New Toy!!!

Roughly six months ago my slow-cooker stopped working. For the life of me, I can't remember what I was cooking in it at the time (which goes to show how long ago it went to slow-cooker heaven) but I have missed having one ever since.

I can say that I had that thing for over twenty years ( I THINK it was a wedding gift in '94) and I thought it would last another twenty. My thought process was that it had the Crock-Pot name on it and my Grandma has one of the early models from the early 70s and hers is still going strong. I know hers is that old because she told me roughly about the time my grandfather bought it for her (before I was born). I know it's still going strong because it is the holy vessel in which her fabulous Crock-Pot Stuffing is cooked in every Thanksgiving. So those two things combined had me convinced that mine would last much longer than it did. WRONG.

The biggest reason I missed having one (other than the convenience of setting it and forgetting it) was the fact that my oven also quit working - probably a few months prior, so it was my main cooking vessel for larger recipes. I have since, as you may know if you have been following me, bought a small toaster oven with convection heat to compensate the loss of my regular oven. I will fix it sooner or later, that is a promise I make to myself.

Anyhow, last night I had to make a run to town and stopped by Ollies to see what their prices were. I was happy to see a few different sizes of the Crock-Pot brand name that I trust. I mean, let's face it, if mine lasted as long as it did and my grandma's is still going strong - why switch to a different brand? I also liked the decent price. I bought the larger one because I knew a six-pound chicken would fit into it. There may eventually be the need to pick up a smaller one at a later time but right now, this one is plenty. Let me be clear that I am NOT being paid to plug the product even though journalism and public relations IS what I hold a bachelor's degree in. I just feel that the product is solid and well-built based from my own experience (and Grandma's).

You probably guessed correctly that I will indeed be doing a whole chicken in it. That food adventure will have to wait a few days (probably Tuesday) because my chicken is thawing in the fridge.
So stay tuned for that and here is my beautiful new, sleek Crock-Pot: