@Stephanie I'm NOW a slow cooker and feeling much more ZEN................ In our part of the country USA in Florida we spend many months with warm, very warm weather and I love it.....but there are about 4-5 months that we do have cool temps. For me it might as well be 20 degrees/ freezing or below.............I prefer warm/ hot weather so I feel like I need to be warmed up and the newest discovery I've found is using the crock pot - slow cooker or pressure cooker for a fabulous variety of meals, stews, soups, dishes. And to help it out you need the right recipes and spices - well, just the past months I've discovered The Zen of Slow Cooking - 2 women put together these packages of all the spice blends with recipes and they have made life really easy for those of us that don't love spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Now don't get me wrong I like to have a hot meal every evening with my sweet husband but I can find many things to do outside the kitchen so using this Zen of Slow Cooking is perfect for me. Plus I really like the name ZEN - my favorite so far is their Indian dish - that's a Lentils, coconut milk, Thai curry dish served over rice - In each dish the prep time is about 5-8 mins. and then let it cook - I cook it on high and so usually 2-3 hours. But there are options for very slow cooking for 6-8 hrs. Also, most recently I prepared a Tuscan Bean Soup with Sausages - really tasty.
You know we go on vacation or a trip and often wish to slow down and gather with family and friends and this is a great way to share a home-cooked meal.
One idea that I think is fantastic for hosts (offering places for families ) is a slow cooker and such spice blends -They don't have to be worrying what to make, cause they have the spice blends and recipes all in one and can with a little prep put it on, go out for the afternoon or day and return to a meal all ready. Also, they probably don't mess up every pot in the house. And there's not much clean up and prep is so easy. Might be a great thing to offer guests in 2020. Let me know what you think of this idea!
Happy Hosting, Happy Cooking............. PEACE