Posted in Book Reviews

Slow Cooking for Two: A Slow Cooker Cookbook with 101 Slow Cooker Recipes Designed for Two People

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Easy, delicious meals for two with your small but mighty slow cooker, including Chicken Pot Pie, Mac and Cheese, Turtle Brownies, and much more!

If you’re short on time and craving the comfort of a home-cooked meal, Slow Cooking for Two is here to help. This slow cooker cookbook for two is full of easy recipes specifically designed for two people. Combined with the power of your slow cooker, you can save time and money as you enjoy simple meals that are flavorful and perfectly cooked.

  • Options for every meal—Explore recipes for breakfasts and brunches, soups, stews, casseroles, veggies, seafood, meats, desserts, and more.
  • Specially-sized recipes—All of the recipes were specifically designed to be used with your 1 1/2 or 2-quart slow cooker.
  • Practical techniques—Optimize your slow cooker with helpful tips, shop for two with handy grocery lists, and learn to prepare and store food safely.

Get the most out of your smaller slow cooker with the hassle-free recipes in Slow Cooking for Two.


Editorial Reviews

Review

“This cookbook is informative without being wordy. The best part is the fact the recipes are simple with ingredients that are easy to obtain and taste good. How fantastic is that!” ― Amazon customer

“These recipes are perfect for those busy, working adults who just want to come home to an already-prepared meal.” ― Amazon customer

“This is one of the best books I’ve read on slow cooking.” ― Amazon customer –This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

MENDOCINO PRESS publishes a wide variety of user-friendly books that help people get healthier, learn new skills, and achieve their goals. –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Posted in #Recipes

Sheet-Pan Chicken Potpie

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

There’s nothing I love more than feeling warm and cozy when it’s cold outside. And when it comes to meals that make me feel this way, nothing beats chicken potpie. This sheet-pan chicken potpie is a twist on the classic comfort food, with a creamy, hearty filling spread onto a sheet pan instead of into a pie plate, and a topping of puff pastry instead of pie crust that ensures there’s enough golden-brown pastry for every single forkful.

Shortcut ingredients including frozen veggies, shredded rotisserie chicken and refrigerated puff pastry make prepping this crowd-sized recipe a breeze.

Ingredients for Sheet-Pan Chicken Potpie

  • Puff pastry: Cut the store-bought puff pastry into strips and use them as a buttery, flaky topping for the chicken potpie. Feel free to use homemade puff pastry if you have it; it’s a fun baking project to try sometime if you’ve got a few hours on your hands.
  • Veggies: The savory filling includes classic potpie veggies, including peas, corn, carrots, green beans and onions. Using a frozen bag of mixed vegetables makes the prep work a breeze.
  • Heavy cream: Heavy cream adds a rich flavor to the filling.
  • Chicken broth: Chicken broth adds a savory, concentrated chicken flavor to the filling. Use a low-sodium variety to control the salt level in the final dish.
  • Shredded rotisserie chicken: This sheet-pan chicken potpie recipe uses store-bought rotisserie chicken. You could also use leftover shredded or cubed chicken breast or chicken thighs for this recipe. Use any leftovers in another rotisserie chicken recipe.
  • Flour or cornstarch: Flour helps to thicken the savory filling. You could also use cornstarch as a thickener.
  • Egg: A beaten egg is used to create an egg wash that’s brushed onto the pastry strips, giving them a shiny, golden brown finish once baked.

Taste of Home

Posted in #Recipes

18 Diabetic-Friendly Oatmeal Recipes

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Oats are high-carb, but that doesn’t mean they’re off-limits to people with diabetes. These lighter oatmeal recipes have a moderate amount of carbohydrates and can be included in most diabetic meal plans.

Taste of Home

Posted in #Recipes

Hot Honey Chicken Tenders

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Our recipe for hot honey chicken tenders features chicken tenderloins that are fried until golden and crispy, then generously drizzled with a sweet and spicy hot honey.

Chicken tenders are always a family favorite, especially on busy weeknights when time is of the essence. While it’s easy to grab a bag of frozen chicken tenders from the freezer section in the grocery store, it’s nearly just as easy to make them from scratch at home—all it takes are a few simple ingredients. This hot honey chicken tenders recipe adds another level of flavor by combining honey with peppers to make a sweet and spicy hot honey—’swicy’ is everything right now!—that’s perfect for drizzling over the crispy fried chicken strips.

