Review - Easy Everyday Slow Cooker Recipes

Courtesy of EasyEveryday Slow Cooker Recipes by Donna-Marie Pye, 2014 © www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission.

Easy Everyday Slow Cooker Recipies

by Donna-Marie Pye

Publisher: Robert Rose

Pub. Date: June 26, 2014

Price: $24.95

ISBN: 978-0778804833

Pages: 352

Buy Link: Amazon

Description:

Whether cooking for two or serving a crowd, this book makes easy work of creating delicious, soul-satisfying slow cooker meals.

In this gorgeous, full-color book with more than 80 photographs, there are 200 recipes to explore and experiment with, featuring the best of North American regional cuisine, as well as globally inspired dishes from cultures around the world.

Each recipe is created with convenience in mind with a good balance of those that require a few extra minutes of preparation versus others where all the ingredients can be added at once.

Most of the recipes serve from four to eight people and can be adapted to every slow cooker size. There are also many recipes that will suit any family from chapters such as Meals for Two and Big-Batch Dinners. With a bit of advance planning the inspiring recipes in Double-Duty Dinners will turn tonight's dinner into tomorrow's feast, simultaneously banishing that dreaded remark, "...That again?"


Billy's Thoughts:

If you did any Black Friday shopping, then you probably noticed that many department stores were selling cookbooks for $5 or less. At first glance these cookbooks might seem like they would make a great gift for Christmas, but most likely these cookbooks are marked down for a reason; either the books didn't sell well and the store has extra copies or the recipes featured in the books aren't that great. Anyway, these are two of the reasons why I wanted to feature a few cookbooks that I like in this year's Holiday Gift Guide.

Today, I'm featuring the Easy Everyday Slow Cooker Recipes by Donna-Marie Pye and published by Robert Rose. Lets face the facts, everyone is in a hurry these days and slow cookers come in handy, so any cookbook with new slow cooker recipes gets my attention.

With over 200 recipes, the author features some of the best North American cuisines as well as a few dishes that were inspired by other parts of the world. Some of my favorites featured in the cookbook are: Sheila's Mother's Coffee Pot Roast, Nationals Chili Dogs, Smokin' Mac and Cheese, Sweet Butter Chicken, Country Italian Beef Stew and Layered Cheese Ravioli Lasagna.

Country Italian Beef Stew, page 66, beef, international

Makes 6 to 8 servings

This stew features the wonderful flavors of the Mediterranean — fennel, basil and rosemary. Fennel has a distinctive mild licorice flavor, but even if you are not a licorice fan, you will enjoy the bold flavors of this beef stew.

Minimum 4-quart slow cooker

3 tbsp all-purpose flour 45 mL

1 tsp salt 5 mL

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided 5 mL

2 lbs stewing beef, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) 1 kg cubes

2 tbsp vegetable oil (approx.) 30 mL

6 tiny new potatoes, halved or quartered 6

2 parsnips, cut into 1- to 2-inch (2.5 to 5 cm) 2 pieces

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 1 1⁄2-inch (1 cm) wedges

1 cup chopped onion 250 mL

1 cup beef broth 250 mL

1⁄2 cup dry red wine 125 mL

1 can (71⁄2 oz/213 mL) pizza sauce 1

4 cloves garlic, minced 4

1 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled 5 mL

1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves 250 mL

In a heavy plastic bag, combine flour, salt and 1⁄2 tsp (2 mL) of the pepper. In batches, add beef to bag and toss to coat with flour mixture. Discard excess flour mixture.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat half the oil over medium-high heat. Cook beef in batches, adding more oil as needed, for 5 minutes or until browned all over. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to slow cooker stoneware. Stir in potatoes, parsnips, fennel and onion.

In a 2-cup (500 mL) measuring cup, combine broth, wine, pizza sauce, garlic, rosemary and the remaining pepper. Pour over beef mixture.

Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 4 to 5 hours, until bubbling. Just before serving, stir in spinach until wilted.

  Tip: Crush dried rosemary between your thumb and fingers before adding it to a dish. This helps release the full aromatic flavor of the herb.

Courtesy of Easy Everyday Slow Cooker Recipes by Donna-Marie Pye, 2014 © www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission.

It is nice to find a cookbook with recipes that have ingredients that I can find at my local Walmart (there is no grocery store in my town anymore). While I haven't had time to try every recipe, the ones I have tried tasted great. Overall, the Easy Everyday Slow Cooker Recipes is a wonderful cookbook to own and it would make a perfect gift this holiday season for a family member or friend.

*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. 

About the Author:

Donna-Marie Pye has sold more than 300,000 slow cooker cookbooks. She is a highly respected home economist, food writer and recipe developer and recently opened her own cooking school.