Customer Reviews

Busy People's Slow Cooker Cookbook

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This book does live up to its name. If you are truly busy and want recipes that you can just throw into your slow-cooker, this cookbook does provide that. After my daughter was born, I wanted main dish recipes that would allow me to spend a minimum of time in the kitchen but still have something good for dinner.

I ordered this book but was surprised by some of the ingredients. While most of the recipes are quite low in fat, they're not very healthy, at least not by my standards. Several recipes call for "fat-free non-dairy refrigerated creamer" as a thickener. The very idea of putting non-dairy creamer into a main dish repulsed me. Condensed soups, the juice from a pickle jar, and bottled salad dressings are other ingredients used for flavor. The recipe using pickle juice was also just too much for me! I passed that one up.

The author seemed to work hard to make recipes that were low in fat but ended up with a lot of processed ingredients. Personally, I'd rather have more natural ingredients, even if they add some fat. Some of the recipes didn't taste homemade--they tasted like they came from a box--hamburger helper style--because of all the processed ingredients. I was really disappointed to serve a home-cooked meal that tasted like it came out of a box. Some recipes weren't really recipes, in my opinion. Chicken cooked in salad dressing, pork cooked in bottled BBQ sauce--you get the idea. If you're new to cooking, however, these ideas may be new to you and you may find them helpful. The author also has a fabulous way to cook vegetables at the same time as your main dish--so you can truly have your whole meal finished in the slow cooker.

I give the book 4 stars because it lives up to its name--it is great for busy people--and it doesn't claim to be healthy. If you don't mind processed ingredients, you may love this book. If you want more of a natural, whole-foods approach, this isn't the book for you.

I was sooo excited when I got this book. I was really getting into cooking with my slow cooker, as I'm a busy mom, but wanted something more than stews and one-pot meals. When I got this cookbook I read it cover to cover and went out and spent probably $100 on ingredients to make a bunch of the recipes.

Let me interject that I consider myself a good cook -- I am a stay-at-home-mom and take pride in having home-cooked meals every single night. After studying the book I was disappointed to see so many preprepared ingredients and frozen vegetables, but I realize it's a "Busy People's" book and she's trying to save time.

However, keeping that thought in mind, I was surprised to see many recipes that had cooking times from one to five hours. If people are "busy", aren't they likely at work for eight to ten hours (including commute time)?

Also, many of the dishes have the same ingredients with just an ingredient or so different. Perhaps they should have been listed as an alternative rather than a totally separate "recipe" that seemed just to pad the book. Also, many many of the recipes use cream soups which have dairy that one of my daughters is allergic to, so those are out... cream of mushroom soup is used a ton and my husband hates mushrooms, so those are out. Since so many of the recipes are so similar and have an ingredient my family doesn't like, we're out of luck on a good portion of the book. I may have to make my own dairy-free "cream" of chicken soup stock and try using that.

But even with all those problems with the book, I was really excited to get cooking.

So far I've been disappointed with every single thing I've cooked from this book. The cakes are mostly the same -- canned pie filling as the top of the "upside down" part, then cake mix with water, applesauce and a million egg whites for the cake part.

I made the cherry upside down cake, it uses yellow cake mix. The cake part came out the look and exact consistency of a yellow kitchen sponge. Wet and thick and spongy. Not bad tasting but odd enough I'd be embarrassed to serve it to guests. I also had to cut off the entire outside of it because it was overdone, though I cooked it the minimum time recommended and did not leave it in the crock to cool, as I could see it was too dark already.

I made the honey-mustard chicken next. The sauce simmering for hours sort of separated and got grainy and the chicken came out weirdly dry even though it was swimming in liquid. It was sort of nauseating, quite frankly, and I threw out the leftovers even though I try to never waste food. Yuck.

I made the blueberry coffee cake next. The outside was overdone and the underside/middle was uncooked -- I ended up finishing it in the oven and it was quite overdone by the time the middle was cooked enough to be safe.

Still determined to make this book work, I made the "sweet and sour teenie weenies" for a family cookout. The idea of grape jelly mixed with mustard was intriguing, and the taste was interesting, but the reason nobody mixes purple jelly with yellow mustard is because it turns out the exact green color of infant diarrhea. I was embarrassed at the results and ended up abandoning the foil tray I brought them in so I wouldn't have to claim this green glop as mine (no one ate a single bite, nor do I blame them, it looked absolutely wretched!).

I will probably try some other things, I do tend to perservere. But I no longer have high hopes and with every failure I am tempted to throw the book out.

The only good thing about it is the idea of the foil packets to make side dishes instead of everything being in the same liquid. I never thought of that before.

Now, it is certainly possible that my cooker is off in some way, which would explain the overdone/underdone problems. But I've been using it for years to make stews and soups and marinated meats without any problems whatsoever.

Even if the done-ness issue was my problem only, I would not recommend the book. I have not enjoyed anything I've cooked from it yet.

