The Best $30 I Ever Spent

So those of you who know me in real life know that I am busy. I work at least 45 hours a week. I volunteer at church and my kid's school. I have a child to chauffeur. Also I'm very social and like to go to Happy Hour. What I'm saying is that the normal dinnertime hours are variable for me. Generally I cook dinner in the morning after my family leaves for the day around 7:30 AM. I rely very heavily on my slow cookers (yes I have multiple) so that husband and child have a balanced and healthy dinner waiting for them even if I'm not there to provide it.

Over the holidays I needed to replace my rice cooker and decided to take a chance on a $30 rice cooker I saw at Costco. It was a brand I never heard of but I saw a review on the PBS Cook's Illustrated show that said the enclosed rice cookers were the best and brand really didn't matter.



Since I never had this kind of rice cooker before I actually read the manual and to my delight discovered not only was this the normal rice cooker/steamer but also a 20 Quart SLOW COOKER!!!! The slow cooker has a timer and keep warm functionality. I have used it seven times since purchasing it on December 28th. I've even made rice in it once.

It was a steal at $30 but it is worth the full retail price of $69.

Here is a recipe that I made in it to take to a new years eve party.


Salsa Verde Chicken

1 tablespoon oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon cumin

2 1/2 lbs chicken parts, skinned

1 jar salsa verde (my favorite)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup chopped parsley

lime juice

salt, pepper to taste

In the rice cooker set the smart steam option to 10. Heat up the oil and add brown the garlic and onions. Next add the chicken and sprinkle with salt, pepper and cumin. Pour the salsa over the chicken and set slow cooker for 4 or 6 hours depending on the size of your pieces. Once chicken is cooked debone and shred the meat. Add this back to the sauce in the pan ans smart steam for 10 minutes. Mix in herbs and lemon juice to taste.

Serve with tortillas, avocado, and sour cream.

Penzeys 4/S Seasoned Salt

At the end of the summer I cook a lot. I mean a lot like I've watched all 4 seasons on Battlestar Galactica (2004) in the past month while cooking. Part of it is because my CSA box is full to the brim. Partly it is because I am trying to preserve the last of the summer harvest. Also it is because the simple preparations of produce that tasted so great earlier in the summer are getting old to my family.

This summer I bought all three types of Penzeys 4/S Special Seasoned Salt, Spicy, Smokey, and Regular.
From the website:
4/S Special Seasoned Sea Salt
Pronounced "four, S"; our new Special Seasoned Sea Salt gives a great burst of flavor wherever salt is called for. Like other seasoned salts, 4S is great for steaks, burgers and chops, but since we have made the flavor lighter and brighter than your old seasoned salt, 4S is also outstanding for chicken, fish, veggies, salads and popcorn as well. Give it a try, and we think you'll agree 4 S = 100% delicious. Hand-mixed from: Coarse Sea Salt, Sugar, Special Extra Bold Black Pepper, Paprika, Onion, Turmeric, Garlic, Spice Extractives (including oleoresin of paprika, black pepper, celery, rosemary and thyme.)

The spicy has additional red pepper and the smokey has smoked paprika.

I've been adding this stuff to everything. My favorite is the smokey which is just sublime on popcorn or spiced nuts. Also I added some to guacamole and it gave such a depth to it we hardly had any left for our tacos because we ate it with carrot sticks while I was cooking.

Penzeys cost more than the supermarket counterparts but it is worth it. The taste has a much more powerful punch than Lawry's so a little bit of this goes a long way.