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    1 cup potato, diced
    1 cup diced sausage (I used chicken and apple)
    6 large eggs
    1 cup milk (2 percent or lower in fat content)
    1½ cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese
    The Directions
    Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Put vegetables, if using, and diced potato (I didn’t peel them) into the stoneware. Add the sausage. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, milk, and cheese together, and pour on top of the other ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours. The casserole is finished when the eggs are fully cooked and the edges have begun to brown.
    The Verdict
    This tastes good, and cooks perfectly, but please note that eggs lose a bit of color when slow cooked. This is an easy meal to serve at an early morning breakfast, or to have available for overnight guests to serve themselves.

 
     
    OVERNIGHT BREAKFAST POTATOES AND SAUSAGE
    serves 8
    The Ingredients
    4 pounds red potatoes, cut in chunks
    1 yellow onion, diced
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
    ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    1 pound breakfast sausage (I used maple chicken sausage)
    The Directions
    Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Put the potatoes, onion, olive oil, salt, and pepper into your stoneware. Toss well to coat evenly. Lay the breakfast sausage on top. If you are using precooked sausage, feel free to slice it. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
    The Verdict
    I really like this breakfast. I don’t peel the potatoes, so the skin comes off a bit, and creates a very rustic breakfast that feels like it should be eaten outdoors on a snow-capped mountain. I have served this at family brunches, and everyone enjoys the meal.

 
     
    OVERNIGHT GRITS
    serves 4
    The Ingredients
    1 cup grits (not instant)
    5 cups water
    4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
    ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    The Directions
    Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Combine all the ingredients. No need to melt the butter, just plop it in; it floats! Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. It takes 7 hours in my slow cooker. Stir well and top with desired toppings. (See below.)
    The Verdict
    These are wonderful—rich and creamy. The kids and I put a bit of shredded cheese on top, but my mom likes to stir in jam. Before trying this recipe, my knowledge of grits came from My Cousin Vinny . I now really like grits: they are good for you, supereasy to make, and are naturally gluten-free.

 
     
    PANCAKES
    serves 4 to 6
    The Ingredients
    pancake mix (I used an 18-ounce gluten-free package)
    the rest of the ingredients needed to make the pancakes listed on the back of the package (I used a pancake and waffle mix, and needed to add 2 large eggs, soy milk, and canola oil. I used the whole package.)
    butter
    The Directions
    Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Mix the batter according to package directions, and pour it into the buttered stoneware. Cover completely, and cook on high for 2 hours, or until the pancake has browned on top, a knife comes out clean, and the edges have pulled away from the sides of the stoneware. Slice into wedges and remove with a spatula. Serve with butter, maple syrup, and jam.
    The Verdict
    This was an experiment—and it worked! My three-year-old had been begging me to make pancakes in the slow cooker and I put her off for months. (5½ months, actually. Oops.)
    The one large pancake has the consistency of a scone, and tastes marvelous with melted butter and lots of syrup. I was happily surprised with how high it rose.

 
     
    STRAWBERRY JAM
    makes approximately 3 quarts
    The Ingredients
    4 pounds fresh strawberries
    3 cups sugar
    2 (1.75-ounce) boxes pectin
    The Directions
    Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Keep a container of hand wipes nearby when making jam—the stickiness seems to spread throughout the house, especially if you cook with children. Wash all of the strawberries, and discard the stems. Quarter the berries and throw them into your stoneware. Use a potato masher to squish the strawberries and to create some liquid. We don’t have a potato masher, so my