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More Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: 200 Brand-New, Budget-Friendly, Slow-Cooker Recipes
The New York Times bestselling author of slow-cooker cookbook Make It Fast, Cook It Slow returns with budget (and gluten-free!) meals that will satisfy the entire family. Stephanie O'Dea's 200 delicious recipes include
--and many more. More Make It Fast, Cook It Slow is the perfect cookbook for easy-to-prepare meals that don't take a toll on the family budget.
--and many more. More Make It Fast, Cook It Slow is the perfect cookbook for easy-to-prepare meals that don't take a toll on the family budget.
320 pages, Paperback
First published December 28, 2010
23 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie O'Dea
14 books20 followersSTEPHANIE 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.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 5, 2011
I love to cook, but here is the problem...I'm kiiiinda broke and honestly, I'm lazy (yeah, I will admit to that). If I can just throw stuff in a pot, come back 4-8 hours later and it is edible I am all for it. Slow-cookers are the way to go. This cook book has 200 recipes! All of them are simple and budget friendly. The majority of the ingredients for most of the recipes are things that I typically already have in the pantry. I really like the convenience of that.
The recipes are sorted by price: $7 and Under, $10 and Under, and $15 and Under. In each of these sections it is then broken down again by type of recipe (beverages, breakfasts, etc.). I prefer it when ALL beverage recipes are together, breakfast recipes together, etc. I think it is a little easier to navigate that way, however I am sure many people can appreciate the way this cookbook is organized when they are on a budget.
There are no pictures of the final dishes. That is something that normally bothers me with a cook book, but not this one. Slow-cooker food is not usually the most attractive (tasty yes, attractive no) so a visual of it would be pointless.
There is a large variety of recipes in the book. Many of them were for things I didn't know you could even cook in a slow-cooker (like pesto lasagna). Here are some of the recipes that caught my eye:
* Root Beer Pulled Pork
* Greek Ribs
* Chicken with Apricots and Dates
* Maple Banana Oat Bread
* Pizza Potatoes
I can't wait to try them! I also want to point out that these recipes are gluten free. When something like flour is used, the author specifies to use gluten free. If you aren't gluten free and want to use regular ingredients it does not change the recipe so go ahead (that is what I did).
The recipe I tried (and LOVED) is the Loose Meat Sandwiches. I used to watch the show Roseanne and she had a loose meat sandwich place. I always wanted to try one because of that and now I finally got to. The meat is so flavorful. As for the texture of the meat, it was a little mushy but I got over that quickly because it tasted so good! Here is the recipe from the cookbook:
Loose Meat Sandwiches
serves 8
The Ingredients
1lb extra-lean ground beef or turkey
1 onion, finely diced
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp prepared mustard
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 cups beef broth
8 hamburger buns (you can use gluten free, toasted)
hamburger fixin's: pickles, lettuce, sliced tomato, additional mustard
The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Crumble the ground meat into your slow cooker. Add the onion, dry spices, and sugar. Add the prepared mustard and apple cider vinegar. Pour in 1 cup of beef broth, and stir the contents of the cooker very well. Pour in the other cup of broth and cover. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Stir well before serving and scoop onto hamburger buns. Top with the desired fixin's.
As with any recipe you are going to have to tweak things to your personal taste a bit. I ended up adding a little extra of the spices and vinegar to get the taste I really wanted. I love that I was able to throw everything in the cooker with almost zero work. I didn't even chop an onion...I went the lazy route and bought the frozen diced ones. This is a great cookbook and I can't wait to make more meals from it!
4.5/5
The recipes are sorted by price: $7 and Under, $10 and Under, and $15 and Under. In each of these sections it is then broken down again by type of recipe (beverages, breakfasts, etc.). I prefer it when ALL beverage recipes are together, breakfast recipes together, etc. I think it is a little easier to navigate that way, however I am sure many people can appreciate the way this cookbook is organized when they are on a budget.
There are no pictures of the final dishes. That is something that normally bothers me with a cook book, but not this one. Slow-cooker food is not usually the most attractive (tasty yes, attractive no) so a visual of it would be pointless.
