QUICK!! Everybody, catch your collective breaths. Halloween is over and your schedule is all of a sudden in full swing. Your mailbox is stuffed with catalogs and the start of the fall party season is about to hit you in the face. Without any planning, in no time, you’ll be flailing your arms helplessly due to overwhelm … not to mention the guilt of not being able to put a healthy, warm, home-cooked meal in front of your hungry brood on a chili night (I can do this; it's my blog).
Before those forks turn into pitchforks, quick! Pull out your crock pot (a.k.a. slow cooker) and get ready to whisk those guilt-inspired frozen dinners back into the freezer section!
Princess, I’m all about grills and slow cookers. Why? Simple: Fewer pots and pans to wash and faster clean up. This time of year, you need to get time on your side as much as possible. Enter slow cooker!
Advantages of slow cooking:
~ The long cooking time brings out the flavors.
~ The lower temperatures lessen the chance of food sticking to the bottom (less mess)
~ You can use inexpensive or tough meats, like chuck roasts or stew beef because the meat is tenderized with the long cook time.
~ It frees your oven and stove top for other uses. Don’t forget that for your next large party or the just-around-the-corner holiday meal.
~ Convenience! A slow cooker can usually be left to do its thing all day without any competent adult supervision.
Basic Tips for Slow Cooking:
~ Buy roasts and other large cuts of meat that will fit in your crock pot, or plan to trim them to fit.
~ Root vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, and onions, should be placed in the bottom of the pot, under the meat -- they tend to cook more slowly than meat.
~ Colors tend to fade in slow cooked foods, but a garnish such as chopped fresh parsley, chives, tomatoes, red peppers, cheese, or sour cream can add visual appeal.
~ Fill the crock pot no more than 2/3 full
~ Dairy products usually don’t do well in crock pots – the milk curdles. You get the pictorial. You can add sour cream, for example, the last hour or two of cooking. Ditto fish and seafood.
~ Don’t peek! If you open the top while cooking, add 20-30 more minutes to the cooking time! That sets a girl back, n’est pas?!
Off to check the Diva Deep Freeze to see what's in there so I can plan the next crock pot feast. Will report back shortly.
4 comments:
Crock Pot Cooking-if you own one! I'd like you to do a survey...poll single vs married readers & see which category has a higher percentage of "crock pot owners" I'd venture to say that less that 10% of single readers own one. I have a teeny tiny one for appetizers, but that doesn't count.
Just ONE MORE example of how single people get shafted! You people who've been married (had a wedding) rack up on shit you rarely use when you received wedding gifts. You know, those things you would never buy for yourself but would like to own?....like a crock pot, ice bucket with matching scooper, Arthur Court bread knife & matching tray, a set of bath towels & wash rags THAT MATCH, or even monogrammed stationary.
sidebar: When I was in high school my grandmother started buying me place settings of white china (I didn't have a choice). Every birthday & Christmas I got another setting. Even her friends were giving them to me. Her reasoning was this: when you get married I want you to be able to get the china you want. This way, you won't have to waste a gift on basics. Good thing someone was looking out for me! Otherwise, my china would be as mismatched as my sheets & towels!
How many examples must I collect before my idea catches on? If you hit 35 & you're not married, it should be tradition that you register for the gifts most people register for at engagements. And people would be obligated to purchase them for you! Mainly out of pity that you're still single. So what if you spend your 35th year of life writing thank you notes? Just dribble a little of the pot roast juice on the note to Sally as you thank her for her thoughtfulness in giving you a crock pot!
I've been trying to do this for myself for the last 6 birthdays but none of my friends will let me.
HA! My Nannie gave me a crock pot, something I didn't know what to do with, but it has grown on me. Your Nannie gave you china not of your choosing so you could pick out something you did like when you get married. Oh, the irony!
Saucy, I highly recommend you hie thee to Amazon.com and create yourself a wish list and email it to your real,loving, caring, concerned friends. Tis the season, you know. Unless of course, you're desparate for my crock pot and I'll go buy myself a red one that's not "country". If not, just indicate on your wish list your color preferance.
I totally registered for my 30th birthday, because I was convinced I would never get married.
Got engaged, registered, had three showers, got a crock pot that doesn't work. Never did. I hate Wal-Mart so badly, I refuse to take it back.
The marriage did not last long at all. I'm re-single, and would love to cook in a crock pot!
It's all about principle at this point.
Diva Paige-
Sigh. That is just so unfair! A divorce AND getting stuck with a nonfunctioning crock pot. Really, take it back to Wal-Mart without a second thought. You don't have to like the joint to stick them with a non-working appliance! Wally is great at taking returns on items they sell. Heck, swap it out for a crock pot that works and then never set foot in Wally World again if it makes you feel better. YOU DESERVE TO GET SOEMTHING DECENT out of this crocky deal. Might as well be a new crock pot. You didn't settle for that louse. Don't settle for a dead crock pot that came with him ;)
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