January 2019 – National Slow Cooking Month. AKA National Crock-Pot Month
It seems there is an activity or cause (or 30) that is dedicated to each calendar day, week and month; so many that it’s hard to keep track! Don’t believe me? Just Google: “January Monthly Observances” and you’ll see what I mean! I’ll save you some time by just telling you that January is one of the most important months! One of January’s national activities/causes is national slow cooking month. So, what I’m hearing, is that January is national Crock-Pot month!
And we all know what happens inside a Crock-Pot
…
M A G I C
TRIVIA BONUS:
On January 23, 1940 an inventor named Irving Nachumsohn received the patent for his invention that became the “Crock-Pot.” This slow cooker was originally created to cook “cholent,” a traditional stew eaten by Jews in Eastern Europe on the Sabbath. The basic ingredients of cholent being: meat, potatoes, beans and barley. The slow cooker helped families prepare meals over night as they were not permitted to cook on the Sabbath.
So, January is National Slow Cooking Month … what exactly does that mean for us?
Well I will tell you exactly what that means. It means we are dusting off our Crock-Pots (as if we haven’t been using them all winter, anyways) and we are using this celebration as an excuse to use our Crock-Pots even more!
~PAUSE~
Did I just hear someone think to themselves, “this doesn’t apply to me, I don’t even have a Crock-Pot”
?!?!?!
DID YOU KNOW:
Over 80% of households in the United States own at least one slow-cooker.
Uhh, OKAY, so we are starting with a few reasons why every household in the world needs at least one Crock-Pot on the counter at all times.
1. Crock-Pots are the easiest-to-use cooking appliance invented ever. They are absolutely (for the most part) fail-proof.
There are usually a very limited number of steps. Therefore, there are a very limited number of opportunities for you to completely mess it up. As long as you are physically capable of plugging things in and pushing buttons, you are golden my friend, golden.
2. Crock-Pots are the mother of meal prepping and money saving.
If your family cooks like mine, there is a good chance you almost always have left-overs. These left-overs are especially easy to store and reheat for more meals throughout the week! The added bonus is that there are sooo many recipes that are delicious, yet only require 4-5 ingredients. The Crock-Pot is in business to save you time and money! How great is that?
3. Crock-Pots love the busy family.
Crock-Pots take care of hard-working parents/tired college students who don’t want to do a million dishes after dinner. Conveniently, Crock-Pots are a single pot, as opposed to being many pots and pans, significantly minimizing the dishes after dinner! Thank you Mr. Nachumsohn.
4. Crock-Pots are seriously so convenient.
Crock-Pots are known for their undeniable convenience. You can start a meal before you leave for work and by the time you pick the kids up from school, drop them off at the million places children need to be throughout the day, and get back home exhausted, your dinner is done and ready to be enjoyed by the whole family! The different settings allow you to choose your cook time and high/medium/low settings to adapt to your specific needs. How. Convenient.
DID YOU KNOW:
There are more than 600,000 Google searches including the phrase, “slow cooker” every month!
Like we just talked about, Crock-Pot meals are typically very convenient and easy to prepare. Recipes can easily be found with a simple Google search or a trip to Pinterest! Here are just a few of my favorites:
Easy, Two Ingredient Pulled Pork
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 7 Hours 45 Minutes
Servings: 8
Breakfast Casserole in a Slow Cooker
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 6 Hours 20 Minutes
Servings: 8
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 2 Hours
Servings: 6
Everyone loves slow cooking in their Crock-Pot! Take extra advantage this month and be sure to celebrate “National Slow Cooking Month” with your favorite recipes! If you’re feeling generous, drop in the comments with YOUR favorite slow cooker recipes so we can all try them!
