Wholesome, warm and homespun recipes with all the benefits of the slow cooker.

In her newest slow cooker cookbook, Judith Finlayson combines the convenience and benefits of this handy appliance with her terrific recipes for home-cooked family favorites.

Many of these healthy and robust dishes have retro appeal, while others meet the challenges of contemporary tastes and preferences. All are delicious and innovative, and once the slow cooker is turned on, the only chore left is to serve the piping-hot dish. With these recipes and a slow cooker, any home chef can be away from the kitchen all day and return to a hot, delicious ready-to-serve meal for the whole family.

Slow Cooker Comfort Food includes such sure-fire hits as:

• Soothing appetizers like cheddar-onion melt
• Comforting soups like classic cream of mushroom
• Hearty stews, such as wine-soaked beef bourguignon
• The sumptuous Mom's chicken 'n' dumplings
• Cumin-spiced potatoes or East-meets-West pot roast to ward off a winter's chill
• Decadent and delicious desserts like chocolate bread-and butter pudding or caramelized apple upside-down spice cake.

Also included are creative make-ahead ideas with tips and techniques that maximize the potential of the slow cooker and assure outstanding results every time.

Judith Finlayson is a Toronto based food writer, journalist and author with a life-long love of cooking. Her slow cooker books have sold more than 500,000 copies. Among her many books are The Best Diabetes Slow Cooker Recipes; 175 Essential Slow Cooker Classics; The Healthy Slow Cooker; 125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes; and The Convenience Cook.

Judith Finlayson's profile page

According to Finlayson, every meal stands up in the slow cooker.... Color-coded labels make selecting a recipe easier. Recipes can be designated vegetarian friendly, vegan friendly, can be halved, and/or entertainment worthy. Colored photos, make-ahead suggestions and other tips are scattered throughout.

Post-Crescent (WI)

According to Finlayson, every meal stands up in the slow cooker.... Color-coded labels make selecting a recipe easier. Recipes can be designated vegetarian friendly, vegan friendly, can be halved, and/or entertainment worthy. Colored photos, make-ahead suggestions and other tips are scattered throughout.

Oshkosh Post Crescent

These recipes could keep a busy family going for quite a while. Although recipes do not include food and nutrition information the author cleverly denotes recipes if they are "vegetarian," "vegan friendly," "entertaining worthy" or can be halved.

Tampa Tribune

This book...will help you to prepare some truly savoury dishes that are guaranteed to satisfy family members and special guests alike.... I tried the book's heart-healthy recipe for Spicy Lentil and Wild Rice Soup with Caramelized Onions. It was simply stunning. And as with many of the slow cooker recipes, the soup made for fantastic leftovers, too.... Superbly "comforting".... extremely satisfying, just as the title promises.

Guelph Mercury

This book is packed with recipes for everything from breakfast dishes and snacks to soups, meat dishes, bean-based entrees and desserts... Superbly "comforting" indeed.

Waterloo Region Record

From Judith Finlayson, a Toronto writer with five other slow-cooker books to her credit [comes] this beauty.

Favourite Cookbooks of 2009, Montreal Gazette