On tomorrow’s show, I will be interviewing the Crockin’ Girls – two Texas moms who have become a Face-Book phenomenon because of their love of slow cooking. With over a half-million likes to their page, it got me to wondering… what was it about the humble Crock-Pot that seems to resonate with so many. Maybe in this fast-paced world that we all live, there are lessons we can learn from this culinary tortoise among hares!
Preparation
One of the biggest advantages of crock-pot cooking is being able to prepare a meal in advance. At the end of a long day – moms can still get a Gold Star in the “Home Cooked Meal” category even after packing lunches, working 8 hours, doing four loads of laundry, monitoring homework, and remembering to bring cupcakes to the class party. Think about it – if we took the same amount of time to plan our day as we did to put a roast in the crock pot – we would be unstoppable! Taking a few minutes at the beginning of a day (or the night before) can allow you to stay on track with your goals and objectives. Preparation allows you to Savor the Day!
Slow and Easy
When it comes to Crock-Pot cooking – the slower the better!! But for most of us – we only know one speed – FAST. We rush to get the kids up, we rush to get them out the door, we rush to work, we rush to make carpool and, at the end of the day, we rush through baseball practice, dinner, and homework. In fact – life becomes a blur of to-do lists that even the most accomplished check-mark cannot conquer. But does faster mean better? If you are rushing from one task to another – are you doing anything well? That goes for marriage, parenting, and yes – cooking! Let’s face it – the Microwave will NEVER beat the Crock-Pot (except, of course, for popcorn!).
Bringing it Home
A Crock-Pot meal equals a home-cooked meal. The aroma of the crock-pot reeks the essence of “home” and welcomes family members, and even strangers, into it’s safe interior. It communicates love – not the blazing passionate kind that can be easily extinguished with a water hose or a cold shower – but rather the enduring kind that flickers in spite of crying babies, financial loses, and wrinkled faces. The Crock-Pot meal brings people to the table and fosters the kind of conversations that can only be exchanged in the context of home. It is not refined and prefers to be placed on the plastic placemat with 2nd Grade handprints rather than the linen counterpart. It is familiar and easy and allows the overworked lawyer, the unappreciated teacher, the undervalued parent, the heartbroken teenager, and the weary soldier to say, “I’m Home.”
