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!

       Print this recipe.    

                             

A salad spinner is a wonderful kitchen gadget, but most of them take up too much space (which most kitchens don’t have).

Problem solved: The Dexas Turbo Fan Collapsible Salad Spinner.

This 4½-quart salad spinner is different because it collapses to just 5-inches. When you’re ready to use it… pop it into place. Think about the salad spinner you use now… big and bulky, right? Takes up a lot of valuable kitchen real estate, right?

Not this one.

This durable plastic salad spinner does an amazing job of drying greens, vegetables and berries because it uses a multi-blade fan and centrifugal force to spin out the water. There’s a push-button brake on top to stop the spinning.

The non-skid base keeps it from dancing all over the counter… which is always my issue when using salad spinners. (It couldn’t be me, could it?)

And, of course, I really love it because the bowl and basket are top-rack dishwasher safe. The top can easily be taken apart and cleaned.

My friends at Dexas International asked me to give Turbo Fan Collapsible Salad Spinner a whirl. I used it when I made my Roasted Potato and Kale Salad… great recipe made even easier with a great salad spinner!

Here’s a video so you can see it in action!

Lee asks: I got this at a Secret Santa exchange, but have no idea what it is!

You were gifted, Lee, with a “rolling dough docker,” a very common baking tool that’s like a rolling pin…but, in this case, with spikes. The process of “docking” makes dozens of little holes in the dough you’re working with, which allows steam to escape while baking.

The rolling dough docker is used on flatbreads, pizza dough, pie crusts (when blind baking) and pastry dough to keep the dough from bubbling up unevenly. That way your dough is flaky, crisp and flat, which is important if you’re topping or filling the baked dough with something.

Your rolling docker, also called a pastry pricker, is made of stainless steel and plastic, so it’s probably dishwasher safe.

A rolling dough docker is a kitchen gadget that’s great to have if you bake a lot… but a fork usually can get the job done just as well!

Watching me baste the turkey used to be great for a laugh.

I’d carefully squeeze the bulb, place it in the turkey drippings and gently, and oh so carefully, release the squeeze on top of the bird. Perfect.

But then I’d try to baste the wings or underside and SPLAT! I’d hit the wall of the oven, or the oven door or the dog (yes, it really happened, but he loved it).

No longer.

Tovolo has come up with the Easy Reach Bulb Baster… an angled, dripless silicone baster that lets you easily maneuver around the turkey (or chicken or roast), directing juices exactly where you want them to go.

Genius.

Because the baster maximizes suction, drips are minimized… no more rogue squirting! A pair of feet holds the tip off the counter and the shape of the bulb allows it to sit upright and not roll around. It’s temperature resistant to 450°F.

It comes with 3 dripless tips: a wide one for suctioning shallow pan juices, a basting brush tip and a regular basting tip. A cleaning brush is also included.

The kids are disappointed that I got this nifty new tool just in time for Thanksgiving and spoiled their fun. But you know who’s really upset?

The dog.