Two months, two hours, chili!

[jchrisobrien]

Two months after getting my new crock pot, I made my first meal in it.  The chili is flavorful but not very hot, I skimped on the jalapeños and spicy V8, but did add more cumin, garlic, and picante sauce.  Still, it's pretty delicious and should feed me for a week.  Sunday may turn into Crock Pot Day from now on.  I have a recipe for pulled pork that I want to make, and beef stew, and of course pot roast.  What do you like to make in a crock pot?

Sunday I caught up on some painting, and episodes of BSG and Dollhouse.  I can see what people are saying about Dollhouse, I don't think the writing is up to par yet with Joss's other shows (mainly because he's not writing the episodes).  Some of the stories are pretty far fetched (the pop star one), and a lot of the cast are either annoying or unsympathetic.  They are a lot flatter than the cast from Firely, for example.  Echo's handler is very cool, and I like the very Technocratic idea of wiping and implanting memories in agents.  I full intend to steal such a setup for future Mage games.

Speaking of Mage, I thoroughly enjoyed the Mage game I started this weekend.  The group is small, and I've never gamed with any of the players, but we had a grand time.  I'd forgotten how much I like the Mage universe (the old World of Darkness, not the reboot) and by the time I was done with character creation and listening to the background the ST put together, I felt the gears and wheels spinning in my head.  Maybe when the Deadlands game comes to an end, I'll run Mage next.

Speaking of mind altering events (OK, that's a bit of a stretch) I checked out Psyforia rather than make the drive up to Darq.  It's a tad jarring seeing Machine without the usual backdrop.  It was rather crowded when the night moved on.  I ran into Tim and Jess, and their friends Ron and Selina.  Jess and I had a nice chat while watching all the sweaty people jump around in the middle of the floor.  Eventually, we joined them. 

Friday night was devoted to Rock Band and the fundamentals of Wand Dueling with Sara, Michael, and Vanessa. 

Comments

[lindau-nemesis.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know Ron and Selina. They're very neat people.

[silas7.livejournal.com]

That was my impression as well!

[synaesthesia.livejournal.com]

I was so very psyched to see you out at Psyforia! I really enjoyed talking your ear off and then dancing and I'm glad you didn't seem to mind. :)

There's a pretty good chance I'll make it down for dwt tonight, snow be damned. See you there?

[silas7.livejournal.com]

Good company, good music, and dancing? Why would I mind? :)

See you out tonight!

[synaesthesia.livejournal.com]

Oh, just the whole "well hi, allow me to overshare as a constant stream of blah-blah-blah!" brain-dump thing. =)

I hate shoveling snow but I am twitchy to go dance so I'll be seeing you soon. :)

[synaesthesia.livejournal.com]

Okay, so I lied and I'm not going out tonight... but hopefully will see you soon!

[talesinsdaughtr.livejournal.com]

>>What do you like to make in a crock pot?<<

Irish boiled dinner. I have not attempted to make this myself, lacking a crockpot (they are the traditional wedding gift in my mom's family and I'm dodging their wedding hints as it is.) I might fix that though (and not tell my mother or aunts ;))

[couplingchaos.livejournal.com]

I might fix that though (and not tell my mother or aunts ;))

I assume you mean acquiring a crock pot and not eloping. ;)

[talesinsdaughtr.livejournal.com]

Given some conversations my mom drew me into last night, possibly eloping! ;)

[silas7.livejournal.com]

Considering my last name begins with "O'", I should really get myself a good recipe for Irish stew!

Your story makes me think of an enchanted crock pot that makes you marry the first person you make dinner for with it. Be careful!

[talesinsdaughtr.livejournal.com]

Oh Lord; maybe _that's_ the real family tradition!

[plankton.livejournal.com]

B & I use our crock pot mostly for 3 things; Irish Stew, a roast pork and apples dish that sorta turns into pulled pork by the time you actually serve it, and of course pot roast.

One thing I've found is that the day after leftovers are better than when things come out fresh, especially for the pot roast and pork. What I do is separate the meat and the sauce/juices, toss both in the fridge and then skim the fat off the liquid part the next day. Then when I want to prepare the leftovers I portion the meat and the liquid into a single pan and heat it together over the stove. After about 15 minutes you end up with something that is very tasty and much moister than what you get day-of preparing. Yum.

[silas7.livejournal.com]

That's a handy tip, one I'll definitely use for my next dish! :)

[knome.livejournal.com]

I've found that if you want very moist when freshly cooked meats, if they are slow cooked, you need to marinate them first in an alcohol based marinade. The alcohol gets cooked off, so no worries there.

Also you must salt the marinade. Salt is very important there, as it helps draw the liquids into the meats.

Thats the reason for the "next day is better" thing, I believe.. the liquids have had more time to infuse.

Let me know if you try it! Mine come out pretty awesome :)

[cat9.livejournal.com]

We kinda live by the crock pot during the week. You can put everything into it the night before, stick the whole thing in the fridge, and then plug it in the next morning before heading out the door - which is the only way we eat before 8:30pm. Anyhow, silly as this may sound, I bought this: http://www.amazon.com/Biggest-Cooker-Recipes-Better-Gardens/dp/0696215462

Everything we've tried has come out well - and they have lots of tasty "brisket in ale" style dishes.

[silas7.livejournal.com]

Wow, that looks like a good purchase! *runs to Amazon

[couplingchaos.livejournal.com]

...and by the time I was done with character creation and listening to the background the ST put together, I felt the gears and wheels spinning in my head. Maybe when the Deadlands game comes to an end, I'll run Mage next.

Everything is going according to plan. *drums fingers together*

[silas7.livejournal.com]

Now you know why I picked you for my Seneschal.

Well, one reason anyway.

[heatray.livejournal.com]

I'll run Mage next.

THIS!

[silas7.livejournal.com]

Word!