I am very disappointed with this book. Practically every recipe in it calls for preprepared/processed items (pre-pak mixes, cans of condensed soup, seasoning mixes, frozen veggies, Butter Buds, etc.).To me, this is not about cooking. I do realize the point of having a slow cooker is to have convenience and ease, but a few minutes of preparation using whole foods and one's own spices and ingredients at least provides for some of the satisfaction of cooking a meal. A slow cooker is truly fab when one takes a few minutes to prepare what is going to be cooked as opposed to just dumping in a few pre-pak items. I for one, do not find it rewarding to take so many shortcuts. I am sure this book is wonderful for many, but not for those who truly enjoy cooking!

I bought this book looking for a quick and easy crock pot cookbook. And it is! All of the ingredients are very easy to find at your local supermarket. The recipes have virtually no prep time because a lot of the ingredients are pre-packaged, pre-cut, etc. So, if you enjoy "true" cooking, i.e. preparation and "from scratch" ingredients, this may not be the book for you. It is the book for busy people who want to enjoy the smells and flavors that a crock pot dish can create. I've tried several recipes in this book and have been satisfied with about half. Some are excellent (Beef Roast Excellente and Chunky Chili come to mind) and some are not good. The "not goods" don't taste bad, per se, but they are very bland (Chicken and Dumpling Casserole). Perhaps they could be made better with some experiments with different spices. Being a beginning chef, I did find this book pretty useful.

I am a very busy mom and Dawn Hall's cookbooks have been a lifesaver for me. My family has loved everything I have fixed in the Busy People's Slow Cooker Cookbook. I can look up a recipe at the last minute and have all the ingredients 95% of the time. THis is rare for me with other cookbooks. Most of the time there are so many odd ingredients I just don't fool with it. Therefore those books are a waste. I have all of Dawn's cookbooks and belive me, they get used. Everyone who sees my slow cooker cookbook has to have one. The bonus is they are healthy and low in fat. One of my families favorite recipes is the Hot Fudgie Spoon Cake. THis recipe is a hit with anyone who tries it.

As a working mother of 2 boys, this cookbook is a life saver!! It is one of the better slow cooker cook books I've seen. The recipes are different than other ones I have seen and they are all 7 ingredients or less!!! Gotta love that!! It really does make life a lot easier! It is so nice to come home and have dinner ready and have it taste good!! My husband and kids are always happy.

First of all, if you purchase the book, read the story at the beginning of the cookbook. Dawn Hall, the author, put together her cookbooks to help support her family when her husband had Cancer and then passed away. Now, other families who have a family member with cancer or other organizations can use her cookbook's to sell and raise money for their charitable organization's. Her family's story is an incredibly inspirational one.
Her cookbook is great, especially for our family, because I have been ill for several years with no energy to stand in the kitchen and do "real cooking". Her cookbbok is so specific that my husband can look at the ingredient list and buy the exact items that the recipe calls for. He likes it because there is no guess work involved and even he can make a meal for his family. Most cookbooks call for ingredients that I have never heard of. Dawn tells you exactly what brand of pasta to use, what brand of cake mix to use, etc... She even suggests the type of crock pot to use. We have cooked 7-10 recipes and have liked all but one and that was because we bought and used the wrong cake mix. She even has breafast recipes.
My children are always excited when the crock pot is plugged in. Thanks, Dawn!!!

I absolutely love this cookbook! As a mother of 2 young children, I don't have a lot of extra time to cook. We were so tired of eating hot dogs and macaroni and cheese! Luckily, I happened to stumble upon this book. These recipes are so simple and delicious! You throw everything into the crockpot and in a matter of hours, you have a terrific meal! I love the fact that I don't have to spend hour in the kitchen browning the meat, making a side dish, and dirtying tons of pots and pans. I feel better about being able to make a good meal for my family while spending more time with my kids!

I really like the unique recipes in this book, and the fact that they don't call for many ingredients. It's easy for me to grab the book on the way to the grocery store and figure out a meal while I'm at the store.

I'm not a chef....I'm not a culinary expert....but I do know how to eat....

After reading the other reviews, and after having purchased four of D. Hall's cookbooks...I'm actually using them, and making monthly calendars of dinners. It is a miracle.

My husband is diabetic and with my new eating plan, we are really enjoying these recipes. So far one of the many favorites we have, is "Meatloaf Dinner" pg. 152. We portion out that nights dinner, then the rest go in the freezer for another meal during the month. I had at one time in my life tried the "Once-a-Month" cooking (have that book also) and just couldn't do it....guess what? I can with these books. I know how to cook high fat...now I'm learning to cook no-to low-fat, 7 ingredients or less. These are not just cookbooks on my shelf they are lessons for healthier eating.

I'd actually had two of the cookbooks, years before, and barely cracked them open. But, now since the first of the year, I've been on an eating plan of no- to low-fat...and Dawn's recipes are it!

I like the Slow Cooker book very much and the 7 or less ingredients are absolutely for me. Her book, Down Home Cooking is just as wondeful. The library of her books that are now in my home will NOT be sold on eBay!!! A lot of my other cookbooks have been!

If you are a busy person or not, I'd encourage you to purchase these books as they are a great testimony for low-fat cooking and EATING, and a grand testimony of her faith in the LORD. And, who knows, this type of cooking may even get you to write your own cookbook! Dawn did it because of the great need in her life for the love of her husband....what a challenge! What a testimony....thank you Dawn.