These Are Not Your Mother's Crockpot Appetizer Recipes

By Susanne Myers

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.

Your crockpot has been your friend right along as you created your classic appetizers, so now it's time to put your crockpot to work once more as you improve on your favorite appetizer recipes. Those meatballs, that cheese dip, and those little cocktail wienies are about to get bumped up a notch or two!

Cheese Dip: Your classic cheese dip is tasty enough, but wouldn't it be even better with a few special ingredients. Mix up a Cheese & Artichoke dip to surprise and delight your guests. Now, your cheese dip will be remembered!

Add other tasty and tangy ingredients like Worcestershire sauce, Dijon or other spicy mustard, some red pepper flakes, and Parmesan cheese to liven up this traditional dip. Put your ingredients in the crockpot on low and cook for about 2 hours. Keep it warm and serve alongside a basket of fresh crusty bread, crackers, or chips for dipping.

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 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.

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! - 30289

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