Slow-Cooker Recipes for New Year's Celebrations

December 26, 2012
Photo: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Catherine Crowell Steele; Prop Styling: Thom Driver
Celebrating the New Year is all about fresh beginnings and improving your quality of life.  Start the year off right by using your slow cooker to keep the New Year's Eve and New Year's Day festivities fun-filled and relaxed. 
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Slow Cooker Beef-and-Sweet Potato Chili

Jennifer Causey
Slow Cooker Beef-and-Sweet Potato Chili Recipe

Leaving the peels on the sweet potatoes has three benefits: Prep is faster, you add more fiber, and the potatoes hold their shape better after the 7-hour simmer. Besides, the peels get so tender that you barely notice they're there. If you'd like to change things up, try parsnips in place of the sweet potatoes; they have a similar sweetness and earthier flavor. For less sweetness, you can try small red potatoes or baby Yukon Golds. You don't need to fully cook the ground beef before it goes into the slow cooker; just cook it enough to "set" the shape of the crumbles.

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Good Luck Greens and Peas with Ham

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck
Good Luck Greens and Peas with Ham Recipe
Southern tradition says that eating nutrient-rich greens and black-eyed peas will bring good luck in the new year. This hearty dish pairs fresh collards and cooked ham with black-eyed peas and calls for sweet onion, apple cider vinegar, crushed red pepper, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard to create deep, rich flavor.

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Red Bean Chili

Red Bean Chili Recipe
Chili is the perfect party food for casual New Year's celebrations. Simply brown the beef with chopped onion and place in your slow cooker, then add the remaining four ingredients and cook at HIGH for 5 hours. Set out bowls of condiments so guests can tailor their chili to their own tastes, and serve with a platter full of homemade garlic toast.
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Rum-Raisin Arborio Pudding

Oxmoor House
Rum-Raisin Arborio Pudding Recipe
Rice pudding is a comforting dessert seasoned with sugar and nutmeg; it's a welcome sweet treat on chilly winter nights. Preparing your dessert in the slow cooker frees you up to focus on the rest of your New Year's Eve preparations.

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Chipotle-Barbecue Meatballs

Photo: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro
Chipotle-Barbecue Meatballs Recipe
This irresistible meatball appetizer recipe not only cooks in the slow cooker, but it also calls for just five ingredients! Guests will love the spicy-sweet flavor notes from the cherry preserves and chipotle peppers.

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Slow-Cooker Beef Nachos

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham
Slow-Cooker Beef Nachos Recipe
Add a little spice to your New Year's party with these easy beef nachos.
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Mulled Pomegranate and Red Wine Punch

Photo: Yunhee Kim; Styling: Emma Star Jensen
Mulled Pomegranate and Red Wine Punch Recipe
Champagne may be the traditional New Year's drink, but this warm mulled wine punch features festive pomegranate juice, cinnamon, and cardamom. This drink makes a nice alternative to the bubbly and can be served straight from the slow cooker.

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Gruyère-Bacon Dip

Oxmoor House
Gruyère-Bacon Dip Recipe
Don't let the name intimidate you - you'll find Gruyère cheese in the deli case along with other imported cheeses like Gouda, Edam, and Reggiano. This simple dip is delicious served with sliced raw vegetables or crackers.

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Buffalo-Style Drummettes

Oxmoor House
Buffalo-Style Drummettes Recipe
Make your own Buffalo wings in the slow cooker for a delicious appetizer that's well suited to New Year's parties.
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Caramel Fondue

Photo: Oxmoor House
Caramel Fondue Recipe
Slow cookers are perfect for preparing fondue and keeping it warm during a party. This sweet caramel fondue calls for just two ingredients: caramels and sweetened condensed milk. Serve with apple slices and pound cake squares for dipping.

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Apple-Ale Wassail

Photo: Ralph Anderson; Styling: Buffy Hargett
Apple-Ale Wassail Recipe
Wassail is another holiday drink that just seems made for the slow cooker. The fruity spiced concoction features bottled ale, apple cider, port, lemonade, diced apple, brown sugar, and traditional holiday spices like allspice, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Garnish with lemon wedges and cinnamon sticks for a festive presentation.

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Hot-and-Spicy Black-Eyed Peas

Hot-and-Spicy Black-Eyed Peas Recipe
Like your black-eyed peas with a little heat? This easy dish should bring you luck in the new year - and with all that jalapeño and ground red pepper, it may bring you clear sinuses too.
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Slow Cooker Beef Daube

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Catherine Crowell Steele; Prop Styling: Thom Driver
Slow Cooker Beef Daube Recipe

Here's a dinner that will cook itself to perfection as you go about your holiday errands. It's fine--in fact better--if you make it a day or two ahead, giving the herbs and wine time to meld with the meat and vegetables for rich, complex flavor. To end up with a 2-pound trimmed chuck roast, you should purchase 2 1/2 pounds. Serve over mashed potatoes or polenta.

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