it's good to be hip again

Dear friend, how long you sat at the back of my cabinet, undervalued, underutilized, full of promise. Your predecessor, not up for the task of cooking for five, went the way of the garage sale after a few go-rounds with some chili or with some spaghetti sauce. But you, dear friend, like a soldier you not only answer the call but you rise to the occasion each time you are asked to serve. Out from behind the vegetable steamer you come forth to make my days easier and my family’s stomachs full.

There was a time when you and your kind were regarded as relics, leftovers from a bygone era of one-car families and stay-at-home moms. Your ancestors brought forth countless sauces and soups only to be cursed at the sink as they soaked. Unlike you and the rest of your generation, they were not so completely built for ease of use. Three cheers for the designer who saw fit to bring us the removable liner!

And so I say thank you, dear Crock-Pot. For, in these busy Arctic evenings and amid rising grocery prices, you provide a way to consistently feed my family good food. Last night some sliced pork tenderloin, a bottle of K.C. Masterpiece and thee was all it took to make them smile. (OK, so there were sandwich rolls and green beans, too, but they’d have been nothing without your magic!) Tomorrow you’ll perch yourself proudly at a church potluck, bearing forth the forgiving surprise of beans and weenies to a gathering of relieved children. “At last, in this spread of other mothers’ recipes, something we recognize.” They won’t say it, but they’ll think it. And while I’ll come home satisfied by the delicious treats prepared by others, you, my dear, likely will come home empty … testimony to the power of simplicity.

I dream of filling you with elegant ingredients so as to bear them forth in a wealth of amazing soups. And yet, like me, you face the routine of favorite dishes that land on the weekly menu. Together we’ll march on, though your power dial might crack and your handles might be stained. Onward, onward dear Crock-Pot, until this winter finally decides to end and I can eat salad again.

Easy-peasy dinner
2-3 lbs. pork tenderloin, trimmed and sliced super thin
1 large bottle K.C. Masterpiece Original BBQ Sauce
Hard rolls or hamburger buns
Grated cheddar cheese*

Chips or Ore-Ida fries
Canned veggie or salad or veggies and dip

Place pork in Crock-Pot and cover with sauce. Cook on low about 3 hours. Serve on rolls with grated cheddar cheese.

*(Thanks to Billy’s on the Square … one of my favorite lunch spots when I lived in Tulsa, Okla. Ever since, I simply must have cheddar cheese with my hickory BBQ sauced products. Yum! Somehow, it’s become Tulsa week here at TIS. First Mary’s, now this. Hmmm … anybody know the secret to Bill and Ruth’s sauce?)