An Easy Recipe

The holiday season is fast approaching and you need to grab your appetizer recipes and start planning. I know you have a few favorite treats that you like to share with your guests. Your mouth may be watering right now just thinking about those tasty snacks!

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.

You can also add flavorful ingredients like Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and red pepper flakes to really kick this cheese dip up a few notches. Cook in your crockpot on low for about 2 hours, and keep warm to serve with your crackers, chips, or bread.

Saucy Sausages: If little cocktail wienies are a favorite in your house, but the traditional recipe seems to have run its course, it’s easy to turn this classic into something uniquely yours. A tasty combination of smoked sausage, tart apples, and sweet onion, swimming in a sauce of balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, and mustard will quickly become your new favorite Sweet and Tangy Sausage Appetizer.

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.

Saucy Mini Meatballs: Take a plain meatball appetizer recipe and make it better with the addition of some good old beer in your sauce. Beer is the secret ingredient to a lot of recipes that need a little tangy boost. You can use your favorite recipe to make the meatballs. Brown the meatballs in a little oil in a skillet, then put them in your crockpot.

Pour a can of beer into a bowl and add whatever ingredients you want to make your sauce. I like adding Worcestershire sauce, spicy tomato juice, yellow mustard, horseradish, garlic, Louisiana Hot Sauce, onion, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Pour this sauce over the meatballs in the crockpot and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours, or until the meatballs are cooked completely. This is one spicy and tangy meatball you won’t find just anywhere on any buffet.

Pecan Snacks: A few pretty bowls of nuts scattered on tables throughout the house during your holiday gathering is always a nice touch. Instead of just pouring mixed nuts right out of the jar, how about your own special nutty treat? Pecans are often thought of as a dessert nut, so surprise your guests with pecans presented in grand Cajun fashion!

Choose the spices that you would normally associate with a good Cajun dish. You’ll probably want ground onion and garlic, of course, and cayenne pepper, chili powder, oregano, basil, and thyme. Mix these together, then add to some melted butter and pecans in your crockpot. Cover your crockpot and turn it to high for about 10 minutes, then uncover and turn to low. Continue cooking on low, uncovered, for about 2 hours. Stir the contents a few times to keep the pecans coated and toasting evenly. After they’re done cooking, just cool the pecans by spreading them on a baking sheet, rack, or paper towels.

We all have our favorite appetizers that have become a tradition over the years. We can still enjoy these same appetizers, but don’t they deserve a little updating? And don’t our guests deserve a little special treat this year? Surprise them by tweaking your old crockpot appetizers and maybe you’ll start some brand new traditions!

Get your family hooked on slowcooker cooking with some delicious new Crock Pot appetizer recipes that are sure to please!

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