Cook's Catalyst - Chapter 17 - If You Can Save Time, You Will Have Time!

Chapter Seventeen If You Can Save Time, You Will Have Time Even if you are a stay-at-home mother, sometimes you have to spend the day away from home! Children need trips to the dentist, new shoes and music lessons. No matter how carefully you plan your schedule, sometimes everything happens on the same day! That is when you need to have dinner cooking without your supervision. The inventor of the crock pot or slow cooker deserves a prayer sent his or her way ever so often. There are many basic ways to crock pot your dinner and I know everyone has some favorite standbys. I won't pretend to be the expert here. I am just passing on my own ideas for your amusement or addition to your cooking ideas. Crock Pot Roast in a Pot Select your favorite chunk of beef, taking into consideration sales and budget One packet dried onion soup mix One can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted Mushrooms, canned or fresh, optional One cup red wine Combine all ingredients in your slow cooker. Set on either high or low, depending on how long you will be away or when you need dinner to be on the table. And then, go about your outside obligations. When you come home to the scent of cooked dinner, all you have to do is make a salad and slice some of your homemade bread. Pasta or potatoes go well with this, too. It just depends on your time limits on a busy day. Deep in the Heart of Texas Pot Roast Select your favorite chunk of beef, boneless is best One yellow or red onion, chopped Three cloves fresh garlic, grated One regular-sized bottle barbeque sauce Combine all the ingredients in your slow cooker and put on desired setting. Come home to a spicy aroma. Carrot and celery sticks (prepared before you left) along with some tortillas will complete your meal. Just wrap a chuck of drippy, tangy meat in your flour tortilla and relax. Dinner made it to the table in time once more. Even if you are planning to be home, the crock pot sets you free for other things. Perhaps, while the Texas Pot Roast is cooking, you can have the children help make the tortillas. Store purchased tortillas are very good. Homemade ones are better and probably cheaper, too. And what better memory than a warm kitchen and lots of little hands learning to make dinner. Easy Flour Tortillas 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup lard (You can substitute shortening but lard is authentic) 3/4 to one cup water, approximately Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Cut in the lard until the mixture looks crumbly. Slowly add water to make a soft, workable dough. Divide the dough into 15 to 18 portions. Roll each out into a circle until very thin. Add flour to board as needed. Bake on a lightly-greased griddle or frying pan, turning often to cook through. Cool and store in plastic bag until needed. Can be heated up briefly before serving. Tortillas come in handy for lunch, too. Whether you use your own or buy some to save time, a bit of cheese, tomato and whatever else sounds good, can become a light meal. Tortilla Sandwiches! Tortillas as needed. You decide on the size! Thinly sliced tomatoes Salsa Grated cheddar or jack cheese Crisp bacon Lightly oil a large frying pan. Place one tortilla in the pan. Sprinkle on cheese and arrange tomatoes, salsa (to taste or not at all!) and bits of bacon. Top with another tortilla and cook over medium heat, careful not to burn. Turn over when slightly crisped, brown and cheese starts to ooze out. Remove from pan and slice into wedges with a pizza cutter. You had better begin your next one as they will create a demand! Tortillas can also end up as a sweet, too. You can fry them whole until puffed and layer them with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and fudge sauce. You can also cut them into wedges, fry until crisp and toss with cinnamon and sugar.