Do you hate toting around a huge pot of boiling water when you want to make spaghetti and meatballs? Do you get impatient waiting for that water to boil and constantly checking on the pasta to see if it's done? If so, this is the recipe for you. The pasta cooks right in the sauce. In the crockpot. I love the texture and flavor of the spaghetti when cooked this way. It's al dente and well flavored because it soaks up the sauce as it cooks. There are two ways to make this recipe: I used the method of adding the pasta at the end of cooking time. Serve it with some toasted garlic bread, a beautiful spinach salad, and an easy toffee to nibble with coffee after dinner. Yum.

• Completely Crockpot Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Toasted Parmesan Garlic Bread
• Strawberry Spinach Salad
• Updated Chocolate Nut Toffee

_{Photo © 2010 Linda Larsen, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

Bacon and chicken are obvious partners. The salty, smoky flavor of the bacon pairs beautifully with tender, mild, and juicy chicken. This super easy crockpot recipe uses both of them in a delicious result. Serve with a rice pilaf, some tender broccoli, a crisp green salad, and easy no-bake bar cookies for dessert.

• Crockpot Sour Cream Bacon Chicken
• Baked Rice Pilaf
• Sauteed Broccoli
• Veggie Greens Salad
• Microwave Chocolate Crisp Bars

_{Photo © 2010 Linda Larsen, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

Learn how to make this easy yet fancy no-bake dessert with step-by-step photos. If you've never made anything before, you can make this. All you do is stack cookies with cream, then chill overnight. There are a few tricks, like stacking the cookies correctly and cutting the finished dessert on an angle, which is why there are pictures! This is perfect for Valentine's Day. If you'd like, make Chocolate Chocolate Icebox Dessert.

_{Photo © 2010 Linda Larsen, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

According to the responses I've received, the new hotter cooking crockpots are not a success. But they are here to stay. So how are you adjusting to this change? I'm reducing cooking times, watching food more carefully as it cooks, pampering my old cooler crockpots so they last longer, and buying a new crockpot with a built-in temperature probe. When my older crockpots finally give up the ghost, I'm going to eBay to find a good used appliance.