I have published 6 books so far with 5 of them being crock pot recipes.  They are just little books but packed with great recipes.  I am giving away 5 copies of my kindle format book  15 Mexican Style Crock Pot Recipes to the first 5 people who reply to this post.  All I ask is that you do a quick review of the book on its Amazon page.  If you don't like Mexican food then you can could choose another one of the titles if you wish.

This is an opportunity to get free crock pot recipes to your Kindle, Kindle for PC or a Kindle Reading Ap for your Smartphone or iPad.

If you would like to participate in this giveaway then just click on the 'Leave your Comment' and make sure you put your correct email address so I can send it to you.  I will give you the link to the Amazon page where you can leave an honest review of the book.

OH here is a link to my Author's page -> Amazon Author - Pauline Harding to see all the titles.

Rice Pudding

Serve with stewed or canned fruit and ice cream.

This crock pot desserts recipe is so quick to cook so you can put it on in the later afternoon for that evenings meal.  If you are looking for other great recipes for winter warming dishes then try Amazon for The Ski House Cookbook: Warm Winter Dishes for Cold Weather Fun.

There is a little preparation with the browning of the leek and the lamb but then its a quick and easy recipe to make in the crock pot.  I make it on Saturday and there is enough to have again and I must admit that it is a soup that takes even better the next day.  Try it and see for yourself.

Lamb Shank and Butter Bean Soup

Brown the leek and garlic in the oil until it is transparent.  Add to the bottom of the crock pot.  Brown the lamb shanks then put them on top of the leek.  Add the tomatoes, stock and herbs.  Cover the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours.  After 1 hour add the celery and the sweet potato and stir through.  About 1/2 hour before the finish of the cooking time add the butter beans and the pepper.  Also lift out the lamb shanks and remove the meat from the bones and add back to the pot.

I hope you like this recipe and try it for yourself soon.  If you are looking for recipe ideas then why not look to Amazon.com as they have a great range.

Low Fat Orange Chicken Fillets

I hope you like this recipe as much as I do but if you are looking for a different chicken recipe you might like to try this previous post,  Looking for chicken recipes for the crock pot.

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.

Make the dishes you can make and where possible set the table or tables beforehand.  You don't want any stress on the day.  Clean the house thoroughly days before and quickly clean/dust/mop only if needed on the day.  Allow plenty of time to get yourself ready and dressed.   We sometimes forget ourselves.  I have been caught many a time still doing my hair when guests have arrived.  Get someone to help you set up the food and serve when ready.

Enjoy your celebration and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I started to adapt my own standard recipes to crock pot recipes and only looked at quality sites if I had to.  This worked for awhile but then I needed more, and got inspiration from my mother's recipes as well.  Slow cooker recipe eBooks also were not at a very good standard generally as I am sure most of the recipes were not tested and tried.  Printed cookbooks were superior by a long way.

I decided to set up this blog to give you quality, tested crock pot recipes and ideas and I am now in the process of writing my own eBook on cake and dessert crock pot recipes.  I found these recipes the hardest to find online so I decided to write this eBook.  I should be finished the book in the next month.

I have decided to give it away to my readers who are on my email list so if you haven't grabbed the soup recipe eBook featured to the right then do that soon.  You then will be on the list and you will be one of the first people to get the eBook when I release it.  It will only be available for my readers on that list.

I will keep you informed on the release date as it gets closer. Here's to more crock pot meals.

If you are looking for recipes today then go to my CROCK POT RECIPES here on the blog.

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.