Way Past Midnight Musings - Crockpot Beer Brats

January 17, 2015 - Here it is 3:36 AM, and I cannot sleep.  Instead, I am in the kitchen, slicing onions and peppers and opening a package of Johnsonville beer bratwurst.  I am wide awake, and indeed it is my own fault.  I should known better than to skip the Melatonin, to stay glued to my iPad, to read the news, to listen to music, all when my body and mind need so desperately to unwind.

Crockpot Beer Brats

1 large onion, halved and sliced lengthwise

1/2 each of red, yellow, and green bell peppers, sliced lengthwise

1 package of Johnsonville Beer Bratwurst, each brat cut on a long diagonal into 4 slices

1 - 15 oz. can German potato salad

2 tablespoons each white vinegar and water

sugar, kosher salt, black pepper

parsley flakes

Add the onion, peppers, and bratwurst to a 4 quart crockpot.  Add the German potato salad.  To the can, add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and pepper.  Swish the liquid inside the can to catch any remaining sauce. Pour this into the crockpot.  Sprinkle parsley flakes over the top.  Cover and cook on low until 10:00 AM, or approximately 6 hours.  Stir well and season to taste with salt and pepper.

This is a crockpot version of a super easy recipe I've been making on top of the stove for at least 30 years.  I guess I'll find out sometime tomorrow if this version works.

IT WORKED!!

For the most part, the potatoes broke up and gently melted into the sauce, which is what I was hoping for.  I think I would love this dish over my homemade spaetzle.  That's a tomorrow task, along with the chicken. Tonight we eat out.  Whoo hoo.

And now from the Feeling Sorry For Myself Department: For all my positive talk about the advantages of getting older, I live in (sometimes) silent fear of the side effects.  Whatever the direct cause - menopause, fibro fog, the early glimmerings of inevitable senile dementia, or even my worst nightmare, Alzheimer's - my mind just ain't what it used to be.  My memory, my cognitive abilities, my mental energy, all of these seem to me to be ever-so-slightly impaired.  I am half the woman I used to be, and I'm not just talking about my weight.  I find certain tasks more difficult to complete, especially in a timely manner and I don't like that.

So I guess all that stuff about getting older being a liberating experience is just so much false bravado.  Sure, I like getting senior discounts when I'm booking cruises and hotel rooms, but that's hardly a fair trade off for aging brain cells.

Or maybe this is all just the damn fibromyalgia playing with my emotions.