Realms Beyond Recipies

[Doc]

Ooops!

Yankees call them slow cookers... Southerners call them crockpots. For a yankee, a crock pot is a big special pot, made out of clay, typically used to bake stuff in the oven. A bean crockery.

Crock Pot. Large electric kettle with a crockery that slides in and out. All 10 of mine are no stick, have thermostat controls, hold anywhere from 2 quarts to 5 gallons, and are the pride of my kitchen. All have removeable crockery. Heavy glass lids. (Plastic lets out to much moisture, avoid) They can be used for anything, from a stew pot to an oven of sorts.

Crock Pot!!

Here is a not so bad one. Cheaper ones can be had. But you get what you pay for. Cheap pots crack easily. They don't heat evenly. Plastic lids let out all the moisture. Really cheap pots are hard to clean, as the crockery does not even come out. Always get removeable crockery.

There are prolly a million web sites dedicated to crock pot cooking.

[Jester]

"I've never been a bachelor (for obvious reasons ), but in college I think I lived off of ramen, macaroni and cheese, and those frozen microwaveable burritos. "

A wise man once told me...

"A man cannot live off burritos alone. He must also have chimichangas."

He was eating nothing but microwaveable food at the time.

Jester

[Sirian]

Yankees call them slow cookers... Southerners call them crockpots.

Them damn yankees.

[Pete]

Hi,

As a galvanized Yankee I know better, I speak both "you guys" and "y'all".

Crock-Pot is a registered trademark for Rival's line of slow cookers. And, yes, when I lived in Jawjah, I too called it a crockpot.

Call it what you will, it is indeed a great appliance. Best way to fix beans, chili, beef stew. Second best way to fix BBQ pork (best is with a smoker).

--Pete

[ShadowHM]

We call them Crock-Pots too.

I still have the one that I got as a wedding present, lo these many years ago. Made by Rival, even. And, yes, it has a plastic lid, and yes, by now it is even cracked.

But it makes a fine beef stew. It makes great spaghetti sauce. And I also use it to make pot roasts of beef.

I love the fact that I can put all the makings in and walk away for hours, without having to tend it. It is the very thing for a woman with children in all kinds of activities, who need to be ferried all over hell's half acre, and then arrive home famished. We can walk in the door and I can serve dinner in minutes flat.

[barron of ideas]

Damyankees is one word. Or Doc can correct my spelling. Dam yankee would be some kind of civil engineer here to build a flood control structure. The n, in either case is silent.

[ShadowHM]

I had this recipe once upon a time. It got lost and memory never did suffice to make it look or taste *right*. Eventually I gave up.

Now I can make it again. Calories bedamned. This is a GREAT dessert.

[Doc]

Damnyankee!! is one word. Correct. Usually followed by just one or two more words, as not to waste one's breath. Damnyankee... GIT! is popular. So is Damnyankee... GO HOME!!

I was a grown adult before I actually found out that it has roots in two words, I had always heard it as one word as a child.

[Doc]

The Proper Way To Boil Corn.

You need a big ol propane kettle. A big un.

You need corn, shucked, and ready.

You gonna need crabs. Lots of crabs.

You are gonna need bugs. Crawdads. Crawfish. Call em what you will, you gonna need em.

A package of some sort of crab boil. I like to make my own, but there are premix commercial brands.

Lots of water.

Bring to boil and add crab boil mix.

Add corn.

Let cook for a bit.

Let cook for a bit longer. Have a shot of burboun to pass the time.

Add crabs and bugs. Pick out any dead ones first. Toss them kicking and screaming into the pot.

Fight duel to the death with the lone hold out crab who will not go quietly into the pot. Smack him with a spoon. Watch out! He pinches sumptin fierce! Toss him in and enjoy his screams.

Nurse injured fingers by having another shot of good brown burboun. Browner the better.

Wait a bit.

While waiting, I recommend having a nice shot of burboun.

Everything should be good and red and done.

Drain pot of all liquid.

Empty pot onto picanic table covered with red and white checked vynal covering. Take a few ice cream scoops of butter and toss on pile.

Arm everybody with their own bottle of hot sauce, nut cracker, and pick. Be polite, have some manners. Take your shoes off and sit a spell.

Sit down with friends and eat corn and bugs and crabs. Laugh. Drink.

That be the proper way you serve corn.

[Lissa]

This is how I make Lasanga...

You need
18 oz of Maranara sauce
12 oz of Alfredo sauce
1 cup freshly chopped spinach
12 oz of ground italian sausage (you can buy sausages, but remove the casing before cooking)
8 oz of Ricotta cheese
16 oz of Motzerella cheese
16 oz of Parmesan cheese
1 lb of Lasanga noodles (enough to make 5 layers of noodles)
1 egg
salt
Italian seasonings (thyme, oregano, etc)
Large pot for cooking Lasanga (preferably 2 gallon or larger)
Frying Pan or Skillet for browning Sausage
Chopping Knife
13 x 9 x 3 Caserole dish (if you can get deeper, better, but minimum depth should be 3 inches).
Cookiesheet (this gets messy when cooking in the oven)

Prep time: about 45 minutes to 1 hour
Cook time: about 50 minutes to 1 hour at 400 F

In large pot, place about 2 gallons of water. Bring water to boil and reduce heat to medium. Add salt and lasanga noodles, stirring regularly so noodles do not stick together. When noodles are done, drain off hot water and add cold water to chill noodles to adequate temperature to work with by hand.

In frying pan, add sausage and brown over medium heat, drain as necessary.

In large bowl, combine Ricotta, 8 oz of Motzerella, 8 oz of Parmesian cheese, egg, and Italian seasonings. Mix till well blended with spatula.

Preheat oven to 400 F

Chop spinach to it is fine (spinach size should be around 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch or smaller)


Add 3 to 4 noodles to bottom of caserole dish. Place 1/4 of Ricotta/Motzerella/Parmesian mixture on to noodles and spread evenly. Place 1/3 sausage over cheese mix and then place 6 oz of Maranara sauce of this. Add 3 to 4 noodles to cover layer. Place 1/4 of cheese mixture and spread evenly. Place 1/2 of chopped spinage on cheese mixture, pour 6 oz of Alfredo sause over layer. Place 3 to 4 noodles over layer. Place 1/4 cheese mixture and spread evenly. Add 1/3 sausage over cheese mixture and top with 6 oz of Maranara sause. Place 3 to 4 noodles over layer. Place remaining cheese mixuter on noodles and spread evenly. Spread spinach and Alfredo over cheese mixture. Top with 3 to 4 noodles. Place remaining sausage on top with Maranara sauce. Spinkle 8 oz of Motzerella and 8 oz of Parmessan over top. Cover with aluminum foil and place caserole dish on cooking sheet. Place in oven and cook for 45 to 50 minutes covered. Remove aluminum foil from cover and cook an additional 5 to 10 minutes, cheese may turn a light brown (this is hoped for, but may not change in color).

Servers 10...or 2 for a week at dinner...or 1 for a week at both Lunch and Dinner... ;-)