Momma's Little Helper

For the second Sunday in a row, dinner came out of the crockpot. Tonight's fare...red beans and rice. It is Mardi Gras season, after all. And it was a version that would have made any Cajun proud, if I do say so myself, with enough spice to make you say ooooo-eeeee but no so much you weren't looking forward to the next bite.

The old crockpot is finding its way out of the closet more and more these days and that's a bit of a surprise given the fact that I'm at home most of the time. It's not like I have a job to go to and want to have a meal ready when I arrive home from work. But there are times when it's nice to get the chopping and sauteing and clean-up all out of the way and just leave it thing to simmer the better part of the day. It sure makes getting dinner on the table at night a breeze.

And it was perfect for a day like today. Wayne headed off to Mississippi for a day of caching with a friend and he wasn't sure what time he'd be home. Turns out it was almost 7:30pm but that was fine...dinner was on the table just minutes after he walked in the door. Red beans and rice was an ideal choice too; we could have eaten it at 6:00pm but the extra cooking time didn't hurt the beans. In fact, they might have benefited from it.

I'm pretty basic when it comes to cooking in the crockpot...roast, some soups, anything that benefits from long, slow cooking times. But I'm watching the Crockin' Girls Facebook page for the Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe they're planning to post tomorrow. I love a good chicken tortilla soup and they seem to have plenty of recipes that get rave reviews. I may have to branch out from my tried-and-true crockpot meals and try something new.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying the convenience of letting the slow cooker do all the work. It's like having a little helper in the kitchen.

Comments

[Margot/NZ]

Hey Brenda - we're trying to eat more vegetarian dishes this year, and your red-bean and rice recipe sounds yummy (and it's made in the slow cooker too; even better!). Would you be kind enough to send me the recipe (or a link to it, if it's an on-line one)?
Happy to return the favour - we had lentil bolognese tonight, and I can recommend that recipe to you!