Our Slow Cooking Adventure

The Zen of Slow Cooking
mindful. nourishing. relevant. simple. delicious.

Slow Cooking with the sacred intention of slowing down and creating more peace
and harmony in the kitchen, is the essence of The Zen of Slow Cooking.

Six years ago, Meg Barnhart was searching for a way to get a quick meal on the table in between her frantic after school activity schedule which took her in three different directions with her three children. Following a dear friend’s advice she bought her first slow cooker.  What began as a quick fix gave way to the unexpected: peace and serenity in her home and The Zen of Slow Cooking. Fast forward to 2012 when Meg met Jane McKay, call it serendipity. With 2 children under the age of 5, Jane was ready to embrace any suggestion which could help take the pressure off at dinner time.

The Zen of Slow Cooking offers the home cook an alternative to the 6 pm scramble.

∞ We want to help you create success in the kitchen by sharing simple, straightforward, whole food recipes prepared in 20 minutes or less, for your slow cooker ∞

∞ We understand some of you work outside of the home all day, while others are home soon after the school day ends. We plan to balance a series of “gone-all-day” slow cooker dishes alongside shorter cooking time we refer to as “afternoon prep” recipes.  ∞

∞ We will use the seasons as a guide in preparing our recipes and many of them will use vegetables grown in Jane’s Urban Garden in the city of Chicago. ∞

∞ We understand it’s practical to offer variations and alternative ingredients in recipes to allow flexibility and to encourage a healthy lifestyle.  Some will be “dressed up” for more formal occasions. ∞

∞ We will offer insight on how to create a more mindful approach to living. ∞

We want to inspire you to add a few of our recipes to your fall menu, and don’t be fooled into thinking your slow cooker is for the cooler months: we plan to share recipes during the entire year – they’ll be sweet and savory, to help keep the heat out of the kitchen whatever the season.

Master the Art of Slow Cooking next week with our adaptation of Julia Child’s Coq au Vin, a delicious chicken in red wine recipe. Click on the follow button located on the bottom right of your screen.

Cairns a footnote
Often created simply as directional markers pointing the way, cairns are also a symbol of the spirit of friendship and hope. Cairns make interesting focal points within a garden or along a wooded pathway. Stacked or balanced, cairns offer moments for reflection and inner balance in our hectic lifestyles.