Fix-It and Forget-It

. . . always makes me think of Jorg. He was our beloved dachshund. He could hear me slicing carrots with a quiet paring knife if I was in the kitchen, 2 rooms away from where he was sleeping in a sunspot. It happened every time.

Could be that I made other telltale sounds that alerted him. Getting out the stockpot, maybe. Opening the fridge door. Rustling the plastic bag holding the carrots. But I did all of those things other times and it never roused him.

Okay, we all think we have the smartest kids and the smartest dogs. Jorg showed up because he knew that I routinely—and accidently—popped carrot slices onto the floor when I was slicing the big daddys. So he walked back and forth over my feet, waiting and hoping. It got to be a lovely routine, him and me together.
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Think oatmeal is kind of boring? Maybe it’s one of those breakfast options you feel obligated to eat because it’s good for you? That’s what we thought until we discovered this recipe for Apple Oatmeal. Chock full of real honey, cinnamon, apples, and walnuts (not just apple-flavoring included in some of those instant oatmeal packs), this oatmeal makes our everyday breakfast seem almost special.

Yes, you can make oatmeal in the slow cooker! And now is a great time of year to try it. Here’s why:

1. The trees are bursting with apples, and apples add a sweet crunch to the hearty oatmeal.
2. Oatmeal warms us up from the inside out on a cool morning.
3. The oatmeal and the protein-rich nuts really fill us up and keep us from looking for a mid-morning snack.
4. It provides a welcome alternative to our cold cereal-with-skim-milk morning routine. (Or whatever your breakfast routine may be.)
5. This healthy breakfast just might help us start shedding a few pounds before those holiday reunions with family and friends.

Make it now and reheat individual portions later (we stir in a little milk or water, if the oatmeal seems too stiff) or let it cook overnight. It’s one more great way to simplify our busy mornings. Now if only someone would set the table and start the coffee.
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I’m not a very good schmoozer. It wears me out. I’m not much of a gawker either. I will go out of my way to get a book autographed by a writer I respect. And I do have a special interest in people who cook well, too.

I’ve run into a few food celebs at QVC when we’ve met off-stage, plus I’ve seen several at the Housewares Show.

But I’ve never met Lidia Bastianich. She strikes me as an honest cook, who makes food from her heart, despite having become a name in the cooking world. Somehow she’s managed to still keep one foot firmly in her Italian family’s cooking tradition, while translating it into manageable instructions for the rest of us.
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Even though cooking with a slow cooker is super-convenient and makes food that tastes great, it does have some challenges. Long, slow cooking tends to make food look less colorful and fresh when it comes out of the slow cooker.

But some food emerges from the slow cooker looking lovely and burnished, as though it’s just come out of the oven or off the stove top. It commandeers a platter!

Sesame Pork Ribs look irresistibly appealing and are true stars on a buffet or dinner table. In fact, I have used this several times for my appearances on QVC, and the ribs always look amazing. Not to mention that they taste great as well. Just ask David or Carolyn or Mary Beth, the wonderful hosts I work with!

The sauce in this recipe is ample enough to cover the pork and to keep it from drying out. Slow cooking in the rich sauce makes the pork supremely tender and infuses it with a wonderful flavor.
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