Slowly but Surely

It's cold out there. Really cold. Winter doesn't officially begin until Monday, but so what? I feel like hibernating for the next five months. And eating while I'm at it, of course. Lately, my evening hibernation routine has consisted of giant bowls of popcorn and hot cocoa, that, while you're watching "Elf" and "Blades of Glory" and therefore not really paying much attention, will leave your tongue good and burned throughout the next day. The spouse fixes a mean mug of hot chocolate that melt the stalest of stale marshmellows.

I'm not the greatest hot drink maker, even though the basics are really very simple. But what I am good at, so far, is slow cooking. I'm talking crockpot mania that will make tender the toughest of the toughest cuts of meat, that will infuse the blandest of bland with deep, flavorful goodness. We received two crockpots as wedding presents and previous to last week, they'd only been used to keep work carry-in goodies warm. But an old college friend convinced me that such devices are really the way to go when the weather turns all ice princess and you don't feel like doing much of anything else after you've put in a full day's work.

So I picked out this spicy steak recipe, and as Cousin Eddie would say, it was goooood. Like Clark W. Griswold's scorched pussycat chair, it was a high quality item. A cheap cut of cow, some chopped canned 'maters, cumin and chili powder, and a dousing with red sweet pepper and pinto beans near the end made for a hearty meal. Ten minutes tops were spend the night before with prep work like veggy chopping and spice mixing. It was almost too easy, and enough was left over for next-day lunch.

Have any of you already discovered the wonder of crockpotting? Do you have any favorite recipes or tips?

Comments

[Pedro]

I was never really a fan of cooking with a crock pot, but i found a really easy recipe for a chip dip. It is a party favorite. I am always asked to make it for my friends.

Easy-Cheesy Chip Dip:
1 lb. browned meat
approx. 2 cups of desired salsa
1 box Velveeta cheese

*spray the inside of the crock pot with Pam
*cut up the block of cheese and throw it in the crock pot to melt
*once the cheese is melted or almost completely melted, add the browned meat and salsa
*mix it all together
*put the lid on and stir occasionally so that it does not burn.

Once the cheese is melted and the dip is hot, It is ready to eat!!

ENJOY!!