The best part of a Crock-Pot recipe is you can throw everything in and go about your day. Little assembly is required for these delectable sides and they make your meal truly remarkable.

A slow-cooked pork roast with all the trimmings can be a delicious meal when cooked well. The sides are a simple vegetable medley and an elegant order of garlic mashed potatoes smothered in a sweet brown gravy sauce.

For the pork roast

What you will need:

• Crock-Pot

• Slotted Spoon

• 3 pounds of thawed boneless rolled pork roast

• 1 1/2 cups of chopped yellow onions

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic

• 2 whole bay leaves

• 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorn

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon sugar

What to do:

1. Place everything in the Crock-Pot.

2. Fill Crock-Pot with water until the meat is fully submerged.

3. Cover the Crock-Pot.

4. Turn to medium heat.

5. Enjoy your day. It will make your house smell wonderful and be ready in eight hours.

6. Carefully remove only the pork roast. It will be tender. (All other ingredients were used for flavoring purposes only.)

For the vegetable medley

What you will need:

• Medium-size pot

• Slotted spoon

• 8-ounce can of Whole Corn

• 8-ounce can of cut green beans

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper

What to do:

1. Place a pot upon the stove using medium heat.

2. Add both cans of vegetables, including the juices.

3. Let simmer and stir occasionally.

4. Use salt and pepper to season vegetables while in water.

5. Don’t strain. Use a slotted spoon to stir and serve.

For the garlic mashed

potatoes and brown gravy

• What you will need:

• 1 medium-size pot

• 1 small-size pot

• Spoon

• 1 cup of mashed potato flakes

• 8 1 packet of brown gravy sauce

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 3 tablespoons garlic powder

• 2 tablespoons sugar

What to do:

1. Follow the instructions on the box to create mashed potatoes in the medium-size pot.

2. Follow the instructions on the packet to create brown gravy sauce.

3. Add the garlic powder, butter and sugar to the mashed potatoes.

4. Continue to stir and cook until the preferred consistency is achieved for both items.

5. Serve while warm. The brown gravy sauce tastes delicious on the pork roast.

My beverages of choice paired with this meal are Barq’s Root Beer, Barefoot Red Moscato or Miller Genuine Draft. These beverages’ flavors empower the subtle seasonings and spices infused within the roast.