IntroductionEven the best home cooks fall into a rut sometimes and need a bit of inspiration for something new. I hope you find that here. Many of us are busy and don’t have time to scroll endlessly online looking for dinner ideas. I aim to take some of the pressure off with the recipes in this book. Plenty of folks, like me, never learned to cook growing up, and we deserve a hot, delicious meal, too. For that reason, I tried my best to write out all the instructions in simple, easy-to-follow terms. And then, there are my friends who can cook dinner but don’t enjoy it. That’s okay, I gotcha covered. Throw it in the slow cooker and go on about your day. It’ll be ready in 6 to 8 hours.
As you work your way through this book, you’ll notice patterns emerge. You’ll begin to pick up on the rhythm of one-pot meals, the basics of a slow cooker, and the fundamentals of a sheet pan dinner. Once you understand the principles, the ingredients don’t matter so much, and you’re free to go wild and experiment with flavors you enjoy. If you follow me on social media, then you know that I treat recipes as suggestions, and I want you to do the same with this book. Nothing makes me happier than when people show me a recipe of mine that they cooked with their own tweaks and modifications. Go ham, y’all!
My wish is that this book is a helpful tool, and that together we can make dinnertime just a little bit easier.
Low 'n Slow This entire collection of recipes can be placed directly in the slow cooker, with no stovetop action required! If you have the time and choose to, you can certainly put a little sear on the meat beforehand, but it’s not necessary.
Feel free to swap out the protein and vegetables in these dishes. My recipe calls for pork loin, but you’ve got a pack of chicken that needs to be used up? Change it out! Don’t like carrots? Leave them out or use another vegetable instead. There are no rules here.
I tried to refrain from using as much cream cheese and cream of something soups that slow cooker recipes trend toward, but if you think one of these dishes could be improved by adding cream of chicken or a block of cheese, go for it!
Remember, this is your kitchen and your dinner. Cook food you enjoy.
Copyright © 2024 by Matthew Bounds. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
