Make It Fast, Cook It Slow (3 page)

E
ntertaining with the slow cooker is such a breeze. I love having a few little cookers plugged in with a variety of dips for guests to sample while I’m finishing up the main meal. The variety of slow-cooked appetizers is extensive. You can make the old standby of Cream Cheese, Sausage, and Rotel Dip for the big game, or wow visitors with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese with a Cranberry Balsamic Syrup at a fancy dinner party.

BACON AND CHEESE DIP

serves 4

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 1-quart or smaller slow cooker. Add the milk to the crock, then add the Worcestershire sauce. Crumble in the cheese slices, and add the cooked bacon. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Stir to blend and serve with tortilla chips, bread cubes, or sliced vegetables.

The Verdict

We ate this at 9:15 a.m. on Mother’s Day. I had just received the Little Dipper Crock-Pot as a gift from my mother-in-law, and was eager to test it out. Our dip had a great smoky flavor without being too greasy.

BAKED BRIE

serves 8

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker, with an oven-safe dish inserted for easy brie removal. Roll out the chilled dough or crescent rolls on a cutting board. Don’t tear apart the little crescent roll triangles. I didn’t use an actual rolling pin, I just squished the dough down with a piece of plastic wrap. Place the wheel of brie in the center of the dough and fold the edges of the dough together. If you have enough dough to cover the top, go for it. I did not, and left a peek-hole. Put the wrapped brie into the oven-safe dish, and insert into the stoneware. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, with a toothpick wedged in the cover for just a bit of a vent. Your brie is done when the dough has browned on top, and begun to pull away from the sides of the dish.

BLACK BEAN AND GOAT CHEESE DIP

serves 4

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 1-quart or smaller slow cooker. Put 1 cup of refried black beans into your cooker. Add the lime juice. Top with the garlic, cayenne, cumin, and cilantro. Stir. Add the goat cheese. Cover the cooker and plug it in. Cook the dip for 1 to 2 hours, or until the goat cheese has melted and the beans are warm and gooey. Serve with corn tortilla chips.

The Verdict

Very tasty. I was quite pleased with the kick the dip had, and loved how the goat cheese was creamy and mellow. The cilantro gave a “freshness” that I really appreciated—it didn’t just taste like a canned bean dip. The kids scooped most of the goat cheese off the top, but did try enough of the black bean dip to declare it spicy.

BRIE WITH APRICOT TOPPING

serves 6

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 2-quart slow cooker. If your brie has a really hard rind, cut the top part off and discard. Put into the stoneware. In a bowl, mix apricots, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, water, and rosemary together. Spoon on top of the brie. Sprinkle with the walnuts. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, or on high for 1 to 2 hours, checking after 1 hour. Serve with your favorite crackers or apple slices.

The Verdict

I couldn’t wait to dig in, so I removed the stoneware from the base, wrapped it up in a beach towel, grabbed a sleeve of crackers, and plopped on the couch in front of the TV. When Adam or the kids got near, I snarled and batted them away with my arm. This couldn’t possibly taste any better. The flavor is delicious, and the brie got so gooey and amazing—I think I just drooled a bit, remembering.

BRIE WITH PECANS AND CRANBERRIES

serves 8

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Put the brie into the stoneware, and cover with the pecans and cranberries. Cook on high for 2 hours, or until cheese is melted and gooey. Serve with crackers and sliced green apples. When we make this for friends, no one speaks because we’re all too busy shoveling it into our mouths.

BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

serves 12

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Put the chicken into the stoneware, and top with the salad dressing. Add the Tabasco sauce and cheese. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, or on high for about 2 hours. Stir well. Add more Tabasco sauce, if needed. Serve with celery sticks, bread cubes, and your favorite crackers.

The Verdict

I puffy-heart love buffalo wings, and can’t ever seem to get enough of the vinegary sauce. This dip completely satisfies my wing cravings and is fun to serve at a party—it’s always a hit with guests.

CHICKEN NACHOS

serves 6 to 8

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Put the chicken into the stoneware, and cover with cheese cubes. Add the entire can of tomatoes and chiles. Cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours. This is finished when the chicken is cooked fully and the cheese has melted completely. Serve over your favorite chips and top with desired toppings.

CRAB DIP

serves 20

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Sort through crabmeat to remove any extra bits of shell, and set aside. Cube the cream cheese and put it into your cooker. Plug the cooker in and turn to high to start melting the cream cheese. Add the buffalo wing sauce (or salsa), milk, and the tomatoes and chiles. Add the crabmeat, and stir gingerly to combine. Cover and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours, stirring every 20 to 30 minutes, or on high for no more than 2 hours, stirring often. Serve with your favorite crackers, cubed bread, or celery sticks. If you plan on serving the dip out of the slow cooker, you can “pretty it up” by placing lemon slices all the way around the edge of the dip in the crock. This feeds 20 people as an appetizer, or one cranky woman as a meal.

CREAM CHEESE, SAUSAGE, AND ROTEL DIP

serves 8

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Put the chopped sausage into the stoneware, and add the cream cheese. Add the tomatoes and chiles. Cover and cook on low for about 90 minutes, or on high for 45 minutes. Stir well, and eat with tortilla chips.

The Verdict

This dip is famous. This is The Internet’s Dip. When I asked for help with hot dip recipes, I got no fewer than forty e-mails telling me about this dip. Pretty much everybody acknowledged that the ingredients were weird and shouldn’t taste good together,
but they just do
. The Internet is right—this dip is amazing.

HOISIN CHICKEN WINGS

serves 6

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Put the chicken into the crock. Add the hoisin sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Stir before serving.

The Verdict

These were great! I love chicken wings, and routinely skip the pizza when we order delivery and go straight for the wings. My three-year-old ate seven or eight, and asked me to make them for her birthday.

HOT AND SPICY ARTICHOKE DIP

serves
8
to
10

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Put the chopped artichokes into the stoneware, and add the red pepper flakes. I started with ½ teaspoon, then added a bit more for a kick. Add cream cheese and mozzarella. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, or on high for 2 to 3 hours. Stir well and serve with your favorite chips.

The Verdict

If I ever live alone, I think I’d like to fill a bathtub with this artichoke dip and climb in with a bag of chips. It’s that tasty.