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Menu Plan Monday

November 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Hello all! As Thanksgiving approaches you may be focusing on the big meal and not much else! Or perhaps you’re traveling this year and will be letting someone else do the cooking. I am lucky in that each year we get together with family and I just have to make the pies and maybe a side! Here’s what’s on our menu this week:

Monday: Slow cooker Chicken & Dumplings (I added a bag of frozen mixed vegetables too)
Tuesday: Pad Thai and California Rolls (one of my kids’ favorite meals!)
Wednesday: Pizza Burgers (didn’t have it last week due to the construction going on–things did not go quite as planned so we called out for pizza instead!)
Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday: Leftovers (maybe a turkey panini?)
Saturday: Leftovers (maybe a repeat of Thursday–I love doing that!)
Sunday: TBA!

What’s on your menu? Happy cooking!

Filed Under: crock pot, easy dinner recipes, family meals, pad thai, slowcooker chicken and dumplings, slowcookers

Slowcooker Conversion Chart

July 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Have you ever had a much-loved recipe, say for a soup or roast, that you normally make on the stovetop or in the oven but wish you could throw into the slowcooker and come home to at the end of a long day? Obviously you can’t just cook it the same amount of time as you normally would but how do you know how long to cook it for with out over cooking it? Check out this handy slowcooker conversion chart to help you out! Print it out, put it in your Meal Planning Binder and you’re good to go on having dinner waiting for you and ready to eat when you are!

Happy cooking!

Filed Under: crock pot, crockpots, dinner ideas, easy cooking, easy dinner recipes, family meals, freezer cooking, healthy meals, meal planning, meal plans, quick recipes, slow cooker, slowcookers

Don’t Forget Your Kitchen Assistants

February 10, 2009 By 1 Comment

Pssst….I have a little secret for you. Lots of you have a kitchen assistant hiding in your kitchen. No, I’m not talking about an imaginary little cooking gnome or anything, I’m talking about your slow cooker! But how many of you are actually using it? Many people tell me “Oh yeah, I got one of those when we got married” or “My mom gave me hers when I got my own place.” But the comment usually following that is “…but I haven’t used it in years!”

Whether you’re using yours regularly or need to dust yours off, it’s time to put it into service and save yourself time and effort in the kitchen! What I love about slow cookers is that you generally prepare your meal in the morning at the start of your day (or better yet, do some of the prep the night before), turn it on and walk away. When the evening rush rolls in, you can relax and know that dinner is done and all you need to do is dish it up and maybe add a side! Easy!

Already using your slow cooker but need some more variety? The cookbook review I did last week will help you get started. Or you can do a search online for thousands of recipe ideas. I found a few good looking sites like Slow And Simple, or CDKitchen or Crockpot.com.

You will find that your slowcooker can come in handy for so much more than just main dishes or soups and stews–how about appetizers, breakfasts or desserts? The possibilities are limitless. I know I plan to use mine a bit more to branch out to some of these extras. Let us know your favorite way to use your slow cooker and we can help each other!

As always, happy cooking!

Hungry for more?
Check out this post for another slowcooker cookbook review.

Filed Under: crock pot, crockpot, crockpots, easy dinner recipes, make ahead meals, slow cooker, slowcookers

Rival Crock-Pot: 3 Books in 1 {Cookbook Review}

November 19, 2008 By 1 Comment

I really didn’t need another slowcooker cookbook but this one really caught my eye when I was in the checkout line at a local store (randomly it was a local home decor store!)

What I love about it is that it’s really three books in one. The pictures are beautiful and there’s a picture for every recipe (I favor the books with pictures). The only downside is that it is spiral bound and it is actually a bit tight to open and turn the pages but I imagine with more use that will improve.

The first section is Slow Cooker Favorites and includes sections like Mexican or Italian cuisine, Chilis and BBQ or American Classics like pot roast or jambalaya. The second section is Winning Slow Cooker Recipes and sections like Slow Cooker Convenience, Easy Entertaining, Family Fare or Home Chef (gourmet meals that are easy to prepare). How about some chicken cacciatore, hot beef sandwiches au jus, fiery southwestern enchildas. The last section is Slow Cooker Recipes for All Occasions. This section includes several side dish or dessert options like breakfast berry bread pudding, stuffed chicken breasts, pizza fondue or bananas foster.

Imagine coming home from a long day of work or shopping during the holidays, walking in the door and smelling dinner already done! Yummy!

TIP: Assemble the ingredients the night before and put them all together in the refrigerator so all you need to do is dump everthing in, turn on your slowcooker and go.

Let me know what you love about the slowcooker and happy cooking!

Filed Under: Cookbook Reviews, crock pot, crockpot, easy cooking, easy dinner recipes, make ahead meals, slow cooker

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