crock pot Archives | Heavenly Homemakers

50+ Crock Pot Recipes for Summertime

June 11, 2019 by Laura Leave a Comment

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Too hot to cook? If it isn’t already, it will be soon. Temps will continue climbing throughout the summertime! Never fear. Here are 50+ Crock Pot Recipes to rescue you from your hot kitchen!

50+ Crock Pot Recipes for SummertimeYum

What I love about the crock pot is that not only does it help us avoid heating up the kitchen, it saves us a lot of time too! Typically making food in the crock pot means that we make our meal early in the day – then at dinnertime, the food is ready and we sit down and eat!

Most of the recipes you see listed below are main dishes. But we’ve got a few sides, drinks, and desserts too! You’ll be pleased to know that most of the recipes listed below take just a few minutes to prepare. I LOVE THIS!!!

I especially love the pasta recipes listed here. It is incredibly easy to dump dry pasta into the pot along with a few other ingredients, then have dinner ready just a few hours later!

Main Dishes in the Crock Pot

Even if you don’t like Sauerkraut, I really encourage you to try the Hamburger Sauerkraut Dip recipe listed below. It is so delicious! Make it a meal on a hot summer day!

Snacks and Side Dishes in the Crock Pot

Sometimes we feel like baking even when it’s too hot to bake!

Desserts in the Crock Pot

What Crock Pot Should You Get?

I would say that just about any Crock Pot is a good choice. But my personal preference is one that is programmable. I love that I can set it and walk away, knowing it will automatically turn off when it is finished cooking and switch to a “Keep Warm” setting. I have this one and I love it!

What are your favorite foods to make in the Crock Pot?

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My Top 3 Small Kitchen Appliances That Save Hours of Time and Energy

April 21, 2019 by Laura 4 Comments

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If my house started on fire, I would grab my family and my Blendtec and get out as fast as I could. Just kidding. I’m not that tied to material possessions. But I felt it was worth a post to share my top 3 small kitchen appliances I feel I can hardly live without.

I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that these gadgets save me hours of time and energy every week. As I’ve worked to simplify my real food kitchen, I have been amazed at how I’ve come to rely on 3 very important appliances.

Could I do without them? Well yes. Grandma survived all her many years of cooking for a large family without any one of the items I’m sharing with you today. But Grandma also didn’t have indoor plumbing for a good many years, and then welcomed it gladly when it became available. I’m pretty sure if she was raising her family now, she would very much enjoy the appliances I love having access to!

My Top 3 Small Kitchen Appliances

If you’ve been reading here long, you can probably guess my top three small kitchen appliances. Just for fun, I added two runners up in my “if I had to choose to keep only 3 small appliances, which ones would I keep?” contest. :)

1. Blendtec

Indeed. If I could only keep one appliance in my kitchen, it would be the Blendtec. I use this multiple times each week, and sometimes multiple times each day.

I mix batter in it, whip cream in it, make smoothies in it, whip mini cheesecake filling in it, the list goes on and on. From cakes to muffins to pancakes – the Blendtec takes away my need to stir and mix. Cream goes from liquid to perfectly whipped in less than 30 seconds. Recently I dumped in all the ingredients for these Mini Crustless Cheesecakes and had them in the oven within a grand total 5 minutes. Beautiful!

In so many ways, my Blendtec makes my cooking and baking effortless. It is extremely high powered, which is reflected in the price. A $25 blender gives only $25 of effort (and in my experience, lasts less than one year in my kitchen). The Blendtec, though much higher in price, comes with a warranty and is so high powered it turns frozen fruit into liquid in just seconds. Unbelievable!

I highly recommend saving up and investing in a Blendtec. Oh the time and energy you’ll save!

Recipes you’ll need for your Blendtec:

2. Instant Pot

I stubbornly refused to get an Instant Pot for several years after they became popular (silly me), and now I am one of the biggest advocates for them! This gem saves so much time and keeps us eating healthy too!

I love that it makes wholesome, rich beef or chicken broth with so little effort on my part. I LOVE that I can cook 7 pounds of frozen hamburger meat in it in just 30 minutes!! And I love the many meals and side dishes I can make in it within just a few minutes.

If you can swing it, get yourself an Instant Pot. I have the 8-quart variety for my large family. Here’s the 6-quart Instant Pot if that fits your needs more!

Recipes you’ll need for your Instant Pot:

Psst: I highly recommend that you bookmark our Instant Pot Recipes page for easy access as we continue to update it!

3. Crock Pot(s)

Yes indeed. I have two large crock pots and I often use them both at the same time. My favorite is this 8-Quart Programmable Crock Pot, but I also have this Basic 6-Quart Crock Pot, which works great too!

