Free Make It Fast, Cook It Slow by Stephanie O'Dea

TOMATOES
    serves 6
    The Ingredients
    2 (28-ounce) cans whole plum tomatoes (I used the kind seasoned with basil)
    ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    1½ cups shredded Parmesan cheese
    5 tablespoons butter, sliced
    The Directions
    Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Drain the tomatoes—use a strainer, you don’t want any liquid. Plop the tomatoes into your stoneware. Sprinkle on the black pepper, and add the Parmesan cheese. Slice the butter into thin squares, and dot them over the top. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or until the cheese bubbles and begins to brown.
    The Verdict
    These tomatoes are delicious. They are warm, flavorful, and a bit spicy. Stewed tomatoes get a really bad rap, probably because they look like baby animal hearts, but I promise they taste amazing.

 
     
    STUFFED ARTICHOKES
    serves 2
    The Ingredients
    2 large fresh artichokes
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 / 3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
    ¼ cup bread crumbs (I used crumbs from a loaf of brown rice bread)
    juice of 1 lemon
    ½ cup water
    The Directions
    Use a 6-quart slow cooker, so the ’chokes can sit side-by-side. Peel and chop up the stem from the artichokes (be careful—I cut myself) and mix the stem pieces with the other ingredients in a small bowl; the mixture should be moist and gooey. Use a knife to cut off the top of each artichoke, and use kitchen shears to cut off the pointy leaf tips. Spread the leaves slightly and fill the spaces with the breading mixture. Nestle the artichokes into the slow cooker, and add ½ cup of water. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, or on high for 2 to 4 hours. My artichokes took 4 hours to cook on high. This is a much fancier way to eat artichokes than the traditional way of dipping leaves into mayonnaise.

 
     
    TRADITIONAL STUFFING
    serves 8
    The Ingredients
    1 large yellow onion, diced
    ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
    1 cup diced celery
    1 cup tart apple, peeled and diced
    1 tablespoon ground sage
    1 teaspoon ground marjoram
    ½ teaspoon dried savory
    ½ teaspoon dried thyme
    1 teaspoon kosher salt
    1 teaspoon black pepper
    4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, melted
    1 loaf bread, cubed and lightly toasted in the oven (I used brown rice bread)
    1½ cups chicken or vegetable broth, plus additional ¼ cup, if needed
    The Directions
    Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the onion, parsley, celery, and apple into the stoneware. Add the seasonings, and the melted butter. Stir well. Add the bread cubes, and toss to combine. When the bread is coated nicely, pour in the broth. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. When done, the bread will have browned a bit on the top and around the edges, and it will be hot throughout. Your stuffing can stay on warm for up to 2 hours before serving. Stir. If you’d like more moisture, add up to ¼ cup of additional broth.
    The Verdict
    I am so excited I can hardly stop squirming. This tastes amazing and is absolutely wonderful—it tastes just like a store-bought mix. I’m thrilled with this recipe.

 
     
    SWEET-AND-SOUR CARAMELIZED ONIONS
    serves 8
    The Ingredients
    2 pounds tiny onions (sometimes called boiling or pearl onions)
    2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
    ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
    ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    1 tablespoon sugar
    1 tablespoon butter
    ½ cup raisins
    ¼ cup pine nuts
    The Directions
    Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Cut the tops and bottoms off all the onions and peel away the papery skin. It takes a while to peel the onions, so make sure you’re in a good mood. Put the onions into the stoneware and toss with the balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar. Add the pat of butter and raisins. Toss in the pine nuts. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 4 hours, stirring approximately every 45 minutes. I cooked ours for a bit more than 3 hours, and stirred 3 times. You want the onions to get brown and caramelized. The raisins plump and take on the vinegar flavor while slow cooked, and the pine nuts add a bit of crunch and a smoky flavor.

 
     
    TOMATO CURRIED POTATOES
    serves 6
    The