Time to fire up those slow cookers!

Yes, and not just because it's winter!  I rely on my slow cooker so much during any busy season, but I find it invaluable in the weeks leading up to Christmas.  I can put supper in the cooker on any busy day, even if I plan to be home all day.  I can then spend my day crafting, cleaning, decorating, or whatever happens to be on my agenda, while supper cooks all by itself.

If sides are needed, I might -- depending upon what the main course is -- bake a loaf of bread in the bread machine,  use a bagged salad mix, scrub and pierce a few potatoes or sweet potatoes and bake them,  or quickly cook a bag of frozen vegetables in the microwave.

Yesterday we had company for Sunday lunch and I left this favorite in the slow cooker: Rosemary Chicken with White Beans. The recipe, and the photo above, are from Taste of Home, a valuable resource for all cooks.

  I change this recipe up slightly in that I use less rosemary than called for, less Italian dressing (I used about 1/3 cup of homemade Italian dressing), and I use more carrots and celery than called for -- probably at least twice as much.  I don't usually brown the chicken, but I did this time since it was for company and I wanted it to look as appetizing as possible.

We found that all we needed for a side was the cornbread I had baked early that morning.  Speaking of cornbread,  when I serve it for Sunday lunch, I have recently taken to sifting together all the dry ingredients the night before and transferring to a quart size zip top bag.  Then in the morning, all I need to do is grease a square pan or a muffin tin, whisk together the wet ingredients in a bowl, whisk in the combined dry ingredients, and transfer to the prepared pan or tin, then bake.  It makes the process so quick and easy.

If you need inspiration for slow cooker recipes, please do click the "Slow cooker recipes" link in the label cloud at right.  You will find pages of good ideas!

I hope that you seriously will get out your slow cooker and put it to work for you in this busy, festive season.  It really will make life easier!