Thanks to my friend, Nicole, I stumbled on slow cooking in the Dutch Oven. She made these amazing Cuban Black Beans (recipe below) . I don’t have a Crock Pot, so I googled the conversion for the Dutch Oven. Which basically means, 325 degrees for 2 hours for the equivalent of the Crock Pot low, 6-8 hours. Honestly, I still can’t get mine to taste as good as hers, but I can get close.

If I go back overseas, I will bring a ceramic Dutch Oven or two for cooking. It saves time and clean up, which is a premium when you have to hand wash and cook everything from scratch! In just two hours, you can have this super flavored dish! It is worth the extra weight!

Then, I started to experiment off and on, but I didn’t really make it a regular feature, until the butcher at my grocery store shared with me his love for crock pot roast beef—you can put vegetables and onion soup mix and let it do it’s thing. Super easy and tasty. So, one Monday I tried it before my class. During the time it takes to walk to and from class, I can leave the Dutch oven cooking, and it’s completely done when I return home! The whole family raved about the roast. It was so easy, including clean up!! I have a really hard grammar class plus a lot of family work right now, so I need some easy. What I have discovered also, quite by accident is the FLAVOR! This method also beats the pants off roasting, or boiling meat for tenderness AND beats the electric crock pot for flavor. So, far so GREAT!

Also, it completely and perfectly cooks FROZEN meats. I put frozen chicken breasts in b/c I was in a hurry—this was for an Italian chicken recipe—I just put all the ingredients in and the chicken cooked perfectly. My daughter gave it the stink eye but later said, “Wow, mom, that was amazing. I thought it was gonna be too dry and it wasn’t.” Score.

So, I experimented some more. I put in ingredients for a spaghetti and meatball meal with no recipe—I just dumped frozen meatballs, tomato sauce from a can and threw in some spices and the magic happened. It LOOKED beautiful. I was so excited! Slow cooking miracle.

I did it for chicken and noodle soup. I just put everything in, including frozen chicken breasts which I thought I would shred after. The chicken was so tender, it fell apart. It took 30 seconds to shred the chicken, which I could not believe!

I just did a pork loin, also frozen and IT fell apart when I cut it. When I roast a pork tenderloin, it is never THAT tender—always flavorful, but hard compared to this method.

I also did a lentil stew and it cooked to perfection— I wasn’t sure if the lentils would be ok, but again, the favor was next level and the lentils were not mushy at all!! The picture on this blog is from that stew—I couldn’t believe it! Gorgeous.

I just can’t get over how quick and easy this is! This slow cooking method changes things for me even in bringing meals to people. I had started giving gift cards b/c I cannot get it together to do meals in this season in life, but now I can and feel good about what I am bringing to new moms or folks in need. That is such a relief! It is a relief to be able to give my family good meals even when I am short on time. I love the flexibility and it helps me not to waste, because I can just add to meat whatever vegetables I might have on hand. I am buying my son a dutch oven for Christmas so he can do the same at college. His roommates love the crock pot and I told him they are going to love what he cooks with the Dutch Oven!

So, there you go, my endorsement. Bon appetit!