MORE CROCK POT RECIPES, AND PHOTOS FROM A PAST VISIT

Maybe due to the cold and dreary weather, I’ve been into using the crock pot lately – so have two more recipes to share. Since we didn’t do a darn thing on Tuesday (other than visit the grocery store), today is a good day to do so.

The first is a recipe I have held on to for over a year and finally got around to trying a couple of days ago: Slow-Cooker Braised Pork with Salsa. Because the juice needs to be reduced by half or more at then end of the cooking time, it is a tiny bit more work than “set it and forget it” – but the result is SO worth it! This recipe makes a BIG batch.

The other is another vegetable recipe. Root vegetables seem to be made for crockpot cooking, keeping a recognizable shape and texture while they sweeten with the long cooking. My vegetarian sister Sydney passed this yummy recipe along to me: Balsamic-Braised Root Vegetables. These are dynamite with Costco’s superb lamb chops - for omnivores. :)

Both recipes have been added to the recipe archive on the left side of the blog (scroll way down).

Today’s pictures? We’ve been in the fog for so long that I searched my old photos for reminders of the beauty of the Texas Hill Country in warmer (or sunnier) weather. The top photo shows the Guadalupe River in sunshine, near Kerrville, in March of 2007.

While we were there, Luna found a spot in the yard of the Kerrville Elks RV parking lot that drove her WILD. She spent many happy moments rubbing and drooling on this cinder block, returning again and again. I’m happy to say that the photo brought a smile to my face rather than tears to my eyes. What a funny girl she was!