Best of Bridge is back with an all-new book and an all-new group of ladies.

The Best of Bridge ladies, like so many of you, have fallen in love with slow cookers all over again. Life is getting busier, money is getting tighter, and people aren’t any less hungry! So the satisfaction that comes from assembling a few ingredients early in the day, pushing a button and not having to worry about dinner until it’s time to eat just makes the day feel more manageable.

Whether you’re looking for a hearty stew or a gooey, cheesy dip that will stay warm throughout your party, simply call your slow cooker and these recipes into service — you’ll be glad you did.

I grew up with my mom cooking out of her favourite Best of Bridge recipe book. She still uses it to this day. The familiar white pages with red borders and easy to read print is now stained and obviously well loved. The pages are covered with plenty of notes she has made over the years as she has made each recipe her own. I guess it runs in the family – I can’t leave recipes alone either!

Best of Bridge is well known for sharing only easy, tested, tasted and delicious recipes that work well for busy families. Best of Bridge Home Cooking is no exception to that rule although this cookbook is the work of a whole new generation of home cooks to whom the torch has been passed on to. The all new Best of Bridge author team includes:

Elizabeth Chorney-Booth is a Calgary-based blogger and freelance writer with over 15 years of professional writing under her belt. A former music journalist, Elizabeth now focuses on writing about parenting, lifestyle, local events, entertainment and, of course, food. She appears regularly on CBC.

Sue Duncan grew up in Calgary, cooking and eating at every opportunity with her best friend, Julie. She now lives with her husband and daughter in the Okanagan Valley, where she acquires far too much produce at the farmers’ market but manages to eat it all anyway.

Julie Van Rosendaal is a regular CBC Radio food columnist, food writer and editor, and eater of all things delicious. She’s also a bestselling cookbook author, and her award-winning blog, dinnerwithjulie.com, makes her one of Canada’s most popular bloggers.

Slow cooking is hardly new but it has become an incredibly popular method of cooking that fits in so well with our busy lives and Best of Bridge: The Family Slow Cooker features recipes inspired by the slow cooker.

Cinnamon Roll Casserole, Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Dip, Pulled Beef with Stout Sandwiches, Scalloped Potatoes, Orange Marmalade, and Salted Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate are among the many recipes found within.

The recipes are, as usual with Best of Bridge, easy to follow and include easy-to-find ingredients you might even already have on hand. I can see many of the recipes included being handed down from generation to generation including the super easy to make and delicious recipe for Chocolate Caramel Pecan Upside-Down Cake.

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Upside-Down Cake

The edges of the pecan layer will get chewy, the center stays softer. This cake will make a lot of people happy!

Ingredients

11 ⁄2 cups chopped pecans 375 mL
3 ⁄4 cup caramel sauce 175 mL, such as Hershey’s or Smucker’s
1 ⁄2 cup chopped 70% dark chocolate 125 mL, about 3 oz/90 g
11 ⁄2 cups all-purpose flour 375 mL
1 ⁄2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 125 mL
1 tsp baking soda 5 mL
1 ⁄4 tsp salt 1 mL
11 ⁄4 cups sugar 300 mL
1 ⁄2 cup butter, softened 125 mL
2 large eggs 2
3 ⁄4 cup milk 175 mL

Instructions

Line a 6-quart slow cooker with parchment paper, pressing it up against the sides where it folds naturally (it doesn’t need to be perfect). Some of the points will be taller than the rim; leave it that way for now. Scatter pecans evenly inside the parchment, then drizzle caramel sauce over top. Scatter chocolate on top.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and butter, then add eggs and beat well. Alternately mix in flour mixture and milk, making three additions of flour and two of milk, and beating until just combined. Spread batter evenly over chocolate layer in slow cooker, keeping the folds of parchment flat against the sides. Trim the points of parchment level with the rim. Cover and cook on high for 11⁄2 to 2 hours or until a tester inserted in a few different places comes out clean. Remove the bowl from the slow cooker and let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Carefully invert the bowl onto a platter, peel the parchment away and let cool completely.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

384 pages • 8.5″ x 10.5″ • Index
32 color photographs
Concealed Wire-o Hardcover
ISBN 978-0-7788-0544-1
$29.95 / £19.95
Publication date: October 2016

Elizabeth Lampman

Elizabeth Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys travelling, developing easy recipes, crafting, taking on diy projects, travelling and saving money!