Your New Best Friend-the Crock Pot

Crock pots have a “retro” feel to them, so all you young hipsters out there, go get one!  Someone from an older generation of you family probably had one; it was no doubt tan/brown with orange or green flowers.   Well we are here to say crock pots deserve a comeback! They are the un-sung hero of the kitchen.  They do the work of a sauté pan, the oven and microwave all in one; they cut your electric bill in the winter and keep the heat generated from the oven down in the summer.  Okay so you might not meet up with it for coffee or go out to the movies with it, or share some juicy gossip but it will provide you warmth and comfort and fulfillment in the form of hearty, tasty, practical meals. 

On a busy Saturday morning, we pulled out our trusty crock pot and put in the ingredients to make this tasty dish.  Stew is often bland and well, brown.  But this dish was, flavorful, vibrant and comforting.

What you will need:

•  One new best friend, your crock pot
• A package of steak tips (marinade too)

 We recommend the Burgundy Wine steak tips from The Meat House, check them out either via the web or at a location nearest you!  http://www.themeathouse.com/Home.aspx

• A  handful of baby carrots
• A quarter of a white or yellow onion, thinly sliced
• Mushrooms, button will do the trick but try some other, more daring varieties to enhance the depth of flavor
• A cup of red wine, whatever varietal you have on hand will be splendid.  If you don’t have wine, add a cup of beef broth
• A pinch of salt and pepper 

We did not add the traditional potatoes or peas to this dish because both are starchy and these days we’re working hard on working out and getting fit.  But, go ahead and add these goodies if you’re feeling it. 

Turn the crock pot onto “high” if you’re sticking around the house and “low” if the day is filled with errands.  This is another beautiful thing about this best friend, you can ignore it and it won’t feel slighted. In fact it thrives on being left alone and doing its thing! 

Some tasty side dish options to enhance the dish and soak up the divine broth made while this is simmering away:   Egg Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, Corn Bread, Rye Bread

We will be posting several crock pot creations to try! Stay tuned and chew on....