I was lucky to win a great slow cooker from Pioneer Woman's blog. I used it between one to three times a week for about six years. After being a faithful friend, the heating element on one side started going out. I ended up with whole chickens that weren't cooking on one side. So, I had to say good bye to my friend.
Meet my new BFF. The Ninja 3 in 1 cooker.
Besides being a great slow cooker, a feature I love about this one is that I can brown my meat right in the cooker using the Stove Top feature. As someone that doesn't have a dishwasher, I am always looking for ways to cook using the least amount of pots and pans to clean afterwards. My Ninja came with a decent cookbook and there are some recipes using the Stove Top setting and an Oven setting (different from the slow cooker setting). I haven't tried those yet, but I know I will try some once it gets hot again here.
Clean up is a breeze with the great non-stick lining.
What I did make on New Year's Day was a turkey breast. I put a 6 pound turkey breast (thawed) in on the slow cooker setting for about 5 and a half hours on high. I used the juice of two oranges, a cup (or a little more) of water and a package of dry onion soup mixed together. I put the used orange halves on the bottom, along with some chunks of fresh onion under the turkey and poured the liquid over the top with salt and pepper. At the end of cooking time, I decided to brush the turkey breast with some melted butter and put the turkey in the oven on 375 for about 40 minutes to brown up, while a small pan of dressing was baking.
This is what came out:
This beauty was so moist and tender and with browning a little afterwards in the oven, it was easily the best turkey we have ever eaten. Such a simple way to make a lovely meal, with none of the basting and fussing that can go with baking a turkey. This will be a go to holiday meal for us.
See you soon,
Gina
I'm linking up to Tweak It Tues at Cozy Little House
and Between Naps on the Porch
