Sunday, November 20, 2011

Recipes for the Slow Cooker

The best way to cook your Christmas Pudding is in a slow cooker. The long, slow, cooking brings out all the flavours of the fruits and spices and the finished product is moist. You can 'set and forget' for the next 12 hours or so. My recipe is an old-fashioned English one, enjoyed by all members of my family each year.

RICH CHRISTMAS PUDDING

6oz. blanched almonds 12oz. plain flour
1lb.4oz. stoned raisins 1 level tspn salt
12oz currants 2 level tspns mixed spice
8oz. sultanas 12oz. fresh breadcrumbs
4oz mixed peel 12oz shredded suet
4oz glace cherries 8oz. caster sugar
8oz peeled grated apple 8oz. soft brown sugar
Graded rind & juice of 1 lemon 4 tbsps. brandy
and 1 orange 4 eggs
1/4 pint stout approx.

Grease pudding basins-1-pint,1-1/2-pint & 2-pint.
Chop nuts, peel, cherries and apple and mix with fruit and the lemon and orange rind. Add mixture to the flour,salt,spice,breadcrumbs suet and sugars.
Mix together the fruit juices, brandy and eggs and mix thoroughly with the dry ingredients, adding enough stout to give a dropping consistency.
Turn the mixture into the prepared basins, cover with greaseproof paper and a pudding cloth or foil. Place the largest one into your slow cooker and cook overnight. Place the other two into saucepans with boiling water coming halfway up the basins, or place in refrigerator and cook next day. The smaller ones will take approx. 3 hours each to cook. Reheat when desired for a couple of hours.
These puddings will keep for 4 months in a cool, dark place. You can halve the ingredients if desired.

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I know this next item is off-topic, but I do not feel it is out of place because we all tend to indulge a bit (or more) than usual over the holidays and this book will help us shed those extra kilos quickly. The author, Michelle Bridges is a trainer on The Big Loser, has 18 years experience in the weight loss industry and is well qualified to write this book. The recipes are simple, tasty, and use everyday ingredients. Not only is it a cookbook but you get a diet planner and lots of tips and tricks to help you lose that stubborn spare tyre!

Crunch Time Cookbook is presently on sale at Australia's premier shopping site www.fishpond.com.au so you need to act quickly to get yourself a bargain. They are also offering free shipping.

Please leave a comment below to share how this book has helped you to shed those excess kilos.

Crunch Time Cookbook: 100 Knockout Recipes for Rapid Weight Loss

Sunday, February 13, 2011

The Hamilton Beach 6-1/2-Quart Programmable Touch Screen Slow Cooker is very stylish with up-to-the-minute digital programming. Enjoy healthy, home-cooked meals even with a busy schedule thanks to this easy-to-use oval-shaped slow cooker.

A nice size when cooking for 8 or 9 people, the 6-1/2-quart unit can hold a 7-pound roast and works well for making soups, casseroles, stews, curries, and much more. Simply add ingredients to the unit's stoneware crock, insert it in the cooker, set the glass lid in place, and program the cooking time from 30 minutes to 20 hours using the eLume touchscreen control panel.


Its digital timer counts down the time remaining, and the appliance automatically shifts to keep-warm mode at the end of the cooking time. The digital timer also keeps track of time spent in keep-warm mode, counting up in one-minute increments for up to six hours.

Thoughtfully designed, the removable stoneware crock doubles as a serving dish and, along with its lid, cleans up easily by hand or in the dishwasher.

Other highlights:


A polished stainless-steel exterior, a large-loop lid handle, and stylish metal side handles with silicone stay-cool wraps for safe transport.

Not sure what to cook first? CrockPot throws in a bonus cookbook with a range of delicious recipe ideas.

The beautiful and versatile slow cooker measures approximately 16-1/2 by 8-2/3 by 12-1/5 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.

Hamilton Beach is proud to introduce the new Crock-Pot eLume Programmable Slow Cooker. The ultimate in slow cooker convenience and style. This slow cooker’s modern design is evident with the new eLume touch screen user interface, polished stainless steal exterior and stylish metal handles with a silicone wrap.

Please share your experiences if you have purchased this model.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Slow Cooker

The Hamilton Beach 33134 slow cooker is a versatile appliance offering three heat settings and three different size colored stoneware vessels.

Choose from a 2-quart, 4-quart, or 6-quart crock--all of which fit in the unit's beautiful electric white-decorator base.

At last! A slow cooker to accommodate the needs of just one person or a large family.

The included glass lid fits all three vessel sizes and functions to keep in heat, nutrients, and moisture for great tasting results. Providing added convenience, the crockery and lid clean up quickly by hand or in the dishwasher, and all three cooking vessels nest into the base for simple, compact storage

Ideal for entertaining or everyday use, the slow cooker measures approximately 15 by 9 by 15 inches and carries a one-year warranty.




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