Slow cooker fans love their devices because they are easy to use and allow home cooks to buy affordable cuts of meat that become fall-off-the-bone tender. The challenge is finding well-tested recipes, and that’s where best-selling author Stephanie O’Dea comes in, with her wildly popular website (crockpot365.blogspot.com) that attracts more than a million visitors a month. In addition, O’Dea has made numerous national morning show appearances, including on Good Morning America . Fans have been clamoring for a new cookbook, and this one ties directly to her website with 365 recipes. Every recipe is written with gluten-free options, so there is a large secondary audience for this book. Full-color photography will further entice slow cooker enthusiasts, making this a must-have collection.
STEPHANIE O’DEA is a New York Times best-selling author and award-winning blogger who has been featured on Rachael Ray and Good Morning America. Her websites garner over a million hits a month, and she currently has over 60,000 email subscribers.
Fall and Winter means the crock-pot gets used at least 2-3 times a week, so when I saw this book, I was immediately interested. Oh, yes, my life Mon-Friday just became less complicated if I can get into the groove of starting supper before I walk out of the door in the morning. Even though there are just (2) of us, I plan to cook for "a family" and freeze for future meals as well.
There is plenty to like about this book. It's divided into sections: soups and stews; beans; beef and lamb; pork , fish and seafood and sandwiches (hmm -- slow cooker sandwiches?) There are meatless main dishes, a good amount of gluten free selections.
Some of the recipes do require a fair amount of prep work, so not every recipe would be one I could toss together before work, but some of these would be great to try on weekends. Here are some of the recipes that caught my eye and I plan to try: turkey and stuffing dinner (using drumstick) - yup in the slow cooker. I also liked the sound of: sweet and savory cabbage rolls (this is one that requires a bit of pre work). How about Chinese Pot Roast with Snow peas, or Spanish chicken stew served with quinoa; Wild Mushroom beef stew, Lasagne soup, Chicken Piccata and lots of hearty soup recipes that sounded good as well.
Most every page has terrific color photos, and easy to read text for aging eyes like mine, and a section titled "THE VERDICT", which consists of comments on how the finished product was and how it could be modified in the future.
This is definitely one of those cookbooks that would be used on a regular basis by me, so I am hoping to purchase it when it released at the end of the month. GREAT BOOK
365 Slow Cooker Suppers is a cookbook I can really get behind. So many books are looking for new or odd ingredients just to create something different. But this book gives us recipes for the tried and true in addition to a few more exotic dishes. Even better, the recipes are all interesting - none feel like 'filler' just to reach the 365 recipe number for the publication.
The book is laid out by type of dish: soups/stews, beans, poultry, beef/lamb, pork, sandwiches, meatless, and fish/seafood. As well, there's an introduction with advice on buying cookers, cooking, and suggestions on keeping a pantry stocked with ideal slow cooking ingredients.
Each recipe presented is in an easy to read format with large title, clean list of ingredients, a short cooking instructions, and then the author's verdict (since she's tried all these recipes). The verdicts have everything from side suggestions, lighter/calorie conscious substitutions, time of year recommendations, and more. I found them to be fun, interesting, useful, and a welcome addition. The verdicts really make the book for me - they are always a short paragraph, separate from the recipe, for easy reference.
My one wish is to have had an image for every recipe. Although there are a lot of images in the book, I always find it most useful to have an idea of how the finished product will/should look. In addition, pictures make great enticements for the family to look forward to the final result.
In all, a book that covers a huge selection of ALL types of slow cooker recipes - from beef stew to breakfast for dinner quiche. And you don't need to find an exotic foods market just to use the recipes since it gives a variety from the great comfort food we love to more interesting meals for special occasions. All presented in a clean, easy to use format. This is one of the best books I've had on slow cookers.
I am a big fan of cooking with my crockpot and I have followed Stephanie O'Dea's blog, http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ for several years now. I love her recipes, her instructions, her critiques and comments about what worked (and what didn't) and her common sense practicality that makes getting dinner to the table for a busy family achievable and even enjoyable.
Overall, it was a handy guide and offers lots of suggestions for dinner meal planning. I like to peruse her books when my own menus tend to get a bit stale and repetitive. Yummy recipes that can fit into a busy schedule. Fantastic!
I got this cookbook out of my local library and liked it so much that I bought a copy for myself. Great, easy recipes that use normal ingredients. Good variety. Highly recommend it!
I checked this out of the library but I'm probably going to buy my own copy. For the stews and chicken recipes alone, it's worth it.
These are easy crockpot dinners. Like, dump and go. Most don't require browning or tons of ingredients you don't have. This is easy weeknight cooking, and most of the recipes are keepers. And there are so many you can pick and choose. She's gluten free, which is a nice plus, and makes serving suggestions.
The only thing that would improve this book is a new edition and nutritional information.
