Taking It Slow

On the day that your husband gets a vasectomy, many things must be prepared. Preparations must be made to have someone watch your children while you accompany your husband to his, er, procedure. Ice packs – many, many ice packs – must be prepared. You must be prepared to allow the remainder of your reproductive years to languish in a state of flux somewhere between unrequited baby-lust and unadulterated relief. And of course, there is always dinner.

Fool, you say, just order a damn pizza. Your husband just got neutered and three people are counting on you to take care of their every need – order in! But, you explain, more than repeated warnings not to sit on Daddy’s lap or a bi-hourly dosing of arnica to the poor patient, you feel that what your entire family will really need come six o’clock is a good, wholesome, healing dinner. Luckily, I’m prepared.

In times like these, my slow cooker is my best friend. Slow cooking can be as simple or as involved as you want it to be. The other night, I needed it to be simple. So, the evening before the big snip, I cut up some root veggies, seasoned some meat, and got out my stone. Everything went into the fridge until the next morning when, while Chris was picking out his most stylish jogging pants to recuperate in, I added my liquid and plugged in my crock. Eight hours later I was tired, Chris was sore, the kids were rangy, and dinner was ready. What did we eat, you ask? Well, what else would we eat to celebrate the first day of our newfound reproductive freedom?

Pork, of course.

 

Slow Cooker Comfort Food
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 8 hours, unattended
Feeds: 4, with leftovers

- Pork-butt roast, as big as you want so long as it fits your slow cooker
- Potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, etc. cut into chunks
- 1 c. liquid (I use half water, half chicken stock)

Night before:

- Season your roast with salt, pepper, garlic and paprika
- If you have the time and energy, brown your roast on all sides in a skillet
- Place your roast in your lightly oiled crock pot stone
- Arrange veggies around roast

The next morning:
- Add the liquid to your slow cooker
- Cook on Low, approx. 8 hours
- Ice your husband’s weenie, then dig in!

You could easily substitue any other cut of meat, or even a whole roasting chicken. Browning your meat first gives it a really nice colour and helps to lock in flavours, but it is not a mandatory step. You could also substitute rice for the veggies, but you’ll have to add a little more liquid, and place a folded towel under the lid to absorb all of the steam.

SoundBITE

You can pretty much turn any traditional recipe into a slow-cooker recipe. Just cut the liquid called for in half, and keep in mind that an hour on the stove = about 8 hours on low in the slow cooker. When in doubt, just put it on low all day.

 

Comments

[No Mother Earth]

I love crockpot cooking! Keep the recipes coming.

Hope the husband feels better soon.

[katie ~ motherbumper]

I am a crock pot bitch - I pulled mine out yesterday and made the yummiest (and easiest) bbq chicken. Comfort food is where it's at.

I hope your husband heals quickly.