Make It Fast, Cook It Slow (2 page)

S
erving hot beverages during a party, play group, or meeting is such a fun use for the slow cooker. Visitors will love lining up for their drinks, and the house smells marvelous while the beverage stays hot. When serving guests, provide a ladle and keep the slow cooker lid off with the pot turned to low. When the lid is off, the drink will not remain hot enough if on the warm setting.

CHAI TEA LATTE

serves 2 to 4

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Put milk into the stoneware, and stir in the spices, vanilla, and sugar. Float the cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, and tea bags on top. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until heated through.

The Verdict

Of the different hot beverages I’ve made in the slow cooker, this is my least favorite, but it’s because I’m just not a fan of tea. My husband, Adam, and I joked that a shot of espresso would really liven it up. But! If you like tea, and are spending $4 for store-bought lattes a few times a week, you should give this a try. I’ve gotten quite a few nice e-mails about this tea. Apparently it tastes just like the “real” thing.

HOLIDAY PUNCH (NONALCOHOLIC)

serves 6

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Combine the juices in the stoneware, and add the hot tamales. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or on low for 4 to 5 hours. Stir. The candy will pretty much dissolve, leaving just a hint of cinnamony flavor. Ladle the punch into mugs and garnish with a cinnamon stick if desired.

The Verdict

This is the easiest hot drink I have made in the slow cooker, and the kids liked it the most. They drank two mugs each after school, and another after dinner. I really liked it a lot, too, and had two servings while watching
Oprah
. Adam only got a taste; he should have come home earlier!

HOT BUTTERED RUM

serves 5

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Add the water, brown sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and nutmeg to the crock. Cover and cook on high for 1 to 2 hours, or until the butter has melted and the mixture is quite hot. Ladle into a mug with a shot or two of rum, and add a splash of eggnog. Garnish with a sprinkle more nutmeg and cinnamon, if you like.

The Verdict

We had this on Christmas Day, and it was delicious. My mother-in-law even liked this, and she usually doesn’t drink alcohol. Keep in mind that if your eggnog is right from the fridge, it will make the butter harden in the mug if you add too much (ask me how I know this…). It would be better to take a bit out of the fridge and let it warm to room temperature while the butter and sugar cook in the crock. My sister-in-law was pregnant, and she enjoyed plain eggnog with the butter and brown sugar.

GINGERBREAD LATTE

serves 2 to 4

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Put the milk into the stoneware, and whisk in the dried spices, sugar, and vanilla. Don’t add the coffee. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, or high for 1 to 2 hours. The milk should be quite hot, but if your slow cooker tends to get hot enough to boil, keep an eye on it. Don’t let the milk boil. Pour into hot coffee or espresso. Garnish with whipped cream, a sprinkle of nutmeg, and a cinnamon stick.

The Verdict

I think this might be my favorite coffee drink I’ve made. It really hit the spot on a cloudy day around 3:00 p.m. when I really, really wanted to climb into bed for a nap, but didn’t have the time. After four or five sugar cookies and a latte, I was wide awake until 1:00 a.m. With any luck, you can have the same experience. The kids both had a cup of the warm milk mixture with whipped cream and were delighted. Adam didn’t get to try any, but I did save my mug for him to smell—I’m thoughtful that way.

MULLED WINE

serves 10

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour the wine into the stoneware, and squeeze the oranges to get 1 cup of juice. I’m sure you could get away with using store-bought juice, but the pulp floating around is what’s kind of neat about mulled wine; it’s more rustic this way. Stir in the sugar and ground spices. Float the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves on top. Slice one of the oranges in rings and float on top. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or on low for 4 hours. You want the wine to get as hot as a traditional hot beverage. Ladle the wine into mugs, and serve with a fresh orange wedge. When serving, leave the lid off and the slow cooker on low.

The Verdict

I liked this a lot. An awful lot. Maybe even a bit too much. The guests I’ve served this to have all been equally impressed. I like that you can use cheap wine (the wine I’ve used is between $2 and $4 per bottle) and it still wows even the toughest wine snob.

PEPPERMINT HOT CHOCOLATE/ PEPPERMINT MOCHA

serves
10
to
12

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Combine the dry ingredients in the stoneware and stir with a spoon. Squeeze in chocolate syrup, and add the peppermint extract. Add water a cup at a time, and stir well. The chocolate mixture will be bubbly and look powdery. It’s okay—I promise it will cook together. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours, or until completely hot. Serve with marshmallows and candy canes. If guests serve themeselves, keep the pot on low with the lid off, and provide a ladle.

The Verdict
.

Very tasty. I tried it plain, and with a half cup of strong coffee. I did not try the Peppermint Schnapps version, but assume it would taste good (it was 10:00 a.m.). The kids thought that the 2 teaspoons of peppermint extract was too strong, but that 1 teaspoon was perfect. I recommend starting with 1 teaspoon, and adding ¼ teaspoon at a time to taste.

PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE

serves 2

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Add coffee/espresso and milk to the stoneware. Whisk in pumpkin, spices, sugar, and vanilla. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Whisk again. Ladle into mugs, and garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon. You can add a cinnamon stick to be fancy.

The Verdict

This recipe really does taste like the real thing—except it doesn’t leave a fluorescent orange stain when you dribble it down your sweater. I also learned that coffee-house pumpkin spice lattes may contain gluten, which is another reason to make them yourself!

WASSAIL

serves 8

The Ingredients

The Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. This makes 9 cups of spiced punch. Put the cider, juice, honey, cinnamon, and cloves into the cooker. Wash the orange well, and cut off each end. Slice the rest into rings, and float on top of the punch. Cook on high for 2 hours, or on low for about 4 hours. You want the punch to be completely hot, and the flavor of the cloves and the cinnamon to have permeated the juices.

Ladle the punch into mugs. If you are going to add the brandy, put a shot into each mug, then top with the hot punch. If guests will be serving themselves, provide a ladle, and keep the slow cooker turned to low and the lid off.

The Verdict

Delicious and soothing. One of my kids had a sore throat, and she drank a lot (minus the brandy), and was happy with how it made her throat feel better. We drank our wassail out of mugs while we watched a
Murder, She Wrote
marathon on TV. I love Jessica Fletcher.