"SLOW-COOKER CHOCOLATE FONDUE"

6 (1-oz) squares unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons creme de cacao or coffee-flavored liqueur

things for dipping:

angel food cake cubes
marshmallows
pretzels
fruit (strawberries, bananas, etc.)

Place chocolate in a slow cooker.  Cover and heat on HIGH about 30 minutes or until chocolate melts.  Stir in sugar, half-and-half, margarine or butter and salt.  Cook on HIGH, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes.  Whisk until smooth.  Add liqueur.  Turn control to LOW.  Spear cake chunks, marshmallows, etc. with fondue forks.  Dip into hot chocolate mixture.  YIELD:  3 cups

"SLOW-COOKER CHICKEN TETRAZZINI"

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 2 x 1/2-inch strips
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons minced parsley
6 to 8 mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup half-and-half
8 oz. spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces, cooked and drained
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a slow cooker, combine chicken, broth, wine, onion, salt, thyme, pepper and parsley.  Cover and cook on LOW 4 to 5 hours.  Turn control to HIGH.  Add mushrooms.  In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in water; stir into slow cooker.  Cover and cook on HIGH 20 minutes.  Stir in half-and-half, cooked spaghetti, and half the cheese.  Cover and heat on HIGH 5 to 10 minutes.  Spoon into serving dish; sprinkle with remaining cheese.  YIELD:  5 to 6 servings

"SLOW-COOKER FAJITAS"

1 1/2 to 2 lbs. flank steak, skirt steak, sirloin, or boneless chicken
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 red or green bell pepper, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and finely chopped
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
8 to 10 warm flour tortillas
1/2 cup sour cream
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced

Cut meat across the grain into 1/2-inch diagonal strips.  Place in a slow cooker.  Top with onion and bell pepper.  In a small bowl, combine garlic, chile, chili powder, cumin, salt, oil and lemon juice.  Pour mixture over meat.  Cover and cook on LOW 6 to 7 hours or until meat is tender.  Spoon several slices of meat with sauce into center of each warm tortilla, top with sour cream and avocado; fold over.  YIELD:  8 to 10 servings

"BEEF BURGUNDY"

From Crockery Cookery

THIS IS FOR A SLOW COOKER

3 bacon slices, chopped
2 lbs. beef sirloin tip or round steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 beef bouillon cube, crushed
1 cup Burgundy or other red wine
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
cooked egg noodles

In a large skillet, cook bacon several minutes.  Remove bacon and set aside.  Coat beef with flour and brown on all sides in bacon drippings.  Combine beef, bacon drippings, cooked bacon, salt, seasoned salt, marjoram, thyme, pepper, garlic, bouillon and wine in a slow cooker.  Cover and cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours or until beef is tender.  Turn control to HIGH .  Add mushrooms and cornstarch mixture.  Cover and cook on HIGH 15 minutes.  Serve over noodles.  YIELD:  6 servings

"SPINACH GRATIN"

From Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Parties

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
4 cups chopped yellow onions (2 large)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
3 pounds frozen chopped spinach, defrosted (5 10-oz. packages)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese (or you could use Swiss)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saute pan on medium heat.  Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 15 minutes.  Add the flour and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.  Add the cream and milk and cook until thickened.

Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach and add the spinach to the sauce.  Add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and mix well.  Season to taste with the salt and pepper.

Transfer the spinach to a baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the Gruyere on top.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.  Serve immediately.  YIELD:  8 servings

**You can assemble this dish with the cheese topping a day or two ahead, then bake it before serving.

"VERY BERRY CREPES"

From Fit and Fast Meals in Minutes

2 cups blueberries, divided use
2 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 cups raspberries
4 7-inch ready-made crepes

Reserve 1 cup blueberries.  Combine sugar and cornstarch in saucepan.  Add water and bring to a simmer.  Add the remaining 1 cup blueberries and simmer 2 minutes, stirring constantly, or until sauce thickens and turns blue.  Remove 6 tablespoons of sauce and set aside.  Reserve several raspberries and blueberries for garnish on top of crepes.  Stir remaining berries into the hot sauce.  Spoon berry sauce onto the center of 4 crepes and fold the sides in to cover the berries.  Drizzle reserved 6 tablespoons sauce over top of crepes.  Sprinkle reserved blueberries and raspberries on top.  YIELD:  4 servings

"CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS"

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package (12oz) chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease 12 muffin cups.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugars, baking powder and salt.  In another bowl, stir together milk, eggs, canola oil and vanilla until blended.  Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients and stir just until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if using.

Spoon batter into muffin cups; bake 15-20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center of one muffin comes out clean.  Remove muffin tin to wire rack; cool 5 minutes and remove from tins to finish cooling.  YIELD:  12 muffins

**You can prepare muffin batter the night before, refrigerate and bake the next morning.