We're approaching a 3-Day weekend, and many of us will be attending barbecues, picnics, and family events. Don't arrive empty-handed!
Remember, all you need is an outlet -- be creative and bring an extension cord. It's so much nicer for the host to know she doesn't need to give you refrigerator or oven space!
:-)
Instead, load up your slow cooker with one of the following crowd-pleasing dishes. I've listed the recipes in countdown order--- if you have a favorite, please chime in below.
10) Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup. This is filling, delicious, and is different enough to gain lots of attention on the buffet table. Easy to stretch by serving rice, and fixen's like sliced avocado and tortilla chips.
9) Lima Bean Casserole Cassoulet. I love serving this to guests and listening to the conversation. "what type of beans are these?" "I'm not sure. some sort of large pinto beans or something?" I usually wait until the pot is practically empty before coming clean that they were lima beans.
8) Honey Lentils. Delicious, nutritious, vegan vegetarian, and such a fun offering to bring to a picnic. I get the nicest emails about these lentils!
7) Pesto Spinach Lasagna. I need to run to the store to pick up the ingredients for this! You have never had a better vegetarian lasagna. So so good.
6) CrockPot Barbecued Pulled Pork. Eat in sandwiches, on top of a bed of lettuce, or just eat it right out of the crock. This is the meal slow cookers were invented for!
5) Peperocini Beef Sandwiches. This is such a non-recipe recipe. All you need to do is throw a whole jar of peperocninis in with a beef chuck roast! Shred the meat, serve in hoagie rolls with a bit of Swiss or Provolone cheese. SCORE!
4) Pomegranate Beef. When we host a dinner for new friends, I usually make this. This keeps picky older relatives happy, along with the kids (note to self: I need to update some of these photos!). I've made this for television audiences, and served it at the Disneyland Food & Wine Festival, where the kitchen chefs gave rave reviews, which made me cry. This recipe was also featured on Oprah.com!
3) Cream Cheese, Sausage, and Rotel Dip (mommy crack). The ingredients are odd, the taste is not. Make this and you'll be happy.
2) Potluck Beans. We can't have a potluck countdown without potluck beans, now can we? These beans have bacon. Nuff' said.
1) Original Taco Soup. Feeds a bunch, easy to throw together, and everyone LOVES it. This has been our number one potluck bring along for the past 12 years.
Honorable mention: Black Beans with Cilantro. I ran out of numbers--- this is a great bean recipe. :-)
Enjoy your long weekend!
That's the slow cooker I use. I love it! I admit that I haven't yet used all the fancy features since I am always home, but it's nice to know they are there if I need them. I second the recommendation. I won't be doing much celebrating on Memorial Day, as we are holding Potty Training Bootcamp this weekend. Yay!
May 24, 2011 at 11:36 AM
They all look so good. Especially that lasagna one.
May 24, 2011 at 12:30 PM
Too funny about the lima beans. I've actually loved them ever since I was little and that recipe sounds fabulous to me.
May 24, 2011 at 12:30 PM
Oh my. Cream cheese, sausage and rotel dip? HERE I COME! =]
May 24, 2011 at 12:42 PM
I love your #10 - Salsa chicken and black bean soup. I haven't made the others, but I'm looking forward to trying them out. But, oh, which one to start with? Decisions, decisions!
May 24, 2011 at 2:46 PM
These all look great, but I think I'm going try the Honey Lentils first!
May 25, 2011 at 3:52 AM
I hate to nitpick, but the Honey Lentils aren't vegan. Honey is an animal product.
May 25, 2011 at 8:46 AM
I'm thinking of either sloppy joes, or the Salsa Chicken-as-nachos (both from your 1st cookbook) for this weekend. Hubby is taking the kids to a family get-together and has to do dinner for 12 on Friday night. He will be happy if I give him something easy!
May 25, 2011 at 9:11 AM
Melinda, you didn't nitpick! you're absolutely right. I fixed it. thank you!
May 25, 2011 at 9:35 AM
Mmmmmm, these look good! I think I'll have to do something in the crockpot at least once this weekend! :)
May 25, 2011 at 9:42 AM
I was just wondering where I could find a great breakdown! I'll do the beans and maybe a crockpot dulce de leche to serve w/ ice cream and pound cake.
Just a thought: I'd love to see a few groupings on your site for manly meals, kids faves and for entertaining.
Otherwise, keep up the amazing work. I'm trying my hand at the yogurt tonight!
May 25, 2011 at 1:34 PM
Hi! I have a super-random question. I have 4 chicken thighs in my fridge and was planning to use them in the "Lemon and Herb Roasted Chicken" recipe (I made it before with a whole chicken and the breasts were too dry). I was just reading the "Brown Sugar Chicken" recipe and it calls for TWELVE thighs! Are 4 thighs too few to cook in a crock pot? Thanks!
May 26, 2011 at 5:30 PM
Super delicious collection. Which should I pick?
May 27, 2011 at 5:41 PM
@mackenzie, if you're only cooking 4 thighs, I'd suggest placing an ovensafe dish into your cooker (corningware, pyrex) and placing the food into it to create a smaller cooking vessel.
May 28, 2011 at 8:51 AM
Yummy! Thanks for sharing!
May 29, 2011 at 7:20 AM
I made your honey lentils and it was delicious.
June 1, 2011 at 7:37 AM
Love your recipes, but have always wondered--is there an easy way to print them? With all the ads and links on the page, printing the web page as is does not work. I've tried cutting and pasting to a Word document, but I'd love an easier way to save the recipes I try. Any hints? Thanks!
June 20, 2011 at 1:33 PM
June 20, 2011 at 3:59 PM
updated for Karen!
There is now a "print friendly" button at the bottom of each recipe. You can pick pictures or no pictures, and choose the size font you'd like. Yay! :-)
August 31, 2012 at 11:27 AM
The Taco Soup and Potluck beans are both winners in my book. I've taken them to many events and always received compliments! The leftovers are wonderful too... Thanks Stephanie for such wonderful recipes!!
September 1, 2012 at 8:57 AM
Also, to stretch #10 (Black Bean Salsa Soup) and make it a little more of a balanced meal, add a can or two of white corn kernels. Also makes it look more attractive. If long cooking this, add an hour or two before the end, or heat separately (stove/microwave) and add before serving. I took 6 quarts of this to our last church potluck and every little bet went.
September 1, 2012 at 2:53 PM
So happy to have found your blog. I love the slow cooker, especially in winter, and always look for new recipes. You're doing such a great job!
January 24, 2013 at 6:58 PM
Hi Stephanie, testing to see if I can leave a comment!
May 16, 2015 at 1:48 PM