Potatoes, gravy, meat, corn & cheese are topped with sour cream, chives and a cherry tomato
Column and photos by Dana Rady, Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association
The slow cooker is my friend. Even if a recipe doesn’t call for using a slow cooker, I will often find a way to incorporate it anyway.
“Fry the chicken breasts in a pan until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.” Ok, right. How about we put the chicken breasts in a slow cooker the night before, or immediately in the morning, so they’re done by dinner?
“Sear the turkey tenderloin on each side until brown and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.” Um, no thanks!
Don’t get me wrong. I love the flavor that comes from searing meat and the juiciness after baking it. But for the sake of my sanity, I’ll be using the electric invention that sits on my countertop and cooks the meat while I’m taking care of other business.
You’d think Eric and I could go back to traditional ways of cooking on the weekends, but that hasn’t been the case lately, either. With the boys involved in all things sports and our spicy little tagalong of a 3-year-old daughter, weeknights are filled with practices (sometimes more than one in an evening) and weekends with tournaments and swim meets.
Between swimming club, basketball, and baseball (Rhinelander has the Dome that allows for the blessing and the curse of year-round baseball practices and tournaments that start as early as the first weekend in February), Eric and I feel like a regular taxi service and sometimes like ships passing in the night.
Any other spare moment (if it exists) is spent giving Havyn attention or helping her find her favorite movie, “Kuwana” (a.k.a., “Moana,”) to watch.
