I  know I am like a broken record – but slow cookers are SOOOOO easy! Especially when cooking with kids – you can throw everything in  – turn it on and go play with the children until its done and not worry about checking the cooker until you feel like it!

I have had a couple emails from folks asking what a slow cooker is. Here is a definition – and a reminder – it is NOT a pressure cooker. I use the terms Slow Cooker and Crock Pot interchangeably.

A basic slow cooker consists of a lidded round or oval cooking pot made of glazed ceramic or porcelain, surrounded by a housing, usually metal, containing an electric heating element. The lid is often of glass seated in a groove in the pot edge; condensed vapour collects in the groove and provides a low-pressure seal to the atmosphere. The contents of a crock pot are effectively at atmospheric pressure, despite the water vapor generated inside the pot. A crock pot is quite different from a pressure cooker and presents no danger of an abrupt pressure release.

So – to the easy recipe of Chicken and Leek Stew ( or as my grandkids call it – chickyleeky)! Leeks are quite easy to grow – here some are looking pretty tasty! Remember to clean them well – often dirt will gather between the layers – so you need to be rather careful! The smell of leeks cooking is somethingi that makes me think of comfort food!

We do eat a lot of chicken – I know that many folks have cut down on the amount of meat they eat – we still eat a lot of meat – so I am including lots of chicken recipes for all those young moms who are eating less meat than us. This is one of my favorites – since it is sooooo easy and leaves me time to have fun with the little ones.

Ingredients:

• I Tbsp of Olive oil
• 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs ( or four thighs and four breasts cut into small pieces0
• 2 cups of reconstituted chicken broth ( I use Better than Bouillon but you could use any chicken soup)
•  1/2 lb white sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup leek, outer skins peeled and cleaned well, white and pale green parts only, sliced thin
• 1 cup  cleaned and peeled carrot sliced thin
• 1 cup  celery peeled cleaned and sliced thin
• 3/4 cup uncooked medium-grain brown rice
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper