Toaster Oven, Electric Skillet, Slow Cooker

In another thread that I can’t find at the moment and probably isn’t worth looking for anyway, I told a poster that I didn’t have room for a toaster oven. Well, I do or I did because I treated myself to a Black & Decker Convection toaster oven. I haven’t mastered it yet but it does broil pork chops very nicely.

I also bought an electric skillet and a slow cooker. Both of these guys are by Hamilton Beach; I haven’t tried the slow cooker yet but the electric skillet works perfectly. After all, I’ve only had these things for three days; gimme some time.

I could really use some simple slow cooker recipes and/or a link to a good source for same. I’ve tried googling but I’m overwhelmed by what’s out there. I need help weeding out the bad and keeping the good. I’m gonna beat this living alone stuff; in fact, I love it. I’ve just got to get better at it.

Thanks for any and all help.

Try this blog: A Year of Slow Cooking.

She did one crockpot meal a day for a year, and continues with new recipes. Not every recipe is a winner, but I find it a good place to start.

My go to site

My go to recipe

1 jar pepproncinis
1 envelope Good Seasonings Zesty Italian Dressing Mix
1 Chuck Roast

Toss it all in, give it about 8-10 hours, shred the beef, toss the shredded beef back into the crock pot. Taste it every 5 minutes or so. When it’s spicy enough for you, take out the peppers (try and find all the stems too). The longer you leave them in, the hotter they get.

Also remember. You’re cooking, not baking. Meaning that it’s hard to screw things up. If you’re making stew and you like carrots, go ahead and double or triple it. Making french dip, but trying to watch you’re diet, use low sodium ingredients. You won’t hurt anything.
I looooove my crock pot. I use it at least once a week. But since I tend to experiment with it, I always make sure to have a frozen pizza ready to go. I’ve made one or two inedible recipes.

I love my crock pot.

Recipes fall into a few broad categories.

1.Stews/chillis
2.Braised hunks of meat.

And the beauty of category 2 is the simplicity. It can be as simple as throwing a pork butt in, dumping some barbecue sauce over it, then golfing the day away and coming back to feast like a viking.

One of my favorites is lamb leg/shank.

Trim some of the obvious outside fat off the meat, but don’t denude it, that’s flavor, but you don’t it too greasy. The smear it all over in a rub of salt, pepper, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, thyme and rosemary and olive oil.

Then put a layer of those cute little shooter-marble size onions on the bottom, and put the meat on it. Then dump in some red wine, and balsmic vinegar. quarter some roasting potatoes and put them around the meat. Then just put the lid on, go golfing, and come back and feast like a viking.

Since this is basically a cooking thread, I’m going to move it from IMHO to Cafe Society.

ETA: Here’s a link to the thread I started when I got a slow cooker for Christmas.

I thought this thread fell off the face of the earth; I managed to not notice it had been moved. Mea Culpa.

Anyway, thanks for the answers, and thanks twickster for the link to your thread; I’ve printed it, stapled it and will refer to it often.