It’s beginning to look and feel a lot like Christmas these days. Even though the holidays are the “most wonderful time of the year” they also happen to be one of the busiest times of the year for many of us. Some days (maybe even most days) it can be hard to find the time to cook a nice meal for your family. Because of all the holiday hustle and bustle my slow cooker and I have become pretty close friends nowadays. I honestly don’t know how I’d survive the crazy without one. I use my slow cooker at least once or twice a week. My mom actually has three slow cookers! The more I’ve seen how handy it’s been for her, the more I have wanted a second one for myself.
Recently, I decided to follow in my Mom’s footsteps and acquire a second slow cooker. I must say I’m pretty excited about all of the dinner possibilities with two slow cookers. You can do veggies in one and meat in the other, or a creamy pasta sauce in one and dessert in another. You could also use multiple slow cookers to offer guests different soup options when hosting dinner. So many ideas!
The other fantastic thing about getting a second slow cooker is that you can get an upgrade! My old one is super basic but my new one has all of these cool features that I didn’t even know existed with crock pots! Mine is a Black + Decker. It has a timer, when it goes off it will automatically set itself to the “keep warm” setting! SO awesome! It also has a spill-proof locking lid, and a chalkboard surface so you can write or draw on it! So fun! This is such a great Christmas gift idea!
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Here are a few of my favorite holiday slow-cooker recipes to save you time and effort during this busy holiday season. I made both of these recipes at the same time using my two slow cookers simultaneously. That way I was able to serve both cider and cinnamon pull apart bread without doing much work!
Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread AKA Monkey Bread
This is a favorite in everyone’s family right? But did you know you can make it in the slow cooker? This would be a great option for Christmas morning!
- 2 cans pre-made cinnamon roll dough (I used Pillsbury)
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 stick butter, melted.
1) Open your cinnamon rolls and cut each one into 6 pieces.
2) Place cut cinnamon rolls into a large, gallon-sized ziplock bag along with both of the sugars and the cinnamon. Give the bag a shake to coat the cinnamon rolls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
3) Coat your slow cooker in non-stick cooking spray and empty the contents of the bag into the slow cooker.
4) Top with melted butter
5) Cook on low for approximately 2 hours. **Your slow cooker may cook at different speeds so keep an eye on your cinnamon-pull-aparts to make sure they don’t get overdone.
6) Top with the frosting that comes with your cinnamon rolls or make a homemade glaze if desired.
Apple Cider
This apple cider is my husband’s grandmother’s recipe. It is so easy and yummy! A fun idea is to throw this cider in the slow cooker before you go to bed at night. Then when you wake up in the morning, not only do you have a perfect mug of cider calling your name, but you also have a delicious smelling house!
- 2 quarts (64 oz) apple cider
- 3 long cinnamon sticks
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 orange, sliced
Put all of the ingredients in your slow cooker and cook on low for a few hours. When the cider is finished remove the cloves and cinnamon sticks and enjoy! Or leave them in as a pretty garnish!
*My slow cooker (here) has a timer so the cider can cook for a few hours and then when the timer goes off it will just set to “keep warm.” That way I can do this over night! It’s a great feature!
These two recipes together would make a perfect Christmas-morning breakfast!
What are your favorite holiday slow cooker meals? Share in the comments below!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of BLACK+DECKER® . The opinions and text are all mine.