Your Mealtime Savior. Photo by Carol Browne.
Has it hit you yet? Have you reached that point in the season where it’s just so d@#n cold that you don’t want to leave the house? Have you seen enough people and done enough holiday partying that you just want to curl up on the couch, be left alone and eat real meals instead of dips, chips, and hors’d’oeuvres? Then it’s time to haul out that slow cooker (aka Crock-Pot)! I know you have one. It’s hidden in that hard-to-reach cabinet above your refrigerator or under the stairs. It’s right next to your fondue pot, waffle iron and that punch bowl you inherited from your great aunt.
There is nothing better than throwing a few (or several) things into a big pot, turning it on and then going about your business. You forget you’re even cooking until that smell starts wafting through the house. You stop for a minute and say to yourself, “What IS that?” Then you remember and you smile, knowing a good meal is on its way and you haven’t really done anything. And don’t forget about the cleanup; one pot cooking equals one pot cleaning. Seriously, does it get better than that?
For the Beginner:
The Complete Slow Cooker: Packed with Recipes, Techniques and Tips
by Sara Lewis
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Slow Cooker Cooking
by Ellen Brown
If You Want to See Massive Amounts of Choices for Dishes:
Betty Crocker the Big Book of Slow Cooker, Casseroles & More
by Betty Crocker
1,001 Best Slow-Cooker Recipes: The Only Slow-Cooker Cookbook You’ll Ever Need
by Sue Spitler with Linda R. Yoakam
Fix-it and Forget-it Big Cookbook: 1400 Best Slow Cooker Recipes!
by Phyllis Pellman Good
Slow Cooking Is Ethnic:
The Indian Slow Cooker: 50 Healthy, Easy, Authentic Recipes
by Anupy Singla
The Italian Slow Cooker
by Michele Scicolone
Jewish Slow Cooker Recipes: 120 Holiday and Everyday Dishes Made Easy
by Laura Frankel
Slow Cooking from Around the Mediterranean
by Carolyn Humphries
It Can Be Healthy Too!:
Healthy Slow Cooking: More Flavor, Fewer Calories
by Editors of Woman’s Day
150 Slow Cooker Vegetarian Recipes: Delicious One-pot, No-fuss Recipes for Soups, Appetizers, Main Courses, Side Dishes, Desserts, Cakes, Preserves and Drinks
by Catherine Atkinson & Jenni Fleetwood
The Everything Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook
by Rachel Rappaport with B.E. Horton
It’s So Easy:
Pillsbury Fast Slow Cooker Cookbook: 15 Minute Prep and Your Slow Cooker Does the Rest!
by Pillsbury Editors
5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Recipes
Edited by Carrie E. Holcomb
And Inexpensive!:
The $7 a Meal Slow Cooker Cookbook: 301 Inexpensive Meals the Whole Family Will Love!
by Linda Larsen
Slow Cooker: 365 Appetizing & Affordable Meals Your Family Will Love
by Margaret Kaeter
Cook Once Eat Twice: Slow Cooker Recipes : Meal 1 Tonight, Meal 2 Tomorrow
Edited by Carrie E. Holcomb
Slow Cooking Is Not Just for Winter:
Slow Cooking Through the Seasons
by Carolyn Humphries
365 Easy Slow Cooker Recipes: A Recipe for Every Day of the Year
by Nicole Phillips
And It Can Be Gourmet:
Art of the Slow Cooker: 80 Exciting New Recipes
by Andrew Schloss
The Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker: Simple and Sophisticated Meals from Around the World
by Lynn Alley
So get out there…er, um…Stay in and cook!
-Melissa M
Eleventh Stack 