What a Crock!: Tangy, sweet root vegetables

Larry Rayside loves to watch creative cooking shows. Then he adapts and makes his own version of the recipes he sees.

He also loves to research the ingredients and herbs he hears the shows’ hosts talking about, but isn’t personally familiar with.

He isn’t afraid to try new things, nor is his wife, Gail. She said she loves that he is interested in the grocery store and cooking.

Being a retiree gives him time to wander through the store at a leisurely pace, reading labels and trying new products.

He says he’s learned much about eating healthy, cutting down on salt and how to comparison shop. Recently, Rayside and I were talking about a recipe he had seen using nothing but root vegetables. Although his cooking interests aren’t always in the slow-cooking arena, just listening about the root vegetables gave me an idea for the slow cooker.

Pick up rutabaga, sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut squash. Peel everything but the sweet potatoes and slice. Add in cranberry sauce and juice for not only the liquid, but a tangy, saucy seasoning. It’s a great fall side for a pork roast.