I have been neglecting my crockpot lately. I think I have just become tired of the same old recipes I make it in over and over again. 

But then I got this cookbook, Make It Fast, Cook It Slow in the mail from my friend Stephanie O’Dea.  And oh my goodness I have been reinspired to to use my crockpot. (I also broke down and finally bought an immersion blender)

In case you don’t know Stephanie, she was the blogger who decided to use her crockpot every day for an entire year and blog about the experience.  I absolutely love this cookbook.  Not only does Stephanie have the recipes she used during her year long project, she also tells you what she and her family thought of the various dishes.  Her daughter is Celiac, so all of the recipes are gluten free or have gluten free alternatives to the ingredients.

Last week I made the Taco Soup recipe.  It was so good that I hid the leftovers for myself to eat for lunch all week. 

You will need lots of cans for this recipe, so get your can opening wrist into shape:

(So you should make this and then save the cans for this project. Remember it? Those long, long school vacation days are going to be upon you soon.)

1 lb ground beef browned and drained
1 medium onion, chopped
2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans
2 (15oz) cans pinto beans
2 (15 oz) cans corn with juices
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with juices
1 (14oz) can tomatoes with chiles (Rotel), with juices
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch dressing
sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish

(I doubled this recipe for my familyand it was plenty, with leftovers.)

Brown the meat and onions in your skillet. Drain.

Dump it along with everything else into your slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours, or longer.

As you can see in this photo I made this dish in my big pot on the stove instead of in the slow cooker. (My slow cooker was visiting a friend’s house) I just cooked it on the lowest flame possible for the entire day

It was so delicious and the house smelled divine. I made some cornbread to serve along side it, but really it is hearty enough to stand on its own.   It is also the sort of recipe that you could easily serve to casual dinner guests with no hesitation.

I have made several of Stephanie’s recipes and all of them have been equally as good and easy. Looking for a Christmas present for someone? Look no further than this cookbook. And if you really like the person, gift them with a crockpot to go along with it.

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