My Crock Pot

It's common knowledge that the best-tasting meals are the ones that sit on the stove or in the oven for hours so the flavors really come out. But another facet of "the best meals" for generally busy people, are easy ones that turn out great. Enter... the crockpot. One of the best inventions ever. Right up there with electricity and the printing press. I am 100% not joking.

I have made so many great meals in my crockpot that have taken so little time to prepare and make. Yes, you have to start a meal early so it can cook for up to 8 hours. And yes, you have to ...have one. But other than that, it's the best way to cook and I could not recommend it more highly. If you've never done it before, it can seem a little daunting, but once you've used it a few times, you'll be on the crockpot band wagon (which, incidentally, would be a great name for a band!).

http://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/
http://www.crock-pot.com/Recipes.aspx

These are my go-to sites for recipes. However, my absolute favorite crockpot recipe, given to me by some of our very good friends, is chicken chili. It's below. Make it! It'll become a staple, I promise.

INGREDIENTS:
1 can stewed or diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can chili beans
1 can corn
1 can diced green chilis
1 can diced jalapenos (or just cut some up to taste)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch seasoning
1 onion, sliced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (raw or even frozen)

Put all ingredients in crock pot without draining cans. Cook on high for 3 hrs, then pull/shred chicken apart. Cook on low another 3 hours. Served best with sour cream and Fritos. Enjoy!

Trying New Things

In transitioning from a busy careerperson to a busy stay-at-home mom, I've found that I need to purposefully expand my horizons. At work, I found new projects and was given new projects -- that's just how work works. Things change all the time. At home, if I wanted to, I could do literally almost exactly the same thing every day. Get up, change diapers, feed Soph, put her down for naps, clean up, watch Baby Einstein, go to Target, etc. So I need to find New Things to do, and I like to try to do something new every day.

For example, one day I decided to rent a movie from a Redbox for the first time. (We were exclusively Family Video patrons.) I know, that doesn't sound too exciting. Often my New Thing of the day isn't exciting. It couldn't be... it's Wisconsin in winter and I have a baby. It's not like I'm going to go skydiving or cliffjumping. But that's OK. I had to make new neural connections (or whatever happens in your brain) to figure the big Redbox thing out and try not to make a scene in the grocery store. And when I was successful, I felt a little triumphant inside. Even though it was just a Redbox movie. (Bonus: the next day's new thing -- returning a Redbox movie!)

Today's New Thing was perhaps my best yet -- I made bread. Not from a box, not with a machine, not even just quick bread. I made dough, with actual yeast and actual bread flour, let it rise, and baked it. The whole time, things really didn't seem to be going as they should. I actually almost tossed the dough at one point because it didn't seem like it was rising properly. But I stuck with it, and when I opened the oven at the end of the process, VOILA! It was beautiful, and my house smelled heavenly.

I guess my point is that trying new things is fun, and it makes you feel good about yourself. Even if my bread-making endeavor had completely failed, I probably would have had at least an inkling of I did wrong, and I could have tried again another day with more success. Also, bread is delicious. :) Here's the recipe if you feel like trying something new.

Ingredients

2 cups warm water (110 F)

2/3 cup white sugar

1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

6 cups bread flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof 10 minutes or so until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well-oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

The finished product!