Once again it is time for the All Things Creative Girls to get together and share the best posts from around the blogosphere!  This month, we have gathered up more than 100 recipes or food ideas for holiday entertaining.

 Holiday Food and Recipes 

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With the busy holiday season underway, i have to admit that I haven’t be great about keeping the fridge stocked.   I am so pressed for time, trips to the grocery store are a little less frequent and my ability to make home cooked meals suffers.  We have all been there.. you walk through the door and you think “What in the world are we going to have for dinner?”  I need a recipe that is fast, easy and filling.. but by Thursday night, the fridge is bare.

I know it is isn’t for everyone, but I am one of those people who actually enjoys camping.   Now, sure my family and I aren’t hard core ‘roughing it’ people, but we do use tents, and sleep on the ground and cook our meals on the campfire. I guess you would call us “car campers.”   It is always fun to take the kids to the lake or hiking in the mountains and spend the evenings around the fire roasting marshmallows and telling stories. Everything seems like such an adventure. 

For Flashback Friday today I am sharing my favorite slow cooker recipes.  (Actually..I still call it my "Crock Pot" even though I know that is a trademark.. but I also call them "Q-tips" and "Kleenex.") Anyhow.. A Crock Pot is so versatile and makes it so easy to have dinner ready if you aren't actually around to make it.

I like to use my slow cooker in the summer since it helps keep the kitchen cool because you don’t have to turn on the oven. In the summer I mostly do recipes like bar-ba-que and meat entrees.  On the other hand, I also like to use my slow cooker in the fall and winter because the days are so short and I like not wasting any daylight hours preparing dinner.   In the colder months I tend more towards soups and stews.  I've posted quite a few of the recipes I use on the blog and I thought it would be great to round them all up.

So let's get this party started.

There is nothing like warm soup after coming in from being outside on a cool winter day.  And since we have been planting our spring flower beds this week, I thought it would be so nice to come in to an already cooked meal of Tomato Bisque.  Time to bring out the slow cooker. 
I started with a recipe I found on Pinterest, and because I am not a fan of chunky tomato soup, I decided to modify it quite a bit. 
Into the crockpot you combine :  2 cans (14 oz) chicken broth
2 cans (15 oz) undrained petit diced tomatoes 
1 can (20 oz) whole stewed tomatoes 
1 cup diced celery1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced onions

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• Right before serving add:
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 cup fresh basil (chiffonade)
• salt and pepper to taste

 Or finely shredded cheese with a basil leaf:

And of course, nothing completes a good meal of tomato bisque, like grilled cheese.

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