When I began this slow-cooking adventure, I had hopes of maybe not learning to love cooking, but of becoming more confident in the craft. I wanted to be like my friend Sara, who delights in the preparation, dreams of the dishes she'll serve each Sunday and then seems to giggle as she works as if she's having a secret conversation with the ingredients. After nearly four weeks of chopping, sauteeing and then stewing -- endlessly stewing -- I've realized that while I'll never really look forward to cooking, I can successfully moonlight as Betty Crock-Pot whenever the need arises.
Take, for instance, the absolutely scrumptious chocolate raspberry bread pudding I made in the slow cooker for Thanksgiving at the Eubanks household. (I didn't travel back to W. Va. for the big day. Sorry Mom!) This easy dish received four stars from her grandfather, a rapturous head-rock of approval from her mother, and her 17-year-old picky eater of a sister had seconds. (We've shared the dish on our blog found at http://blogs.ajc.com/holiday-guide/.) I felt so proud, and relieved, to have made something that looked as appetizing as it tasted. In fact, this recipe from a family friend may have been the best Crock-pot dish yet, and it was worth the wait.
Thirty days of slow cooking has taught Elissa and me a number of things that we've tried to share along the way.
First, always have chicken broth, cream of chicken and maybe an onion soup mix on hand. This served us well last week on a day we both thought the other one was cooking. (For the record, it was my fault.) Thankfully, I had a pantry full of ingredients for a creamy potato corn chowder. I sort of invented the soup on the fly, but it was surprisingly tasty. Not delicious, but not terrible. In our world, a total success.
Second, a Crock-Pot is best designed for simple dishes. After all, most of us use this machine to make our lives easier, right? Keep the dishes to a few easy ingredients, as well, such as a slow-cooked pulled pork I made last weekend. All we did was pour a can of root beer (no joke) over a 2-pound pork loin, cook on low for seven hours, drain, shred and then stir in a favorite barbecue sauce. Easy and delicious.
Third, planning and shopping for a week's worth of food is tedious, but worth it. While grocery shopping on a Sunday is pretty much a nightmare everywhere, it is such a time-saver in the long run. We just have to shop early in the morning to save our sanity.
Fourth, when in doubt, Mama knows best. Elissa learned this the hard way last Friday when she prepared a dish called "Mom's Sunday Sauce" from our original guide, “Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever With More than 400 Easy-to-Make Recipes." (Yes, I thought she had put it back on the shelf, too.) The thing is, Elissa prepared this dish in her own Italian mother's kitchen under her Italian mother's watchful eye. While the sauce turned out OK, I think everyone agreed they really wanted their real Italian mother's sauce, and that she should've listened to said Italian mama when she gave cooking advice.
Fifth, eating is over-rated. If we never see a creamy soup or casserole again, it might be too soon. While a slow cooker can produce the ultimate comfort food, eating soft mush for 30 days is a bit much. We are craving salads, "lazy" carrots and apples and are grateful to have teeth.
And finally, this monthlong venture has made us appreciate the undeniable beauty in being single.
Those close to us know we are excited to eventually be married with children, but this project has made us savor our solitude. If we don't want to cook (ever), we won't be called bad mothers. If we want to dine on cereal for two weeks straight, we're not hurting anyone but ourselves. If we ruin a dish, no one really knows but us.
In a strange sense, our desire to become more domestic has strengthened our independence, creating a comical women's liberation movement of sorts. And for this, we think Betty Crock-Pots everywhere would be proud.
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