I’ve learned many tricks through the years that help me throw VERY quick meals into the crock pot so that later in the day, our meal has cooked itself. (See recipe links below.) What a great way to continue putting real, delicious food on the table on busy days!

Recipes you’ll need for your Crock Pot:

Top Small Kitchen Appliances, My 2 Runners Up

Just for fun, I thought it would be fun to add a couple others to my list of appliances I love and use often!

4. Nutrimill

Could I live without my Nutrimill? I guess. Does it save me time in the kitchen? Not really. But do I love having such a great appliance to help me grind fresh grain for our baked goods? Oh my goodness, YES!

I frequently grind hard and soft white wheat in my Nutrimill, which turns out the most delicious flour, which then turns out the most delicious breads, muffins, cakes, cookies, pancakes, and waffles. Now that I’m so used to baking with freshly ground flour, I’d have a hard time turning back. We’re pretty spoiled! ;)

Details about using flour ground in a Nutrimill:

5. Coffee Pot

Every morning I drink a cup of Javita Coffee. I LOVE its taste and qualities and find it to be well worth the daily investment for my health! But I also love a cup of brewed coffee in the afternoon. There’s just something about the smell of coffee brewing!

So I keep my basic coffee pot handy, which my big boys often enjoy along with me. :)

Recipes to go with your coffee:

Low Sugar Coffee Milkshake
Peppermint Cream for your Coffee
How to make Iced Coffee for a Crowd
How to make Coffee Ice Cubes so you won’t water down your cold coffee
How to Cold Brew Coffee
How to set up an Iced Coffee Bar
Sweet Vanilla Coffee Creamer
Homemade Chocolate Frappe
Homemade Chocolate Caramel Creamer
Chocolate Whipped Cream for your Coffee

I’d love to hear what your favorite small kitchen appliances are. Which ones do you feel you can’t live without?

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Simple 5-Minute Shredded Chicken

February 28, 2019 by Laura 4 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Just in case you have forgotten this truth, here it is again: Cooking meals for our families does not have to be a difficult job. This Simple 5-Minute Shredded Chicken is going to drop-kick the “cooking is hard” lie straight out the window.

Even if you don’t enjoy cooking, you can make this. Even if you don’t have time to cook, you can make this. Even if you can’t afford to spend much on groceries, you can make this. Even if you forgot to thaw meat, you can make this. Even if the idea of making a homemade meal brings tears to your eyes – wipe your tears, find 5-minutes, and make this. Even if you’re allergic to poultry…oh wait. That one is for real. If that is the case, please don’t make this.

To sum up, unless you are allergic to birds, there is no reason you should not make this (overuse of negatives, anyone?). Just make the chicken.

Let’s take a moment to get excited together about why making this Simple 5-Minute Chicken is a fabulous idea:

It takes 5-minutes of “work.” This was obvious, but worth shouting about because no one can even go through a drive-thru in 5-minutes.
You can make several meals worth of this chicken at the same time, storing it in the fridge or freezer, then pulling it out to add to meals as needed. This means that if you make 3-meals worth of this chicken at once, your 5-minutes of effort turns out 1.6666-Minute Chicken. #mathintherealworld
If you have made this chicken ahead of time and you are storing it in your fridge, you now have ready-made chicken which has now become 0-Minute Chicken.
Simple 5-Minute Chicken tastes really good and it is real food. We can’t say that about all convenience food, now can we?

Please note that the following recipe is barely a recipe. I am here to make your real food cooking life EASY. Simply get out chicken and get out spices. Place in crock pot, sprinkle, plug in, walk away, enjoy.

Simple 5-Minute Shredded Chicken

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Simple 5-Minute Chicken

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Author: Laura

Serves: 2-3 meals

Ingredients

3-pounds boneless chicken thighs or breasts
Any seasonings you like (I use garlic powder, sea salt, paprika, and parsley flakes)

Instructions

Place chicken in a crock pot and sprinkle with any herbs or spices you like.
Cook on low for 4-5 hours.
Shred chicken to use in any of your favorite recipes or to serve in tacos, or even as a main dish as-is!

How to use your 5-Minute Chicken

Add it to:

Or eat it plain with veggies on the side. So easy and delicious!

Having Alfredo? Just add Simple 5-Minute Shredded Chicken…

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Simple Cheeseburger Noodle Crock Pot Dinner

February 7, 2019 by Laura 1 Comment

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Ready for a deliciously easy Crock Pot meal? This Simple Cheeseburger Noodle Crock Pot Dinner is a hit for everyone at our table. But mostly it is a hit with me because it’s so very easy to make!

