Sunday, June 13, 2010

Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook (Revised and Updated)


I'm not going to lie. I like to cook. Sometimes I like to cook a lot. But I'm a little on the busy side. In case I haven't previously mentioned, I have four children, a house, and a job. Far too often 6:00 p.m. approaches and I wonder what we're having for dinner.

Now meet my old friend, Ye Olde Crock Potte.

It's just a regular old crock pot but I love her. Look at the way she is stained on the outside. That means she is well used.

FSB Media let me review Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook. They don't know it, but it made me so happy I skipped.

I happen to be addicted to easy.  Slow cookers epitomize easy. Did you know you can bake bread in slow cookers? Neither did I. 700 recipes of slow cooker meals from appetizers to desserts with bread, soups and casseroles in the middle. Desserts! I said DESSERTS!

The nice part about this book is that it includes a page debunking myths and another page discussing best use practices. For instance, for optimum cooking, fill slow cooker 2/3 full. I didn't know that. Chunky vegetables take longer to cook so place them at the bottom of pot to maximize heat. Every time you take the lid off your slow cooker, add 15 minutes to cooking time.

Most important myth that MUST be debunked (according to me): You can't overcook food in a slow cooker. The next person that says that to me will get slapped. If you've never overcooked a roast in a slow cooker, you just aren't trying hard enough.

Each recipe provides prep time, cooking time, and ideal size of slow cooker. Do you cook it on high or low? It's provided. Don't have all the ingredients? There's even a page for substitutions.

I really wish you could see me doing the happy dance.

2 comments:

CountessLaurie said...

YOU have the cutest crock pot ever!! My husband is a chef, so I don't cook much. However, when we were getting married, he refused to let me register for a crock pot, so my friend bought me one anyway. He uses it the most :-)

I'd love to learn to use it more. Especially the bread. That is way cool!

Thanks for the review!

Riahli said...

Awesome, I just started using my crock pot...but I don't have many recipes. It took me forever to even use it because I thought it was mainly for eating meat and we don't eat much of that around here. But I tried beans in it a while back and can't even imagine doing them any other way now, so yummy! Cooked to perfection. I'm going to have to check out this book!