When my girl Jolene Facebooked on Tuesday about her soon-to-be-eaten dinner - “lamb with roasted veggies and potatoes in the crockpot” – I knew exactly what to do with the pack of ribs that I purchased that day. Their destination: my slow cooker.
Lately when my slow cooker makes an appearance, a certain equation is proven true:
two pounds of your choice of meat
+ one can of diced tomatoes
+ one heaping spoonful of minced garlic
+ appropriate cultural spices
= one heck of a meal
Case in point: my Italian style ribs from Wednesday night:
country style ribs + tomatoes + garlic + Giada’s Tuscan Herb Blend
My portion served with eggplant. Hans’ portion served with baked potato.
…and round two of my Nishkama Yoga North Olmsted Grand Opening taco bar this past Sunday night:
chicken breasts + tomatoes + garlic + array of Mexican spices + jalapeño juice
served with taco bar fixings: tortilla shells, rice, black beans, cheese, and so on.
While I’ve always associated my slow cooker with the colder months of the year, Sarah from Cooker Girl made an excellent point on Twitter why it’s such a great appliance to use in the summer:
So now that it’s out of my pantry, it’s just the season to keep using it! What’s your favorite slow cooker meal? Links to recipes are always appreciated!
Love this!! And totally agree with you, get your staple ingredients and choice of protein and bam, instant, delish meal!! And so true, it does NOT heat up the kitchen so you can make crockpot recipes all year round. You’ll have to try the lamb leg..it was unreal! M said he loved it at least 5 times, might be a record
Hans gave the ribs a 9.4 on a scale of 1 to 10 last night! Funny how those boys appreciate the EASIEST to make meals sometimes!
We love our crockpot all year round. I would be interested in the lamb recipe as I have never tried lamb in the slow cooker. Some of our favorites are pork with saurkraut and roast beef with vegetables. I always use a cheap red wine for the liquid and add lots of garlic and spices. Yum!
Thanks for the reminder. I’ll do anything not to turn on my oven in the summer. And that chicken you made for the tacos? Nothing short of amazing. I’ll be making this for sure!
HA! You know, I never thought about the fact that it doesn’t heat up your kitchen but DUH, so true! I only tend to crockpot in the winter for some reason but um hi, I should totally be using it in the summer!! Your recipe advice is great, so simple and so yummy!
Served over brown rice (or whole grain pasta) with vegatable on the side — delish!
I like my slow cooker in warm months. It makes me feel like I’m not overheating in the kitchen or wasting a gorgeous day inside. I just made pulled pork in my slow cooker the other night. Tasted awesome and made my house smell fabulous.
I love my Crock Pot. I feel like I know how to cook now. Pulled pork is my fav thing to make. But I also like to toss chicken in it to cook itself when I don’t really ahve time.
Love the slow cooker!! Try this recipe: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/slow-cooker-vegetarian-chili-with-sweet-potatoes-00000000049528/index.html. Pretty much my favorite chili recipe of all time!
I am obsessed with my Crock Pot! Sarah’s right – it definitely does not heat up the kitchen.