These hot honey chicken strips are perfect for a family weeknight dinner, or save this recipe for the weekend and serve these tasty bites of chicken as a craveable football food. It’s perfect as part of a game day spread alongside a flavorful ranch dip.

Ingredients for Hot Honey Chicken Tenders

Hot honey:

  • Honey: You can use any type of honey you like for this recipe, but you don’t need to use anything too fancy. (I use a basic clover honey.) If you don’t have a favorite honey to use, try one of the best honey brands as tested and chosen by the Taste of Home Test Kitchen.
  • Apple cider vinegar: The sour and bright flavor of apple cider vinegar, as opposed to that of other types of vinegar, adds a bit of acidity to complement the sweetness of the honey.
  • Crushed red pepper flakes: Crushed red pepper flakes are a pantry staple spice that makes this hot honey, well, hot.
  • Cayenne pepper: Ground cayenne pepper adds a subtle smoky, slightly sweet flavor and a pungent punch of spice.
  • Kosher salt: Salt enhances the flavors of this hot honey.

Chicken tenders:

  • Chicken tenderloins: Both fresh and frozen (thawed) meat will work in a chicken tenderloins recipe. In a pinch, chicken breast strips will work as well.
  • Buttermilk: A dip in tangy buttermilk helps ensure the fried chicken is moist and tender inside the crisp breading.
  • Egg: An egg is combined with buttermilk to help the breading bind to the chicken.
  • Flour: Seasoned all-purpose flour is used to make a simple but flavorful breading for the chicken. For gluten-free hot honey chicken strips, use a gluten-free flour mix, cornstarch, rice flour or tapioca flour in place of the all-purpose flour.
  • Seasonings: The flour is seasoned with a combination of garlic powder, onion powder, coarse black pepper, salt, paprika and dried thyme.
  • Oil: You will need to use a neutral cooking oil with a high smoke point to fry the hot honey chicken tenders recipe. A few of our favorite oils for frying include soybean oil, peanut oil and safflower oil.

Taste of Home

Posted in #Recipes

34 Best Christmas Pie Recipes for a Sweet Holiday Season

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

On Christmas, after indulging in all the Christmas ham and side dishes that can fit on your plate, there’s always a bit more room for dessert. And while Christmas cookies, cakes and homemade candy tend to get all the glory, there’s nothing better than Christmas dessert pies.

These festive Christmas pie recipes include classics like chocolate cream and cranberry pie, plus new favorites like candy cane and eggnog. There’s plenty of variety, whether you’re choosing between an all-butter crust or a crumb crust, a no-bake ice cream pie or a double-crusted slab pie, or a fruit pie or a custard-filled one.

If you need to make any of these holiday pie recipes dietary-friendly, we have gluten-free pie crust and vegan pie crust recipes to help alter as needed. Of course, serve your hot pies with a scoop of the best vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream, and save salted caramel sauce or hot fudge for the cold pies. Go ahead and set up that second dessert table, you’re going to need it!

Taste of Home

Posted in #Recipes

Cherry Snowball Cookies

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Expect a sweet, festively red maraschino cherry in the center of each of these melt-in-your-mouth cherry snowball cookies.

Every good Christmas cookie tray has variety, often including at least one type of confectioners’ sugar-covered bite. With a tender cookie and gorgeous cherry in the middle, these cherry snowball cookies are a strong contender for the coveted tray spot. Plus, four ingredients make them so easy and cost-effective—a must when there’s so much time and money spent on the other Christmas cookies.

Russian tea cakes, crescent-shaped Mexican wedding cookies and pecan-studded snowball cookies are the usual players on a Christmas cookie tray, but every single one includes some kind of nut. These cherry snowball cookies are nut-free, so whether you’re feeding someone who’s allergic or just simply doesn’t like them, these are the best choice.

Ingredients for Cherry Snowball Cookies

  • Butter: Bring two sticks of butter to room temperature. You can soften butter quickly by cutting it into smaller cubes or shredding the sticks on a (very clean!) cheese grater. The smaller pieces will come to room temperature much quicker than whole sticks.
  • Confectioners’ sugar: Instead of granulated sugar, we use confectioners’ sugar to sweeten the cookie dough, which makes for a much more tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookie. Make sure you have enough to coat the outsides of the cookies too.
  • All-purpose flour: The cookie’s texture is integral to the eating experience. It can’t be too dry or it will fall apart after the first bite. Measure the flour properly so you don’t accidentally add too much to the measuring cup.
  • Maraschino cherries: Stores will sell maraschino cherries with or without stems. For ease, buy the de-stemmed cherries to save time later on. Drain the cherries from their juice and cut each one in half.

