Crock Pot Cooking

I just had my 4th child 6 weeks ago. (He's so cute!) So, needless to say, things are a little crazy around here. Especially around dinner prep time. You moms know what I'm talking about: your husband is stuck in traffic/meetings and won't be home till later than expected, your toddler is whining for candy, the older kids are cat-fighting in the next room, and just when you wash your hands to start some cooking, the baby wakes up screaming. Aaah!!

In order to deal with this dilemna, I thought I'd try to plan mostly crock-pot meals till things settle down a bit. That way, dinner is ready when we're ready and I can deal with/enjoy my family. But I only have a few favorite crock pot meals, and the only slow cooker cookbooks I know of I don't like very much. Then I came across this book, Make it Fast, Cook it Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking, by Stephanie O'Dea. Let me tell you, I am loving this book!!

First Things First

Let's set up shop, so to speak. I'm thinking it doesn't really make sense to focus on 1 cookbook per week since most are specialized cookbooks. For instance, I can't just use one Smoothie cookbook one week, and a bread cookbook the next. I think my family would linch me. So, I'll focus on a few, say 4 or 5, each month and call it good (see My Cookshelf to the right). And if you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them!

Welcome!

I was looking at one of my new cookbooks the other day, thinking that there's got to be a way for me to utilize all my cookbooks better. I love to try new recipes, you see, and therefore I loooove to buy new cookbooks. It's a huge weakness. I see a new cookbook at the store, and if it sounds remotely interesting, I've gotta get my hands on it. But I seem to not have all the time needed to try all the cool recipes inside these books, since I bring the book home, thumb through it a little, maybe try a couple recipes, then put it on a shelf with all the other cookbooks and think how nice it will be someday to get to that book.

Now, I'll be honest, I own over 300 cookbooks. Egads that's a lot. I know, I'm embarrassed to tell you. But mind you, it's been my guilty little pleasure for about 6 years now, purchased a few at a time. All women have their own vulnerabilities, right? Some women can't get enough fabric, or scrapbooking stuff, or what have you. Right?

So I made a conviction that I would start a new goal/hobbie (which is always good to do right after having a baby, right?) to focus my attention on said cookbooks more. Doing the math, if I focused on 1 cookbook per week, I will have plowed through all my cookbooks in about 6 years. Yikes! Well, it's either use them, or get rid of them, so I'm committed to doing this. And I'm going to use this blog to organize all my attempts to find great recipes. I hope you enjoy this adventure with me!