Jonnie Downing - Holiday Slow Cooker: A Year of Hassle-Free Celebrations

Jonnie Downing Ulysses Press To my precious daughter, Elizabeth Copyright text 2012 by Jonnie Downing. Copyright concept and design 2012 by Ulysses Press and its licensors. All Rights Reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic bulletin boards, and the Internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Published by:
Ulysses Press
P.O. Box 3440
Berkeley, CA 94703
www.ulyssespress.com ISBN: 978-1-61243-139-0
Library of Congress Catalog Number 2012940435 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Acquisitions editor: Kelly Reed
Managing editor: Claire Chun
Editor: Phyllis Elving
Proofreader: Lauren Harrison
Design and layout: what!design @ whatweb.com
Cover photographs: JudiSwinksPhotography.com
Interior photographs: see
Food stylist for featured recipes: Anna Hartman-Kenzler Distributed by Publishers Group West IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked brand of slow cookers or other products mentioned or pictured within is claimed or suggested.

All trademarks that appear in ingredient lists, photographs, and elsewhere in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The authors and publishers encourage readers to patronize the quality brands of slow cookers and other products mentioned and pictured in this book.

Slow cooking is a great way to cook a fabulous meal. You simply throw the right things in the slow cooker, set the temperature, and walk away. What comes out is almost always good. Slow cookers have been around since the 1970s, and they have been instrumental in taking the stress out of cooking letting busy families enjoy time together rather than having the cook stuck in the kitchen.

Holidays can be really hectic times, with family and friends visiting making them joyous times as well. So the last thing you want is to spend all day in the kitchen. Thats what your slow cooker is for. You can quickly prep classic holiday dishes and let the slow cooker work its magic. The slow cooker stays in the kitchen all day so that you dont have to. This book contains many traditional holiday meals as well as new dishes to liven up your celebrations.

These are fun and easy recipes, requiring minimal work and far less cleanup time than the average holiday dinner.

Odds are you already own a slow cooker. Maybe it was your first college gift, your first apartment gift, or maybe you got two or three when you got married. Either way, you either use it all the time or you dont. That doesnt matter. Its never too late to start using your slow cooker.

If you dont own a slow cooker, go get one! If youre flying solo or just have one other diner, a 3-to 4-quart slow cooker is a great choice, but not for most recipes in this book. While you can modify these dishes to fit a smaller slow cooker, all these recipes are based on a 6-quart slow cooker, which will make enough to feed a large family or provide plenty of yummy leftovers for freezing or sharing. And thats what holidays are all about. A few things you should know. One, you cant make everything in a slow cooker but you can make almost everything. Be it a main course, side dish, dessert, or snack mix, the slow cooker is a versatile and powerful kitchen tool.

Whether to buy a round or oval slow cooker is a matter of preference. Round is more versatile and much easier to clean. However, for large pieces of meat, an oval slow cooker is best. If youre serious about slow cooking, I recommend you get one of each. A slow cooker does just what it says it cooks things slow. Most slow cookers have three settings: high, low, and warm.

Most of the recipes in this book call for cooking on the low temperature, but pay close attention, because a few recipes call for cooking on high at first and then turning the temperature down to low. When in doubt, cook on low and cook for a long time. A slow cooker is a very forgiving appliance, but you still need to follow a few simple rules. Dont put any sort of plastic or paper in your slow cooker. Follow recipes generally to know cooking times so things arent over or underdone, but feel free to take some creative license. Have fun with it.

Thats what cooking is all about!

What better way to start out the year than with a New Years Day celebration? In American homes, the day is spent watching big football games, so Ive included delicious finger foods and heartier dishes sure to please even the rowdiest crowd of sports fans. With the end of winter comes two of the most fun holidays to celebrate, Mardi Gras and St. Patricks Day. When I think Mardi Gras, I think New Orleans, so Ive included recipes for spicy, down-home cuisine. Of course, for St. Pattys on March 17, its the traditional corned beef and cabbage.

During the Jewish observance of Passover in March/April, lamb is traditional for many families. That has carried over to the Christian celebration of Easter, with many people choosing lamb for Easter Sunday. Ham, though, is more common in the United States. Before refrigerators, pigs were slaughtered in the fall and the meat was cured to prevent spoiling. Curing takes time, so by Easter, the hams were ready.

Spring and summer are times of lighthearted fun.

Whether youre by the pool, at a vacation home, or in your own backyard, theres plenty to celebrate. Beginning with Cinco de Mayo, we commemorate the Mexican armys 1862 victory over the French, and Mexican heritage in general. The slow cooker is a natural for traditional Mexican fare. The month of May also brings us Mothers Day, often the occasion for a special brunch or tea. On Fathers Day in June, Dad may be manning the grill, but the rest is up to other family members. Vegetables are at their peak for this holiday, so Ive offered some great side dishes to accompany a tasty barbecue.

Although Turtle Soup was a popular delicacy in the early days of the U.S., nowadays we tend to celebrate Independence Day with a roast pig. Ten days later, French food is in order for Bastille day French National Day commemorating the storming of the Bastille in Paris on July 14, 1789.

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