Taste of Home

Posted in #Recipes

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

These chocolate thumbprint cookies are simple but tasty, satisfying any chocolate lover’s sweet tooth. Rolled in walnuts and sealed with a kiss, they’re delightful on their own, but especially when served with a bowl of maple walnut ice cream.

Cute, easy and fun to make, this chocolate thumbprint cookie recipe delivers a tasty dessert option that’s wonderful with a glass of cold milk or mocha frappe, or even tastier when served with a bowl of your favorite ice cream. While they do require a chill time of up to an hour and have the added step of a filling, they’re easy to pull together for a little treat. The crumbly nut outside and the chocolate-kiss-filled inside make them a bit showy, making them a nice cookie to include in your holiday cookie bake-off.

Ingredients for Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

  • Butter: Soften your butter fully prior to using it in this recipe.
  • Sugar: Regular granulated sugar is fine here.
  • Egg: You’ll be separating the egg to make these cookies.
  • Milk: This recipe calls for 2%, but you can use whole milk or even cream here if that’s what you have on hand.
  • Vanilla extract: This extract helps to give the chocolate thumbprint cookies a rich, caramel-like flavor.
  • Dry ingredients: All-purpose flour and baking cocoa make up the bulk of the cookies, and the salt brings out the best in the other ingredients.
  • Walnuts: You can substitute another nut, but the walnut taste is excellent with the chocolate.
  • Filling: You’ll be using confectioner’s sugar, additional butter, milk and vanilla extract here, as well as chocolate kisses.

Taste of Home

Posted in #Recipes

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Few foods are more comforting, warming or wholesome than a hearty bowl of chicken soup. This Crockpot chicken noodle soup recipe boasts deep, slow-cooked flavors without a ton of pot watching. It’s all of the flavor and none of the fuss.

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients

Dsc2276 Ingredients for Chicken Noodle Soup Edit
JENNIFER SCHWARZKOPF FOR TASTE OF HOME
  • Garlic cloves
  • Onion
  • Celery ribs
  • Carrots
  • Bay leaves
  • Mushrooms
  • Dried thyme
  • Kosher salt
  • Black pepper
  • Boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • Boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • Chicken broth
  • Low-sodium chicken broth
  • Boxed or refrigerated noodles
  • Garnish: cilantro, green onion, parsley

Taste of Home

Posted in #Recipes

Elise Jesse’s Stuffed Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

These cream cheese-filled pumpkin snickerdoodles are one of my top five favorite cookies of the season. They are generous with cozy spices, rich pumpkin flavor and a decadent creamy filling. Perfect for holiday gatherings, bake sales or a quiet night in, these cookies are guaranteed to impress—and disappear fast! —Elise Jesse, Cincinnati, Ohio

Taste of Home

Posted in #Recipes

85 Christmas Cookie Recipes to Bake All Holiday Season

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

What would the holiday season be without Christmas cookie recipes? While we love easy Christmas desserts like fruitcakes, fudge and bread pudding, there’s just something magical about filling our homes with the scent of freshly baked cookie dough. So, we put together this collection of easy Christmas cookie desserts that will keep your oven busy all season long.

Here you’ll find classic Christmas cookie ideas like decorated gingerbread, ultra-rich spritz and snickerdoodles that are perfect for getting into the holiday spirit. Plus, fun and inventive takes like mint morsels, hot chocolate cookies and fruitcake cookies! You’ll even find international Christmas cookie must-haves like Italian sprinkle and rainbow cookies, Russian tea cakes, Czech kolache and German lebkuchen. The recipes in this collection were chosen to represent a wide range of flavors, cuisines and difficulty levels, so everyone can find something to bake.

Most of the cookies can be made well ahead of your Christmas party to cut down on your day-of to-do list. Knowing how to store cookies will keep your baked goods as fresh as possible. Grandma’s vintage Santa cookie jar might just come in handy! And if you’re gifting any easy Christmas cookie desserts, pair them with these Secret Santa gift ideas for the holiday season.

Whether you’re looking for the best holiday cookie recipes to bake and decorate with the kids, to take to a cookie exchange or to leave out for Santa, these classic Christmas cookie ideas are sure to fit the bill.

Taste of Home