

Any rainy day plans of your own?