Hey, my dog loves it. On days when I slow cook, upon arriving back home, she doesn't just leap up to say hello to me and wag her tail, she almost attaches herself to my ankle as I go from room to room, making sure that I don't forget about her when it's time to eat. And I do give her a small portion of the meat or vegetables that were cooked. It wouldn't be fair to torture her!
Now there are so very many recipes on the Internet and in cookbooks that I'm not going to give recipes here. I'm just going to tell you about some of my versions of Hungarian food, call it Hungarian-American food, that I've been successful with. Some of this may make you laugh!
Trader Joe's, a chain store, has a spice called 24 Seasonings Salute, and I swear by it. It is the only prepared mix of spices I use. According to their web site, "Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute is a smooth blend of onion, black pepper, celery seed, cayenne pepper, parsley, basil, marjoram, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, savory, rosemary, cumin, mustard, coriander, garlic, carrot, orange peel, tomato, lemon juice and lemon oil. Leave the other spices out and add 21 Seasoning Salute to a vinaigrette, sprinkle some on burgers, steaks, or chicken, before you cook them, or add a dash (or several) to soups, sauces, dips, and even scrambled eggs. Need a quick breakfast idea? Mash a scoop of avocado atop a slice of toast, and sprinkle 21 Seasoning Salute atop the avocado. It's always a good idea to sprinkle the blend into your palm first, and then break up the spices with your fingertips to release their essential oils, delivering the best of all the components. We're selling each 2.2 ounce jar for $1.99, every day."
Remember when you load your crockpot that the heat rises inside of it and so the meat should go ON TOP of all your veggies. Also, how thick you should cut a carrot or potato, and other veggies, may also be about how long you plan to cook. So the longer you'll be gone, the thicker the cut.
TRY THESE COMBINATIONS!
Carrots, onions, sour kraut, pork or beef, and (in the last hour of cooking put on top) egg dumplings with caraway or mustard seeds made by mixing flour, sea salt, seeds, and egg.
Kidney beans, Black Beans, and White Beans, green beans, chicken, and tomato.
Mix oatmeal and flour and sugar or brown sugar. Throw some in the pot. Add cut apples. Or Apricots. Or Pears. Throw some more dry mixture on and around the fruits. Cook on a low setting. Serve hot over vanilla ice-cream or yogurt.
