Crockpot Mac & Cheese...

I was never a fan of mac & cheese.  I know, I know!  I live in America and I don't really like the stuff, how can that be?  But it's true!  I would still make it for my family( except B. she inherited my dislike for the stuff.) and I will admit, most of the time it was the box stuff.  Occasionally I would make it from scratch, but it still wasn't my favorite until I found this recipe in Gooseberry Patch's  303 Simple & Satisfying Recipes !.  This book is a collection of favorites from their other cook books.  This cook book is amazing and definitely filled with lots of yumminess.  Now, I can actually say I like mac & cheese...even if it is only this mac & cheese.  This is the creamiest and cheesiest mac & cheese I have ever had!  My family definitely approves, even B!  And the best part?  It can be made in the crockpot!

Crockpot Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

• 8 oz. package elbow macaroni, cooked
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 12 oz. evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 cups Velveeta, cubed
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 Tablespoons onion flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Combine cooked macaroni and oil in slow cooker, toss to coat.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Cover and cook on low setting for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. 
   

Gooseberry Patch Cookbook Giveaway!!!...

This giveaway is now closed.  Thank you to everyone who entered!  Stay tuned for the next giveaway from Gooseberry Patch.

Well, the nice people at Gooseberry Patch have done it again!  They've given me another awesome cookbook to review and one to giveaway to one of you!!  I'm a sucker for slow-cooker recipes.  For the longest time it seemed the only thing I ever made in my crockpot was roast, potatoes, and carrots. Now, it seems, you can make nearly anything in one!  Even desserts!!  

 Slow-Cooker Fall Favorites cookbook is fabulous.  It is loaded with appetizers, side dishes, main dishes, desserts, and drink recipes that are all made in the crockpot!  Since fall means football season and tailgating, there are tons of recipes for all those tailgaters out there and Super Bowl parties.  There isn't a picture with each recipe like in some of their other cookbooks, so I thought that I would miss that.  I'm a visual type person and I like to see a picture of what I'm planning on making, but it turns out it wasn't that big of a deal.

Here's a recap of some of the recipes I made from this book.

Classic Buffalo Chicken Dip...

 Bacon Cheese Breakfast Casserole...

 and LB's Beer Brats...

With harvest rapidly approaching, I know I will be making several more recipes from this book!

So, would you like to win one?  Here's the details:  Leave a comment below telling me what your favorite fall comfort food is and be sure to include your email address!  If I don't have an email, I won't be able to contact you if you win!  This giveaway ends on October 10th at midnight EDT.  I will pick a winner at random and the winner will have 48 hours to respond.  If the winner fails to respond with in 48 hours, I will pick another winner.

While Gooseberry Patch did provide me with a free cookbook to sample, all reviews, pictures and opinions are my own.

LB's Beer Brats...

We love brats on the grill, but they always seem to take forever to cook and then the outside is usually too well done,  so I always boil them in beer first.  When I saw this recipe in Gooseberry Patch's new cookbook, Slow-Cooker Fall Favorites , I added it to my list to be one of the first to make.  They taste just like they came off the grill and now we can enjoy one of our favorite summer foods all year long.  We prefer to top the brats with sauteed onions and pepper, so I  sauteed some green peppers also.  Keep your eyes on the blog next week because I have a copy to give away to one of my lucky readers!

LB's Beer Brats

Ingredients

• 6 to 8 Bratwursts
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 12 ounce can regular or non-alcoholic beer
• 6 to 8 hot dog buns

Cooking Directions

1. In a skillet, over medium heat, cook brats, onion and garlic in oil until brats are browned on all sides.
2. Pierce brats with a fork and cook for 2 more minutes.
3. Spoon brats mixture into a slow cooker; pour beer over all.
4. Cover and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours, until brats are no longer pink in the center.
5. Serve brats on buns, topped with onion from slow cooker.

Bacon & Cheese Breakfast Casserole...

I have a confession to make...I rarely cook breakfast for my family.  Most mornings it's cereal, pop-tarts, pancakes, toast, microwave sausage sandwiches ...something easy.  Mornings are so hectic and cooking breakfast just adds to the chaos.  So, when Gooseberry Patch gave me a copy of Slow-Cooker Fall Favorites and I saw this recipe for Bacon and Cheese Breakfast Casserole that you can make in the CROCKPOT the night before, I knew I wanted to try it! I made it on a Saturday night so we could enjoy it on Sunday morning and everyone liked it.  B was a little skeptical at first and asked for Honey Nut Cheerios, but she finally gave in and said she liked it and even cleaned her plate!  So, if mornings are chaotic at your house also, I highly suggest making this recipe for your family!

Bacon & Cheese Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 32 ounce frozen shredded hashbrowns
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 pound bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
• 8 oz. package shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 oz. package shredded mozzarella cheese
• 12 eggs
• 1 Cup milk
• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in oil until translucent.
2. Stir in hashbrowns and cook until golden.
3. Place the hashbrowns in a lightly greased slow cooker.
4. Top hashbrown mixture with green pepper, bacon and cheeses; set aside.
5. In a bowl, beat together eggs, milk, parsley, mustard, salt and pepper.
6. Pour egg mixture over cheese in slow cooker.
7. Cover and cook on low setting for 5 to 6 hours, until a knife tip test clean.
8. Sprinkle a little extra cheese on servings, if desired.