A New Challenge!

I haven't posted anything since December. So much fun and festivities and cooking surrounded our Christmas this year... maybe I just needed a rest. Old Man Winter set in and he brought lots of cold weather with a good dose of snow, too. And my oven broke :( so at first I wasn't sure what to do since my oven is my life! Well, maybe not completely, but I do use it probably everyday. I'm still the CEO of Mom's Takeout and without an oven, cooking is quite a challenge. So I dusted off my Roaster Oven (you know, those big metal, porcelain cookers that Grandma used to cook the Thanksgiving turkey), and I decided to become an accomplished Roaster Oven Chef! I'm working on it. Also, I crawled way back in the cupboard and brought the two slow cookers out, cleaned them up, and have attempted to find out everything there is to know about how to cook food in a slow cooker. A challenging season of my life. And a fun one learning new things. I actually have quite a lot to show.

Well, I couldn't start without adding a pretty picture of my mom on her 89th birthday, which was on December 30. She got lots of presents, attention and ate good food. I love you, Mom!

No need for an oven here! Fried chicken is always welcome in our home (well, except for the one special vegetarian in our family). 

This delicious strawberry, spinach and feta salad goes well with just about any meal--and no need for an oven. I dressed it with a citrus vinaigrette that made it even more delicious. 

This is a very good Asian Shrimp stir fry I made in my wok! Rinse and dry the shrimp, first, then salt and coat with a little cornstarch. Fry them until they start to turn pink, then remove them from the wok and add a little oil and the vegetables--in this case, snow peas, shredded carrots and green onions. Wok the food and add shrimp back and then the sauce. Lastly, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Mmmm, good. Oh, and no need for an oven! I wonder when the cooking in crockpots and roaster ovens is coming....