The more I put my mind to learning simple, real food cooking methods, the better my kitchen life has become! I’ve stopped peeling potatoes (Yukon Gold, baby). I’ve quit thawing meat (I’ve stopped trying to remember). And if at all possible, I’ve stopped boiling noodles (life’s too short). What kind of lazy cook have I become, anyway? Ah, no. I prefer to call it being a smart cook!

I think it is delightful to drop dried pasta into my crock pot along with a few other ingredients, then come back a few hours later to a dinner that’s ready to be served. The creaminess of this recipe is what makes it so popular. And if you want to save a few dollars, skip the meat in this recipe. It’s delicious either way!

Simple Cheeseburger Noodle Crock Pot Dinner

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Author: Laura

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1 pound hamburger meat
1 small chopped onion OR 3 Tablespoons dried minced onion
12-ounces UNCOOKED whole grain egg noodles
2 cups sour cream
30-ounces tomato sauce (2 cans)
1 cup water
Sea salt and pepper to taste
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
2 cups shredded cheese (we like cheddar or Colby jack)

Instructions

In a skillet, cook hamburger and onion together until meat is no longer pink. Drain if necessary.
Stir cooked meat along with all other ingredients into a crock pot.
Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

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Simple Creamy Chicken Soup for Crock Pot or Instant Pot

January 3, 2019 by Laura 4 Comments

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This Simple Creamy Chicken Soup is the definition of comfort food.

Hmmmm. Actually, the definition of comfort food (I just looked it up) is: food that provides consolation or a feeling of well-being, typically any with a high sugar or other carbohydrate content and associated with childhood or home cooking.

I believe I have just re-defined comfort food. No longer must it be associated with a high sugar or carb content. Certainly not in the case of this Creamy Chicken Soup. We can associate it with home cooking (because we will be at home, cooking it) and it is likely that your children will someday associate it with their childhood.

But there is no pasta or potato involved in the making of this soup to make it high in carbs. Add some if you like. I’m personally in it for the chicken and the cheese. I find it delightfully comforting.

Simple Creamy Chicken Soup

Simple Creamy Chicken Soup for Crock Pot or Instant Pot

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Author: Laura

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1-2 pounds boneless chicken thighs or breasts
10-ounce can Rotel
32-ounces (4 cups) chicken broth
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon paprika
8-ounces softened cream cheese
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups shredded Colby jack or cheddar cheese

Instructions

Place chicken, Rotel, broth, salt, and paprika into an Instant Pot or Crock Pot
For Instant Pot: Seal and cook on manual at high pressure for 15 minutes. Quick release.
For Crock Pot: Cook ingredients on low for 6-8 hours or until chicken is no longer pink.
Remove chicken from Crock Pot or Instant Pot. Shred it and put it back into the pot.
Stir in cream cheese, cream, and shredded cheese until smooth.
Serve with frozen corn sprinkled in if desired

I added a carb by sprinkling frozen corn into our soup to cool it and sweeten it. So I guess this meets the definition of comfort food after all!

Don’t have an Instant Pot? I have and love this one.

Simple Real Food Recipes

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Simple Creamy Layered Enchiladas (For Oven or Crock Pot)

October 9, 2018 by Laura 1 Comment

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How simple are these Creamy Layered Enchiladas? Well, I was able to throw them together in just five minutes before running out to church on a recent Sunday morning. So I’d say they’re pretty simple!

This recipe is simple in and of itself, but if you happen to have hamburger already cooked and waiting to be used, then you really can throw the rest of this together in just five minutes. (Or use pre-cooked chicken if you prefer!)

There are two great options for cooking this casserole: Crock Pot or Oven.

I use the Crock Pot on days I don’t want to heat up the house with the oven or on Sundays when I want to have our meal ready and waiting when we get home from church. I use the oven when I have these enchiladas made up ahead of time in a casserole dish. Then all I have to do is slide it into the oven and let it bake while I get other work done!

Simple Creamy Layered Enchiladas

Simple Creamy Layered Enchiladas (For Oven or Crock Pot)

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Author: Laura

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
sea salt to taste
2 cups salsa
1½ cups sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
8 whole wheat flour tortillas (or corn tortillas)

Instructions

Brown meat. Stir in salt, salsa, sour cream, and ½ cup of cheese.
Lay 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Spread half of meat mixture over tortillas.
Layer again with the 4 remaining tortillas.
Spread remaining meat mixture over tortillas.
Top with 1½ cups cheese.
Bake uncovered at 350° for 20-25 minutes.
OR Layer ingredients into a crock pot. Cook on Low for 6-7 hours or on Hi for 4 hours.

