My new favorite cookbook- Make it Fast, Cook it Slow

My new favorite cookbook- I just ordered it from Amazon- Make it Fast, Cook it Slow by Stephanie O'Dea. This woman had a new year's resolution to cook in her crockpot every day for a year- WOW. Needless to say, she made a lot of meals and has a BIG cookbook. She also made a lot of interesting things in her crockpot like corn on the cob and lattes and SHRINKY DINKS.

crockpot365.blogspot.com

Her blog is fun (and has all her recipes on it)- and her cookbook is fantastic. I followed her blog while she was writing it. I like having things in print though so I ordered her book.

I have so many dishes that I want to try. We made a couple of dishes last night that were HITS with the kiddos: Applesauce Chicken and Quinoa Casserole (without the tomatoes, feta and spinach- which sort of makes it just a side dish and not really a casserole).

Lentil Soup Magnifique

1 3/4 cups dry lentils, rinsed
6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small zucchini chopped
1 large white potato chopped
1/4 cup dry sherry
salt and pepper to taste

sour cream and scallions for garnish

Rinse lentils in collander. In 3-4 quart crockpot, combine all ingredients (except garnishes). Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

This was excellent. It would very good with some chicken or sausage in it as well.

Chicken Delicious

6-8 chicken breast halves
lemon juice
salt to taste
pepper to taste
paprika to taste
10 3/4-oz. can cream of mushroom soup
10 3/4-oz. can of cream of celery soup
1/3 cup of dry sherry or white wine
grated parmesan cheese

Season chicken with lemon juice, salt, pepper and paprika. Place in 3-4 quart slow cooker. Combine soups and sherry in crockpot. Stir. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low. Serve over rice and sprinkle with cheese.

My kids LOVED this. Alex, my 6 year old, told me he wanted me to make this every night for 30 days. Enough said.

Mango Chutney Chicken Curry

6 chicken breast halves

1/2 onion, thinly sliced or chopped

1 medium red pepper, chopped

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 jar (9-10 ounces) mango chutney

1 cup fresh snap pea pods, strings removed

Combine chicken, onion and red pepper in 3 quart crockpot. In small bowl, mix 1/2 cup of water, cornstarch, curry powder, salt, pepper and chutney; pour into cooker and mix with chicken and vegetables. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-7 hours. Increase heat setting to high and stir in pea pods. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes longer until pea pods are crisp-tender. Meanwhile, cook rice as directed on package. Serve chicken over rice.

I used some red and orange pepper in this because I wanted to use them up. It was great. You should add more curry powder if you like it spicy. I like it with only a hint of spice- so this was just the right amount for me.

Everyone loved this dish- even the kids. WOW. Enjoy!

Chicken with Italian Sausage

10 to 16 ounces mild or hot Italian sausage
6 to 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can red beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tbsp dried parsley

Brown sausage, stirring to break up meat. Drain fat and put into 3-4 quart crockpot. Saute onions for 5 minutes or so to soften. Put onions, raw chicken, drained and rinsed beans, broth and spices into the crock pot. Cook 6 hours on low.

I cooked this with Jimmy Dean ground Italian Sausage. It was pretty good. We were all sick with a cold today, so it was great to have the wonderful smell around the house during the day. The spiced sausage flavors this dish, so you could try this with different kinds of sausage and wind up with different results.

I doubled this recipe and froze half in a big ziplock. I'll have to update and tell how it turns out after freezing.

My favorite crockpot cookbooks...

A friend recently asked what my favorite crockpot cookbook was. I really like cookbooks- BUT they need to have PICTURES. Otherwise, they don't inspire me enough... I want a picture for every recipe, or almost every recipe... These two fit the bill.

Cooking Light Slow Cooker

So-Easy Slow Cooker (Better Homes & Gardens)

I have made many recipes out of each and really enjoy both of these cookbooks!

Black Bean Soup

3 cans of black beans (undrained/ unrinsed)
1 can of Italian diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 cups of chicken broth
2 tbsp taco seasoning
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots (or whatever vegetables you need to use up)

Chop up vegetables with a food processor or blender. Combine vegetables with rest of ingredients in 3 quart crock pot. Stir. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6. Longer on a lower setting is better.

Before serving, put soup in blender, then back in the crock pot. Be careful, it is hot. Don't fill your blender too full like I did or else you will have hot soup spattering out the edges when you turn it on. Not fun. And yes, I did use a lid on my blender, but I filled it too full and hot soup came out the edges. Yikes.

This soup was very good- but I recommend Beano if beans bother your tummy. This is a lot, a lot of beans.