There is a large variety of recipes in the book. Many of them were for things I didn't know you could even cook in a slow-cooker (like pesto lasagna). Here are some of the recipes that caught my eye:
* Root Beer Pulled Pork
* Greek Ribs
* Chicken with Apricots and Dates
* Maple Banana Oat Bread
* Pizza Potatoes
I can't wait to try them! I also want to point out that these recipes are gluten free. When something like flour is used, the author specifies to use gluten free. If you aren't gluten free and want to use regular ingredients it does not change the recipe so go ahead (that is what I did).
The recipe I tried (and LOVED) is the Loose Meat Sandwiches. I used to watch the show Roseanne and she had a loose meat sandwich place. I always wanted to try one because of that and now I finally got to. The meat is so flavorful. As for the texture of the meat, it was a little mushy but I got over that quickly because it tasted so good! Here is the recipe from the cookbook:
Loose Meat Sandwiches
serves 8
The Ingredients
1lb extra-lean ground beef or turkey
1 onion, finely diced
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp prepared mustard
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 cups beef broth
8 hamburger buns (you can use gluten free, toasted)
hamburger fixin's: pickles, lettuce, sliced tomato, additional mustard
The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Crumble the ground meat into your slow cooker. Add the onion, dry spices, and sugar. Add the prepared mustard and apple cider vinegar. Pour in 1 cup of beef broth, and stir the contents of the cooker very well. Pour in the other cup of broth and cover. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Stir well before serving and scoop onto hamburger buns. Top with the desired fixin's.
As with any recipe you are going to have to tweak things to your personal taste a bit. I ended up adding a little extra of the spices and vinegar to get the taste I really wanted. I love that I was able to throw everything in the cooker with almost zero work. I didn't even chop an onion...I went the lazy route and bought the frozen diced ones. This is a great cookbook and I can't wait to make more meals from it!
4.5/5
September 20, 2016
I love to read Stephanie O'Dea's cookbooks. She knows how to create a fun atmosphere as she takes you along with her on her journey to create a new crock pot meal for each day of the year(first book) or how to cook creative meals with ingredients you probably have in your pantry (second book). She makes me chuckle when she says things like this, "Skin the bird (assuming you are using a whole chicken) and toss out the neck and the stuff from inside. (Shudder a few times.)" Her "verdicts" on each recipe are also amusing. "My six-year-old reported that it was the very best pasta she has ever had. I let her skip bath time."
I have both of O'Dea's cookbooks, Make It Fast,Cook It Slow and More Make it Fast, Cook It Slow and just finished this second one with quite a few recipes earmarked for the near future. What I love about these books is that they open up fresh new ways to use your crock pot. From her first book I learned how to make yogurt, and do it quite often, and also how to make tapioca pudding.
This second book has recipes such as Ginger Almond Chicken, Eggplant Parmesan, Easy Peanut Butter Chicken, General Tso's Chicken, and Moroccan Chicken with Lentils. She also has dessert recipes such as Peanut Butter Cup Cake, which is high on my to-try-soon list. She has a Crème Brulee (from her first book) that she did on Rachel Ray's show. I have yet to try it but may be brave soon.
If you love to use your crock pot and want to break out of the ordinary fare these are great books to get you on your way.
I have both of O'Dea's cookbooks, Make It Fast,Cook It Slow and More Make it Fast, Cook It Slow and just finished this second one with quite a few recipes earmarked for the near future. What I love about these books is that they open up fresh new ways to use your crock pot. From her first book I learned how to make yogurt, and do it quite often, and also how to make tapioca pudding.
This second book has recipes such as Ginger Almond Chicken, Eggplant Parmesan, Easy Peanut Butter Chicken, General Tso's Chicken, and Moroccan Chicken with Lentils. She also has dessert recipes such as Peanut Butter Cup Cake, which is high on my to-try-soon list. She has a Crème Brulee (from her first book) that she did on Rachel Ray's show. I have yet to try it but may be brave soon.
If you love to use your crock pot and want to break out of the ordinary fare these are great books to get you on your way.
January 6, 2022
This is the follow-up book to Make It Fast, Cook It Slow and is a great companion to the original book. What sets these two apart is that this book chunks recipes into price ranges that feed a family of four. It was a little confusing at first, but each chapter has the recipes listed on the first page, so if you are in a rush to find something to make there is a central location.
August 7, 2017
I am glad that I came across these books by accident as thry have quite a few good recipes in them. It's hard to find new and flavorful recipes using the crockpot. This lady has done and and I am thankful for that. I can't wait to make the rest of the yummy recipes I have found in this cookbook.
