From Linda Larsen,
Your Guide to Busy Cooks.
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Your crockpot can be your best friend during the holiday season. If you have two or three crockpots (something I highly recommend), you can have a hot drink waiting when you come home from a sliding party, munch on some savory appetizers, or serve a hearty soup to guests. Think about purchasing crockpots of different sizes, too; a 1-1/2 quart crockpot is perfect for holding a hot dip, while that great recipe for meatballs in a sweet and spicy sauce would work better in a 4 quart appliance.

The crockpot is also a great addition to the Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, or Christmas menu. Cook sweet potatoes and a green bean side dish in the crockpot to free up your stove for turkey or ham. A delicious appetizer or two will give you more time for finishing touches in the kitchen. And there's nothing like coming home from a day of shopping to a one dish meal or hearty soup or stew ready and waiting for you.

There are also lots of gift recipes that you can make in the crockpot. From spiced nuts to sweet and sour chutney to homemade mincemeat, everybody will love these homemade gifts, and no one needs to know how easy they were to make.

These are special recipes, using foods and flavors of the season, with richer ingredients. As always, feel free to adjust these recipes according to your own tastes. Follow food safety information and directions, and enjoy getting your home and hearth ready for another holiday season!

Appetizers

• Crockpot Onion Dip
• Crockpot Enchilada Dip
• Crockpot Sweet and Sour Meatballs
• Hamballs in Sweet and Sour Sauce
• Crockpot Artichoke Spinach Dip
• Turkey and Stuffing Meatballs
• Spicy Crockpot Chicken Drummies
• Sweet and Spicy Kielbasa

Beverages

• Hot Tomato Cocktails
• Crockpot Cocoa
• Slow Cooker Wassail
• Hot Apple Cider

Desserts

• Crockpot Chocolate Drops
• Crockpot Baked Apples
• Crockpot White Chocolate Bread Pudding
• Slow Cooker Caramel Pear Cake
• Apple Pumpkin Pudding Cake
• Caramel Rice Pudding
• Crockpot Chocolate Mess
• Crockpot Caramel Apple Dip
• Crockpot Pumpkin Pie Pudding

Main Dishes

• Slow Cooker Salmon Fillets
• Turkey with Fruit Sauce
• Crockpot Poached Salmon Steaks
• Crockpot Pork Roast with Cranberries
• Crockpot Beef Brisket
• Crockpot Caribbean Pork
• Crockpot Chinese Roasted Chicken
• Honey Mustard Ham
• Crockpot Pork Roast Dinner
• Crockpot Roast Beef Dinner
• Wild Rice Stuffed Turkey Breast
• Apricot Pork Roast with Stuffing

Side Dishes

• My Great-Grandmother's Stuffing in the Crockpot
• Wild Rice Pilaf
• Creamy Crockpot Potatoes
• Scalloped Potatoes
• Updated Green Bean Casserole
• Crunchy Topped Sweet Potatoes
• Scalloped Corn
• Crockpot Applesauce
• Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
• Delicious Squashed Apples

Soups

• Crockpot Fisherman's Stew
• Curried Beef Stew
• Crockpot Oyster Stew
• Beef Simmer
• Crockpot Vegetable Minestrone
• Slow Cooker Savory Lamb Stew

Gifts

• Crockpot Chutney
• Crockpot Mincemeat
• Apple Compote
• Crockpot Spicy Pecans
• Crockpot Snack Mix
• Crockpot Apricot Conserve
• Sugared Crockpot Nuts