I work until about 8:00pm tomorrow, so I asked the kids what they wanted for supper. Sarah picked Sweet and Sour Chicken from the Fix It and Forget It Book. Yum. So, tonight I got it all ready, so I just have to plug it in tomorrow. The green pepper I got from the store was soooo good, that the whole kitchen filled with green pepper smell, when I cut it up! Now, I'm hungry for stuffed green peppers, too.

I get lazy and don't cook as much as I should, but I forgot how fun it is to smell everything, while you cut it up, like green pepper, ginger root and cilantro.

By Hol on Monday, September 25, 2006 - 12:14 am:

I LOVE my Crockpot. It is so easy and smells so good while cooking. When I worked full time, I loved to come home and put my key in the door and smell dinner all ready. It was like having a Mom at home. LOL!

By Dawnk777 on Monday, September 25, 2006 - 12:38 am:

Yup! I love that you can throw it together the night before and just plug it in, in the morning. Although, I only get to smell it for about an hour or two, and then I have to go to work!

By Nicki on Monday, September 25, 2006 - 12:49 am:

Okay, Dawn, you have me hungry! That recipe sounds yummy.
And, Hol, I'm like you. I love to come home to the smell of dinner in the crock pot. Growing up, my parents used to cook the turkey while we were gone at church every Thanksgiving. So I think it reminds me of coming home to that wonderful aroma!

By Breann on Monday, September 25, 2006 - 10:41 am:

Yep, I'm hungry now too

We love our crockpot. I think I'll go put something in it now, lol.

By Luvn29 on Monday, September 25, 2006 - 11:07 am:

Dawn, when I saw this post title, for some reason I KNEW it was your post! LOL! Hope you enjoy supper tonight!

We love cooking roast and barbeque ribs in it but we starve to death while it is cooking!

Mmmmm, it's starting to cool down enough that I'll start making the "heavier" meals now: chili, vegetable soup, roast, etc... Yummy!

By Dawnk777 on Monday, September 25, 2006 - 11:29 am:

Yeah, Adena, that is what I was thinking, too. I like fall/winter cooking better, than making lots of salads.

Although, I saw a yummy salad recipe in the Milwaukee Journal, over the summer, that had grilled pork tenderloin and I think I'm going to put that on the list, for later in the week, because I still think we should eat that, before winter starts.

By Dandjmom on Monday, September 25, 2006 - 02:44 pm:

As a kid growing up I can remember my mother using a crock pot for long work days.

I too work until early evening and then have to go and pick up my kids and make it home. I would love to be able to come home to a hot meal even cold and ( microwave to warm) but already cooked.

I bought a crock pot but have never used it. Because I don't know how, what I mean is that I'm scared that it will over cook. I leave the house at 4:30 and return at 6:45 pm. Isnt' that too long to cook something, I mean it doesn't turn itself off so can't it over cook the food or burn it and possiably catch a fire.

By Dawnk777 on Monday, September 25, 2006 - 11:43 pm:

That's probably too long, for a crockpot. My recipe says 8-10 hours, but the family ate at 6pm, and that was about nine hours. Sarah said the chicken was dry. I ate even later, so it was even drier. I'm thinking that maybe this recipe could go just 7-8 hours.

For you, maybe it would work to cook a crockpot meal on Sunday and just warm it up, on Monday.

By Luvn29 on Tuesday, September 26, 2006 - 04:19 pm:

They actually have crockpots now that you can set on a timer. You can heat on high for so long and then switch it to cook on low for so long. Or set it to kick on at a certain time, or kick off at a certain time!!! Check into it!

By Tarable on Tuesday, September 26, 2006 - 05:44 pm:

I have one of those crock pots and now that I have figured it out it is a life saver since I work full time.

By Hol on Wednesday, September 27, 2006 - 01:03 am:

I have never had a problem with food in my Crockpot "too long", and I have left it for twelve hours sometimes. When I worked, I would plug it in on high when I got up at 6:00AM and let it get going, then switch it to low when I left for work at 8:30AM.

Since I am a night owl, especially now, I sometimes put it on low at 2:00AM before I go to bed on a Sunday morning. When we get home from church at 12:00, it is ready.

I have done pot roast with vegetables, eye of the round roast and potatoes, and I make a mean beef stew (the recipe came in the Crockpot booklet).

I don't eat meat, but it gives my family a nice hearty meal.