Crock Pots and the Single Guy

Single guys aren't known for their cooking wares and this is a well-earned distinction. After all, the single male in today's world is too busy to cook a home-cooked meal. When given a choice between slaving in a kitchen for an hour or making level 80 while we wait on a pizza to show up—where's the phone? Crock pots are a single guy's best friend and he doesn't even realize it. Crock pot cooking takes very little attention and most recipes consist of throwing the ingredients in and letting the pot do the rest. Here are a couple of "manly" favorites:

Swedish Meatballs

1 package frozen meatballs
1 jar chili sauce
1 jar grape jelly
1 jar taco sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
　
Start by placing the meatballs in the crock pot (frozen). Mix the grape jelly and taco sauce in a bowl and add to the meatballs. Pour the lemon on top. Add chili sauce. Set the crock pot on low for 6 hour

Chili

Chili is the quintessential manly food, and every man prides himself on his own flare for the dish. Here's a recipe that's decidedly easier than most:

2 Cans Chili Beans
2 Cans Kidney Beans
1 Can Chopped Tomatoes
1 Can Green Chili Peppers
2 Fresh Jalapeno Peppers
1 lbs. Ground Beef
1 Packet of Chili Seasoning
1 tbsp Chopped Garlic in Oil

Open the cans of beans and add the contents to the crock pot. Brown the meat and drain the juice into a can. Add the chili seasoning. Add the browned meat to the crock pot. Open and add the chopped tomatoes and green chili peppers. Add the chopped garlic. For extra spice and flavor, chop the jalapeno peppers and add those as well. Set the cock pot to low for 6 hours or medium for 4 hours. The slow cooking process of the crock pot will infuse the beans and meat with the spice and taste of the peppers.

Lil' Smokeys

Always a hit at parties, the little smoky sausage is probably one of the easiest crock pot dishes to make. But we put a little bit of a spin on this three ingredient recipe...

2 lbs Little Smokey Sausages
1 Bottle of BBQ Sauce
1 Jar of Grape Jelly

Without getting too complicated on how to make this one: Pour it all together, set your new best friend (the crock pot) on low and go watch a Clint Eastwood movie for a couple of hours. Usually this takes about 6 hours on low. The grape jelly acts as a sweetener and coagulates the sauce helping it stick to the little smoky better. People will rave on how great and special your version is. When they ask what you did—don't tell them.

Pork Roast

It's crazy how easy a nice, juicy roast with veggies is to make in a crock pot. So easy, in fact, that you should probably never tell anyone!

1 Medium Sized Pork Roast
2 Cans Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
Salt and Pepper

Put the pork roast into the crock pot with the fatty side up. This is important and will help keep the roast moist. Salt and pepper, but be careful not to overdo it. Add the two cans of cream of mushroom soup to the pot. Don't be shy-- just pour them right on top. You can add carrots, quartered onions and potatoes on the sides for that "one meal, one pot" feel that grandma used to love so much. Set the crock pot on medium for 3 hours then reduce to low for 2 hours. The pork will literally fall apart on the fork.

Most crock pots come with a mini-recipe book in the box and usually they're pretty helpful. Also there are a ton of online resources for the cock pot. The fact that crock pot cooking is relatively safe and "fire and forget" really helps out the single man. Besides, which is better—leftover pizza or leftover chili?


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