Last month I mentioned our current precarious financial state of affairs, which has since gone straight down hill. The late, great Paul Newman, who was not immune to hard times, once said “just when you think things can't get any worse in life, the picture turns completely black.”

Now with us common folk footing the bill for the greed that existed for years on Wall Street, some of us will have to adjust our lives while drawing our purse strings even tighter.

When I was a kid, my mother only cooked Italian dishes. A lot of it was extremely economical; all of it was delicious. Growing up, I had no sense of her talent for putting together the best tasting food at a low cost; I only knew I loved everything she made.

Most of the time when I went to a friends house for dinner, the food served did not measure up to my mom's. Then I had the good fortune to taste pot roast. For the first time I enjoyed traditional American food (other than hot dogs, hamburgers, etc).

I have since discovered an abundance of great food from all over the United States, especially the south, plus a whole host of different countries around the world.

When I met Veronica, I was delighted to have her make me pot roast as one of the first meals she cooked for me. So that is my featured recipe this month along with another of her adaptations of a dish she created - cheesy hash browns. These are both excellent examples of very economical ways to feed your family with wholesome, nutritious and delicious food. The hash browns came about basically by her desire to have something different while using up what she had in the fridge at the time.

Pot roast is a simple meal, easily prepared and mouth-watering to eat. You can use most any cut of inexpensive roast from chuck to top or bottom round. The key is to cook it slowly for a long period of time with a lot of liquid until it almost falls apart. Add your favorite vegetables and a salad and you have dinner for a room full of people.

Bob Leonardi, of Auburn, ran a successful restaurant business, catering, and gourmet food store in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for 15 years

Veronica's Cheesy Hash Browns

2 bags frozen hash browns 2 cans cream of potato soup

1 bag shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups chopped ham 1 pound tub sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Thaw hash browns and mix with all the ingredients in a large baking dish. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for approximately one hour in the 350 degree oven. Our preference is to wait until the top is a rich golden brown.

Veronica's Pot Roast

5- to 7-pound rump roast

3 boxes or 6 cans Swanson's beef broth

1 medium spanish onion

1 or 2 pounds mushrooms 1 pound carrots 5 or 6 medium potatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Wash all vegetables. Cut the potatoes and carrots. Peel and dice the onion. Slice the

mushrooms.

Select a deep roasting pan that has a cover.

Pour the Swanson's broth into the roasting pan. Add the roast, mushrooms and onion.

Place roasting pan in the oven and bake for a couple of hours removing once or twice to baste. Add salt and pepper to taste about half way through the cooking process.

Continue to cook for a total of 4 or 5 hours until the meat is fork tender. About an hour before dinner, add the potatoes and carrots.