Feasting with your Slow Cooker
Ummmmm. So good, I don’t know where to start. This is another of my very favorite cookbooks, for two reasons:
First, I do SO love using my new crock pot slow cooker, and want to find a slow version of all those classics that my family has come to love. This book has quite a lot of them in it, so I spend less time searching for a recipe to swap out.
The second reason are the Mennonite authors, Phyllis Pellman Good and Dawn Ranck. They have written many other great Fix-it and Forget-it cookbooks, such as the diabetic and light version. I really enjoy their collaborations. Phyllis is also the author of The Best of Amish Cooking, which I own and treasure.
The book has a nice spiral binding, which helps it to lay flat during the cooking adventure. A wipe-clean cover is also handy for me, as I tend to splash and spill a bit too much. The main categories are quite typical, such as breakfast foods, soups ,stews, and chilis, main dishes, veg, dessert, and even beverages!
One of my very favorites to make on a weekend is the Bread Pudding recipe… It makes a lot, but my family loves it so much, it never last the day.
Bread Pudding
Makes 6 (if I were you, I’d double this one)
8 slices bread (raisin bread or Texas toast is especially good), cubed
4 eggs
2 c. milk
¼ c. sugar
¼ c. melted butter or margarine
½ c. raisins (use ¼ c. if using raisin bread)
½ t. cinnamon
Sauce:
2 t. butter or margarine
2 T. flour
1 c. water
¾ c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
1. Place bread cubes in greased slow cooker.
2. Beat together eggs, and milk. Stir in sugar, butter, raisins, and cinnamon. Pour over bread.
3. Cover and cook on high 1 hour. Reduce heat to Low and cook 3-4 hours, or until thermometer reaches 160 degrees.
4. Make sauce just before pudding is done baking. Begin by melting butter in saucepan. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add water, sugar, and vanilla. Bring to boil. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes, or until thickened.
5. Serve sauce over warm bread pudding.
One variation we like is to add in some canned or cooked peeled and sliced apples… I cheat and use inexpensive apple pie filling. Shhh.
As I get more familiar with slow cookers, I am finding that there are very few meals that don’t get a helping hand from the old crock cooker. This book contains a year’s worth of variety, and has something for everybody’s tastes. I recommend it highly, and found no negatives at all.Read full review
