The Baking Queen

Now that the holiday season is right around the corner, you’ve probably started dragging out your recipes, including your favorite appetizer recipes. Everyone loves those tasty treats and you know your dinner guests like to grab a few bites as they visit.

Even when planning a big sit-down meal, your dinner guests will always make room for a few tasty bites before dinner. The trick to serving good appetizers is serving an attractive and delicious variety of dishes. This may be easier said than done when you have become so accustomed to making certain appetizers year after year.

It’s time to put your crockpot to work for you as you improve on your classic appetizers like cheese dips, cocktail wieners, and meatballs. Your holiday gathering is special. Shouldn’t your appetizers be special, too?

Cheese Dip: You can certainly make a simple little cheese dip that would be delicious, but, don’t you want to make a dip that your guests will remember, and talk about, and ask you for the recipe? How about an Artichoke and Cheese dip? By adding some chopped artichoke hearts to your favorite cheese dip you’ve perked this appetizer up enough to make it memorable.

Add a little zest to this dip by using freshly grated Parmesan cheese. For even more of a tangy flavor use some Dijon mustard and a little Worcestershire sauce if you like. And for some “heat” sprinkle in red pepper flakes or even some Louisiana Hot Sauce. Put everything in the crockpot on low for about 2 hours or until all hot and bubbly. Put out a bowl of crackers, bread, or hearty chips to complete this appetizer tray.

Cocktail Sausages: Think way beyond those little wienies and serve up an easy, but fancy, batch of sweet and tangy Apple Sausage Appetizers instead. Use any combination of ingredients such as brown sugar, honey, balsamic vinegar, and Dijon mustard, then instead of adding Vienna Sausages, cut up some good apple smoked sausage, some tart apples like Granny Smith, and some sweet onion and add that to the crockpot.

Although we know our Vienna Sausage appetizers are good, you’ll have to admit that this cocktail sausage appetizer is great! Mix together these special ingredients in your crockpot, turn it on low heat, and cook for about 2 hours, checking to make sure the onion and apple chunks are cooked, but don’t let them get soft and mushy.

Meatball Bites: Those little meatballs swimming around in barbecue sauce are tasty, but are they special enough for your holiday event? Go ahead and make your mini meatballs out of your favorite recipe, but when it comes to the sauce, it’s time to do something special. Beer is the ingredient that kicks this appetizer recipe up a couple pegs. This Tangy Meatball Appetizer will have your guests wondering what makes the sauce so yummy. Start by making your favorite meatball recipe, form the mini meatballs, then brown them in a heavy skillet with cooking oil. Once they’re brown, put them in your crock pot.

Mix together in a separate bowl a combination of ingredients starting with beer. Add any or all of the following ingredients to the beer – spicy tomato juice, mustard, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, or anything that sounds good to you. Pour this sauce over the meatballs in the crockpot, turn the heat to low, and let it cook for about 2 hours or a little more until you’re sure the meatballs are cooked thoroughly. You won’t find these meatballs on just any buffet!

Pecan Snackies: Pretty bowls of nuts scattered about the tables in your home is certainly one way to serve delicious nutty snacks. But, rather than filling those bowls with the traditional mixed nuts from a jar, how about making a delicious and surprising treat? Turning pecans into sweet treats may be more expected, but that’s just why we’re turning pecans into a Nutty Cajun Treat!

Use spices that are typically found in Cajun cooking, like cayenne pepper, ground oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, ground or dried thyme and even a little chili powder. Add salt and black pepper if you wish. Then mix these spices together with some melted butter and pecans. Put everything in your crockpot set on high, and cook covered for about 12 to 15 minutes. Then uncover your crockpot, turn it to low, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 hours. After that, just cool the pecans on paper towels, a paper bag, or a baking sheet or rack.

Why make the same crockpot appetizer recipes year after year after year? With just a few easy tweaks of your old recipes, you can create new versions of your favorite appetizers. Get together with your crockpot this year to surprise your holiday guests!

Get out your old Slowcooker Appetizer Recipes and give them an honored place at your holiday table with some great new ingredients and slowcooker cooking methods. The holidays is the perfect time to get started creating your own new appetizer recipes!

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