Slow Ride with my Pot

When you've reached the age where the Tooth Fairy isn't coming to visit anymore and where any future teeth you lose will not be replaced naturally, but with really expensive man-made appliances. And how convenient...because MY suggestion is that when you reach this point, you try to find yourself an Appliance Fairy!!!

My Appliance Fairy came into my life a couple of years ago. I didn't know she was the Appliance Fairy because it was her hidden alter ego. We bonded over a mutual love of books, our kids being in the same class and shared irreverence about, well, everything.

It started off slow, first I was an official consumer tester for a blender. Then when I was randomly bitching about my coffee pot, a new one magically appeared! Well, a while back, you may remember that I blogged about the instant at which I realized that storing one's Crock-pot on top of one's fridge is not a good idea. What a crock!

How delighted was I that the Appliance Fairy magically appeared, promising a new Crock-pot? And how thrilled was I when I realized she was not only magical and generous but omniscient too, because she knew enough not to send it until we were moving into the new house? So, soon after we moved in and I made all kinds of resolutions about cooking better and more frequently in my wonderful new kitchen, this appeared on my doorstep:

It's not "just" a slow cooker, my friends. It is not your mother's crock pot. It is the queen mother of all Crock-pots. This is the Crock-pot that read our collective minds and incorporated every feature that could possibly make our slow cooking endeavors easier...and even a little bit more fun. There are two "cycles"...so you can cook your dinner on high for 6 hours and then on low for 3 hours. And then if you don't get right to it? It automatically switches to warm. The top IS HINGED to the appliance. You know how you used to take the glass top off only to be standing there with it dripping steam, wondering where to put it while you serve. Hinged, my friends. Brilliant! It even has a temperature probe so that you can cook your meat to just the right state of doneness.

As a gift of thanks to the Appliance Fairy, I am going to publish my family's all-time favorite Crock-pot meal. I don't think the authors of the book are going to get mad at me because I am giving their simple book a HUGE plug.

Simple. Delicious. Family loves it. That's about as perfect as a meal can get!

My copy of Crock-It by Barbara Murray-Neslen was a gift from my Mom years and years ago. It was originally published in 1989. My edition is the 4th and was published in 1993, so I have to assume that Mom figured the new baby in the house would make meal planning and preparing that much more complicated, so she got it for me. Amazon's details are a little sketchy, but I know for a fact you can get it from Quail Ridge Books (the queen mother of all independent bookstores.

If you own a Crock-pot, by all means pull it out and start cooking with it. Oh, and now that I am working at home during the day, it is glorious to smell the food cooking all day long! If you don't own one, rush to the store to get one. Even my fully-loaded, tricked-out one costs only about $100, but you can get a simple one for $19.99 at Wal-Mart.

Let me know how it goes!!!

Di

 

Comments

[joAnn]

I wish I had an Appliance Fairy!!! You are so lucky.

Here's another recipe. It calls for a turkey breast. Mix some cream cheese (a small container, can be low fat) with a bunch of herbs and some soy sauce and a dab of soft butter. Put this mixture under and over the skin of the turkey breast and cook on low for about 6 hours. This is DELICIOUS!. No liquid needed.

I make the same beef roast, using a rump roast and no liquid except for maybe a half-cup of tomato or V8 juice. YUMMMM

[Home Appliance]

Overall, the 220 SP gave us a solid ride and nice recreational wake performance, especially at the slower speeds. http://appliances.blogtells.com/

[raych]

I LOVE A CROCK POT!!! I love throwing things in in the mornings and coming home to a meal! It's like I have a maid who makes dinner while I'm gone.

[Shirley]

I went to an event/lunch today @ our church with a speaker from NC Conservation Network. The lunch was mostly from the church's community garden and all vegetarian. The Minestrone soup arrived in a crock pot just like the one you pictured. It was delicious. Now I want one !

[natalie]

I'm not sure if I told you before, but the French Dip recipe is wonderful. I'm making it today so dinner is ready when my father-in-law and sister-in-law arrive. Thank you!