This is my kind of cookbook! The secret, according to Cheryl Moeller, is
to use two slow cookers to prepare an entire meal. The book is laid out into
meal category types: Breakfast; Passport to the Nations; Simple Meals;
Vegetarian; Parties/Barbecues/Gatherings; and so forth. I found the categories
somewhat arbitrary, and simply leafed through to find interesting recipes for
my family. There were many to choose from.
Each entree gives two slow-cooker recipes, so
for example, you can make French Countryside Soup along with Salmon on Gingered
Carrots, or Swedish Meatballs with Gravy along with Savory Mashed Potatoes, or
even Brownies in a Mug with Grapefruit Chicken. (I was skeptical of the
grapefruit chicken but was so curious I had to try it, and it's fabulous!).
These recipes are easy to make: you just dump
the ingredients into the cookers, then turn them on for a few hours. Some of
the meals require cooking for only 3-4 hours so for these you will need to be
at home to manage or use the timer. Most recipes especially for main dishes
require longer cook times. The food preparation for these meals is minimal --
you may have to chop a few vegetables, or cut up meat, but you don't have to
worry with sauteing or other pre-cooking strategies. At the end all you have to
do is lift the lid, perhaps prepare a quick sauce or two, then serve.
What I liked about this book: The trick of
using two cookers is genius. This allows you to move beyond pot roast to
prepare some sophisticated and interesting meal combinations. The recipes in
here are simple and the few that I've tried are sometimes unexpected but have
all been good. The author includes a nice variety of dinner personalities. This
slow-cooking method allows food preparation with minimal time demands, and thus
is helpful for busy people (aren't we all) and those with jobs who don't want
to put in another hour preparing a meal as soon as they come home.
What I didn't like about this book: serving
sizes are neglected. You can estimate how many people could eat a dinner from
the amount of ingredients, but occasionally there was less meal satiety than I
was counting on. Since the cookers can only be filled so high, if you have
hungry boys or a large family you may need to get THREE cookers to double the
main course. For my family of four it was fine, with leftovers usually
available for snacks.
Overall, this is a great book to help a busy
person easily prepare home-cooked dinners and other foods with little time
investment. The recipes are practical, not gourmet, and use easily-available ingredients.
A cook could use this slow cooker method several nights a week without a sense
of repetition or meal fatigue.
I'm grateful to Harvest House Publishers for
giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. I really like
this book!
- Amy Deardon, Amazon.com
Creative Slow-Cooker Meals by Cheryl Moeller
takes a little different approach than other slow-cooker cookbooks I've used.
The meal plans are designed for use with two slow-cookers. I was initially
leary of having to use two cookers, but quickly realized that using two was not
really necessary. Each meal plan is actually two recipes and it is perfectly
acceptable to just make one of the recipes.
One of my favorite things about this
particular slow-cooker book is that the majority of the recipes are on the
simple side. There are some complex recipes that require technique, but for
someone with basic, not professional, cooking skills (like me), these recipes
are perfect. Despite the simple recipes, the meals I tried tasted great. The
first meal I made was the Salsa Chicken on page 44. The flavor was delicious,
though it did have quite a bite. I've already picked out more recipes to try
once I make a trip to the grocery store.
Other things to love about this cookbook
include:
The basic slow-cooker cooking tips.
Chapters of recipes for specialized diets:
Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-free, Gluten-free.
The only complaint I had was really very minor
and it was that some of the recipes seem better suited to the oven than the
crock-pot. For example: Little Piggies in a Blanket. Why would I cook it in the
slow-cooker for 1.5 to 2 hours when I can make it much more quickly in the
oven? One of the main reasons I use slow-cookers is because the recipes
generally require longer (minimum of four hours) and can cook while I'm away at
work. Again, that is a very minor complaint and I definitely recommend Creative
Slow-Cooker Meals by Cheryl Moeller as a great resource for anyone who loves to
use the slow-cooker.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received
this book free from the publisher as part of FIRST Wild Card Tours. I was not
required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR,
Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in
Advertising."
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