June 5, 2018
Excellent slow cooker cookbook, with an emphasis on healthy ingredients and gluten free. I checked out a copy from the library, but I think I will purchase one for myself--too many good recipes.
February 16, 2022
Seems pretty good. Not sure how valid the price estimates are given inflation since 2010, but it was a nice thought.
November 28, 2012
I have been a big fan of Stephanie O'Dea's food blog, A Year of Slow Cooking for a couple of years now. As a working mom who treasures home-cooked family dinners, I couldn't survive without my crockpot. I have experimented some with my crockpot, but I must admit that I mainly stick to family favorites. When I look up a recipe on her website, it's usually to get directions for something I've already decided to make.
When I discovered that she'd written some cookbooks, I thought it'd be interesting to see how creative you can be with a crockpot. Boy, was I surprised! The recipes are wide-ranging and many are very simple, cost-effective and easy. I already have a couple of favorites that I plan to add to our menu rotation and I'm excited to try more. Some of the recipes look like they'd work, but I wouldn't be surprised if I preferred the conventional way to make them instead. I suppose I'll never know unless I try them.
I first borrowed Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking as an ebook and then I borrowed the paperback version. It's so easy to peruse, cross-reference and look up items. I'm still using it to decide which recipes I'll make next.
I like that this book has recipes grouped according to cost. Perhaps its a nod to the recession, but it is comforting to know that all of the recipes in the book can be made for $15 or less and many for less than half of that. I also enjoyed the fact that most of the recipes were new; there are so many great ones to try!
The author mentions that she chose not to include pictures in the book to save on publication costs, so I will often go to her website if I want more info or to see the photos. But otherwise, the book is terrific.
Some of my favorites from her website are her Peperocini Beef Sandwiches and Pasta Fagioli. Now I want to make the Dulce de Leche, the Tapioca Pudding, the Pizza Chili, and the Enchilada Casserole recipes. And then there are the dips...there are so many recipes that look easy, delicious and family-friendly!
When I discovered that she'd written some cookbooks, I thought it'd be interesting to see how creative you can be with a crockpot. Boy, was I surprised! The recipes are wide-ranging and many are very simple, cost-effective and easy. I already have a couple of favorites that I plan to add to our menu rotation and I'm excited to try more. Some of the recipes look like they'd work, but I wouldn't be surprised if I preferred the conventional way to make them instead. I suppose I'll never know unless I try them.
I first borrowed Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking as an ebook and then I borrowed the paperback version. It's so easy to peruse, cross-reference and look up items. I'm still using it to decide which recipes I'll make next.
I like that this book has recipes grouped according to cost. Perhaps its a nod to the recession, but it is comforting to know that all of the recipes in the book can be made for $15 or less and many for less than half of that. I also enjoyed the fact that most of the recipes were new; there are so many great ones to try!
The author mentions that she chose not to include pictures in the book to save on publication costs, so I will often go to her website if I want more info or to see the photos. But otherwise, the book is terrific.
Some of my favorites from her website are her Peperocini Beef Sandwiches and Pasta Fagioli. Now I want to make the Dulce de Leche, the Tapioca Pudding, the Pizza Chili, and the Enchilada Casserole recipes. And then there are the dips...there are so many recipes that look easy, delicious and family-friendly!
August 22, 2016
Plenty of cookbooks claim to be perfect for the busy, health-conscious parent - this one actually is. The slow-cooker is genuinely a lifesaver for some of us, and like O'Dea's first book, this one helps you get the max from it. The recipes are designed with gluten intolerance in mind, there's plenty of vegetarian options, and all consider both nutrition and price. And the majority are kid tested and approved.
I do have a couple of minor gripes, though. Stephanie O'Dea's concept of healthy doesn't always line up with mine; she does all gluten-free, which isn't a concern for my family, and I would never consider buying Velveeta (I'm in the Midwest - it's Wisconsin cheddar or nothing). She also seems to be unaware of some simple home-cooking tips & tricks to make food healthier and tastier. However, these are all things that can easily be addressed by a good cook, and ignored by a novice.
I don't have much room for cookbooks right now, but this is definitely on the list for my dream kitchen library.