Waited 6 weeks to get this from the library and a bit disappointed. Plus it didn't help I was stuffed from a huge lunch. Anyway, found three recipes I will try in the book: Au Gratin Potatoes with Ham, Beef Gyros & Autumn Harvest Pork Loin (with butternut squash & Granny Smith apples).
I have a thing about cookbooks originating in the USA which make no effort in opening their content to international readers, but on occasion, I find I can forgive that when the recipes offered are very good and relatively easy to convert to ingredients and measures the rest of the world is familiar with.
This is one of those books, there are lots of interesting, and enticing recipes, that make good use of the slow cooker. What's more, they tend to use common easily available global ingredients with an emphasis on the fresh and not convenience. a great collection for all slow cooker fans who can cope with cup and spoon measurements, and Fahrenheit temperatures.
Stephanie produced another really good cookbook. I can’t wait to try these recipes. Also her website is chock full of recipes and many of them gluten free for those who need to follow a gluten free diet.
I gave up on this book after the first grouping of soups and stews. I didn't find one single recipe I wanted to try. If you like mushrooms, chili peppers, and frozen onions and frozen mixed vegetables, you might appreciate the recipes. I don't.
I checked this out from the library. A nice variety of recipes. I was thrilled to see the gluten-free options, too. I'm going to order my own copy, because this is a keeper!
I'm a vegetarian who just got a small slow cooker, so I borrowed some cookbooks from the library. I only found a few recipes in this book I could use, but the ones I did find sound good. May re-review after trying a few recipes.
Lots of new ideas for a slow cooker are found in Stephanie o'Dea's 365 Slow Cooker Suppers. The recipes for lamb, one of my very favorite meats, is a surprise. I am looking forward to trying the lamb stew recipe. The author also includes recipes for soup, ribs, pork loin, brisket (a few recipes for this.),pasta, meatloaf, bangers and mash (an English favorite), chicken, and even recipes for Mexican dishes, and Chinese also. The author did a great job presenting all kinds of recipes not just pot roast and chili, but they are included and the recipes look good!
I would love to use my slow cooker more, especially during the week. I only seem to use it in the winter though, to make beef stew or a pot roast on a lazy Sunday - but when I go looking for recipe inspiration, online or in cookbooks, I can never seem to find any good ones. The recipes are either too complicated to be do-able in the morning before work, or I have a recipe for a non-slow-cooker version that works just fine and has the same amount of prep.
This cookbook, though, has some great ones! I have a whole bunch bookmarked - so many of them are super simple, and there are no sodium-filled cream-of-something soups in the ingredients lists here as there seem to be in many slow cooker recipes. I also like that their are several versions of some dishes - I noticed multiple recipes for pot roasts, briskets, tacos/enchiladas, ribs, and others - so if one doesn't suit your tastes you're likely to find another that will. There's nothing more disappointing than opening up a cookbook that promises all sorts of great recipes, only to find there aren't any that appeal to you, or that use ingredients that you aren't even sure you can find at your grocery store (or you that will use for this one recipe and never again), or just look like way too much work. There's nothing fancy here, but I'm looking forward to trying some of these soon!
*Received as an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley
My opinion: Being a HUGE fan of Ms. O'Dea's cookbooks, I was giddy as a school girl going on her first date when I saw this book on Netgalley. I crossed my fingers when I requested it and delved right in when I was approved.
As usual, Ms. O'Dea did not disappoint. I could count on two hands the number of recipes which wouldn't work out for my family or that just didn't strike me as being appetizing.
She includes a nice selection of soups/stews, which have always been winners whenever I have made them. She has also added a sandwich selection, which had some nice, unusual selections.
I think my favorite part of this cookbook was that Mexican and Caribbean "themed" recipes were plentiful. I was drooling and meal planning as I was reviewing the book.
Recipes, as usual, were well laid out and the pictures were plentiful.
I own 3 of Ms. O'Dea's slow cooker books, and by far this one is my favorite. First off, the food is good. I have never cooked anything by Stephanie that I haven't enjoyed. Meals are simple to prepare. You learn as you go along and gradually you begin to think you know how to cook.
Of the 3 books, this one has become my favorite for a few reasons that are not immediately apparent. First of all, I love the index. I was trying to locate a recipte for "Slow cooker broccilli-mushroom lasagna," in another cook book in the index. And it was not listed under "Broccolli," "mushroom," or "lasagna." Take a guess. What was left? In O'Dea's book it is listed under all three possiblilites. That might be one of the reasons I use it so much.
Second reason: Page numbers. How many cook books do you own that omit page numbers if a picture gets in the way? This book has an easy to find number on every page, and I love it.
What a great cookbook! I am always looking for good crockpot recipes because week nights are so busy. This book has something for everyone, with 365 dinner recipes and beautiful color pictures throughout. The recipes have pretty simple prep times, so I can see myself using these recipes quite often.
My favorite thing about this book was the amount of recipes. Not just soups and stews, but great chicken dishes, seafood dishes, and meatless dishes. And the majority of ingredients are readily available.
