Slow Cookers and Friends

Oh, how excited am I??!! I have been looking forward to sharing today's post with ya'll for a while now! See, my dear friend Judith aka The Midnight Baker has published her very first cookbook, and it is a winner, with a capital W! Plus, I am so incredibly honored that she not only included a recipe of mine (Chicken and Noodles page ) but also had the nicest things to say about our friendship, and even asked me to include a quote on the back! I feel so important!

The Classic Slow Cooker is filled with recipe after recipe that you are going to love! So many of us are looking for ways to use our slow cookers more and more, and I would bet money many of you will want to try every single dish Judith has included.

When I started flipping through its beautiful pages, I was immediately drawn to this recipe. One because I make nothing in my slow cooker as much as soup. It is definitely my go-to this time of year. And two, because it was a bean soup! Bean soups are incredibly economical, hearty, and are great heated up on day two and three. Mr. E takes leftovers to work most days for lunch, so when I can make a meal stretch throughout the week for him, it's an added bonus! I tweaked it a bit to fit our tastes and what I had on hand, but would eat it the original way just as easily!

This is a terrific meal for those bitter cold days when you just want to come home to something warm that will fill you up without much work. Put it together in the morning and come home to a comforting bowl of deliciousness. Add some crusty bread and supper is served!

Oh, and the other fantastic thing about my friend Judith? She made sure I got 2 copies so I could give one away to a lucky EMM reader! Just scroll down after the recipe to see how you can win!

Slow Cooker 

Hearty Northeast Bean Soup

2 c. northern beans

2 c. smoked sausage, chopped

3 carrots, diced

1 small onion, diced

1/2 tsp. dried basil

3 celery hearts, diced

4 c. vegetable broth

Salt and Pepper to taste

Dried parsley

Cover beans with water and soak overnight. Rinse and drain well. Add to slow cooker. Add all other ingredients. Stir to combine. Cook on HIGH for 2 hours and LOW for 8-10 until beans are tender. Garnish with parsley before serving. 

***GIVEAWAY***

To Enter: Simply leave a comment telling me your favorite slow cooker soup.Include an email address so I can find you!

Bonus Entry: Like The Midnight Baker on Facebook

Open to US Residents ONLY 18 and older

Contest Ends:  November 30, 2015

Real Southern Food with South Your Mouth Day 1 {A Review)

I am so excited to not only be bringing you a terrific recipe today, but also sharing with you a fantastic new cookbook from one of my favorite ladies, and a fabulous foodie friend! And if you haven't met her yet, I am so honored to be the one to introduce you to her!

Mandy from South Your Mouth is one of the funniest people I've ever met; even though we've never met in person! Yes, she is also one of those sweet, big hearted, people that you feel like you've known all your life. And even though we've never stepped into the same room with one another, I feel like I know her through her story telling and the friendship we've developed over food and blogging.

If you aren't already a fan of her blog, South Your Mouth, you need to be! Now! (Just click that link and head on over!) Her food is delicious and she always has something hilarious about her own life to share. In fact, as much as I love her yummy recipes, her humor and story telling are what keep me coming back for seconds! 

And now. Mandy has her very own South Your Mouth cookbook! I could not be more excited for her! Inside you will find some of the fabulous recipes from her blog, plus so much more! 

Take it from me, each page looks and sounds more scrumptious than the last. Thumbing through it, I had trouble deciding which recipes to try first. I can assure you many, many pages are marked for future cooking. But the minute I saw this I knew it would be first. Why? Well, one, we were already having potatoes that night...I just didn't know what kind. Two, we are tater loving people. We've never met one we didn't like. Three, they were simple and easy...exactly what I needed after a busy day! 

These come out flavorful, crispy, but buttery tender and oh so good! They are the perfect side dish to any meal and can easily be made for a few people or a crowd. Great for a family dinner, cookout or pot luck...you will find yourself turning to this recipe again and again. 

I'm so happy for my foodie friend and wish her nothing but success with this new venture. I know she won't need it though. Her food, and more importantly, her personality speak for themselves, and she is going to be a huge hit with every single person that is lucky enough to set eyes on this cookbook. Oh, and speaking of lucky, I have one to give away too!! Just scroll down after the recipe to see how to enter!

Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

4-5 medium potatoes, about 2 lbs.

2 TBS olive oil

1 TBS minced rosemary

4 cloves garlic, minced, or 1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. onion powder

Wash potatoes and cut into wedges (8-10 wedges each depending on size.) Toss thoroughly with olive oil and remaining ingredients. Spray large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Arrange potatoes so that each wedge is laying flat on pan. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes then turn potatoes with a spatula. Cook for an additional 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. (Reduce cooking times a little if using small potatoes.) *NOTE* I actually used red potatoes, quartered, because it's what I had on hand. I also used 1/2 TBS dried rosemary because we prefer it to fresh. 

Potatoes at Very Good Recipes

Shared on The Country Cook July 11, 2014

To Enter: Simply leave a comment telling me why you want to win! Easy as can be! 

Contest Ends July 16, 2014

Disclaimer: I received (1) copy of the cookbook and (1) to review in exchange for this review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.