I do have a couple of minor gripes, though. Stephanie O'Dea's concept of healthy doesn't always line up with mine; she does all gluten-free, which isn't a concern for my family, and I would never consider buying Velveeta (I'm in the Midwest - it's Wisconsin cheddar or nothing). She also seems to be unaware of some simple home-cooking tips & tricks to make food healthier and tastier. However, these are all things that can easily be addressed by a good cook, and ignored by a novice.
I don't have much room for cookbooks right now, but this is definitely on the list for my dream kitchen library.
December 16, 2011
I really enjoy this cookbook, but not as much as the author's first cookbook, Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking. She didn't have as many good recipes as the later one. The other thing that I found re: all O'dea cookbooks is that you can go on the author's blog and all the recipes are on there. I was able to print off the majority of the recipes I wanted to add to my collection without purchasing the cookbook.
Read
September 13, 2013Loved her first book, which is what got me into making my own yogurt. This one focuses on budget friendly crock pot meals. Love crock pot stuff so I can focus on the kids during that bewitching hour of 4pm and not be stressed about what the heck I'm gonna cook for dinner. Btw, anyone have any good hints for meal planning? I am always trying new stuff, so the Master Meal Plan idea does not interest me.
October 28, 2014
A really great selection of recipes. I don't pay a huge amount of attention to the cost divisions, since sales and coupons make the cost of grocery shopping a crapshoot. That being said, the variety and instructions are excellent, and O'Dea's "verdicts" are entertaining. There are a number of recipes I'm adding to my notebook for future use!
December 5, 2014
I love this cookbook. Not only are there great recipes but they are budget friendly recipes. There was one thing I didn't like about this book and that is that there were absolutely no pictures. I like to see what my food is supposed to look like even if it never turns out looking the way it is supposed to. I look forward to trying some of these recipes.
November 2, 2015
This woman is my slow cooking God. So far made the sloppy lentils and they were really good! I plan to make even more. You should see the post-it tags I have in this! Sweet potato chili: I'm coming for you.
October 18, 2011
While I haven't tried any of these recipes yet, I have marked about half to copy and try. I can't wait and will try to work one in a week. What I like about them is that the recipes look easy and the food is good comfort food.
December 22, 2011
I checked this out at the library & it's definitely on my "to buy" list. The recipes are quick, easy & cheap, which are three pluses for me. My only issue is that she sorted the recipes by cost rather than type & it's a little difficult to thumb through if your looking for a specific kind of dish.
July 3, 2013
Not as good as the original, I didn't love the layout as much. But still this is a great slowcooker book and while you don't think of using this as much in the spring and summer you should. Your delicious meal is read when you get home and you don't have to heat up your house using the oven
August 29, 2011
I love, as well as with her first cookbook, the recipes in this one!
I hate using my stove/oven and I love my crockpot
I hate using my stove/oven and I love my crockpot
February 29, 2012
Ok recipes. Not always healthful, and often lacking in flavor. I've picked through and tagged some favorites and will continue to refer back to them.
December 30, 2012
Her first book was more fun to read, but this follow-up is also filled with some great looking crock-pot recipes, many of which are grain free, or easily adapted.
April 20, 2013
Got this from the library. It has a lot of cheap and easy recipes that I'd like to try. I'm thinking that this book will need to be purchased.
October 19, 2013
Since I loved the first one so much, I went and bought this one too.
March 19, 2015
Not as good as the original "Make It Fast, Cook It Slow", but there are a few winners in this cookbook.
February 10, 2016
I didn't know all of the recipes are gluten free. I marked a bunch and there were new country dishes. These could be freezer make ahead meals too.
October 24, 2012
Not as good as the first one, but still useful.
July 13, 2017
Product Description
The New York Times bestselling author of slow-cooker cookbook Make It Fast, Cook It Slow returns with budget (and gluten-free!) meals that will satisfy the entire family. Stephanie O'Dea's 200 delicious recipes include
Baked Herbed Feta Smoky Bean and Corn Soup Maple-Glazed Pork Chops Moroccan Chicken with Lentils Apple-Pecan Bread Pudding Orange and Honey Tilapia Chocolate Pot de Crème with Ganache--and many more. More Make It Fast, Cook It Slow is the perfect cookbook for easy-to-prepare meals that don't take a toll on the family budget.
About the AuthorStephanie O'Dea is the founder of the hugely popular slow cooking website, crockpot365.blogspot.com, and author of Make it Fast, Cook It Slow. She lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews