Whats So Great About Slow Cooking Anyway?

As I walked through the grocery store aisles a few weeks ago, I noticed the increase in prepackaged slow cooker meals. I've been using my slow cooker and reaping the rewards for years, so it was no real surprise to me when others started proclaiming the benefits of cooking with a crock pot. Why did it take the rest of the country so long to catch up? With this increase in popularity, I've recently been asked by a few 'newbies' 'What's so great about slow cooking anyway?'

That's an easy question to answer even if all you've ever done is make chicken stew with your slow cooker. It's just so dang simple and the food tastes better when cooked slowly and evenly in a crock pot.

I'm a work at home mom. I operate a Family Child Care and also have a busy online business, both of which keep me going all day long. That on top of my daughter's activities and the in and out nature of my husband's business, we're usually searching for time to sit down and eat, especially eating together as a family. There's where the slow cooker comes in handy. I have tons of slow cooker recipes, and can find just about anything to cook that my kids and picky husband will like to eat.

Since I work at home, having the kitchen stay a comfortable temperature is a must, as I spend quite a bit of time there preparing meals and snacks for my day care kids. I use my crock pot year round, and love its usefulness during the warm weather months when I can fix the beginnings of the meal in the morning when I've got other 'stuff' out on the counter anyway, put it all in the pot, and then clean up the whole mess when I'm done. The crock pot requires very little clean up itself, so there you have yet another major reason for why slow cooking is so great.

For those of you who work away from home, consider this scenario: As the day goes along, the slow cooker is busy fixing your meal for you, and when you walk through the door at the end of another grueling day at work, your dinner is waiting. All you need to do, depending on the recipe you've selected, is prepare a side dish or salad, add some bread, set the table, and call the family in to eat. Simple, simple, simple; and very satisfying to come home to.

Here is a favorite slow cooker recipe that you can try with your family. I'm sure you'll all love it.

Country-Style Crock Pot Chicken

6 carrots, sliced

6 celery stalks, sliced

8 chicken pieces

1 can (10-3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

1/3 c or chicken broth

2 tsp cornstarch

Slice vegetables place in crock pot. Place chicken on vegetables. Spread undiluted soup over chicken. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix. Do not add any water. Cook on High 4 hours, or until chicken is done. Stir often, but leave that lid on during cooking! 10 minutes before serving, mix broth and cornstarch. Pour over chicken, stir well. Serves 4.

About the Author: Sherry Frewerd is a busy work at home mom of 3. Visit her website for delicious slow cooker recipes http://familycrockpotrecipes.com. A Watkins Consultant as well, visit her website at http://sherryfrewerd.com to learn how you too can have a successful home business and lead a quality life.

MORE RESOURCES:

RELATED ARTICLES

Frugal Outdoor Cooking
Firing up the grill is a great way to cook in the summer! Here are a few grilling tips and a couple of recipes, too.For great grilled burgers, form the patty gently.

Save Time with No-Bake Cookies
Whether you don't want to heat up the kitchen or the demands of getting the kids out the door are upon you, it's nice to have a few no-bake cookie recipes on hand. We thought we would share some of our favorites with you.

Serendipity Frozen Hot Chocolate
Serendipity frozen hot chocolate is a signature dish at the Serendipity 3, nestled in the heart of the upper east side of New York. The place is a general store and restaurant combined with a coffeehouse and soda fountain and serves the most famous dessert in New York.

English Cucumber Sandwiches
Have you tried English cucumbers yet? They're a little different from the regular garden cucumbers usually found in grocery stores and at farmer's markets, although they look almost the same. The main difference is English cucumbers have a thinner skin (so they're better for slicing and they don't have to be peeled) and fewer seeds than garden cucumbers.

Making Pancake Batter the Night Before (with Recipe)
Mornings are hectic. If you make your pancake batter the night before, that will save you precious minutes.

Party Appetizer Recipes - So Easy And So Affordable!
These are two of my favorite party appetizer recipes that I used to prepare in parties! They are quick, easy and the ingredients are available in any store.Note: Both party appetizer recipes yield 8 servings.

African Bean Soup
Yoruba ethnic group from the Southwestern part of Nigeria call this traditional soup 'Gbegiri'Most of the ingredients can be got at ethnic Nigerian or African food marketsIngredients:To serve 4 people Beans - 2 cups of size of small tinned milk Dried crayfish - 2-table spoonful Beef - 1kg African snail - 4 medium size Dried fish - 1 large size 'Stock' (cod) fish (dried) - 4 pieces or medium size Dried pepper or ground chilly pepper - to taste (depending on your palate) Seasoning - your choice of brand -2 cubes West African Palm-oil - 1 cooking spoon Large pepper - 2 large size Tomatoes - 2 medium size Onion - 1 medium size Salt - a pinch to taste Water - as -required Serve hotThe ingredients: Red pepper, tomatoes and onions, pieces or chunks of boiled beef, red palm-oil, dried crayfish, smoked catfish, ground and dry pepper, salt plus 3cubes of food seasoning, pieces of boiled African snail and pieces dried of 'stock' fish and the washed beans with the skin peeled at the centre. (To save time, have the mixture of your ground tomatoes, onions and pepper in a blender to a smooth paste prior to the following steps)1st step: The beans would have been soaked in water for about 5min to soften the skin.

