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just_the_things41. Use my crockpot
I have had this crockpot since around 2000 or 2001 and have never before used it. It used to be my parents' and they gave it to me, perhaps in the hopes that I would learn how to cook while I was in my first apartment at college. It's now the year 2015 and I still can't cook. So I searched for vegetarian crockpot recipes (so many of them use chicken or beef stock). The ones that turned up looked way too complicated for me. I wanted something simple. I searched for "easy vegetarian crockpot recipes" and it took me a while to find some that looked good, wouldn't hurt my digestive system, and seemed easy. The ones that looked the best to me used a lot of squash, which isn't in season of course. So I hit the grocery store with two different recipes to see which I could find ingredients for.
I ended up choosing this recipe: Slow-Cooker Glazed Root Vegetables
I love sweet things, so this seemed fantastic. However, I had to make some modifications. The store had absolutely NO sweet potatoes. So I skipped that. I hate pepper and little things that get stuck in my teeth, so I skipped the thyme and pepper and only added a pinch of salt. My honey was all crystalized, so I didn't measure that exactly, just put a ton in. And I was worried there wouldn't be enough liquid, so I added extra olive oil. I also skipped the vinegar. Basically, it was just carrots, parsnips, sweet onions (instead of red), TONS of honey in globs, and twice as much olive oil as needed. And all that took me an hour to prepare. LOL I don't have a proper cutting board or knives. And I'd never handled a parsnip before; didn't know what one was like.
I put it all in the crockpot, mixed it up, and plugged it in. Nothing happened. The thing didn't get warm or make noise. I was certain that it was broken. It's, like, 30 years old, this crockpot and has been through a lot of moves. After a half an hour, the top looked like it was fogging up a little. After an hour, it was WARM! 6 hours later, I spooned out half and tucked in.
It was delicious. No protein, so I was still hungry. But for a side dish, it was amazing. And parsnips are delicious! So, really, I learned TWO big things today because of this thing.
I suppose that with pre-cut veggies, it would be a whole lot faster. How nice it would be to come home to hot food ready and waiting for me. However, it was much more expensive than my usual meals and this would only have been part of a meal at that. But, still, it was a grand experiment. And now I know how my crockpot works! Maybe, when squash is back in season, I'll try another recipe or two :-)
I have had this crockpot since around 2000 or 2001 and have never before used it. It used to be my parents' and they gave it to me, perhaps in the hopes that I would learn how to cook while I was in my first apartment at college. It's now the year 2015 and I still can't cook. So I searched for vegetarian crockpot recipes (so many of them use chicken or beef stock). The ones that turned up looked way too complicated for me. I wanted something simple. I searched for "easy vegetarian crockpot recipes" and it took me a while to find some that looked good, wouldn't hurt my digestive system, and seemed easy. The ones that looked the best to me used a lot of squash, which isn't in season of course. So I hit the grocery store with two different recipes to see which I could find ingredients for.
I ended up choosing this recipe: Slow-Cooker Glazed Root Vegetables
I love sweet things, so this seemed fantastic. However, I had to make some modifications. The store had absolutely NO sweet potatoes. So I skipped that. I hate pepper and little things that get stuck in my teeth, so I skipped the thyme and pepper and only added a pinch of salt. My honey was all crystalized, so I didn't measure that exactly, just put a ton in. And I was worried there wouldn't be enough liquid, so I added extra olive oil. I also skipped the vinegar. Basically, it was just carrots, parsnips, sweet onions (instead of red), TONS of honey in globs, and twice as much olive oil as needed. And all that took me an hour to prepare. LOL I don't have a proper cutting board or knives. And I'd never handled a parsnip before; didn't know what one was like.
I put it all in the crockpot, mixed it up, and plugged it in. Nothing happened. The thing didn't get warm or make noise. I was certain that it was broken. It's, like, 30 years old, this crockpot and has been through a lot of moves. After a half an hour, the top looked like it was fogging up a little. After an hour, it was WARM! 6 hours later, I spooned out half and tucked in.
It was delicious. No protein, so I was still hungry. But for a side dish, it was amazing. And parsnips are delicious! So, really, I learned TWO big things today because of this thing.
I suppose that with pre-cut veggies, it would be a whole lot faster. How nice it would be to come home to hot food ready and waiting for me. However, it was much more expensive than my usual meals and this would only have been part of a meal at that. But, still, it was a grand experiment. And now I know how my crockpot works! Maybe, when squash is back in season, I'll try another recipe or two :-)
