Slow Cooker Saturday: Introduction

I'm happy to introduce my weekly blogvent (is that what we call it?): Slow Cooker Saturday! 

Why Slow Cooker Saturday? Easy: I. Love. My. Slow Cooker. I always say I wish I used it more often and now this weekly post encourages me to do so! These weekly posts will talk about slow cooking tips, recipes, dreams, wishes...just about anything slow cooker related!

First thing this week, I'd like to introduce my slow cookers:

Slow cooker number 1! She's a 4.5 qt cooker from Target (you can find it here). Inexpensive but works so well! You really can't go wrong with CrockPot brand.

Slow cooker number 2! 6 quarts and a great digital display! Got lucky getting this guy. When Hubby was moving out of the house he lived in before we moved in together, the previous tenants left a number of things behind. This pot was one of 'em. Nothing like getting a huge CrockPot for free (slow-cooked whole chicken in this thing is amazing)!
   This one is especially EXCELLENT when I know I'm going to be leaving work late because it has a timer. When the timer reaches zero, the temp automatically changes to warm, preventing overcooking.  I wish all of my slow cookers had this option.

And "slow cooker" number 3. It's not quite the same thing but I thought I'd include it. My "little dipper", also picked up when Hubby was moving out of his old house. I have some recipes for stuff to make in this little guy so I'm hoping to have a reason to use it soon.

Showing the different sizes of slow cookers I have reminds me that size matters when it comes to slow cooking! You're going to want to have the slow cooker between half and 3/4ths full for most recipes (though some recipes will specify if you should fill the pot more or less).

If your slow cooker isn't full enough, you won't have enough liquid to properly cook the food and you'll end up with dry or even burnt food (I learned this the hard way, yikes). Too much food will lead to uneven heating and possibly undercooked food. Practice makes perfect when finding just the right amount for your favorite recipe!

Do you use a slow cooker at all? What size (or sizes!) do you have?

Inaugural blog post: My Blog Feels Funny

Here we go! I'm finally REALLY committing to a blog!

What do I intend on posting here? Really just about anything I feel like. But I know most commonly you'll find that the day's post is about one of the following:

Food/Cooking/Baking
Knitting
Crafting
Chemistry

I reserve the right to write about anything, I suppose, but that list is what I know and I like to write what I know.

So welcome! And, to quote The Producers: "If you like our show tell everyone, but if you think it stinks keep your big mouth shut!" ;)