Take it slow...and it will be devoured quickly. -Gourmess
There is nothing quite like a home filled with the smells wafting from a slow cooker. It just makes everything cozy immediately, and knowing a lovely meal will be ready in a few hours' time makes for a sense of giddy anticipation. Take for instance, this lovely Beef Stew recipe that I tinkered with recently.
I browned a lovely Top Round Choice Beef Roast (3 lbs) in a bit of olive oil on the stove, then placed in my slow cooker along with some baby carrots, 1/2 a diced onion, some minced ginger, and about 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled. I also tossed in 1/2 cup of mixed dried mushrooms. I added some salt and pepper too, knowing I'd have to adjust again when the roast was done. In a separate bowl, I stirred together 1/2 cup Hoisin sauce, 1 1/2 cups red wine (nothing too fruity) and about 1 cup diced tomatoes (with juice) and poured it over the roast. I set the slow cooker to low, and 8 hours later I had a lovely, well-flavored piece of meat that was cooked perfectly and falling apart.
I served it with some mashed potatoes and made a quick sauce on the stove by straining off some of the pot juices and whisking with some corn starch and water and cooking down until thick. I also made some homemade applesauce and some popovers as fun additions to the meal. (Popovers: 2 eggs, 1 cup each flour and milk, 1/2 tsp salt. Grease 6 muffin cups, heat oven to 450. Beat eggs a wee bit, add in flour/milk/salt until smooth--don't over beat. Fill cups 1/2 full. Bake for 20 minutes at 450, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for 15-20 minutes more. Serve immediately.) It was delish. By the way, it leaves a lot of meat for leftovers, which would be great in fajitas or sandwiches, so you'll get at least 1-2 more meals out of it.
It's a low-fuss lovely evening meal...so get to it!
xoxoxo