Sunday Pot Roast
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (5-pound) beef chuck roast
1-tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and cut into 8 wedges
1 cup dry red wine
½ cup low-sodium beef broth
1-cup marinara sauce, homemade or store-bought
½ pound small Yukon Gold potatoes (about 8)
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Rub this mixture evenly all over the chuck roast.
In a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot, heat the olive oil over high heat. Reduce to medium high and add the roast, searing the meat on all sides until golden brown all over, about 4 minutes per side. Remove the roast to a plate and add the onion and fennel to the pot. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes or until fragrant.
Deglaze the pot with the red wine and the beef broth and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping up any brown bits that may have stuck to the bottom. Stir in the marinara sauce. Return the roast to the pot, nestling it into the vegetables. Cover with the lid and place in the oven for 2 hours and 30 minutes, turning the meat once about halfway through.
Remove the lid from the pot and scatter the potatoes around the meat. Return the pot to the oven, uncovered, and cook for another 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through and the meat is tender. Allow the pot roast to rest for 30 minutes before serving.
Reheat the braised fennel and potatoes in the pan juices, then arrange on a platter. Slice the pot roast and serve alongside the vegetables. Spoon some of the pan juices over everything before serving.
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What I Read Last Week
  
I came down with a whopper of a cold last week. Congestion. Coughing. Sneezing. But I forged on, and made it through the work week, and slept fourteen hours Friday night. I'm feeling a little better today. I hope I'll be good for Read Across America next week.
I had a wonderful reading week, and started and finished The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients' Lives; Pax; and Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World. I haven't had time to write up reviews yet, but for now I'll just say that all three were excellent.
Annie: More and More Adorable
I bet you have been wishing I'd post a new picture of my adorable granddaughter, Annie, haven't you? Well, here's a photo my daughter-in-law took for Annie's four-month birthday today. She's the cutest baby you have ever seen, right? And such a happy baby.
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What Arrived Last Week
  
Can't wait to start these. Don't they look interesting?!
What I'm Reading Now
Whew. I'm halfway finished with Evicted. What a difficult read it is. All the people in this nonfiction story are poor and struggling to keep a roof over the heads of their families. It's not a cheerful tale. As I was reading along, I started wondering which of the presidential candidates might pick up this book. I sure wish they all would.
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Here's what I've finished lately:
 The Passenger by Lisa Lutz
What an incredible ride of a book.
I’d tell you about the main character but which identity should I share with you? Our main character takes on and drops off identities like most of us change apartments. Every change is in reaction to her pursuit by unknown people. People die. People appear from nowhere and shoot to kill. People flee. More mysteries.
What a ride!
 The Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux
St. Therese of Lisieux is one of the most beloved Catholic saints. So what is her story? And why are so many devoted to her?
St. Therese was born to parents who deeply loved the church. Their children were raised in that atmosphere, so it is no surprise that several became nuns, including Therese.
Therese wrote down the story of her life in this little book. In it, the reader gets a feel for the astonishing character that was Therese. She seemed to live her faith every minute of the day. Simply. Devoutly. She was completely devoted to God.
Beautiful and inspiring story.
 This Moment is Full of Wonders by Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh takes simple meditative thoughts and uses calligraphy to express them in this beautiful gift book. Every stroke is both purposeless and purposeful. The thoughts are there to read and reread in all their complex simplicity. Lovely.
 Unpacking My Library: Writers and Their Books edited by Leah Price
What books do writers have in their libraries and why do they keep the books they have on their shelves? That is the subject of this little book.
 My Name is Lucy Barton
This is what happens when you love a book an author has written: None of her subsequent books measure up. I adored Olive Kitteridge. I liked Burgess Boys. I tolerated this latest book.
I'll just go ahead and say it: This book read like a first draft. I had glimmers of happy reading this book. But it needed work and somebody decided it was finished. Big mistake.
If you want to know more, here's a little plot summary: Lucy Barton grew up poor, without good relationships with her parents. She gets an opportunity to connect with her mother when Lucy ends up in the hospital.
Nice idea for a plot, I thought, but the book needed more work to really touch me. Perhaps I need to start a new category of books: Books that Need Revision.
 The Cure by Jo Marchant
Most books about the mind-body connection seem to be wildly leaning one way or the other: it's nonsense or it's gospel. Cure by Jo Marchant is different. Marchant cautiously approaches each claim in a deeply scientific way, remaining both open and skeptical to results.
I loved this read and I highly recommend it. It's a readable book, with both stories and science, to investigate all the many ways mind and body are connected. If you have interest in this topic, without permanently aligning yourself to one end of the spectrum or the other, I think you will find this book to be fascinating.
What am I reading now?
 
What arrived this week?
 
What are you reading this week??
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