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The Easiest Way to Make Beef Roast in the Instant Pot

May 1, 2018 by Laura 9 Comments

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My mom used to be the queen of perfect Sunday roasts. But for some reason, it’s taken me over 20 years to figure out how to get my roast to fall apart and taste delicious. Today I’ll share what I’ve learned about making beef roast in the Instant Pot. Aha! Now we’re on to something.

After years of trial and error, I finally learned to make a Melt–in-Your-Mouth Beef Roast in the Crock Pot. This is all well and good except for the days I don’t have 12 hours to wait for my beef roast to cook to perfection. A recent Sunday morning, “What can I make for lunch before we leave for church in ten minutes?!” panic led me to investigate how to make a beef roast in my Instant Pot.

Wait. You don’t have an Instant Pot? Trust me. I understand. It took me years of hearing about them to get on the Insta-Train. Now that I’m on board, I’m declaring it to be one of my favorite appliances. Is an Instant Pot worth your investment? I give an emphatic, “Absolutely!” (I have this one.)

So anyway, back to my pot roast. I discovered that there are many Instant Pot roast-making instructions out there. But I have to admit what you already know about me: I really do not like recipes that instruct me to take several steps before walking away from my food to let it cook. After all, what good is using a Crock Pot or Instant Pot if I have to spend 30 or more minutes prepping the food?

Therefore, while most recipes I found instructed that I sear both sides of the roast and sing it a lullaby before allowing the Instant Pot to work its magic, I decided to do what I do best: Throw the food into the pot, turn it on, and walk away. After all, I don’t have time to sear meat on a Sunday morning, nor am I interested in going to church smelling like caramelized onion. And all my fellow worshipers said amen.

I figured the worst that might happen if I took a few shortcuts is that my roast would be mediocre, something my family has dealt with for most of my roast-making life. This is why God invented gravy.

So into the Instant Pot went the roast. I dumped on some sea salt, worchestershire sauce, water, onion, and carrots. We went to church and came home to this:

The meat fell apart. The flavor was incredible. Continue to sear your roast if you must, but as for me and my house, I will continue to throw in the food and let the appliances do the work.

The Easiest Way to Make Beef Roast in the Instant Pot

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Author: Laura

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

3 pound beef roast
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 medium-sized onion
Sea salt and pepper to taste
5-8 medium-sized carrots
1 cup water

Instructions

Place roast on the metal trivet in your Instant Pot.
Pour 1 cup water into the bottom of the pot.
Cut onion into fourths and place in the pot.
Peel carrots, cut them in half, then place them on the roast.
Salt liberally, pepper as you like.
Place the lid on the Instant Pot and seal it.
Cook it at High Pressure, Manual Setting, for 70 minutes.
I do natural release as I'm usually still at church during this time.
Shred meat and serve!

Add 3ish pounds of scrubbed and cut potatoes to the pot if you like. :)

Be on the lookout for a tutorial on making Roast Gravy.

Am I the only one who has struggled to make a good pot roast? Here’s hoping this recipe solves all your roast-making issues!

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links.

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Simple Crock Pot Salsa Shredded Beef (2 Ingredients!)

April 26, 2018 by Laura Leave a Comment

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Ready to cook dinner while you’re sleeping? This Simple Crock Pot Salsa Shredded Beef idea is genius!

My Simple Overnight Melt-in-Your-Mouth Beef Roast has become a staple around here. So one night I thought, “Why can’t I try the same idea but use salsa instead of bbq sauce? Then we can have Mexi-Wraps for lunch tomorrow?

I love it when good ideas turn out amazing results! But I love it even more that this recipe is so easy your two year old can make it. My favorite is that this cooks while we’re sleeping so we can wake up and have a good meal ready to serve later in the day. Or if you prefer, start this cooking in your crock pot first thing in the morning and have an awesome meal ready at the end of the day.

Now, some have cautioned against putting frozen meat in a crock pot. I have no hesitation about this, and I think we all know I’m terrible about ever remembering to thaw meat. So if given the chance, I will put frozen meat into my crock pot because this saves brain power. Coffee can only do so much.

The work involved in making this Simple Salsa Shredded Beef includes none other than:

Putting a frozen roast in a crock pot.
Dumping on a jar of salsa.
Letting it cook all night or all day.

Praise God, Glory Hallelujah.

After cooking for 10-12 hours, this meat has become so flavorful and tender it practically falls apart before you even come near it with a fork. Shred it quickly, cry a joyful tear over how marvelous your meal is going to be, and serve this to your family with a smile. After all, you didn’t have to work hard to make this. So you still have energy to smile. What a gift.

