Just in time for busy Christmas cooking

     Well, I did it...got myself one of those little 1.5 quart slow cookers.   I mean, why not?  They were on sale for $10.00.  I guess that was the lure.  I got it even though I wasn't sure I'd use one.  After all, it's so tiny compared to the 4 or 6 quart cookers.  But since I cook for just me, I figured...why not?
     Since the cooker didn't come with appropriate recipes for a tiny cooker, I had to do some Internet research.  Most sites said to calculate the recipe to fit my tiny cooker.  Math was not my best subject!  Just tell me in plain English with lots of pictures. But I have to admit, some sites had little calculation meters to help you.
     Well!  What else could I do except head for the 641.5 shelves in my library, the shelves that hold our cookbooks.  Here's where I found the slow cooker recipe books. 
     There was a big blue and green book called "Slow Cooker Cooking" by Lora Brody, the author of "The Kitchen Survival Guide."  It had a copyright of 2001, and I wondered if that was before the tiny cookers came into kitchens.  It read like Lora was right there talking to me, had good slow cooker basics, and mentioned her testers also used a small cooker, which holds about 3 cups. 
     Since my criteria for a slow cooker is to cook recipes with meat, I looked at the meat section first.  I found a recipe for lamb-stuffed cabbage rolls with yogurt-dill sauce, but I'm not big on cabbage or dill sauce.  I found a recipe for chicken merlot with mushrooms that sounded good, but I'm not a fan of merlot.  All recipes were for 3 to 5 quart cookers.  I should have paid attention when the author said she was a fan of the 5-1/2 quart oval cooker.  So...on to the next book.
     There was a teeny, tiny book titled "Extra-Special Crockery Pot Recipes" by Lou Seibert Pappas.  None of the recipes gave a pot-size.  Most receipes served 4 to 8 people, some 10 or 12; way too much for my tiny pot.  Think of all the calculations I'd have to do to make one small little pot of food.  However, the lemon roast chicken made my mouth water.  And the Hawaiian chicken with pineapple slices and avocado spears as a complement sounded yummy!  I decided I might have to check this book out for a few days.
     The Betty Crocker "More Slow Cooker Recipes" was BIG with a spiral binder.  It had information about adapting your own favorite range-top recipes, along with a section for hassle-free holidays.  It also had gorgeous pictures, with the majority of the recipes for 3-1/2 to 4 quart cookers. I did find a beef pot roast with vegetables recipe I thought I could work on cutting down to my size.  Then I moved on to the next book.
     This is where I found several 3 quart recipes I could cut in half.  Called "Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly" by Phyllis Pellman Good, it had a recipe for super easy chicken, beef-lite with ground beef, and a tuna casserole; I liked them all (even if they were for the 3 to 4 quart pots).
     You know, the more slow cooker recipes I thought I'd like to try, I've decided I need to take that tiny slow cooker back and get a refund.  I'm not ever going to use that tiny, little pot. 
     In fact, I think I'm going to get me one of those 5-1/2 quart oval cookers, one I can put a bunch of chicken in, or a meat loaf, or a nice size roast.  I think one of those bigger pots will be just in time for my busy Christmas cooking.  Don't you think so?
     How about you?  If you need help with your Christmas cooking, why not come look at all our cookbooks.  Remember, they're all in the 641.5 section.  We'll be glad to show you where they are.
     And be sure you have one of those bigger cookers.  Everyone tells me to just dump the stuff in, turn the pot on, and go.  Couldn't be better cooking for Christmas or anytime, right?