OK, you know by now I love my slow cooker and it saves me time cooking dinner at night because it has been already cooking during the day. But what if you really don't have the extra time to even prepare it properly or even if you just don't want to think about options and recipes?

This is when I get out the recipe base, one like McCormick has developed  for slow cookers.  I tried one called Country Chicken Casserole and I was very happy with the result.  A lovely meal but with very little preparation and fuss.

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I remember my mother teaching me to cook and the happy times I spent in the kitchen with her.  Easy cooking for kids doesn't have to be something you are going to spend all day on as kids get bored rather quickly.  Using your crock pot will mean they can get their cooking going and then watch it as it cooks.

Follow these 4 tips and your experience and theirs will be memorable:

1.  Use simple recipes and the kind of food they like to eat.

2.  Use easy to read step by step instructions.  Easy cooking for kids depends on this for success.

3. Try and keep the number of steps to a minimum with five being the most.  If the recipe is too complicated they will get bored and you will have to finish it all off.  Crock pot cooking is good in this respect as you often can get three step recipes or less.

4.  Select the ingredients and have them all together measure out ready to go. For example have chicken pieces already cut to the size you need for the recipe.  This is especially important if the children are young so you can avoid them using knives.

Crock pot cooking provides easy cooking for kids as it is relatively safe compared to the oven or stove top cooking methods.  Also these recipes are faily foolproof in the crock pot so they will have some good experiences cooking with you.

The good news too is that when you cook in your crock pot you won't end up with lots of washing up to do and this is good news for you and the kids.  If you are busy you can get older children to cook simple recipes in the slow cooker all by themselves and that can be a great help to you as well.

You can see that using the crock pot can provide a way for easy cooking for kids.  Pick easy step recipes and they will be rewarded with a great experience  lovely crock pot meals.  Don't forget you can also cook cakes and desserts in the crock pot and kids love these too.

You can get some great cookbooks for crock pot cooking at eBay.  Just click on this link to go there now!

Cooking at Christmas can be stressful.  I seem to spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking.  This year I am determined to prepare as much as I can beforehand so I am free to enjoy myself more.  Crock pot Christmas cooking makes life easier for you.  Also if you cook in your crock pot it frees up room in your oven for other cooking.  You can put your crock pot on in the morning and it cooking slowly during the day.  Cook the dessert in the crock pot and have the oven free for the main meal.

I have two size crock pots and the small one is good for cooking foods such as fondues and dips and even making gifts like chutneys and spiced nuts.  You can even make hot drinks such as cider in your crock pot.  Here is a recipe which I think you will enjoy for your Christmas cooking.

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You have a crowd coming for Christmas or the New Year and you are cooking for them.  How do you make sure this event is a success?

Do your homework!  What kind of foods do they like, what can you make, what can you buy, does anyone have food allergies and what is your budget are some of the questions you need to ask yourself.  Draft up a menu and don't forget snacks, bread and drinks.  Pin that up or put it on the fridge for a few days.  You will probably add or subtract to it in that time.

Now you need a grocery list for each dish on your menu.  Check your recipes so you don't forget anything.  Work out when you are going to buy everything.  Perishables will have to be left until last but other goods can be bought ahead and stored.  Work out how you are going to make all the food and which ones you will buy in.  Don't forget the crock pot recipes here as they can be made a day or two before your dinner/lunch.

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Many people say that it's best to cook in a crock pot during the winter months and they are probably right because most people use their slow cookers only for soups and stews.  A roast is also considered to be a winter dish but these meals are a convenience to those of us who work and like to come home to a cooked meal.

Well the crock pot slow cooker is your friend in summer as well.  You can cook breakfasts and still have your roasts and the advantages are that your kitchen wont get hot from the oven and you can still walk away from the cooking and come back to a lovely cooked crock pot meal.

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I love to go to Pot Luck Parties and family gatherings where I take along a dish I have made to contribute to the meal.  The crock pots that have a lock down lid and handles make it easy to move the crock pot meal to your destination.   Slow Cooker Liners are good too as you can tie the contents up and then replace the lid so you wont spill any of the contents.

You can also buy a Crock Pot Travel Bag and this helps with transporting the hot crock pot as well.  There are two sizes so check that your crock pot will fit before buying.  Have you ever dropped a dish while trying to carry it?    I did, and it was one of my favorites that couldn't be replaced so don't let his happen to you.

I love being with family and friends and the crock pot is a great boon for when I am asked to 'take a plate'.  No fuss cooking, a great crock pot meal and no fuss carrying as well.   Making and taking your crock pot meal also helps the hostess/host with one less dish to heat in the oven.  I know my oven would not take more than about 4 casserole size dishes.

Crock pot meals make good choices for when you need to supply a meal so take your crock pot with you.

I have a goal for 2009 and that is to lose some weight, but eating healthy and low-fat can be very difficult nowadays. We don't have time to cook and don't even have time to go to a good restaurant. The result of this is eating fast foods or snacks and putting on weight. The more unhealthy food we eat, the less good health we have and I have to watch my cholesterol as well these days. But it is possible to eat cook and eat healthy without spending lots of time by using low fat crock pot recipes in our crock pot slow cooker.

