Lately I've been eating out more. I know this comes from all the late nights at school and the need to just come home and do absolutely nothing mind bending. Anyway, all this eating out has but a strain on my budget and my rear. So, I committed myself to going back to cooking.
As y'all know, cooking is sort of an adventure for me. Normally I make stuff that can be popped into the microwave or nuked in the toaster oven. That stuff is easy and normally smoke alarm proof. Feeling a little daring, I decided to try some stuff that isn't in my normal routine.
Yesterday (you know when I had to kill time at Walmart because I forgot about time change...yeah I'm still bitter about getting up at normal time on a day I could actually sleep late) when I was at Walmart, I saw a small pork roast and thought, "Hey, that's not something I've tried before!" I thought it would be perfect in my crock pot I got in college. Side note...I've had that thing for about three years and have used it about that same amount of times. Anyway, I put that roast in my basket and grabbed some squash (a zucchini and a yellow squash), an onion, and some red potatoes. I just knew this was going to end tasty!
After getting all the groceries put away, I drug out the crock pot and dusted it off. I wasn't totally sure how I was supposed to put it all together, but I got my veggies cut up and in the crock pot. I was proud...I had a beautiful mix of red, green, and yellow. Colors equals healthy right?! Anyway, I put the roast on top and sprinkled on some onion soup mix. I wasn't sure how much water to add so I figured more is better. I put in a cup of water (which I now know should really be just a dab will do you) and turned it on. I was such a nerd...I kept checking on it every five minutes. Apparently a watched crock pot doesn't boil either! I finally left it alone and went on about my business...namely laundry.
Now, it wasn't perfect. The roast was a little bit dry (despite all the juice it was sitting in) and the veggies were a little mushy (thanks Mama...only carrots should go on the bottom) but there were no smoke alarms going off and it was pretty good. So, here is to more daring adventures in the kitchen!
Oh, and if you have any great crock pot recipes you'd like to share please pass them along in the comments!
Monday, November 05, 2007
Crock Pot Chef
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9 comments:
crock pots are da bomb! and the best part is your house smells soooo good when you get home!
I have a crock pot and I've had it since I was like 26ish and I think I've used it twice. Maybe.
And, that was only to keep something already cooked warmed.
Did I mention I don't like cooking???
Jacquie
I tagged you...
Well it sounds like you did alot of things right. We do regular roasts that way, veggies on top with onion soup.
Here is an easy easy easy recipe:
How about chuck steak (cheapest meat ever) cut it into chunks. Put in a tub of sour cream, and either cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom (your preference). Season it with salt, pepper, garlic salt, and onion salt. The meat will be saucy and tender by the time you get home. Put it over cooked egg noodels or rice. SUPER YUMMY and easy!
I am the crock pot queen! I would definitely recommend going out to get a crock pot cook book. Not a fancy one, just a regular one.
I have a TON of great recipes, but here's one of my favorites for winter:
Slow-Cooked Corn Chowder
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of milk
1 can of cream-style corn (14 3/4 oz)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 1/2-2 cup of frozen corn
1-2 cups of frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
1-2 cups of cubed pre-cooked chicken (or ham)
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of butter
2 teaspoons of dried parsley flakes - I often use tarragon instead
Salt, pepper and seasoning to taste
Directions:
In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Doesn't get much easier than that, and it's lovely when served with some crusty bread.
Kevin is the cook around here! I hate it!! but I did make chili in the crockpot once....
I LOVE corn chowder, gonna have to try that recipe!
bb
You're a few steps ahead of me, so you must be doing well!!!
This is going to sounds nutso, but use Coca-Cola (NOT DIET) instead of water w/a roast. The citric acid breaks down the fibers in the meat and tenderizes it and gives the gravy a yummy flavor.
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