Review: Slow Cooker Magic

Summary: The beloved Fix-It and Forget-It series has sold nearly 11 million copies, giving home cooks around the world exactly what they crave—recipes for delicious, satisfying meals that anyone can make with simple ingredients and minimal preparation time. Who doesn’t love being able to serve their family a wholesome dinner (and dessert!) without spending hours in the kitchen—or a fortune on groceries? Now, New York Times bestselling author Phyllis Good presents a collection that gives cooks even more!

Featuring 600 new, mouthwatering recipes, cooks will be amazed at the “magic” their slow cookers can perform. In addition to delicious soups, stews, and chilis, cooks will also find pizza, cheesecake, bar cookies, quick breads, and dozens of other surprising treats!

There are reasons why the Fix-It and Forget-It series is so popular, and this latest book is no exception.

Each page is packed with easy-to-follow, carefully tested recipes.
No one has enough time these days—with a slow cooker, anyone can prepare a fantastic meal in minutes!
The recipes use ingredients most people already have in their cupboards—no searching high and low for exotic foods that will break the bank.

With 16 pages of full-color photographs and a price that’s tough to beat, this is destined to become a staple on home cooks’ shelves everywhere. -- Good Books

Like many busy families, we have a hard time eating dinner together on school nights. Wednesdays are particularly difficult because my husband travels to Delaware, my son has karate, and my daughter has dance. None of us eat at the same time so a "together" dinner is impossible! Eating out is even difficult given the timing. I decided that the best solution would be to make Wednesdays our crockpot dinner night. Everyone can just get their dinner as they get home!

The problem is my family isn't big on slow cooker meals. It's the rare meal outside of pulled pork or ribs that they will eat. But I was determined to find a some crockpot dinners that everyone would enjoy. And that's where FIX-IT AND FORGET-IT SLOW COOKER MAGIC: 550 AMAZING EVERYDAY RECIPES by Phyllis Good came into play!

SLOW COOKER MAGIC is a wonderful cookbook consisting of 550 slow cooker recipes. Ms. Good compiles recipes from her legions of fans and tested by a select group of home cooks known as “Team Fix-It." As a result, there is a huge variety of recipes in here. I can guarantee that there is something for everyone.

The cookbook has tons of recipes which overall is good although it does mean that there aren't a ton of color pictures. It is divided into the following chapters -- Appetizers, Snacks, Spreads, and Beverages; Breakfasts and Breads; Soups, Stews, and Chilis; Main Dishes (Chicken and Turkey; Beef; Pork; Pasta, Grain Meatless, and Seafood); Vegetables and Side Dishes; Sweets and Desserts; and Everyday From-Scratch Basics. The cookbook also include an index and a "Quick and Easy" Recipe index along with hints for using the cookbook and your slow cooker.

What I loved the most about this cookbook is the variety of recipes. There are recipes from many different ethnicities as well as good old American comfort food. There are also tons of soups, main dishes, appetizers, and even desserts. It's a tad bit overwhelming when you realize how much you can do with your slow cooker. I honestly think you could cook for months with just recipes from this cookbook!

Even given my son's food allergies, I was able to find many recipes to try. Last night, I made the Mexican Chicken Bake. I liked that it was super quick to prepare and pretty healthy. Basically, you take brown rice, canned tomatoes, corn, canned black beans, boneless chicken thighs, and spices and let it cook for 4 hours. The last hour you add peppers and right before serving, you cut the chicken into pieces and add cheese. My daughter and I really liked it and my husband said it was okay (that's the best I'm going to get from a crockpot recipe!) Even though the recipe included a little bit of rice, I knew my family would prefer more, so I ended up making a batch of brown rice. It still ended up being a really quick and healthy dinner.

I definitely intend to use SLOW COOKER MAGIC for my Wednesday night meals! With 550 recipes, it should keep us in dinners for many weeks to come! If you need quick crockpot meals, then I highly recommend SLOW COOKER MAGIC.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.

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