crock pot

So, I have this crock pot. It's a 5-quart Rival Crock Pot that I got from my mom, who isn't sure, but suspects she may have gotten it as a wedding gift in 1982. Either way, it's almost certainly at least as old as I am, and quite possibly older. It looks basically like the one at the right, just with a different floral design and color scheme.

It's a lovely crock pot, big enough for parties but not so big I can't use it for just Aaron and myself. It still works perfectly; in fact, the only drawback is that its plastic lid has been dropped and broken and superglued back together so many times that it just won't hold together anymore. After a combination duct-tape-and-superglue application failed to last more than a week, I gave up and started substituting a frying pan lid. It doesn't fit perfectly, but it keeps the thing covered, and laying a towel or some hot pads over the top keeps most of the heat in. It's not an ideal situation, but it has lasted me several weeks, so I was content to go on like that.

Then I got the bright idea to check online and see if they sold replacement lids. Unsurprisingly, that model, being two or three decades old, is no longer available, but surely, I thought, they might make a current one that's the same size, or close enough, that I could get a lid that would work. I couldn't find specific dimensions for the current models, so I emailed the company and explained the situation, and asked if they could recommend a lid of the right size.

The rep emailed me back and said very sorry, model no longer available, etc., but if you like, we will send you a comparable replacement unit for free. Okay, I replied, sounds great, as long as the lid fits, I don't care if it matches the pot. So I gave my name and address and waited.

Today, I got a box in the mail. They didn't send me a lid. They sent me a whole brand new crock pot. This crock pot, to be exact. A thirty dollar crock pot, for free, just because I emailed to ask about lid sizes. Not quite sure what I'm going to do with two crock pots, but I'm certainly not complaining. Thanks, Rival!

Recipe win!

I made up the best thing in the world today. It is autumn in a crockpot. I am posting the recipe for anyone interested in copying, and also so I don't forget it.

Autumn in a Crockpot

2 chicken breasts
1 medium butternut squash
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 stalks celery
2 medium carrots
4 green onions
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Chop chicken breasts, squash, and sweet potatoes in 1-inch cubes. Slice celery, carrots, and onions. Place in crockpot. Add water to cover and bouillon cubes. (Alternately, use chicken broth instead of water and omit bouillon cubes.) Add garlic powder, parsley, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook on high 4 hours.

excitement

So, I am generally of the opinion that, while some things are easier (and just as good) pre-made or from a mix, one should try making just about everything from scratch at least once, just for the experience of doing so. In keeping with this idea, I had been considering for awhile now trying to make homemade pasta.

So this weekend, having tried and failed to stay awake during the day on Saturday, I instead stayed up all of Saturday night, Facebooking and watching PBS Create (one of the new digital channels, which is amazing), and there was this Italian cooking show, and the lady wasn't making pasta, but it reminded me of my intention to do so, so then around 8 AM, I drove into town and bought groceries, including some stuff to go with my pasta, and then I came back home and got to work.

Fun fact: making pasta is HARD. Not complicated — it's just flour and eggs — but physically taxing. Once you get your dough made, you have to knead it for 10-15 minutes so it gets nice and elastic-y, and then you have to roll it out flat.

Holy God.

You have to get it really really thin, like, about the thickness of a dime, or slightly less. I don't have a pasta machine, so I got to do it the old fashioned way, with a rolling pin. And this isn't like rolling out a pie crust — no, this stuff'll fight you every step of the way. It doesn't want to be flat; you have to make it obey, dammit. Cooking has never made me so tired!

But, once I got it rolled out, things got easier. I had decided I was going to make ravioli, so I whipped up some filling. I used some fake (vegetarian) ground beef that I found in the freezer, and I put in some onions, a homemade tomato-pesto sauce of my own design, and some freshly grated parmesan cheese, and hoo boy, it was delicious. So then I cut little rectangles of pasta, put on a glob of the filling, and crimped the edges to make raviolis, and then I boiled them up and served them tossed with melted butter with herbs. My mother said it was very good, and my brother (who claims to not like pasta) had two helpings. It was, by all accounts, an unmitigated success.

Next on my list of things to make from scratch: bread.

