The Little joys of slow cooking

One of the best ways to cook in the winter time is slow-cooking. Put a cheaper piece of meat into this magical machine, add some liquid and veggies, and then just go to work.

 

When you walk in the door in the evening the house is filled with the aroma of food. And really, who doesn't like that (as long as it isn't burnt or rotting food anyway)? And one of the things I like most about slow-cooking is that you have to be trying pretty hard to over-spice things. A few tablespoons of fresh herbs, not to mention copious amounts of black pepper, would normally overwhelm a meal, but in the slow cooker it all just melts together and creates a mellow taste.

 

Another thing I like about the slow cooker is it only takes one pan to make dinner. Normally my dinner cooking takes up at least 3 or 4 pans, and sometimes it is just about every pan that we own! So anything that only uses 1 is a plus in my book

 

It's also a great way to get rid of those random vegetables that don't seem to lend themselves anywhere else. Got a leftover yellow squash that should have gone in your red sauce? Well throw it in the slow cooker and be done with it! Those 10 green beans that wouldn't fit in the pan last night, but you couldn't bring yourself to throw away; slow cooker!

 

I think my absolute favorite thing about the slow cooker is the smell I carry around all day. I wake up at 5:30, and chop up all the veggies and herbs to put in the slow cooker, and then all day I walk around smelling of aromatic vegetables. And I love it! When all the computer stuff is going wrong, sometimes the scent of garlic, celery, rosemary, carrots, potatoes, squash, and onion is exactly what makes it all okay. It reminds me that the work day only lasts a few more hours, and soon enough I will be happily eating again.

 

 

So, as you might have guessed, I am currently cooking dinner from my work desk, and I can't wait to get home. What do we have?

A lamb roast from costco, marinaded overnight in some white whine, orange juice, fresh garlic, fresh rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper.

 

It is currently residing in the cooker surrounded by red potatoes, yellow squash (it really was supposed to go into the red sauce the other night), onions, mushrooms, carrots, celery, plenty of fresh and roasted garlic, lots more rosemary, some bay leaves, a cube of vegetable bullion and some extra water.

 

I am looking forward to getting home, smelling the house, and chowing down on this little beauty.