The Legacy of Dwayne's Crock Pot

Dwayne and I were not good friends, but I knew him. His mother Rusty and I worked together for about five years, and anyone who knows her knows if she loves you, you're part of her family. And she looks out for her family.

Dwayne was kind to me. Rusty and I were running a tiny nonprofit with a budget of basically nothing. When we needed him, Dwayne would install shelving, screw in screws, and fill in at fundraising events. He was a fixture at our annual crab feast. When I rearranged my office and needed an extra piece of furniture, Rusty sent Dwayne to Goodwill to pick up a little table and spray paint it blue. He never asked to be paid... he just did it. When I left the company in 2013, I took that table with me... and I still have it.

Dwayne was an Army veteran with PTSD. He did so much for others, and then it seemed like when it came to his own problems, there was limited help available to him. His family supported him in whatever way they could, but the infrastructure here in Delaware wasn't right for his needs. In the end, it was the system that failed him. Tragically, he passed away in 2014.

Dwayne's death was a shock to his family and friends, but his funeral was beautiful, and it was hosted by his brother's church. Representatives of the armed forces were there to help us say goodbye. We were there to support Rusty and her family, and she appreciated it. The church was full - she'd have it no other way.

After the funeral we asked how we could help, and Rusty asked us to go to his home to help empty his trailer. Physically, it was not difficult, but emotionally, it was a very hard thing to do.

It was then that Rusty gave me Dwayne's crock pot.

You see, Dwayne was an excellent cook. In fact, when Mr. Fussypants and I were helping clean out his home, his neighbor came over to tell how Dwayne always "kept her fed" with his delicious recipes. He lived alone, but he always cooked for twenty. He would make a huge pot of spaghetti and give most of it away to his neighbors. And Dwayne was famous for his meatballs. It was a simple recipe, really, but one that most people raved about.

So then I had a crock pot - and a legacy to uphold.

Truth be told, I have always been terrified of cooking in a crock pot. It seemed too easy, to be honest with you. "You just put the stuff in and turn it on, and stir it once in a while? That makes no sense!" Well, yes it does, Esther, you're just afraid to try it. I had considered buying a crock pot for a while, but all of them had too many buttons or settings. I'll burn down the house, I thought.

After I inherited Dwayne's crock pot, there was no reason not to try some crock pot recipes. I mean, the hard work was done - choosing a crock pot was no long an issue. And his crock pot had four settings: High, Low, Warm, and Off. Easy shmeasy, right?

I started off with chili and a few other super simple recipes that were - I thought - idiot proof. I followed every recipe to the letter. Although I had been a seasoned cook up until that point, I didn't trust the slow-cooking process. It took time.

Whenever I cooked with the crock pot, I posted photos of recipes on my social media and tagged Dwayne's family in every post. With each recipe, I began to get better at using the crock pot. I like to think that Dwayne is giving me a little help from up above each time I try something new.

I usually use the crock pot once every week or so, and I'll post complete recipes and pictures of the food I make. I hope you'll follow along with me as I explore the art of slow cooking and in the meantime, remember Dwayne's talents for creating yummy food and caring for others.