I'm working on some unbloggable stuff so I hope you'll forgive me for talking food instead. I'll even throw a doggy fix in at the end.
My birthday is coming up and my parents freakin' spoiled me.
My first slow cooker with more bells and whistles than a bell and whistle factory. (I have clearly missed my calling as a writer.) The combination of working from home and being on a tight, oh-my-god-we-just-bought-a-house-budget, has meant I've done a lot more cooking much more from scratch and this is another tool in my arsenal.
I'm keeping track of any recipes I make so I can reference them later when I'm trying to decide what to make for the week.
I started with some slow cooked pork, that was good on the first day, but got even better than next day shredded, marinated in lime and mixed into a fresh salad
Yah, not much to look at since they were both shot at night, but they tasted good.
And of course, I had to make pot roast. I think that's law if you eat meat and own a slow cooker, right?
Some pork chili soon followed, another "must make" for a slow cooker.
And finally, I reworked my favorite short ribs recipe for my newfangled contraption
Recipes can be had by clicking any of the images.
I am finding that key to making the most of these dishes is to add something fresh, like a healthy sprinkle of fresh herbs, or cheese and chopped red onion. A little something to brighten up the dish makes all the difference.
And, while I have been cooking for us, I also picked up a book on (don't judge me) cooking for the dogs. So far, I really like it. Many of the recipes require no special ingredients, just stuff you might have around the house and the book is written by a chef, a vet and a canine nutritionist (is that really a thing?) so there's no worry of giving your dogs something that will hurt them.
The dogs have been losing their MINDS over these Peanut Terrifics. I need to adjust the recipe a little to account for the all natural peanut butter but these will definitely be made again.
Don't forget tomato sauce with meatballs ... you don't even have to cook the meatballs first!
What a great gift! I enjoyed seeing all your yummy concoctions. I love my slow cooker. I've even dyed yarn in mine. *hugs* :)
Looks like you got the one that I covet. Does the middle part separate so you can brown the meat on the store first? I wish I could get one, but I have absolutely no place to put it. Have fun with it, though. Personally, I'm happy with food and cooking posts!
freaky, i was just checking blogs and i came directly to this post from: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ thought i might be in some kind of crock pot time warp. they are the greatest thing ever....
I have that crockpot and LOOOOVE it! Happy happy birthday!
Oooh, so jealous of your slow cooker. I'm hankering for a slow cooker but my small NYC apartment cannot take another kitchen appliance - no counter space and no storage either! All your meals look delish!
Um...how wrong is it that when I got my first slow cooker I thought about using it for food for about 5 seconds then shoved it full of yarn and started dyeing?
It's a VERY basic model that I got off Freecycle...but still. I THOUGHT I'd use it to make pot roasts and things so we'd have dinner ready when we got home from work.
But I clearly wasn't being honest with myself!
The food looks delicious! :)
I love that you put up the dog cookbook. I just took a look at it and I'm impressed because it even covers raw diets. I think I will find some recipes for my pup- thanks! I have never written here before so I just have to say how adorable your dogs are!