Slow Cooker

I always wanted a slow cooker. Always. When James and I first started dating, he would tell me about all these good things that his mom would make. He always made me hungry. And when we would go and visit his family, I would get excited to eat all the delicious food.

When we got married, we got a standard Crock-Pot. But I couldn't figure out what to cook in there. It was tall and you couldn't really lay food in it. My Crock-Pot was definitely not like my mother-in-laws slow cooker. She was able to put an entire roast in her slower cooker. And still have room for the vegetables she would add in at the end.

After talking with a friend, I learned that I could use my Crock-Pot for sauces, soups, and beans. Basically, anything that was water based. I'm still not good at cooking those types of things. But I wanted to slow cook.

My mother-in-law makes it look so easy. She adds a nice roast, plenty of spices and herbs. And walks away. 2-3 hours later, she adds in some good vegetables. 1-2 hours later, we are eating. It seems so simple. The food comes out tender and flavorful.

When James asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I had visions of the Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker running through my head. It just excited me. James looked at me like my head had turned purple or something. But on Christmas, I got my slow cooker. My mother-in-law also got me a cute church cookbook. It has 2 large sections of slow cooker recipes. Tomorrow, I'm trying my 1st one!!!

It may not sound like anything wonderful. But for a pregnant mommy, it makes life a little easier. I need to learn how to simplify our life a little bit. Because soon, I will be trying to take care of 3 kids under 4. I need to get some good recipes under my belt. Because something tells me, I'm not going to have 2 hours to come up with dinner anymore.