Crockery Cookery

I ordered crockery cookery by Mabel Hoffman and received better homes and gardens cook book. Very disappointed to receive wrong book.

Nourishing, mostly gourmet slow-cooker recipes and a few new tricks for your crock pot. You never knew your crock pot could be so handy! "Everybody" knows that slow cookers are good for pot roasts and chili con carne. But did you know that your slow cooker could produce chocolate cake, chicken and dumplings, and rice pudding? I didn't, either. The wonder of it is, your crock pot can make all these wonderful dishes and many more with less prep time and inconvenience than the traditional versions in most cases. Mable Hoffman's Crockery Cookery is just what I needed to dust off my slow cooker and get started with the rest of my life.Regarded by many as The Standard for crock pot cooking, this revised and updated recipe book has all of the basic favorites and quite a few more sophisticated dishes. To date I have only tried 13 in all, a mere fraction; and a few standouts like Flank Steak in Mushroom Wine Sauce and the Nostalgic Chicken and Herbed Dumplings, have made this purchase totally worthwhile. I would have stopped at entrees, but no - there are also some great soups, vegetable side dishes, party appetizers and desserts. Yes, you can bake cakes and breads in crock pots that have at least 4 and ½ quarts capacity, but be warned that they do come out on the soft side, without that top crust. I found the banana bread pleasant enough, however. The real surprise for me was in how perfectly suited my crock pot was for steamed pudding recipes. Bread pudding is a natural here. But get ready for a heavenly Grandma's Rice Pudding - light, fluffy, just the right amount of sweetness and no more. The best I have ever tasted, bar none.I should hasten to add that Mable Hoffman puts an emphasis on preparing recipes from fresh, wholesome ingredients, and very few of them involve opening cans. You will end up with nutritious, lower-than-average-salt dishes that will take a little more prep time than frozen dinners, but greet you with a delightful aroma when you walk in after a hard day's work. Most of the recipes are even thrifty when compared to a fast food diet. I don't remember how I ever managed to cook for my family 6 days a week before I discovered this cookbook!My only complaint is that I have used mine so much in the last 4 months that a few pages escaped from the softcover binding. No problem: I am getting my copy spiral bound at a local copy center. I intend to keep this one around for many years to come.-Andrea, aka Merribelle

Do not let the fact this is about crock pot cooking dissuade you from buying the book since it is a book I believe anyone with a busy life who also values good food should own. And its been updated and has even more recipes which is why I bought new copies for myself, my daughter in law and two running friends.We are an active family who is physically active and into being fit and healthy. But we love good tasting and healthy food and the recipes in this book are wonderful. The Spicey Brisket over Noodles recipe has become a favorite of my husbands. I like the California Tamale Pie, and the Stuffed Flank Steak with Currant Wine Sauce and the Slow Cooker Cassoulet.And the breads and cakes section is great. Some people don't know you can cook desserts in a crock pot. The Carrot Coffee Cake, Persimmon Pudding, and Date Nut Loaf are favorites.Crock pot cooking is something love to do year round. In summer it keeps the kitchen cool and in winter provides good hearty dinners on cold nights. The ingredients are available at most larger grocery stores. The desserts take an average of 3 hrs while the main courses are between 6-8 hrs. Use a plug in timer so that you can start the cooker at 7 or 8 AM and have it shut off. The crock pot will stay warm so all you have to do is reheat the food in a mircrowave or by turning the crock pot on for an hour after you get home.

I am a homeschool mother of four children. With all I have to do during any given day, I found spending two hours in the kitchen every evening was wearing on me. I'm not the type to give my family chicken nuggets and french fries all the time. My crockpot had always been a seldom used item in my cupboard. Since childhood, I had only known one recipe: meat, carrots, celery, onion, potato, cr. of mushroom soup. Not a bad recipe but if it's the only one you ever use, it does get old. I felt all crockpot food had one flavor. Enter this cookbook! Since I purchased it in January, I have used it non stop Monday through Friday during our week. On weekends, sometimes, I go back to regular cooking. The recipes in this book are so good, my family doesn't mind them every night. We can't tell the difference from oven or stovetop cooked food.In most cases it's actually better and that's saying alot as I enjoy cooking and don't do half bad. Many of the recipes do call for wine. That has never bothered me as my parents cooked with wine on occassion. The alchohol does cook off leaving only great flavor,no alchohol taste.But I add this because I know the use of alchohol in any way will offend some and you should know ahead of time. These recipes come out tasting like meals from a fine dining restaraunt. We rarely ever feel any desire to eat out anymore. Not when at four or five o'clock in the evening, instead of feeling like I don't want to cook tonight, I'm smelling wonderful aromas instead. Now, instead of being closed up in the kitchen , away from my family, I am relaxing in the living room with them.Dinner's almost ready and now all we need to do is set the table and eat! Now, if only someone would invent dishes that wash themselves!

I enjoy my crockpot. The easiest way to cook a dinner! I can't say enough about how wonderful crockpot cooking is. This book is the main reason I love my crock pot. The recipes are easy, use on hand ingredients, and the results are wonderful. I particularly like the stuffed chicken recipe that is in this book. However, every one I have tried has been a success. I also like the fact that she includes breads, desserts, and beverages. These are things that many crockpot cook books leave out. If you have a crockpot and are not sure what do cook with it, consider buying this book. IF you use your crockpot and are looking for new recipes, this is the book to get.

So many people think "the only thing you can make in a crockpot is stew" or "everything I make in my crockpot tastes the same". Obviously, they haven't read this book! From Kowloon Chicken to Steamed Chocolate Dessert, it all tastes different and it all tastes good. Before I got my copy, I had no idea you could bake bread in a crockpot. Hoffman has over a dozen breads and cakes, which, of course, inspired me to get creative and substitute ingredients to make hundreds more varieties. In fact, the idea of having Mulled Cider to go with the beef stew at a Super Bowl party inspired me to buy a second crockpot so that we could do just that. If you've never owned a crockpot, have this book on hand when you bring your first one home and you'll be an instant convert. If you already own a crockpot, Hoffman will give you hundreds of new ideas for tasty dishes to supplement your old favorites. A crockpot, and this book, are a working woman's best friends.