^_^

In other news, the summer keeps on rolling by, and the latter half of this week finally promises some fun to look forward to. I put in my notice and Wednesday will be my last day of work at Stride Rite, which will be nice. I mean, I don't mind third shift, but it will be a refreshing change of pace to wake up in the morning, instead of going to bed in the morning. I have a hard time convincing myself to sleep when such a beautiful day is breaking right outside my window. Also, I look forward to not totally screwing up my sleep schedule every weekend just so I can be awake when other people are; I've been cranky far more often than is normal for me this summer as a result of not getting enough sleep, and I don't like being cranky.

And, better yet, Wednesday night Kim will get here, and then on Thursday she and I and my mom and Michael and one of Michael's friends will all go to Indiana Beach, which will be mad good times. I am long overdue for some rollercoastering. Then I have to work at Pizza Hut on Saturday, but when I am done, I will be going down to Kim's to hang out there for a few days, which promises to be quite pleasant.

All in all, once I'm done with this Stride Rite business, it's looking like I might actually have some fun and relaxation this summer after all. I'm definitely psyched.

recipe fail

I would like to point out, for anyone interested, that THIS does not constitute a recipe. Here, I'll just copy-paste, for extra convenience:

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH PEANUT BUTTER
FUDGE FROSTING

1 Duncan Hines devils food cake mix
1 can Pillsbury chocolate fudge frosting
3 tbsp. peanut butter

Bake cake according to package directions. Cool. Add 3 tablespoons peanut butter to frosting and mix well. Frost cake. Kids love it!

Now, dear recipe poster, kindly ask yourself the following question: IF I HAD CAKE MIX AND STORE-BOUGHT FROSTING, WHY WOULD I BE LOOKING FOR A RECIPE, YOU DUMBFUCK?!

Ahem. I got off work early, so I am making cake. It seemed the logical thing to do.

That is all.

culinary adventures

I've had the same package of corn tortillas since I honestly don't know when. I know they sat in the fridge at school for quite some time, because I talked for a long time about doing something with them, but I never did. And then they came home with me and sat in the fridge at Mom's all summer. At any rate, they're old. But they're still okay. No mold or anything. So today, I went to the grocery store with Dad, and he wondered aloud what we ought to have for supper this evening (since I have today off and won't be bringing anything home, it's a nice opportunity for us to have a nice, non-pizza meal), and a sudden flash of inspiration hit, and I exclaimed, "Enchilada bake!"

So we bought a can of enchilada sauce and that's what we had, and by gum, it was delicious. And I'm not just saying that. I mean, usually I like what I make, but this was unusually good; Dad and Michael both agreed. And the coolest part was, I didn't have a recipe or anything; I just made it up off the top of my head, and it was sooo good. Really. I can't describe to you how wonderful it was. So I'm going to put the recipe here, in case I want to make it again, so I remember what all I put in. And in case anybody else wants to try it. Because really, it was heavenly.

Andrea's Excellent Enchilada Bake (a.k.a. Mexican Lasagne)

INGREDIENTS:
1 sm. red bell pepper
1 sm. green bell pepper
1/2 medium white onion
6-8 small corn tortillas
1 10 oz. can red enchilada sauce
1 15 oz. can refried beans
2 c. shredded cheese

PREPARATION:
Finely chop peppers and onion and mix together. Put a layer of tortillas in the bottom of a 9-in. square glass baking dish and cover with enchilada sauce. Cover with a layer of refried beans. Sprinkle 1/3 of peppers and onion mixture evenly over beans. Sprinkle 1/3 of cheese on next. Repeat for two more layers (or more, if you have extra ingredients).

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 more minutes, or until thoroughly hot in center and cheese is melted.

Optional (I didn't do this, but I might next time): After baking, add a layer of sour cream on top and sprinkle with chopped green onions.

Deee-lish. And to top things off, I made a peach pie, which is due to come out of the oven in about five minutes. It smells delectable.

It's been a good day.

checking in

I made an apple pie today, from scratch, crust and all. It was delicious.

Completely unrelated to this, my computer still is not here.

And on a further unrelated note, I am wallowing in angst this evening. So here, watch the Wallflowers, while I go ponder the nuances of fascination.