Yesterday I decided to buy a Crockpot. We previously planned to add a slow cooker to our (currently nonexistent) wedding registry, but with the wedding nine months away it seemed silly to wait for something we plan to use now.
Truth be told, it isn't the fanciest gadget on the market. With Christmas around the corner and another of Jubilee's vet bills due next week, I don't have the money to spend for the level of quality we would have registered for. I spent $38 on the Crockpot 5.5 quart Programmable Slow Cooker, and for that cost I'm really impressed with its list of features.
Today I made a beef stew, loosely based on a recipe from the Crockpot manual. I have never been the type of cook to follow recipes exactly because I like customizing and experimenting according to my personal tastes. Brian, on the other hand, has an anxiety attack when I don't level the pancake mix before putting it in a bowl ;) I love that he is so exact and by the book, but I have a lot more fun cooking when I'm allowed to improvise small things.
For example, in today's stew I added jalapenos and used red onion instead of white. Brian likes jalapeno in everything, so while the flavor doesn't exactly match the profile of the other ingredients, I added it just so he could have his spice fix.
In seven more hours I'll be able to report back with the results of the first day. Brian will be coming home from his second straight day of duty so I'm sure he'll be hungry, but I'm hoping I didn't mess this up. Seriously, if I mess up soup then I'm a failure of a cook. haha
7 comments:
I received a mini slow cooker as a wedding gift (one of my mom's friends had been mortified that I didn't register for one, so bought me a small one, anyway) and have yet to use it!
I've taken it out a few times with a mind to use it, but then I always end up leaving it on the counter, lonely and unused, while I fire up the stove instead.
I'll have to look up some recipes so that I can find something that'll inspire me to use mine! Thanks for the inspiration. :)
Hope it went well! I actually have 3 now and LOVE them. Soon you'll be collecting them in all different sizes.
Crockpots are amazing!
@JeLisa I think you'll love it once you've tried it! The fact that "cooking" really only involves throwing chopped veggies and meat in a pot really makes dinner more fun.
@Susan I'm definitely a believer now, and will probably still register for one in a different size when we get married :)
@Corinne Amazing is a very appropriate word - I get to be lazy and still cook great food! lol
Matt loves our slow cooker. I'm the cook at our house, but he has become a little territorial about the Crock-Pot. It is Sunday supper 3/4 weeks.
We just made some italian chicken in ours yesterday. It was awesome and just fell apart.
How did your beef stew turn out?
I love crockpots! Especially on rainy days when you're going to be stuck in all day. Then you can just sit there and smell your dinner for hours.
I love my CrockPot. It's an awesome model--comes with 3 different size bowls, 2, 4 and 6 quarts. LOVE IT! First thing I made was beef stew, too!
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