I reckon whoever invented them should have been nominated for the Nobel Peace prize, because it certainly keeps the peace in my household. On the nights I use it (which increase during this chilly time of year), things just run along so much more smoothly than the nights I don't. No more trying to get ingredients organised, peeled, chopped and cooked at 4pm while three kids scream in hunger. My darling slow cooker allows me to get that organisation done in the morning when things are relatively peaceful! Not to mention how damn easy it is to use! I literally chop things up, throw them in and turn it on. I'm not one for browning things first, like some of the recipes demand - what's the point of a slow cooker if you still have to dirty up frypans!?!?
Tonights dinner is Corned Beef. Oh, so easy! Take one piece of corned beef, remove packaging, and pop it into the slow cooker. Add water, enough to take it about 1/3 to 1/2 the way up the meat, add a carrot (don't bother peeling), add a halved onion (again, who cares about the skin), one garlic clove (skin and all), a couple of bay leaves and some salt and pepper. Cook it on high for about 5 hours, or on slow for 8 hours or more. It's virtually impossible to burn, or overcook something in a slow cooker. Yep, I'm in love!
On the topic of slow, has anyone heard of the Slow Food Movement? Check it out here -http://www.slowfood.com/. It's a movement that was begun twenty years ago in order to combat the world's reliance on fast food. It's a cause close to my heart, but one that I struggle to uphold in my hectic life. I cook most nights but like a lot of people, I do succumb to the temptation of takeaway and convenience meals at times. We can't all be perfect. But I do love the Slow Food Movement's ideas of returning to basics, and really appreciating what we eat, where it comes from and how it has been prepared. Teaching my kids to cook will be a good place to start, I think.
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