We made it through the weekend’s blizzard with flying colors – well, actually, one flying color. White, white snowflakes flew right by our heads all weekend long. I’ll do a summary post shortly of some of the goodies we gobbled up during our weekend indoors, but tonight, it’s time for a post-snow fresh start in the ol’ Crock-Pot.
To be honest, this wasn’t really a day when I needed to make dinner in the slow cooker. I was, after all, working from home all day while waiting for the roads to be plowed. But this was a meal that I’d had on my menu plan for a week and knew that LeeLee and I would both enjoy it, so into the Crock-Pot it went even though we were home to monitor its progress as the hours ticked by.
I came across this recipe a couple of weeks ago and knew I had to try it. LeeLee and I are both big fans of tater tot hotdish, generally opting to bake it in the oven for an hour or so. But to add chorizo? And spinach, and artichokes, and put it in the slow cooker? Where do I sign up?
I followed the recipe as instructed (except I accidentally omitted the jalapeno and subbed out diced green chilies for the chipotle, since Safeway was out of the latter given the storm), flicked the heat to Low, and walked back out of the kitchen. Six hours later, the fontina cheese had melted nicely over the top of the tater tots, and the house smelled heavenly!
We couldn’t have asked for a heartier post-snow meal than this. After three days of shoveling and digging our home and cars out, this hotdish definitely hit the spot! The potatoes remained firm and crisp on top, and the cream cheese melted throughout the slow cooker to coat all the vegetables in a delightful silkiness. The vegetarian chorizo gave each bite an added kick, as well, which was a wonderful new(-to-me) addition to the hotdish!
Despite our best efforts, we’ve got plenty left for lunch tomorrow and the next day. I can think of worse ways to return to work – even if that “work” is actually “working from home”!
:)