London Broil - Garlic
eRix Recipes London broil - Garlic� Ingredients: ?�2 lbs. London Broil beef ?�1 � cups cubed, peeled carrots?�1 � cups cubed cabbage?�� cup cubed Spanish yellow onion?�2 cups halved, unpeeled red potatoes?�1 teaspoon salt?�1 tablespoon of canola vegetable oil?�4 quartered cloves of garlic from bulb?�� cup of water Step One - take the 2 lb.

How I Made Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies In Simple, Super Easy Steps
I was sitting there watching one of my favorite tv shows when a cookie craving hit me. As I watched one of the main characters take her chocolate chip cookies off the baking sheet, I drooled at the prospect of some freshly baked cookies.

Limes
Limes were originally grown in Asia,introduced by the Arab traders to the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa and then brought to Americas by the Spanish and Portuguese explorers. They are a great source of vitamin C and their zesty flavor refreshes the palate.

Sot Suppe (Norwegian Sweet Soup)
My mother was the daughter of Norwegian immigrants who homesteaded our small Wisconsin dairy farm in the late 1800s. When my mother was a child, sweet soup was a traditional part of Christmas Eve, served cold with julekake, lefse, Christmas bread, or open-faced sandwiches.

Apples of Love
If the Spanish conquistadors had known what they were onto when they brought tomatoes to the old world in the sixteenth century, they wouldn't have spent the rest of their careers searching for gold, because they had already found it. If any of them had any prescience at all, they would have simply opened a canning facility somewhere in the vicinity of Mount Vesuvius, and begun mining the gold that became known as pomod�ri 'golden apples'.

The Taffy Pull (A Story and a Recipe)
One year when I was growing up on our Wisconsin dairy farm, the Brownie leaders had announced we were going to make some extra-special candy at our next meeting.So - when school let out one winter afternoon - I lost no time getting to the gym where we always had our meetings.

Gyokuro Cheesecake Recipe
This Gyokuro cheesecake makes an elegant dessert. Perfect for any occasion, and pretty easy to make.

Weight Loss Recipe: Oven Fried Chicken
Enjoy the sensation of fried chicken without the extra calories of deep frying. This recipe is sensational either hot or cold and is great for taking to work to avoid the unwanted 'canteen calories'.

Weight Loss Recipe: Veal Mango
Just because you are watching your weight does not mean you can't prepare fantastic meals for company. "Veal Mango" is one of range of hunger fighting, low fat recipes that will assist you manage your weight.

Best Recipes: Chicken with Apples
Ingredients1� cups quick-cooking rice 2 large onions, thinly sliced 250g snow peas, trimmed 1 large red cooking apple, cored and coarsely chopped, not peeled 2 tbsp curry powder 1 tbsp plain flour � tspn salt 1 cup chicken stock 3 tbsp vegetable oil 1 cup milk 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice � tspn black pepper 2 cups diced cooked chicken � cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts1. Cook the rice according to instructions.

Burmese Shrimp Cake Recipe
Little pounded shrimp balls seasoned and fried till lightly brown. This dish is quite popular as a finger food and is also a good accompaniment to a variety of dished, like the famous Mohinga - A spicy noodle soup with fish sauce.

Easy to Make Guacamole Dip
You can make guacamole that people will rave about! It's easy, and you don't need any fancy kitchen utensils or appliances.What You'll Need To Have ReadyAssemble the following kitchen items:Cutting boardSharp knifeA shallow-lipped dish or bowl, preferably with a flat bottomA potato masher, hand-held is better than an electric whipperIngredients (for one batch, feeds 2-4 people as a side dish or dip for chips):2 Haas avocados*Fresh cilantro (usually comes in a small bunch or plastic bag in the produce area)2 Roma tomatoes2 fresh limes (not lime juice)Sour Cream (fat-free is OK)1 package of Guacamole seasoning (Schilling, McCormick, or Lawry)Cumin (a spice)Your favorite salsa (homemade or favorite brand)Favorite tortilla chips* Do not use green-skinned "Chilean" avocados.

Swordfish, a Nutritious and Healthy Addition to Any Diet
Swordfish belongs to the group of fish that have recently become more appreciated for their contribution of omega-3 essential oils to the diet. These fats, which have to be provided by the diet, have now been shown to have a host of health giving benefits including combatting rheumatoid arthritis, heart attacks, high blood pressure, clogged arteries, psoriasis, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, multilple sclerosis and even mirgraine headaches.