Against All Odds

There are a few friends of mine who live in these *luxurious* places that provide electricity almost immediately after the power goes out. The power goes out and a few seconds to minutes later a generator kicks on providing power! It's incredible. This does not happen at my house. We have a generator and can [and do] use it when the power goes out, but I have to drag it outside and crank it up by pulling the cord like you would use to start a lawnmower- which also has never been easy for me.

So I feel like the days I use my slowcooker/crockpot I'm making a huge gamble. I'm placing everything (dinner) on the line in hopes that the power will stay on for the 4 or more hours I'm (really the machine is) cooking dinner. I take even more of a risk if I leave the house while the crockpot is in use, because what if the power goes out and I'm not there to start the generator- dinner could be ruined!! At this point in my life, providing a yummy dinner that is kid and parent approved becomes how I measure success in my life... This is a safe place where I can share these things that only come out when writing, right?? Don't judge me. Please, don't. 

One week I used the slowcooker **two nights in a row**. Against all odds the electricity stayed on the WHOLE time and a delicious meal met the needs or my family AND dinner guests! My friend recently blogged about being a risk taker by playing sports in an environment with poor health care... I feel like I'm living on the edge when I use my slow cooker 2 nights in a row! 

Here's a recipe that I have made recently in the slow cooker: 

Greek Chicken from http://www.humoroushomemaking.com/crock-pot-greek-chicken-pitas

• ½ cup sliced onion
• 1 pound boneless, chicken thighs
• 1 ½ teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pita Bread
• ½ cup sour cream
• Chopped tomato

1. Lay chicken in the bottom of a greased crock.
2. Place onions on top and sprinkle garlic and spices c over everything.
3. Place lid on and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
4. When chicken is done, remove it from the crock and shred it with two forks.
5. While chicken is out of the crock, stir in sour cream. Add chicken back to crock and stir well.
6. Ladle chicken onto warm pita bread, using it as a taco. Sprinkle with tomato. Fold over and serve.

Yield – 4 servings

We did not have pita, so it was served over rice. It was a hit!