Nice and "easy".

I THINK this is one of the easiest recipes my shiny new cookbook. And no, I'm not joking.

"Italian Pot Roast" (6 quart pot)

~1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
~4 whole cloves
~2 allspice berries
~6 black peppercorns
~2 T olive oil
~3 1/2 lbs beef pot roast, trimmed of excess fat
~1 yellow onion, finely chopped
~4 garlic cloves, minced
~2 celery stalks, sliced
~2 carrots, peeled and sliced
~1 c "hearty red wine" (I used Spanish Vine's Pour Favor because it was in the clearance section.)
~1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
~fresh parsley, chopped

Combine cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and peppercorns and grind into a powder. (I used a coffee grinder.)
Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat and add oil.
Add roast and cook 10 minutes on each side.
Transfer roast to crock pot.
Add onion to sauté pan and cook for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Add garlic, celery, and carrots and sauté for 3 minutes or until lightly browned.
Add the spice mixture and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add red wine and cook for 10 minutes, until reduced by a third.
Stir in tomatoes.
Pour sauce over roast in the crock pot.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Garnish with parsley.
Serve immediately.

4-6 servings.

This was really good. The meat was perfectly tender and the veggies were super flavorful. My little helper wouldn't touch any of it. More for us!