A slow cooker is a perfect kitchen appliance for today's fast-paced lifestyle.  For large meals, a slow cooker can be fast and economical.  But what if you are single or there are only two of you? The dread of eating the same meals as leftovers for the rest of the week can make even the best home cook heading for the take-out menu.  So how can you make a slow cooker work for you and save money on your groceries?

Award-winning cookbook author, Cynthia Graubart introduced her ground-breaking concept of creating double dinners in her successful cookbook, Slow Cooking for Two. Now she has expanded that idea of using a 3 ½- or 4-quart slow cooker coupled with two liner bags to create two different dinners at the same time with SLOW COOKER DOUBLE DINNERS FOR TWO (Gibbs Smith, $19.99, Hardcover, April 2014, ISBN 978-1-4236-3625-0). This time-saving cooking method allows home cooks to create a tasty meal for tonight and a second meal for later in the week or for the freezer.

Cynthia’s recipes are easy, no additional preparation steps, like browning, are required and no additional appliances such as a stove, oven or microwave are needed. Each recipe is designed for two and all of the ingredients can be found in local grocery stores, without an extra trip to a specialty store. Slow Cooker Double Dinners for TWO features recipes using Poultry, Lamb, Beef and Pork followed by unique recipes that use the same cut of meat as their base, but taste nothing alike. Enjoy diverse recipes like:

-          Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms Wine Sauce

-          Rustic Mexican Stew

-          Chunky Chicken Soup with Garlic and Thyme

-          Turkey Breast Tenderloin with Cranberry-Orange Sauce

-          Chutney Beef Stew

-          Pot Roast with Vegetables and Feta

-          Cherry Balsamic Pork

-          Pork Tenderloin with Ginger-Mango Sauce

-          Mediterranean Lamb and Olive Stew

Cynthia has even included a chapter of vegetarian recipes that are easy to prepare in a small slow cooker:

 ­-      Cauliflower and Bean Curry

-          Vegetarian Chili

-          Ratatouille

-          Apple and Vegetable Stew

With SLOW COOKER DOUBLE DINNERS FOR TWO, Cynthia Graubart turns a 3 ½-quart slow cooker into a multi-use cooking convenience. The book is perfect for busy people on the go, newlyweds, empty nesters, small apartment dwellers, and for use in unusual spaces where a slow cooker might be the only appliance available for cooking (i.e., vacation cabin, boat, RV).  Meals for two have never been so easy, convenient or delicious!