Some Days I Wish I Could Marry My Crock Pot

What's trending in my world right now?  No, it's not Beyonce.  And oh my heavens, it's certainly not Miley Cyrus.  Gotta love Jennifer Lawrence's new crop (boy, I wish I had the guts to cut my hair like that), but not that either.  So, what's hot?  My crock-pot. 

My two trusty crock pots, or slow cookers as the more refined like to call them, have been cooking slowly and steadily the past few months as the cold has crept through our log walls and the snow has stuck around longer than we Virginians are used to.  Our meals have varied from roasted tomato-basil soup to classic pot roast to tonight's feast of penne alla vodka (the cold has encouraged me to get in touch with my Russian side). 

I've had a few misses, but I've also hit many delicious successes.  But the real beauty of the slow cooker is not the tender meat or delicately prepared sauce or even the sweet smell of simmering soup when I reenter my house after getting the mail.  For me, the real beauty is preparing a meal and cleaning up my mess ahead of time, ideally right after I've had a shot or two of caffeine and while my three children take a midday slumber.  Because when the hubs comes home and the children have transformed from sweet kids to screaming loonies and everyone in the house is playing a strange form of hopscotch due to the litter of toys and laundry that cover the floor, the last thing I want to do is cook.  I would rather waltz over to that glorious piece of ceramic, open the lid, scoop out a warm homemade meal, and whisper, "Thank you.  You've saved my tail again."

Currently my favorite slow cooker recipe book: 

Some of my favorite slow cooker blogs:

http://www.mommysfabulousfinds.com/2013/05/5-easy-crock-pot-recipes.html                                   
This blog explains how you can prepare and freeze meals that you can later thaw and cook in the slow cooker.

http://themagicalslowcooker.com/

Links to some of my favorite slow cooker recipes: 

Lasanga:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/slow-cooker-lasagna/23546794-7262-47be-9ca4-e12c900399a1

Beef chili:
http://savour-fare.com/2010/01/29/the-one-ive-been-waiting-for-easy-slow-cooker-chili/

White bean chicken chili:
http://dashingdish.com/recipe/crockpot-white-bean-chicken-chili/

Lemon chicken with broccoli:
http://themagicalslowcooker.com/2013/01/14/slow-cooker-lemon-chicken-with-broccoli/

Bean dip:
http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-bean-dip-9842

Shredded chicken breast for freezing:
http://www.thedoctorstv.com/forums/527-17-Day-Diet-Recipes/topics/11594-Super-Easy-Crock-Pot-Shredded-Chicken-Breasts-for-Freezing-recipe-Cycle-1