Title:	The Crock-Pot Ladies Big Book of Slow Cooker Dinners: More Than 300 Fabulous and Fuss-Free Recipes for Families on the Go
	Author:	Heidi Kennedy, Katie Handing, Sarah Ince
	Published:	January 15, 2019, Harvard Common Press
	No. of Pages:	328
	Cover Price:	$24.99, $14.99

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The popularity of the Instant Pot has made the good old fashioned slow cooker less popular, since most Instant Pots and other multi-cookers have slow cooker functions. Unfortunately, the slow cooker function on Instant pots and multi cookers seems to cook at a higher level which takes a bit of adjusting when you use the actual slow cooker function on them. However, Heidi Kennedy, Katie Handing, and Sarah Ince, the authors of the excellent cookbook The Crock-Pot Ladies Big Book of Slow Cooker Dinners: More Than 300 Fabulous and Fuss-Free Recipes for Families on the Go note that although they used regular slow cookers for their testing, the others are definitely suitable for preparing their recipes.

This cookbook caters to busy cooks who sometimes rely on convenience foods (i.e. frozen meatballs, commercial sauces and mixes), and want to make quick dinners. There are recipes for everyone, from singles to those with large families to empty nesters. The variety of dishes is excellent: appetizers, mains, soups and stews, vegetables, and desserts with influences from all over the globe. The different dishes sound appetizing, and there is enough variety that it’s easy to look for ingredients in the fridge and find something in the book to use it in.

There is a recipe for Bacon Au Gratin Cauliflower that is so good, it’s reason enough to purchase this cookbook. It’s also great using broccoli. Savory Zucchini Gratin was yummy, as well as Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Chicken (a new go-to favorite), and Cheesy Mexican Black Bean Taco Dip. Two luscious desserts include Lemony Lemon Spoon Cake and German Chocolate Spoon Cake, both starting with cake mixes to speed up preparation. The Classic Apple Crisp wasn’t a favorite, but with the addition of extra flour on the apples (too runny for us) and some flour added to the topping, it turned out delicious (personal preferences – nothing wrong with the recipes).

Heidi, Katie, and Sarah shame on you! There are only one or two photographs in each chapter. In this modern day, there is no excuse for not including pictures. Most of us are spoiled and want to see what we are cooking and what the dish should look like when it’s finished. Other than that, and the fact that a few recipes could use a bit of adjustment (due to altitude, personal taste, etc.) this is an excellent book. The recipes are written simply with good easy-to-understand instructions. Albeit the lack of pictures most cooks will find dozens of mouthwatering recipes to add to their queue, and will turn back time to rely on their slow cookers again. Highly recommended.


Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.