Get Ready for My Crockpot Obsession

I recently developed an overwhelming obsession with slow cooked food.  I've owned a crockpot for several years, and for most of those it's lived in the darkest corner of the deepest cabinet.  It just...wasn't how I cooked.  People would share their amazing recipes that had been passed down for generations, and I would shrug and try to think of a way to cook it without disturbing all the appliances that lived in front of the crockpot.

Then, we got our Winter.  Well, more specifically, we finally got our Summer, and then 2 days later it got cold and rained.  We turned on the heater, we shook our fists at our jobs for dragging us out of bed at 6 am, and I CRAVED the smell of meat stews being cooked for hours.  I crave this smell sometimes, but this was different.  I actually wanted to do something about this.  And the more I thought, the more I fantasized about coming home from a long day of work and a cold drive home, and having the smell of pot roast greet me at the door, and of stew with flavors that have been mingling all day, and of doing no work after 5 PM and enjoying my dinner and my night.

I reached out to friends, family, and the internet in search of recipes.  Insert another obsession - Pinterest.  Those that aren't familiar with Pinterest may not be aware of how addictive it is to stare at beautiful art installments, interesting photography, and outright food pr0n that they'll encounter as they flip through their friends' boards.  I had a specific quest, so I had to try not to get too distracted.

I discovered this yummy site, and found myself licking the screen at the Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken BBQ.  So, it was decided.  That would by my first foray in to slow cooking in years.  I followed the recipe and only substituted a vinaigrette for the Italian dressing (Italian dressing is not very Italian to me), and was thrilled at how delicious the results where.  I would probably shorten the cooking time just a bit - 8 hours on low turned out to be too much, and much of the liquid had dried.  But at the same time, there was just enough to coat my beautifully shredded chicken, and I definitely would eat this over and over exactly as it.

I coated one side of a sourdough roll (not homemade, not this time) with avocado, and put some mozzarella on top of the steaming hot chicken to let it melt over.  I served up the last of the leftover mashed potatoes to go with it, and didn't even wait for my husband to get home!  (Don't worry, I left some for him!)

I'm liking this new obsession.