While I’m away in Tulsa at the Usborne Books convention, Paul’s taking the kids to a co-worker’s party. Here’s the invite:

My wife and I host a yearly crock pot cook off and I would like to invite all of you to attend. Basically we ask people to bring something to eat or drink in a crock pot. Past entries have ranged from “crock-a-ritas,” to a seven-layer ice-cream crocks, to my personal favorite – a crock pot full of ice with about 15 1 oz. Grand Marnier (orange liqueur) shooters in it. The only rule for entering the contest is that the “vittles/drinks” must be in a crock pot.

Anyway, we start at 2 p.m. and have a lot of activities for kids. We’ll have an egg toss, water balloon fight, shoe kick, and other contests. All of the kiddies walk away with a prize. We’re also going to have a pretend “fishing hole,” and if all goes well one of those collapsible pools (3 feet deep).

Eating/judging starts promptly (and I mean that) at 4 p.m. Everyone gets to vote on their favorite dish. The winner gets to sign the “golden crock pot.”

This year we are going to have some activities for the adults. For the people who want to bring their riding lawn mower to the party, we are going to have some tractor races at 6 p.m. I’m also trying to talk the wife into playing that oldie but goody: Hit the other guy in the head with lawn darts. Maybe even a surprise Elvis appearance. . . .

Remind me why I’m going to Tulsa again? (Oh yeah, to learn about books and educational activities…ho hum, nah, it’s going to be GREAT!) I’ll prepare our family’s crock pot entry before I leave.

Considering all the ground deer we have in the freezer, I’ll be making Sloppy Joes. (This recipe comes from Mom!Mom!.com.)

Crock Pot Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

1. 3 pounds ground chuck
2. 1 cup onion, chopped
3. 1 cup celery diced
4. 1 green pepper, chopped
5. 1 garlic clove minced
6. 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
7. 1 cup catsup
8. 3 beef bouillon cubes, crushed
9. 1/2 teaspoon paprika
10. 1/4 teaspoon pepper
11. 1 can tomato paste, 6 oz.
12. 1 1/4 cup water
13. 3 Tablespoons vinegar
14. 3 teaspoons brown sugar
15. 1 teaspoon dry mustard

Directions:

1. Brown the first five ingredients together and drain off fat.
2. Combine all ingredients in the crock pot, stirring well.
3. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours.
4. Serve on buns or over noodles.

A couple of choruses of Adam Sandler’s Lunchlady Land anyone? (Click on the album “they’re all going to laugh at you!” and then the Lunchlady Land picture for a stroll down the SNL memory lane.)

Sloppy Joe image courtesy of KraftFoodService.com.

Some great crock pot cookbooks:

• Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook – as the title says not just the same old recipes but unique takes on classic recipes
• Betty Crocker’s Slow Cooker Cookbook – this book ha a great Picadillo recipe
• Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook : Feasting with Your Slow Cooker – a classic
• Fix-It & Forget-It Lightly : Healthy Low-Fat Recipes for Your Slow Cooker – the classic goes light
• Mable Hoffman’s Crockery Cookery, Revised Edition – from the crock pot diva, an update of the ultimate book on slow cooking

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