This year I am going to think about my health, and try cooking healthy and low-fat food with my crock pot.

A lot of crock pot recipes use canned food and other prepared mixes, but there are diet crock pot
recipes, that have low sodium and low fat ingredients that will make your food taste better with healthy choices. Use low fat crock pot recipes that have fresh ingredients where possible.  Also, trim skin and fat from all the meats you use for cooking, and try using fresh, instead of canned vegetables (when in season) for a healthy recipe alternative.

A few examples of low fat crock pot recipes that you can try:

Pork Roast with Vegetables
This a slow cooking recipe, which takes about 25-30 minutes to prepare. Includes boneless pork roast, vegetable oil, peeled sweet potatoes, acorn squash, apple butter, horseradish, corn and spices. The dish is cooked in the crock pot for about 7 to 9 hours until the pork and vegetables are tender and it tastes delicious.

Beef Stew in Crock Pot
Another diet crock pot recipe that has only five ingredients and only 20 minutes of preparation time is this one and you have a great low-fat and healthy dish ready to cook. Includes beef, potatoes, tomatoes,  peppers and onions, spices and salt. Cook on low in the crock pot for about 7-8 hours. Thicken with a little flour if needed.

Tender Chicken with Apples
One more of the low fat crock pot recipes that is prepared in 20-25 minutes and cooked about 7 hours on low. Combine orange juice, garlic, onion, chicken breasts, sliced apples, spices.

I will be posting some more low fat crock pot recipes in more detail in the next few weeks. These healthy recipes will help you stay in shape, and cooking with the low fat and diet crock pot recipes will save you time in the kitchen without sacrificing a healthy dinner.

For great recipes RIGHT NOW then buy a great COOKBOOK at AMAZON by Judith Finlayson called The Healthy Slow Cooker.

Cookbooks to convert

So, you have a new crock pot and you haven’t tried it out yet.  Now is the time to start.  Cooking in the crock pot is simple and easy but the meals are delicious. Buy a crock pot recipe book first so you get experienced with how the crock pot cooks, then you can learn to adapt your own recipes.  Converting regular recipes to crock pot recipes isn't very difficult at all if you just remember these few facts.

Soups and stews are the easiest recipes and are natural slow cooker favorites so try them first.  The crock pot doesn’t brown the meat so if you like the look and taste of brown meat then you need to quickly brown it first before adding it to the pot.  Also this helps with reducing any fat you may get from the meat as the fat makes the food cook faster.

You need to reduce the liquid in a traditional recipe as these don’t evaporate in cooking as in regular cooking so as a general rule halve the amount of liquid you need except when using rice and pasta.

I like to cook most stews and meats on low for around 8 hours as this allows the meat to tenderize and the vegetable to soften but if you making a large quantity I would cook on high for 3 hours then reduce to low for another 6 hours.  As a general rule if a recipe says to cook for 30 minutes then adjust that to 5 hours, 45 minutes to 6-7 hours and 1 hour plus to 8 – 10 hours.

Vegetables cook slower than meats so cut or dice them into small pieces and you can put them at the bottom of the crock pot too if the recipe method allows.  If the recipe includes milk or cheese then add them near the end and you should thicken your cooking around the same time.  Also use fresh herbs rather than dried when available.

Converting regular recipes to crock pot recipes isn't that difficult if you just remember the tips and ideas above.  If you are a new cook and don't have any favorite recipes to convert yet then I suggest you check out a book from Amazon called  Rival Crock-Pot Incredibly Easy Recipes (Incredibly Easy)

Now get your crock pot out and make something nice for dinner.

These are some of my tips for safe crock pot cooking.

dice your vegetables

DO thaw out your meat and chicken before cooking.  It will then cook evenly and thoroughly.

DONT overfill the crock pot.  Only use to 3/4 filled.

Meat cooks faster than vegetables so DO dice your vegetables, onions can be grated.  I chop my vegetables finely and I find they cook just right.   With potato and sweet potato chop into small chunks but not as finely as carrots for instance.

DONT leave food in the crock pot to cool down.  Put it in another sealed contained and refrigerate as soon as possible.  If you have a removable crock this is easier to do.

DO keep your ingredients refrigerated until you are ready to use them.  This applies especially to meats and fish.

DONT look into the crock pot as you lift the lid.  Escaping steam may burn you. Lifting the lid will also add more cooking time to your recipe.  If you have to see how things are cooking or to adjust flavors then do so quickly and with care.

DONT use red kidney beans from their raw state in the crock pot.  Soak and boil first or use the canned ones.

DO follow recommended cooking times and the manufacturer's instructions.

DONT reheat food in the crock pot.

If possible DO add hot liquids instead of cold

If you follow these tips then you will be cooking safely with your crock  pot .  I think that the most important rule above is the one about not overfilling the crock pot so please take note of that one in particular.