Those of you who love and defend Gwyneth, who don't understand why people keep picking on Gwyneth like ALL THE TIME, why, why, why? you may want to skip this post. Move along now, fans! Nothing to see here! This one's for the rest of us.

Okay, are they gone? Good. This one's for those of us with jobs and children but no hired help and no money for a fishmonger who delivers. This is for those of us who don't have time/money/paid staff to whip up roasted red peppers with anchovies, escarole salad, and pasta with duck ragout for an intimate dinner with your celebrity friends.

I'd like to introduce you to the Anti-Gwyneth: Ines de la Fressange, French lady, former model, and the daughter of a Marquess. You hate her already, right? But don't! Sure, she's another hopelessly wealthy, effortlessly stylish woman, but I think you're going to like her idea of a fun, low-maintenance dinner party.

The long weekend is the perfect opportunity to settle in with a satisfying recipe you might not have time for during the week -- like this savory beef stew.

This go-to version is from the queen of comfort food herself, Paula Deen. The meat stews for a couple hours with carrots, celery, and savory spices. Try it over oven-roasted potatoes and you won't be disappointed.

Slow cooker meals are the greatest. There's nothing like spending a few minutes in the morning (or the night before) to assemble a meal in the cooker and coming home to a warm, inviting dinner all ready for you.

But many slow cooker recipes are for stew-y, heavy, comfort food-type meals. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but every now and again you might want something with a little more zing. These Black Bean Enchiladas fit the bill ... and they are also easily adaptable. Need fewer calories or more heat? Just sub in lower-calories tortillas and reduced-fat cheese, or add a spicier salsa.

Serve these with sour cream on the side and a veggie or fruit plate, and you have a good meal in almost no time. I don't work fast by any means and had this ready to go in the cooker within about 20 minutes.

You have more than likely been spending a lot of time in the kitchen over the last few weeks; baking, preparing special dinners, maybe even hosting a few parties. And you have probably just about had it. But dinner still has to get on the table, and who wants to spend even more on takeout after the spending frenzy of the last weeks?

Enter a good, fridge-clearing soup. This one is from The Kitchn's weekly email, but if you've made soup before you can figure out how to improvise. It uses broth, any odds and ends of vegetables you have lying around, and even a bit of meat could work here ... I'd also toss in some turmeric or cumin to spice it up. It's also pretty healthy ... a nice bonus after days of rich food. And all you have to do is lay hands on some bread and maybe a salad for a nice, light but satisfying meal.

This week there's so much holiday hustle and bustle that you probably don't have much time to think about dinner. That's why this recipe for Crock Pot Roast Beef is so brilliant -- you just throw a few ingredients into the slow cooker, and eight hours later, you have a hearty meal. There's only one pot to clean, and you can spend your time shopping and wrapping presents instead of cooking.

Serve with roasted potatoes and a green salad. Or slice thin for sandwiches with crusty bread and melted Swiss cheese over top.

This time of year is pretty hectic, with parties, shopping, baking, kids' school events, and work obligations mounting as companies scramble to wrap up the year. Some nights, just getting dinner on the table can feel like the task that will finally send you over the edge. Meanwhile, the weather is cold and snowy, and it gets dark at like 5:01 pm, which makes you crave long-simmering comfort food.

Enter the slow cooker. Most of us use slow cookers for stew-type dishes, but did you know you can make meatloaf in one? Yes, you can, as seen in this easy and flavorful recipe from CDK Kitchen called "Dave's Meatloaf Crock Pot Recipe."

The beauty of the slow cooker is that you spend a few minutes in the morning and end up with a dinner that tastes like you worked on it for hours (this one even uses a few ounces of dark beer, and hey, since it's already open ...). Imagine walking in the house after a cold, wet, long day and smelling this meatloaf cooking ... yum.

Slow cookers are pretty much a godsend in the kitchen. It's difficult for even the worst cook to screw up a Crock Pot recipe -- simply just throw in a bunch of stuff and let the flavors simmer. Eight hours later, you have a delicious meal. Plus the fact that I can make my breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktails and dessert with this one fantastic appliance makes it the best investment that I have in my kitchen.

Since winter is the perfect time to make those hot stews, chilis, and ciders, we're giving away a Cuisinart 4-Quart Slow Cooker to one lucky winner.

And as if using a slow cooker wasn't easy enough, this one features a 24-hour programmable cook time, a digital countdown timer, three cooking modes, and it automatically shifts to Keep Warm when it’s done cooking. Which, let's face it, the hardest pot about Crock Pot cooking is remembering to set it on low when it's done.

To enter to win, tell me ...

There weren't a lot of family vacations when I was a kid. My dad's busiest season at work was summer -- the same time my brother and I were sprung from school and up for traveling with Mom.

But I have my dad in my vacation memories anyway thanks to the big pot of stew waiting in the Crock-Pot for a big family meal when we pulled into the driveway after hours on the road from Cape Cod to Upstate New York. The waiting table and the scent of marinating beef meant we were home.

It was the sort of meal he could set up first thing in the morning and leave to cook until we got in, without having to second guess how traffic would affect our arrival. And it didn't matter whether work was going well or not -- a cheap cut of meat would melt on the tongue after hours marinating in red wine and broth.

And before you sigh and say, "Oh yeah, another beef stew recipe," I promise there's a kicker that our German heritage ensures makes this a bit out of the ordinary. So pull out the Crock-Pot: