Friday, January 8, 2010

I'm in love!

With my crock pot, that is. *grin*

I'm sure most of you ladies have already discovered this wonderful friend. I've had encounters with her before, but only to make beef stew. Honestly, that's the only recipe I've every used her for.

Until today.

Several weeks ago I bought a pork loin. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it but it was on sale & my mother-in-law had served pork loin for a Sunday dinner once. Mike & I both really liked it so I bought it, took it home & put it in the freezer.

And it's been waiting there. I asked Vangie all kinds of questions about how she cooked hers. I tried to figure out the time differences to make it for a Friday night dinner versus a Sunday lunch. For whatever reason I find cooking meat a bit daunting. I got my food thermometer out of the drawer & ready to go.

Last night about 10:30 I got the thawed chunk out of the fridge, sprinkled some salt, garlic & olive oil over it, put the lid on & went to bed. Trying not to worry about it being too dry...trying not to think how embarrassing it would be to die in our sleep b/c our crock pot caught the house on fire...

This morning when I woke up the aroma was just starting to get good. Hmmm...this just might work out, I thought with a smile. Vangie had assured me that the meat would make enough of its own juice & I didn't have to worry about it scorching. I just wasn't sure, but I decided to trust her as I headed out to work.

Over the course of the workday my sister & I texted back & forth about out evening/weekend plans. I ended up inviting their family for dinner with the disclaimer that the meal was an experiment & that we had Pizza Hut on speed dial if needed.

Turns out, it wasn't needed! We noshed on scrumptious pork loin with barbecue sauce on fresh whole wheat bakery buns. We enjoyed roasted potatoes, the kind where they are stained a rich color from being too friendly with the meat in the crock pot. With a side of green beans (a family standard) & an ice cream sundae to top it all off, we were content.

What a great night! I love having company in our home. The food was good. The fellowship was refreshing. The games of Uno with the kids were hilarious. Good times warm & cozy in our home. Thank the Lord for cozy homes, sweet family, & the bitter cold winter weather that drives us all inside for a few evenings such as this one.

6 comments:

Erin said...

Congrats and welcome to the world of crockpots! I'll have to email a couple of my favorite recipes. Glad you had a nice time with family as well.

Carrie said...

Crockpots are the best!! :) Glad your pork roast turned out yummy! I have a super recipe for crockpot lasagna; I think it's on my blog somewhere if you're interested. Also, have you seen this blog: crockpot365.blogspot.com ? The lady made a goal to use her crockpot every day for a year, and blogged about it. She also has a cookbook out now, which I am dying to get. I could use more inspiration! :)

Rebecca said...

Wait until you discover crock-pot liners! Then you don't even have to clean it!!! This is especially great when you are doing a pasta/sauce combination! Glad everything turned out well! Congratulations! Put another notch in your belt of homemaking!

ExploreColorado said...

The crockpot is one of my favorite kitchen appliances!!! Its so nice to be able to put a meal together, flip a switch, and come back several hours later, to a perfectly cooked meal :D Happy cooking!

ruth said...

It sounds yummy and fun! You make me want to break out my crock pot. :)

Adele said...

I love using a crock pot, especially for roasts. My m-i-l just cooked a turkey in one b/c she doesn't have an oven. Even though the top didn't get brown, the taste was wonderful. If you like Mexican, I sometimes put chicken breasts and salsa in a crock pot, then make some rice. It's really tender and easy!