crock potUntil yesterday I didn't own a Crock-Pot. Besides some chili-cheese dip my mom made during football games and perhaps some little cocktail hot dogs, I'm not sure I'd really eaten much out of one either, but suddenly I felt a strong need to head out and buy one largely due to a new Facebook site that launched -- Crock Pot Girls.

I saw a friend on Facebook friend the page, and so I did too just to see what they posted. I think they had about 200,000 followers when I clicked "like." Suddenly I noticed that all my friends were becoming followers, and the next thing you know, I looked and they had more than 1 million followers. As I write this, the page (which launched August 19) has 1,143,163 likes. That's a lot of Crock-Pot love.

So who are these Crock-Pot girls who tapped into such an obvious sweet spot for cooks? They're three moms from Brownsville, Texas -- Allyson, Jenna, and Nicole -- who had been talking about their Crock-Pot love and decided to start a site to share recipes. Little did they know what they were getting into. Since the Facebook page launched, they've also launched a website to house all the recipes, but it's not working as well as it should because of overwhelming traffic. They note they're moving to a dedicated server, so that should help.

I had no idea all of the things people across America were whipping up in slow cookers. From basics like pot roast to soups, omelets, and even cakes, if it can be cooked, you can probably find a way to do it in your Crock-Pot. And people love to share slow cooker recipes with you.

So I'm jumping on this trend. My Crock-Pot is washed and waiting. I've been stalking the site, and deciding what to try for my first meal in it. I'm thinking this one for Mediterranean chicken may be it.

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 c. olives

1/2 c. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, sliced

2 T. lemon juice

1 1/2 t. garlic

1 t. Greek seasoning

2-3 fresh thyme sprigs

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

8 skinless, chicken thighs

1/2 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth

Combine ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low for 7 hours. Serve with mashed or roasted potatoes.

It sounds good and super easy, right? I love the idea of coming home to a cooked meal, especially on nights when we have baseball games or other activities. I'm starting to wonder why it took me so long to get crockin' ... though I do prefer to call it a slow cooker.

Do you use a Crock-Pot to cook frequently? What are your favorite recipes?


Image via Liz (perspicacious.org)/Flickr