Use this Simple Salsa Shredded Beef as Mexi-Wraps in tortillas with taco/burrito fixin’s. Use it to make Simple Spanish Rice Bowls. Toss it into a Taco Salad. Eat it directly out of the crock pot. Who can help it?

Simple Crock Pot Salsa Shredded Beef

Simple Crock Pot Salsa Shredded Beef (2 Ingredients!)

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Author: Laura

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

3-4 pound beef or lamb roast
16-ounces salsa

Instructions

Place frozen or thawed roast into a crock pot.
Pour salsa over the top.
Cook in a crock pot on low for 10-12 hours if frozen. If thawed, cook for 8-10 hours on low.
Shred meat and serve.

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Simple Crock Pot Applesauce BBQ Chicken (on a Simple Budget)

January 9, 2018 by Laura 2 Comments

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My favorite meals to make are the meals I can dump into the crock pot and forget about until dinner time. This Simple Crock Pot Applesauce BBQ Chicken is one of those meals. It turns out juicy, flavorful chicken with no effort!

bbq applesauce chicken11

While I like cooking my chicken in the crock pot, I’ve started always cooking my rice in my Instant Pot. What did I ever do without my Instant Pot!?

bbq applesauce chicken12

Grab out some greens, steam a veggie, and this meal is perfection on a plate with very little effort!

Simple Crock Pot Applesauce BBQ Chicken

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Author: Laura

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless chicken thighs or breasts
⅔ cup natural applesauce
⅔ cup BBQ sauce
Sea salt to taste
Chili powder to taste

Instructions

Place chicken pieces at the bottom of a crock pot.
Sprinkle salt and chili powder over chicken.
Drizzle on applesauce and bbq sauce.
Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.
Serve over rice or potatoes.

Catch the running list of Simple Meals on a Simple Budget here.

Simple Recipes on a Simple Budget

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Simple Crock Pot Cranberry Apple Cider

December 17, 2017 by Laura 2 Comments

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It is a fact that the first time I made this Cranberry Apple Cider, a young boy visiting our home looked into the crock pot, saw the floating cranberries, and asked, “Are those berries poisonous?”

cranberry cider33

Hey. It was a fair question. He’s been taught well. Never eat berries without first asking what they are and checking to be sure that they are safe to eat. Smart kid, that one.

I assured him that the berries floating in my cider were merely cranberries, but my proclamation meant nothing at all to him. So he stood waiting for me to answer his actual question, “Are those berries poisonous?”

cranberry cider22

I’ll admit that for at least two seconds, my mind started heading down the path of possible answers I could but should not give. “We’re not really sure, but we decided to try them and see what happened.” Or maybe, “Yes, but they were so pretty we decided it didn’t matter.”

But only a terrible hostess would scare visiting children, so even though this kid is a regular guest in our home and knows we specialize in sarcasm, I ignored the untrue answers threatening to come out of my mouth and told him, “Yes. But only if you chew them up and swallow them. If they’re just floating in your cup, they won’t hurt you.”

I kid, I kid.

I actually didn’t have to say anything at all because while I was quietly saying, “Nope, they’re just cranberries. Not even a little bit poisonous.” My almost 13-year old was sharing his own scary remarks about how his mom sometimes, but not always, puts poisonous berries in the cider so the family never knows which batch is safe, then ended with, “So. You want to try some?”

cranberry cider11

It’s so much fun to be a guest at our house. You should definitely come drink cider with us sometime. If you dare. Mooh-ha-ha.

Well now that we got all the sarcasm out of the way (a Christmas miracle), let’s get on with the niceties about this recipe.

This Simple Crock Pot Cranberry Apple Cider actually smells like Christmas. Yes, if you’ve ever wondered what Christmas smells like, this is your answer. It also looks like Christmas because what is more festive looking than (potentially poisonous) red berries, oranges, and cinnamon sticks in a crock pot? So pretty!

The best news is that this may be the simplest recipe you can make during the holiday season. Put ingredients into crock pot. Turn on crock pot. Let the smell of Christmas fill your home.

Simple Crock Pot Cranberry Apple Cider

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Author: Laura

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

64 ounces unsweetened apple juice
1-2 whole oranges, sliced
16-ounces fresh cranberries
3-5 cinnamon sticks

Instructions

Place all ingredients into a slow cooker.
Heat on low for 3-4 hours.
Serve and enjoy!

TIP: After you make the first round of cider, save the cinnamon sticks, oranges, and cranberries to reuse in another batch of hot cider.

Simple Crock Pot Cranberry Apple Cider

This cider is fun to leave in a crock pot for several hours during the day so that at all times the house smells wonderful and at any time a cup can be refilled!

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