Mexican Madness!

After the Chili disaster I decided to go back a bit and not do my own spicing. Its really true, a cook I am not.

I am a HUGE fan of Mexican food. Real Mexican, fake Taco Bell Mexican, Margaritas... love it all. So I decided my next venture would be Mexican, and if it didn't work then I was just going to make a margarita and grab me some nachos.

Found a recipe for a Taco Casserole that looked great so I dove right in!

Now there were a few things I would change, an

d it was more of a taco stew then a casserole but it was still good! I'll give you the original recipe with the things I would change.

Taco Casserole (Stew)

feeds 4

1lb browned ground beef

1 can diced tomatoes with chilis undrained

1 can condensed onion soup

1 pkg taco mix seasoning

1/2 cup - 1 cup of water

green onion

shredded cheese

sour cream

3 small soft tortillas cut into small strips (I personally would omit this next time in favour of serving it with nacho chips)

Put the beef, tomatoes, onion soup and taco mix seasoning in your slow cooker. If you're going to try it with the soft tortilla strips add a cup of water and the tortilla strips, if you're going to serve it with nachos add half cup of water only.

Put slow cooker on low, cover, walk away for 7-8 hours.

Grab a bowl of your casserole/stew and dress it with the cheese, sour cream and green onion. ENJOY!

I give this (without the tortillas in it) 4 Noms out of 5 Noms. YUM!

Your Slow Cook,

Jodi

Disaster Strikes!

I know you have been on the edge of your seats wondering "What happened after the chili 911!?!?". Well folks I am sad to report my second slow cooker attempt was a huge fail :(

Despite my best efforts, I know nothing about spices and really need a specific recipe and not just "Oh throw in some of this and a little of that and a pinch of this stuff". I also wonder if my lean ground pork instead of ground beef may have changed the taste a little.

So there it is folks, even *I* can fail and live to tell the tail. So don't be afraid to try and fail or you won't know what works!

Next up? Stew! How will it work out? Better then the chili? Worse? Wait and see!

Your Slow Cook,

Jodi

Chili 911

Meal #2 and already I have a slow cooker emergency (I warned you all I was not a cook!).

Todays meal is chili. Into the pot went he meat, the

tomatoes, the tomato sauce, the onion etc... Now on to the spices! OMG the spices! WHERE THE HELL ARE ALL MY SPICES?!?

I bought them specifically based on the meals I was planning on making. So I know I had them.

Oh wait, here's the oregano! On the counter, looking me in the eye, of course. But the chili powder is gone... GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE! Like looked everywhere and it is no where to be found, gone. Everything else is already in the pot!

What do I do?! Pick some up and add it later? Ad it later and leave it to simmer over night? Skip it?

Your Slow Cook,

Jodi

Pork For Dummies (Like me!)

I wanted something simple and awesome for our first slow cooker meal. I didn't want to have to think or worry or order pizza when I put far too much spice in the pot. So I went a-huntin'!

What did I find? Pork! Meat of the gods... Ok, well maybe not of the gods but its damn good. 3 ingredients, 1 pot, no self-spicing? SOLD! The other great thing about this recipe was there was NO measuring, NONE! It was easier then Kraft Dinner!

Super Simple Pulled Pork Sandwiches:

1 pork roast (go cheap!)

2L bottle of rootbeer

BBQ sauce (I use garlic bbq sauce, use your favorite!)

Buns or bread to make the sandwich on (I don't count this as an ingredient lol)

Like I said, there is no measuring with this recipe! So get what you need for the number of people you're serving. Our roast was about 2lb and fed both of us and still have 2/3rds of it left!

In the morning put your roast in the slow cooker and pour rootbeer over the top until the roast is covered, turn on low, walk away!

I know what you're thinking, I thought it too... "It can't be that easy you dolt, you've forgotten a step, or an ingredient, or your sanity!" but really its that simple!

Roughly 8 hours later when you open the pot it will look like this:

Ok, so that doesn't really look that special but oh man did my house smell awesome! Now, don't make the mistake I did and attempt to remove your roast by stabbing it with a fork, it will fall apart, it is just that tender.

Use a slotted spoon and scoop out your roast into a bowl. If you're lazy like me, scoop it straight into a large tupperware container and save yourself the dishes and clean up!

I split my roast into two containers and put one into the freezer right away for another day. The other half I shredded with a fork, and by shredded I mean I poked it a couple times and it fell apart! After you shred the pork add the BBQ sauce, as much or as little a you would like, and stir.

Now, put it on a bun and you're done... DONE! That simple!

I bet I know what you're thinking again, "but was it any good?", YES! It was un-freakin-believable! My two year old asked for seconds and that is unheard of! For simplicity I threw some baby carrots on the plate and tada!

I give this super simple easy recipe 4 Noms out of a possible 5 Noms! Not bad for a first try!

Your Slow Cook,

Jodi

That's Some Great Pot!

Saturday I picked up what I'm hoping becomes my newest awesomest bestest friend. My Slow Cooker. She is old skool cool and I loved her at first sight.

I have named her Edna.

Yes, I named my slow cooker. They always say farmers don't name their cattle because once you name it its harder to separate yourself from it. I'm taking this approach in hopes that I feel guilty if I stop using her.

I think she looks like an Edna, don't you?

Your Slow Cook,

Jodi

Let The Adventure Begin!

By noon tomorrow I will have officially started my adventure into the world of slow cookery when I pick up my new-to-me retro slow cooker. I'm fairly frugal *coughcheapcough* so when I found a five dollar used slow cooker on kijiji, I jumped on it rather then pay 20 dollars plus tax for a new one.

Not to mention who knows if i'll take to this whole slow cooker thing. I mean its totally possible that everyone I've spoken to is completely wrong and I will detest not having to stand over a hot microwave to create my culinary masterpieces. Right?

Any way, I soon shall be the proud owner of this pimpin' bad boy...

Jealous?

Your Slow Cook,

Jodi