Linda Larsen - The $7 a Meal Slow Cooker Cookbook

Copyright 2009 by F+W Media, Inc.
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This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews. Contains material adapted and abridged from The Everything Meals on a Budget Cookbook by Linda Larsen, copyright 2008 by F+W Publications, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-59869-508-8, ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-508-3; The Everything Slow Cooker Cookbook by Margaret Kaeter, copyright 2002 by F+W Publications, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-58062-667-X, ISBN 13: 978-1-58062-667-5; The Everything Slow Cooking for a Crowd Cookbook by Katie Thompson, copyright 2005 by F+W Publications, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-59337-391-0, ISBN 13: 978-1-59337-391-7; The Everything Quick and Easy 30-Minute, 5-Ingredient Cookbook by Linda Larsen, copyright 2006 by F+W Publications, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-59337-692-8, ISBN 13: 978-1-59337-692-5; The Everything Tex-Mex Cookbook by Linda Larsen, copyright 2006 by F+W Publications, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-59337-580-8, ISBN 13: 978-1-59337-580-5; The Everything No Trans Fat Cookbook by Linda Larsen, copyright 2007 by F+W Publications, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-59869-533-9, ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-533-5; The Everything Low Cholesterol Cookbook by Linda Larsen, copyright 2008 by F+W Publications, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-59869-401-4, ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-401-7; The Everything Meals for a Month Cookbook by Linda Larsen, copyright 2005 by F+W Publications, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-59337-323-6, ISBN 13: 978-1-59337-323-8; and The About.com Guide to Shortcut Cooking by Linda Larsen, copyright 2007 by F+W Publications, Inc., ISBN 10: 1-59869-273-9, ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-273-0. Published by
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For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.CONTENTSINTRODUCTION The slow cooker is really a wonderful appliance. Get in the habit of using it and you will save money and time.

Just add food to the slow cooker and turn it on, and several hours later youll come back to perfectly prepared breakfast, lunch, or dinner. However, there is one common complaint about this appliance: all the foods cooked in it tend to taste the same. Thats not the case with these recipes. Youll learn how to make sandwich fillings, cold salads, breakfast stratas, and delicious desserts in your slow cooker, along with the traditional roasts, stews, and soups. As always, to cook successfully on a budget, you must follow a few rules. Starting to cook at home, from scratch, is really the most important.

You will automatically spend less money when you buy simple foods and prepare them at home. Just think of all the people who have to make money in a restaurant: the owners, suppliers, cooks, wait staff, and cleaners. You are paying their salaries when you eat out. So of course that food is more expensive. Making and abiding by a grocery list is another important rule. Having a list in hand will keep you focused, and helps reduce all the temptation grocers build into their stores.

When youre comparing the prices of two kinds of onions, youll be less likely to think about the warm and gooey filled doughnuts beckoning you from the bakery. My first budget book, The Everything Meals on a Budget Book, included some slow cooker recipes, but not many. This book was a wonderful challenge to write, and these recipes really fit the way we live today. The price of every single food has risen dramatically since I wrote the first book, and theres really no end in sight. To survive, well have to change the way we eat, and that starts at home, in our kitchens. The cost for each recipe was figured using NutriBase Clinical Version 7.0.

To get the best representative cost for each ingredient, price lists at SimonDelivers.com, YourGrocery.com, and Peapod.com were used. Sale prices, discounts, and coupons were not included in the calculations, so you may find that prices in your area are higher or lower than those stated here. And dont worrythese recipes are delicious and inviting as well as being inexpensive to make. Get your whole family involved in preparing food, and youll be teaching them a valuable life skill, as well as taking care of them. CHAPTER 1
SLOW COOKING ON
A BUDGET Once considered a throwback to the 1960s, slow cookers have come into their own. A slow cooker is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to cook food.

They can turn inexpensive cuts of meat into a feast and they cook all day while you are busy with your life. You can control your budget, save time, and eat very well by using a slow cooker for every meal of the day. WHATS A SLOW COOKER? A slow cooker, or Crock-Pot, is a metal, electric appliance with its heat sources on the sides and bottom. A crockery or glass insert is usually used. The food heats up slowly and evenly from the consistent heat. Some appliances you may think are a slow cooker actually are not.

Those appliances just heat from the bottom: they are not considered true slow cookers. The slow cooker uses consistent, low heat to cook food through conduction. On low, the temperature is around 180F, and on high, the temperature is about 280F. These temperatures are high enough to get the food past the danger zone of 40F to 140F and cook the food thoroughly, but keep it moist and tender. When you buy a slow cooker, look for one with a removable liner. This makes cleaning the slow cooker much easier.

The liner is usually made of stoneware or ceramic material, and is thick and heavy to trap and conduct heat. Types of Slow Cookers Today, you can find slow cookers in just about every shape and size. Tiny 1-cup slow cookers are great for making dips, compotes, and sauces. Slow cookers with a 2-cup capacity are ideal for appetizers and for two-person households. The most common slow cookers hold 3 to 4-quarts, and feed families of 46 easily. And then there are the giants: 7-quart slow cookers to serve a crowd.

SLOW COOKER CAPACITY