Fix-It and Forget-It

November is National Apple Month, and we think apples and slow cookers go together very nicely indeed. Continue Reading...

We have been reading our cookbooks whenever we can these days to find fun, festive dishes for our holiday gatherings that don’t require a lot of effort but still look and taste fabulous.

This recipe fits our needs and goes beyond our expectations. Not only does it taste great and look appetizing, it also gives us meat and one side dish in the same pot. All you need to add is something green, and your meal is complete and looks lovely.

You can impress your guests but still spend time with them when they arrive. This recipe makes entertaining easy.
Continue Reading...

Thanksgiving is nearly here and that means it’s officially time to pull out the recipe for this Spicy Party Mix.

Why?

1. Our friends and family just can’t seem to get enough of the stuff. They keep sneaking back for more and, by the end of the evening, that bowl of mix is usually empty.

2. It’s easy to transport to a party. We just put the mix in an airtight container and take it along with us as we travel. We don’t have to worry about keeping it warm and there’s no sticky spill to clean up if the container tips over.

3. Spicy Party Mix is a great gift for teachers or the host of a holiday party. All you need to do is put the mix in an airtight decorative container or glass jar and add a bow. The kids may enjoy decorating these festive gifts after school or on the weekend.

Make sure to take the lid off your slow cooker and keep it off while this Spicy Party Mix cooks. That way, the moisture escapes as the mix cooks and the crackers and pretzels stay crisp instead of getting soft. And remember to stir the mix gently so the crackers don’t break.

Spicy Party Mix. We love making it, serving it, and giving it as gifts. But we love eating it most of all.
Continue Reading...

We love when friends come to visit. We look forward to catching up and enjoying each other’s company and conversation. And in the days prior to the visit, we daydream about what to serve for dinner. Would our guests prefer Zesty Italian Chicken or Lasagna Soup?

But sometimes, our friends call in the afternoon with last minute plans to stop in that evening. Or we get a text that a whole herd of kids are unexpectedly coming over after school.

Instead of switching into panic mode, we head to the kitchen to whip up Gingerbread Pudding Cake.

With spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, we think this cake is just perfect to serve unexpected guests at this time of year. And those spices create a sweet scent that filters through the house, adding a welcoming touch when friends walk through the door.

But the reason we turn to this recipe when company is on the way is because it’s quick and easy to make. We just mix up the batter, turn on the slow cooker, and soon the smell of baking cake fills the house. And while the slow cooker is doing all the work, we have time to scurry around the house picking up shoes, putting away the laundry, loading the dishwasher, and hiding the general clutter that tends to overwhelm the living room.

We serve this moist cake with a light nutty flavor warm with Vanilla Steamers or a scoop of ice cream. Be careful though, your unexpected guests may just turn into regular visitors after tasting this cake!
Continue Reading...

Peach season is over. I am always sad at that moment. Beginning in late August, I keep checking with our local orchard about how many more pickings they’ll have. Last week I got the news—and I called our daughters right away.

“Hurry and get to Kauffman’s. They’ve picked their last peaches!” I believe were my exact words.

And so here we are, with the weather turning cool and October coming quickly. Fresh peaches are over, but I’m still wishing for them.

We found this recipe the other day and it was the perfect solution for me. It satisfies my peach craving, and it gives me something warm to drink now that the chill is clearly here to stay.
Continue Reading...

Think oatmeal is kind of boring? Maybe it’s one of those breakfast options you feel obligated to eat because it’s good for you? That’s what we thought until we discovered this recipe for Apple Oatmeal. Chock full of real honey, cinnamon, apples, and walnuts (not just apple-flavoring included in some of those instant oatmeal packs), this oatmeal makes our everyday breakfast seem almost special.

Yes, you can make oatmeal in the slow cooker! And now is a great time of year to try it. Here’s why:

1. The trees are bursting with apples, and apples add a sweet crunch to the hearty oatmeal.
2. Oatmeal warms us up from the inside out on a cool morning.
3. The oatmeal and the protein-rich nuts really fill us up and keep us from looking for a mid-morning snack.
4. It provides a welcome alternative to our cold cereal-with-skim-milk morning routine. (Or whatever your breakfast routine may be.)
5. This healthy breakfast just might help us start shedding a few pounds before those holiday reunions with family and friends.

Make it now and reheat individual portions later (we stir in a little milk or water, if the oatmeal seems too stiff) or let it cook overnight. It’s one more great way to simplify our busy mornings. Now if only someone would set the table and start the coffee.
Continue Reading...

I’m thinking that applesauce might be a test of character. Let me back up far enough to explain this.

Our church sits in the middle of our small city, and every Monday evening 150-250 neighbors drop in for supper. These Community Meals are prepared and served by church groups from around the city and the just-outlying areas.

Twice a year our Sunday school class takes its turn. We love to do it. It’s work, but the people who come to eat are gracious and grateful. They enlarge our worlds.

We come up with a menu, divvy up who makes what, and cook most of the food from scratch.

Merle and I had shown up to help serve the meal when my friend Barb came walking toward the tables, carrying a gargantuan steel bowl of applesauce. It was the purest-looking, most glistening, golden applesauce that I have ever seen. I caught her eye and asked if she had made it. “Yes,” she said.

I know this woman can cook, so I bee-lined it to the kitchen area and swiped a spoonful from her back-up containers. Just as I expected, the applesauce was as purely fresh and sparkling to taste as it was to see. This was Eden. This was also the middle of the winter, so she hadn’t just whipped this up on a whim.

“Well,” I spluttered to Barb, “if I had made such extraordinarily flavorful applesauce, I’d have stashed it in my freezer and dribbled it out on special occasions for me and my most-loved ones.”
Continue Reading...

We love carrot cake. Thick slabs of moist carroty cake, chock full of crunchy nuts and tender raisins (in fact this is the only way some of us will eat raisins), and topped with sweet swirls of cream cheese frosting. Yum. Nothing beats it.

However, we also like to fit into our jeans, and too many slices of carrot cake can, well, make that task a bit tricky. So we tend to think of carrot cake as one of those very occasional treats.

So here’s a recipe that satisfies our cravings for a moist, sweet, richly-flavored dense cake but doesn’t pack on the guilt and isn’t complicated to make.
Continue Reading...

Our local farmers market is flooded with peaches right now and we couldn’t be happier! A lot of Lancaster locals—including us—are scrambling to can all the peaches we can get our hands on while they’re still in season.

Of course we don’t can all the peaches—we slice them and add them to our favorite cobblers and pies. Quick Yummy Peaches is one of our new-found favorite recipes.

So what puts the “quick” in Quick Yummy Peaches made in the slow cooker? Well it’s simply a breeze to put together. Plus we find that this peach dessert disappears in the blink of an eye once it’s on the table!

We made this on a rainy afternoon and we loved the way our kitchen filled with the warm scent of cinnamon and oats baking.
Continue Reading...

We’re sweating through another scorcher here in Pennsylvania, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy our favorite hot drink. We just chill it and serve it with ice.

We don’t ditch our slow cooker entirely to make Red Raspberry Fruit Punch. The rich and spicy flavors of the allspice and cinnamon blend perfectly with the tangy raspberries (we used fresh instead of frozen) after an hour or more in the slow cooker, creating an unexpectedly refreshing drink.

The flavor is strong and satisfying—perfect for a hot afternoon or calm, quiet evening. Serve it at your next barbecue or party. We think it’s a great alternative to the usual lemonade and soda (and a lovely virgin cocktail if you serve it in a pretty glass).
Continue Reading...