Dear Kitchen Saints,
A few years ago, my kitchen stove about blew up. Well, the thermostat went out about a year earlier. So everything I baked I had to really watch as the oven temp went to 500 degrees in about 15 minutes. So to bake bread, I had to turn the oven on and off to keep a lower temp. Well, one day my dog died and I wasn't watching the oven and it caught on fire. That was my second fire! What a deal it was as the house was so thick with smoke. I thought for sure I had finally burned the whole dang house down. Thank God I didn't. Anyway, I was without a stove for about a month until we got another one. Sooo I cooked and baked in my crock pot. It was fun.
I baked bread in my crock pot. I had out two crock pots. So I would make a meal in one and bread in the other. Just make up your bread and let it rise. Then shape it onto a ball and put in the crock pot. I let it rise and bake in one shot. Put it on low until it rises then on high when it bakes. Put oil in the pot so it won't stick. But it made good bread. It doesn't brown on the top, of course, but it makes good bread.
I also learned to make crock pot mashed potatoes. Just put water in and raw potatoes and let them cook. Then when done just drain the water out and mash with milk and butter and salt. I loved doing the potatoes like this when we had company. It keeps the potatoes hot and fresh.
I made a lot of crock pot soups, of course, and stews. Jim was pretty easy to cook for as he liked meals like this.
It is dang cold this morning here in Iowa. I guess below zero. It's a good day for a crock pot meal. I just put some home canned deer meat in my crock pot. Also I put in a beef gravy mix and some cream of celery soup. Some potatoes, carrots and celery. Lots of black pepper, salt, tomatoes and onions. I will add spices and herbs as the day goes on and as I taste it all. I put in a whole quart of meat which will be too much but I will freeze whatever is left and then add more vegetables.
You can make a good crock pot meal by basically just putting in a few cups of meat like chicken or beef whatever in your pot. Cook the meat first for a few hours so it will be sure to get done. Then add the veggies... any kind. Then add some soup or gravy and herbs and spices. You can put a whole small chicken in your crockpot and I pour over this a bottle of the Italian dressing? The oil and vinegar one with the spices in it? This way the chicken will marinate as it bakes. This is a delicious way to fix a beef roast, too, in the crock pot. Then you can just make a vegetable dish separately.
I put my crock pot on top of my chest freezer and light a little candle beside it. Every time I write about candles on here, I know Aunt Toot holds her breath. I am more careful with explosives than I used to be. To most people, candles aren't an explosive but to me they could be! But I pray the Lord protects me and especially when Annie and Kim come to visit as I don't want a reputation for blowing up my guests.
Anyway, happy baking and cooking.
Love,
Connie
