Saturday, November 14, 2009

Recipe Review: Make it Fast, Cook it Slow

My third test drive was Thursday night, I had Coq Au Vin on the list and was pretty excited, it looked very yum going in...
We put it in first thing in the morning so it'd have plenty of time to simmer, Samster was quite helpful in her own special mess-making way...
And then the big finale!
Yeah, I know. Eh.
In my opinion it tasted "eh" too, however in all fairness P thought it was really good. I guess I'm not a big fan of chicken thighs & also expect big flavor from crock pot recipes...I mean, isn't that the point of cooking it all day? So these great flavors can all meld together in a taste euphoria?? (wow, I can't believe I just said "taste euphoria"...it's obviously after 10p. My writing gets flowery past bedtime)

So in the end I have to very regretfully give "Make it Fast, Cook it Slow" a thumbs down.
I really REALLY wanted it to be better, when you read the recipes they all sound oh so good, & the author sounds like someone you'd want to be best crock pot buddies with but the actual results? EH.


I will say that I'm going to keep trying some of the recipes in here, maybe I had bad luck with the first 3 I picked. Perhaps I should try one of her recipes with cream cheese, how can you go wrong with cream cheese?

And the next "recipe review" cookbook??
*drumroll please*
I picked it up awhile ago at Crate & Barrel because it looked delicious and I made the mistake of shopping while hungry. Even cookbooks aren't safe!
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10 comments:

  1. PaxtonNovember 15, 2009 at 1:02 AM

    I love the "Everyday Italian" cooking show on food network, so I am SUPER excited about your review of her book. Thanks for taking the plunge FOR me!
    I do have a really "normal" cookbook that is my favorite, go-to cookbook for everyday recipes that I MUST recommend. It's called "What's for Dinner" by Jana Schofield. I got it as a wedding present and use it A LOT! If you get a chance to pick that one up and review it, I would love to hear another opinion on it!
    Keep doing what you do, I ADORE your blog!

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  2. AnonymousNovember 15, 2009 at 2:16 AM

    My best source of crockpot recipes is Allrecipes.com. There you can sort by type of ingredients and read reviews by people. Sometimes they even mention tips or little things they tweaked that made the recipes that much better. I have a great crockpot lasagna recipes from there which my husband loves. Definitely check it out!

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  3. Caren @ The Attic StudioNovember 15, 2009 at 8:19 AM

    I'm loving these cookbook reviews! Sorry the crockpot recipes didn't work out. :( I love Everyday Italian, so I'm really looking forward to this particular week. Bring it on, Giada!

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  4. eight helping handsNovember 15, 2009 at 10:06 AM

    You should have better luck with Everyday Italian. Crock pot recipes have never worked for me, the only time I use it now is to make chilli. Good luck.
    Doesn't it feel like a big waste of money along with a big disappointment when crock cooking??!!

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  5. michelle@somedaycraftsNovember 15, 2009 at 11:01 AM

    The cream cheese chicken is my favorite recips that I have tried on her blog. It is good.

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  6. AnonymousNovember 15, 2009 at 7:52 PM

    I tried the Orange Chicken reciepe from Make It Fast, Cook it slow. We were throughly dissappointed

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  7. CrystalNovember 15, 2009 at 11:05 PM

    I have the Everyday Italian cookbook (impulse buy here too...) and I highly recommend the Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe! My family really likes it and it's really fast to make! (I couldn't find broccoli rabe one week at the grocery store, so I made it with spinach instead, but skipped the blanching step. Worked great!)

    Good luck!

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  8. lmcarmitageNovember 16, 2009 at 8:30 AM

    I'm going to ditto what coastalisis said about allrecipes. As long as you read some reviews and pick the recipes with high review marks(positive ones of course!) you can't go wrong! I've got a GREAT recipe for slow cooker chicken taco soup I'd be happy to pass on!

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  9. LanaNovember 16, 2009 at 12:48 PM

    I love Everday Italian. Got it as a christmas present a couple years back. It's a great cookbook and I love her Chicken piccata recipe. Sorry about the crockpot disaster. I have a great Honey Dijon Ginger pork chop crockpot recipe that I be happy to share.

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  10. SherylNovember 16, 2009 at 11:09 PM

    I love this cookbook! I cook recipes from it all the time. I love how she takes a "fancy" meal and makes it simple and everyday. Good Luck I think you will like this one!

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