Make It Fast, Cook It Slow {Cookbook Review}

I found this book by chance at the library a few weeks ago in their new book section and wow, was I glad I did! Written by author Stephanie O’Dea, the book is a compilation of tons of recipes from her popular blog, Crockpot365.com where she chronicled her year’s worth of cooking from the crockpot EVERY DAY.

Of note, ALL the recipes in this cookbook are gluten-free…an added bonus for those that have that concern but for those that don’t the recipes are still simply delicious!

What I loved about this book is that it opened my eyes to the many possiblities that my slowcooker could provide besides just using it for making soups or roasts. The first part of the book explains the benefits of slowcooking and also how to choose a slowcooker for your own needs. The majority of recipes have O’Dea’s notes about the success of the recipe as well and it’s family, kid or company-friendly appeal–a real bonus to me! I want to know WHY a recipe is good and that it might have the same appeal for my family.

Beverages, Appetizers and Breakfasts start off the book with yummy sounding selections like Gingerbread Latte, Chicken Nachos, Apple Oatmeal, Granola and even Pancakes (yes, pancakes!). I’m curious to try the homemade yogurt recipe too!

Next up is baking in the slowcooker with things like Blueberry Coffee Cake or Peanut Butter Brownies. Especially intriguing to me is side dish recipe. Veggie sides at dinner time are my downfall….I plan to try a few of these to make rounding out my meal a bit easier. How about Broccoli Casserole, Ranch Vegetables or Garlic Baked Potatoes? Yum! The bulk of the book is main dish meals…so many delicious choices here…I made the Rotisserie Chicken Broth into noodle soup and my family delcared it some of the best soup they’d ever had (and went back for seconds!) There are just too many delicious sounding recipes here to mention all I want to try–you just need to check it out!

Don’t forget Snacks, Fondue and Desserts. How about making some Chex Party Mix or Rice Crispie Treats in your slowcooker? Yep, you can! Or Cherries Jubliee, Blueberry Buckle or Creme Brulee. Lastly, O’Dea’s even included some “extras” that you can make in your slowcooker–like Crayons, glycerin Soap or Playdough!

I can’t say enough about how many terrific recipes there are in this book–check it out and you may find yourself slowcooking every day yourself sometime soon!