Oh man. It’s here. Sock weather.

Not just socks… like, SOCKS.

As someone who has the debilitating condition known as “cold feet” ….this is when my poor husband can breathe a sigh of relief because it will be sock feet that find the top of his thigh at four in the morning– not my popsicle toes.

It’s also time for my favorite thing in the whole world: The Slow Cooker.

When I first moved in with Napkin, he had been gifted a slow cooker that he didn’t know what to do with. I had never really used one before– and being that I was new to town and had a lot of time on my hands decided to experiment with it. And here we are. My love affair with the crock pot in full bloom.

WHAT I ATE WEDNESDAY!

I am horrible at managing my time (#duh.jpg) so this is perfect as my schedule gets tighter and my days get shorter. I first found this recipe for Sausage and Saurkraut in Real Simple (February 2012) and put my thing down, flipped it and reversed it into being a vegetarian explosion-of-great-dinner-times.

I’ll show you how to make it!

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Bratwurst and Saurkraut

(serves four)

Ingredients:

1 LB small yukon gold potatoes

2 cups (one can) saurkraut, drained

1 small white onion chopped

1/2 cup veggie stock (This is flexible– but I highly recommend Imagine’s No Chicken Broth)

1/4 cup white wine

1 TSP caraway seeds

1 package Tofurky Italian Sausages

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut and quarter your potatoes and coarsely chop your onions.

Add them to your crock pot, and then add saurkraut and veggie broth.

Add white wine.

I’m using a little box of white wine by Vendange because I’ve always liked the way it tastes in food. I’ve read that if you wouldn’t drink it in a glass you shouldn’t use it in a recipe. And what’s great about this recipe is that you only need 1/4 of a cup so… you know…

Wahoo!

…Moving on.

Add your caraway seeds (Google Search them if you need to– I did too.)

Then add your salt (I never add any extra– I don’t think it needs it.) And a few good cranks of cracked black pepper. Chop up your sausages and mix everything well.  The spices in the veggie sausages will add SO much to this dish. Trust me.

Cover and cook on low for six to eight hours.

Go about your business! Take yourself shopping! Take a yoga class! Draw up your dream closet! Sit on your back porch! Because when it’s dinner time, you’ll come home, your house will smell amazing and your husband will be so happy that you slaved away in the kitchen ALL DAY.

You can serve this with pumpernickel toast and fresh parsley for a more authentic experience– but we had side salads and were totally satisfied.

Hope you enjoy it!