While the 'fellas down-unduh' have no excuse not to be outside cooking, Canadian men, especially those retired guys with working wives, seem to find cooking a real chore these days. I mean, the bloomin 'barbie' is covered in the white stuff and/or it is freezing outside! What to do what to do?! Well.. here it is. The old 'crock pot' (not the fella..the kitchen appliance) the Slow Cooker (I said NOT the old guy) is the answer.
Gabe cooked up the best dinner the other night.. not sure what was in it, but it included a pork rib roast and potatoes. Soooo yummy! And it didn't take him long. So I asked him... "hmm.. I don't know. I guess I rubbed the meat with some spices.. tequila lime from Baron's and Louisiana Hot and Spicy Dip mix is what I used, but it doesn't matter and then put that in the pot. Then I added potatoes in with a cup or two of chicken broth out of a tetra pack. Later, as it boiled down a bit, I added some apple juice and later topped it up with some coke (he says that makes it really tender).
An hour or two before Nola came home I added some veggies.. carrots, celery, mushrooms and onions.. whatever.
Before she walked in the door I made up a bit of a salad.. or she could have done that. Dinner.. done."
It was really good too.. I asked him about other recipes..
"Ribs is super easy.. Pork ribs, short ribs.. whatever kind you want to do.. it is perfect every time! All I have to do is put a half bottle of barbecue sauce in there.. and half a bottle of coke.. put it on low and leave it all day.. it is the best!"
I remember making soup in the crock pot.. clamato juice, chicken broth.. fry some chicken in a pan for a few minutes (meat is always better IF you sear it first.. but you don't have to!) and put it in with some veggies and leave it for the day. Done!
I googled Canadian Living.. they have really good recipes with ingredients that are easy to get hold of, and here is what I found..
Safe, convenient and easy to use, slow cookers are popular appliances in Canadian homes. Here are some of the easiest slow cooker recipes to come out of The Canadian Living Test Kitchen. Click on each image below to see the recipe!
Secrets for slow cooker success
The challenge with Crock-pot cookery is how to maximize and maintain the flavour of your finished dish over a long cooking process - often home cooks are left with flat-tasting dishes that fail to please. To go from insipid to lip-smacking, there are a few tricks for your slow cooker recipes that will enhance your results.
• Don’t peek during cooking: Lifting the lid to peak or stir adds fifteen to twenty minutes of extra cooking time to the end product. Peek only when checking for doneness or adding thickening to a sauce at the end.
• Don’t add too much liquid: When you assemble the ingredients in a slow cooker, the liquid may not cover the solids. Don’t worry! During cooking the liquid will increase as foods release juices and steam. Slow, covered cooking means that the juices have nowhere to go and will stay in the pot to flavour the dish.
• Leave space: There should always be at least two inches of space between the top of the food and top rim of the slow cooker so that food can come to a simmer.
• Fill to the proper level: As a general rule, the slow cooker should be no more than three-quarters full and no less than half full.
• Don’t use frozen meat: Thaw meat and poultry thoroughly before placing in a slow cooker. The frozen meat will increase cooling time and add too much liquid to the pot. Frozen vegetables can be added near the end of cooking time.
• Brown meat to add flavour: Whenever possible, brown meats or vegetables before placing in the slow cooker. The caramelization of the sugars in the food will enhance the end result.
• Increase dried spices: Use dried spices for longer cooking times. Slightly increase the spices and salt if using a standard recipes - the long simmering will dull the flavours.
• Fresh herbs go in at the end: Add fresh herbs and delicate vegetables at the end of the cooking time to retain the freshness of their flavours.
• Use slow cooker recipes: For best results, use recipes designed specifically for slow cookers or Crock-pots - they will take all of the rules into account so you don’t have to.
Don't miss our Quick & Easy food updates.
 Thai Squash Soup with Shrimp |  Vegan Lemon Lentil Soup |  Chicken Chili |
 Mushroom Pot Roast |  Fennel and Tomato Pork Stew |  Cheddar Garlic Bread To round out your slow cooker meals, add ourCheddar Garlic Bread andMandarin Spinach Salad. |
The challenge with Crock-pot cookery is how to maximize and maintain the flavour of your finished dish over a long cooking process - often home cooks are left with flat-tasting dishes that fail to please. To go from insipid to lip-smacking, there are a few tricks for your slow cooker recipes that will enhance your results.
• Don’t peek during cooking: Lifting the lid to peak or stir adds fifteen to twenty minutes of extra cooking time to the end product. Peek only when checking for doneness or adding thickening to a sauce at the end.
• Don’t add too much liquid: When you assemble the ingredients in a slow cooker, the liquid may not cover the solids. Don’t worry! During cooking the liquid will increase as foods release juices and steam. Slow, covered cooking means that the juices have nowhere to go and will stay in the pot to flavour the dish.
• Leave space: There should always be at least two inches of space between the top of the food and top rim of the slow cooker so that food can come to a simmer.
• Fill to the proper level: As a general rule, the slow cooker should be no more than three-quarters full and no less than half full.
• Don’t use frozen meat: Thaw meat and poultry thoroughly before placing in a slow cooker. The frozen meat will increase cooling time and add too much liquid to the pot. Frozen vegetables can be added near the end of cooking time.
• Brown meat to add flavour: Whenever possible, brown meats or vegetables before placing in the slow cooker. The caramelization of the sugars in the food will enhance the end result.
• Increase dried spices: Use dried spices for longer cooking times. Slightly increase the spices and salt if using a standard recipes - the long simmering will dull the flavours.
• Fresh herbs go in at the end: Add fresh herbs and delicate vegetables at the end of the cooking time to retain the freshness of their flavours.
• Use slow cooker recipes: For best results, use recipes designed specifically for slow cookers or Crock-pots - they will take all of the rules into account so you don’t have to.
Don't miss our Quick & Easy food updates.
Good Luck Harry!
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