Life around my house is lived as though someone stepped on the accelerator—going 80 miles an hour, everything and everyone in constant motion (that happens when you have five kids). Lots of running around.

Last month is a good example—getting everyone ready to go back to school is a balancing act… no, a juggling act, beyond compare. Clothes to pack. Doctor appointments. School supplies. Planes to catch. Trains to catch.

And no real time for meals.

So, it’s kind of ironic that my salvation during all this activity isn’t something that moves fast. Just the opposite…it moves slowly. Methodically. It’s my slow cooker…and it’s a life-saver. Uh, make that a time-saver.

My good friends at Hamilton Beach sent me their Set & Forget 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker to try out. What do I think? In three words: I. Love. It.

What’s really great is that I’m able to prep meals the night before… like this Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Green Salsa recipe. First I sliced an onion really thick and put the slices in the bottom of the Slow Cooker’s crock. I rubbed the pork shoulder with spices and set it on top of the onions… and then put the crock in the fridge.

The next morning I added the chicken stock and programmed the Slow Cooker to be ready by the time I got home. The salsa is so easy to prepare, I made it while I got the rest of dinner ready, but you can also prepare it in advance.

I shredded the pork, stirred in half of the salsa and served it with warm tortillas so everyone could make their own tacos as we all sat down for dinner… and put on the brakes for a little while.

And if you have any salsa leftover, it goes great with eggs the next morning!

One other cool thing is that this slow cooker comes with a temperature probe so that you can cook large cuts of meat, whole chickens or even turkey breasts by relying on the internal food temperature to test for doneness.

I used the probe to cook a 4-pound chicken on High in about 4 hours (internal temperature 180°F in the chicken’s thigh). The skin didn’t crisp up and brown the way I like it, so I but it in a roasting pan under the broiler for about 5 minutes… beautiful!

One more thing… head on over to my friend, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, to find more delicious recipes… just like this one!

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Do you share your recipes?

When you personally share a recipe, whether it’s a treasured family creation or something you tore out of a magazine, tried and enjoyed, you are sharing a little bit of yourself.

Many of us share recipes all the time: on our websites or blogs, on Facebook, Google+ and YouTube. And of course we’re all able to get our dose of visual food porn on Pinterest and Instagram.

But when someone gives you a recipe directly, it’s even more special. They are sharing with you something that made them happy (and probably made those whom they fed happy, too)… a food memory made this way is pure love.

My wonderful friend Ivy moved away from Chicago to begin the next chapter of her life in Santa Fe. When she saw all my Hatch Chile posts a few weeks back, she shared her recipe for Green Chile Lamb Stew.

I knew I had to make it… not just because Ivy’s a great cook, but because she’s all about family and friends and, well, sharing. I knew that when I made this Lamb Stew, I would have her back in my kitchen again for a little while.

I used Hatch Chiles in this recipe (remember I bought 25 lbs. and froze them), but you can use any green chile, like Anaheim peppers, Cubanelle peppers or poblano peppers. Just make sure you roast and peel the peppers. Remove the seeds and veins if you don’t want your stew spicy.

This recipe takes about 2 to 3 hours to slow cook on the stove, so I used my trusty Pauli Cookware Pot. This is the perfect piece of cookware for a stew because you don’t have to constantly stir the stew or worry that it’s going to burn!

Thanks, Ivy. For the recipe… and everything else that comes with it.

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If you liked this recipe, you’ll love my recipe for Vietnamese Beef Stew!

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I’ve looked in several stores and I can’t find clarified butter… do they sell it? This recipe says “serve with clarified butter”… what is clarified butter anyway?

To answer your first question, yes stores and markets sell clarified butter. You’ll find it in most specialty stores, like Whole Foods or Gelson’s, and usually on the shelf, not in the refrigerated section like regular butter. But don’t let them give you ghee and tell you it is clarified butter… but I’ll explain that in a bit.

To answer your second question, clarified butter, also known as drawn butter, is unsalted butter that has had the milk solids and water removed from it… so all that is left is the golden yellow butter fat. Clarifying removes the milk solids, which can burn, and the water, which can spatter. I don’t know what you’re preparing, but clarified butter is great for cooking at high temperatures because it has a high smoke point. The downside is that it doesn’t have the rich flavor of butter because all the milk is gone, but it is still more buttery tasting than, say, olive oil, so you’re still good.

But now I have a question for you: why would you even buy clarified butter? If you are preparing a recipe that calls for clarified butter, you must have something going on in the kitchen… so why not make it yourself … it is not that difficult.

One pound of butter makes about 12 ounces of clarified butter, and it will keep in the refrigerator for 6 months. It is perfect for sautéing because food won’t burn or stick. I use it to make butter-based sauces like Hollandaise or Béarnaise and for finishing vegetables . Clarified butter also makes a fabulous dipping sauce for shellfish or fish.

Oh… and back to “ghee.” Technically, ghee is clarified butter… but the butter is cooked longer so the water evaporates and the milk solids are browned in the butterfat and then strained. The taste of ghee is different… it is kind of nutty with more depth. It is used in Indian cuisine, so you may have heard of it or tasted it and not even known what it was.

I hope this clarifies everything. Ahemmm…

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