I have recently become the proud owner of a slow cooker. Originally, I worried that purchasing one would be a waste of money but now it has become an essential item in my kitchen.
When you live in a household of people who work, go to school, do evening sports training and have other appointments, you either start to live on a diet of take away and toasted cheese sandwiches or you eat at midnight! Not anymore here! We now have gourmet meals available at all times of the evening for those hungry little nippers! It's a simple arrangement. I cut up the veges the night before.....in our last minute rush of the morning, I dump them in the slow cooker along with the meat and sauce base (usually a tin of something!), turn the thing on and in the evening I come home to the smell of a cooked dinner in my kitchen! Woo hoo! And I also have a rice cooker so there is not a sticky saucepan or fried-on fry pan to wash up! Double woo hoo!
And it's not just limited to casseroles. Soups and roasts are other family favourites from the magic slow cooker here!
Now my friend Lynda over at Lulu's Bay tells me that I have to add recipes when I do these cooking blogs so just for you, L, here is tonight's dish of Mango Chicken (hmmmm...or maybe I'll freeze it and have it later in the week):
1 kg chicken breast pieces
1 large tin mango in natural syrup (reserve some syrup and add 2-3 teaspoons cornflour for thickening)
1-2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons chicken stock powder
3 dessertspoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
Place all the above in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours
About 20 minutes before serving add:
1 tin light evaporated milk
1 teaspoon coconut essence
Serve with rice!
