Favorite Crock Pot Recipe

I'm sure my regular readers are wondering whether I was permanently buried under 4 feet of snow. But no. Just trying to prioritize. And so this post might not make any sense. But I posted a link on another blog, and now I've got to post about what I have in my crock pot today. Good, since I actually do have something in the crock pot today! This is a recipe that I originally got from Cooking Light Magazine probably about 6 years ago when I was a subscriber. But this is from memory:

Crock Pot White Beans and Sausage

1. Dump 1 bag of dried white beans into the crock pot. (Discard any yucky looking ones or foreign objects that made their way into the bag)

2. Brown 1-inch sausage pieces in a large skillet, and add to the crock pot. (Amounts of meat varies based on your family's needs. We like spicy Italian sausage, but non-spicy also works well.)

3. While meat is browning (if you didn't mince shallots and garlic ahead of time), mince 6-8 shallots and 1-3 cloves garlic. These will go in the pan after you remove the meat and wipe out excess grease. (If you don't have shallots, use any variety of onion you have on hand, about 1/2 cup or so.)

4. Add the "aromatics" (shallots/garlic) to the pan, but turn off heat. The residual heat will soften these a little before you add them to the crock pot, and will help soak up the tasty brown bits in the pan. You can also add a little water or chicken stock before dumping it into the crock pot.

5. Add thyme, celery seed, and salt and pepper to taste. (Fresh thyme is preferred, but use what you have!)

6. Add enough chicken stock (or water) to cover the meat with about 1 inch liquid over the top of the meat.

7. Turn on crock pot to desired setting and plan to have a lovely meal! Serve in soup bowls with crusty bread and a green salad.