I LOVE MY NEW SLOW COOKER

I do most of the cooking at our house.   My wife usually makes breakfast and often sandwiches for lunch; but her actual cooking expertise is meatloaf (which is a favorite) and pineapple upside down cake for my birthday. 

But supper cooking is mine.  I like to cook.

We have used slow cookers for years – always the inexpensive models like those sold at Walmart.   I have always noticed that it didn’t matter whether you selected low or high heat the slow cookers always boil everything, which means the temperature was at least 212 degrees; but the food turned out good.  

Our old cooker was on the last leg and I was questioning how safe it was to leave if we were away from home.   A replacement was definitely overdue, and my wife suggested I go ahead and buy a more expensive top name cooker.  

Of course, I hit You Tube – now my standard for research.   

The new Cuisinart I bought is fantastic: it can sauté, steam and slow cook.  I can sauté my trinity (onions, celery and garlic) right in the cooker, then  switch to slow cook and add my other ingredience.    The Cuisinart keeps the low temperature below boiling.   I can even brown my meat or steam rice and vegetables right in the slow cooker. 

Barbecue pork

the Ol'Buzzard

WHY SWEAT OVER A STOVE ALL DAY TO PRODUCE A MEAL THAT WILL BE EATEN IN LESS THAN AN HOUR?

save a turkey - eat a chicken!

 ANOTHER SLOW COOKER RECIPEE

After reading Kulkuri’s comment about baked beans on an earlier post about slow cooker cooking, I decided to share my slow cooker bean recipe: should anyone be interested.  

I soak baby lima beans overnight.  Place them in the slow cooker next morning, cover them with two chopped onions, a ham steak cut into one inch cubes, a cup of diced celery, two minced garlic cloves, a can of diced tomatoes, one bay leaf, a teaspoon each of dried oregano, thyme and basil, a dash of crushed red peppers to taste and four cups of Chicken stock (again we use McKays.)
 

I set the cooker to high and cook about six to seven hours.
   

Baked beans, a glass of cold beer (Canadian) and crusty bread – you can’t find a better winter feed.

THANKSGIVING IS SLOW COOKER TIME AGAIN

A five pound chicken (I prefer chicken to turkey) stuffed with two lemons quartered; add I cup of chicken broth, two garlic cloves, a bay leaf and sprinkle the bird with Herbs of Provence. Cook on high for six hours.

My wife will make mashed potatoes, savory dressing, green peas and cranberry sauce when we are ready to eat - a glass of  Beaujolais.

Life is good. 

The only way this could be any better would be to live in France and work in a vineyard like microdot.

the Ol'Buzzard