We’ve been doing a lot of cooking with the crock pot lately (thanks to the oven breakdown) so I thought I’d do a little feature on our crock pot. It is one of our many favorite things.
I was just going back through old photos trying to pinpoint when we first got the crock pot; it feels like we’ve had it forever. In truth, we’ve had it less than two years. We went home to visit family in January 2010 and relatives had this model and we fell in love with its features immediately. As soon as we got back to Florida (where we lived at the time) we ran out and bought one for ourselves and I can’t imagine not having a crock pot now.
We have the Hamilton Beach 6 Quart Stay or Go Slow Cooker.
At 6 quarts, it is generous in size but you don’t have to fill it to capacity every time you cook with it. We’ve made small meals that yield little leftovers and we’ve made full size pots of chili, pulled pork, or other such meals and enjoyed days of leftovers, or shared with large groups.
When we first bought the crock pot (and never having cooked with one before) I was intrigued but intimidated. Don of course had no fear and went to town with it. For those like me, there are tons of recipes online for cooking in a crock pot. It is so incredibly easy – don’t let fear stand in your way of giving it a try. You can make soup, chili, stew, pulled pork, pot roast, casseroles, side dishes, and just about any meat any way you might like it. The longer it cooks, the more tender and delicious it will be. Here are a few resources to get you started with your crock pot:
Crock Pot and Slow Cooker Recipe Index on About.com
Crock Pot – The Original Slow Cooker Recipe Search
Crock Pot Recipe Exchange
Always do what you are afraid to do.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Journey of Two 