My post for this week's Crock Pot Wednesday, isn't a recipe. But a tip involving the use of my crock pots:
Hubby and I wanted to host the last Super Bowl Party. Since I was pregnant at the time, I didn't want to spend that entire day cooking and washing dishes.
We decided to serve a pot of Chili and a pot of Chicken Corn Chowder and we ordered buffalo wings.
On the Thursday before Super Bowl, I did all of my chopping. Friday, I prepared the Chicken Corn Chowder on the stove. On Saturday, I prepared the Chili on the stove. On Sunday, before we left to pick up the wings, we put the Chili and Chowder in crock pots set on low. By the time we returned, we turned the crocks to the "keep warm" setting and started to put out some snacks (chips, veggie tray, cheese, crackers, etc). Everything was ready when our friends arrived.
Preparing the food ahead of time really helped to ease a lot of stress and helped to make hosting a lot more enjoyable. Clean up was simple since all of the cooking dishes were already done the two days before. I was able to visit with our friends and relax knowing that there was plenty of food being kept warm in the crocks.
I'm hoping to host New Year's Eve this year, (since I'd rather not be traveling with the baby this year) and if we do, I'll definitely be putting my crock pots to work!
Preparing things ahead of time is a great tip, Allison, especially when you're having company over.
ReplyDeleteJane
Great tips! I have been to a couple of gathering where people used their crockpots to keep things warm. Also works great for baked potato bars (keep the potatoes wrapped in foil one pot and the sauces in others)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jane! I've become really good at preparing ahead of time. Life with a baby is so unpredictable, this way, I am almost guaranteed that we'll have a decent dinner!
ReplyDeleteKristen, me too! Meatballs or roast beef and gravy are alway really popular in crockpots at parties (at least in our family and friends). I love the idea of the potato bar! Thanks!