Crockpot Mania

I have owned a Crockpot pretty much my entire adult life.  I have mostly used it for soups and stews or the occasional roast, but for the most part it stays hidden away in the back of the cabinet until late fall when I pull it out to make those warm yummy winter type dishes.  There has been a ton of hype on facebook and among some of the blogs over the Crockpot Gals website.  This site was created to share.... you guessed it, Crockpot recipes.  With the latest buzz I decided to check it out and wow!  I have made several meals recently using the recipes I got from their website.  I even saw another blog post that suggests combining ingredients in a freezer bag ahead of time and simply taking prepared meals out of the freezer the night before and popping it in the Crockpot the next morning before heading out the door for work. 
This can be a great time saver for on the go moms who either have to work during the day, or are just busy running kiddos around (or should I say running around the kiddos!).  This can save you tons of money because you can have a hot wholesome meal prepared at home instead of hitting the drive-thru on your way to soccer practice or gymnastics class.  I am going to be looking up a few recipes and will share them soon so stay tuned, but to give you a preview here is one I used the other day.

Dry rub:
1 teaspoon each
salt
pepper
garlic powder
chili powder
onion powder
dried thyme
sugar
2 teaspoons paprika

Remove giblets from (whole) chicken, wash inside and out.  Pat bird dry and rub with olive oil.  Sprinkle with dry rub, cover and place in refrigerator for 2-4 hours (the longer the better)

Place chicken in Crockpot on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.  If you want to be able to slice the chicken lean towards the lesser cooking times.  If you are using chicken for another recipe such as chicken tacos, or sandwiches you can leave it cooking longer, this way it will literally fall off the bone!  Yummy!