The only thing that could be improved would be more pictures. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of pictures, but I like a picture of every recipe (I know, a tall order when there are 365 recipes).
*ARC courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!*
I'm a picky eater so I fully expect to dislike or be at least initially put off by up to 50% of any given recipe book. This was blessedly not the case with 365 Slow Cooker Suppers! In fact there were very few recipes that didn't look appealing (even to me!). I'm not a vegetarian or gluten free but I have many friends who are so I noted (with pleasure) the subsection on meat-free recipes (not all of which, for once in a slow cooker book, were chili recipes) and the multiple notations on recipes indicated how they had been changed to accommodate those with gluten allergies. The photos sprinkled generously throughout this book are dynamic, gorgeous, and, frankly, absolute torture when you're reading on an empty stomach!
Good book with not just lots, but what looks like good and tasty recipes. I'll admit that i'm not the biggest crock-pot user, but i'm always on the lookout for good ideas. While i loved reading the recipes, sadly there aren't too many that i would actually make. I prefer cooking with the minimum of ingredients that still have a good flavor, but almost all of these have at least 10-15 separate ingredients (good number of which are spices). Despite the longer ingredient list, still found this to be an adequate and useful cookbook.
This cook book has a nice introduction to the world of crock pot cooking. I like that she included a pantry/freezer list as well. As I looked through this cook book I was also looking for a recipe for pork loin. The first one I checked was the Autumn Harvest Pork Loin and I had all the ingredients in my house already. I enjoy trying new foods but it is also nice to be able to throw a new meal together with ingredients you already have on hand. There are many photos in this cook book, but there is not one for every meal which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.
Can't really rate a cookbook until I have actually tried some recipes, but I was looking for some ways to use a crockpot & this collection of recipes looks more varied and appetizing than many others I have flipped through. And all of her recipes are gluten free, which fits better with our food allergies than most other crockpot recipes I've seen that all seem to call for Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup. Her "cream-of-something" soup substitute looks especially helpful for us. I also like her "verdict" on each recipe. I may want to buy this one and/or use her website.
Easy to find recipes in a colorful simple to follow format. I like the extra tidbits with the recipes and the bit of reading at the start of the book. The ingredients are easily found or easily substituted at your local grocery store. Each recipe is written very simply, but I would have liked having content information; So many are trying to watch what they eat these days. Even so, this is one I would love to have in my kitchen library.
Here is an excerpt from my review: "For several years now I've been a follower of Stephanie O'Dea's blog A Year of Slow Cooking. The blog is all about slow cooker recipes, and what I like most is that the recipes are gluten-free or have gluten-free variations. Perfect for my family!!!"
Don't worry, Stephanie is still my slow cooking God. However...however, I was a bit disappointed that many of the recipes in this one were O'Dea's takes on other people's recipes. I'm still glad I looked at this one (especially as the recipes on her blog wane), but I haven't been wowed by a recipe in this book yet. Roasted potato and white bean soup and coconut chicken, I'm looking at you. I bought this one and will probably try a couple more before I give up.
A good cookbook to help you gain confidence in using the slow cooker on an everyday basis. However, the author gets to 365 by changing a few ingredients in one recipe and writing it up as a new one. Much emphasis on gluten-free cooking. My entire review is here: http://sfomomfridge.blogspot.com/2013... I received an ARC from NetGalley.
I liked this book. This is a little more "high brow" than her previous cookbooks, but it has some quick, easy and tasty sounding recipes. I particularly like the idea of making hotdogs for a crowd in the crockpot - great idea. Check out Ms. O'Dea's website for many other great recipes and other good ideas.
Everybody should have this book in their kitchen. Unlike many other slow cooker books on the market, these recipes are all made with real ingredients (as opposed to prefab products like tinned soups etc) and next to no prep. I borrowed it from the library but I'll definitely be buying my own copy.
The directions in this cookbook are easy to read and quite simple. I like that that the author puts side notes next to the recipes expressing how her children felt about the different meals. She also gives advice on what to serve as side dishes for many of them. I've perused the entire book and have made a handful of the recipes from it. Nicely laid out, great photographs and easy to use.
Lots of recipes in here I want to try! Great photos. I like the notes on some of the recipes that give some insight into why the author included them in the book. Granted, these recipes aren't always the healthiest things, and some use processed ingredients I try to avoid, but for the most part this was definitely worth the skim through from the library.
1. Pictures are incredible. It makes me want to stick my head in the book and try to eat the pages. 2. Recipes are normal. They call for normal ingredients that I would have stocked in my pantry or fridge. 3. This book will definitely be used in the winter months.
I used to love Stephanie O'Dea and visited her website everyday. I used my slow cooker for almost every meal, but after awhile it all started tasting the same -- like mush. I was happy to try a few recipes in this book for old time's sake, but I'm a little over slow cooker cooking for now.