You have a crowd coming for Christmas or the New Year and you are cooking for them.  How do you make sure this event is a success?

Do your homework!  What kind of foods do they like, what can you make, what can you buy, does anyone have food allergies and what is your budget are some of the questions you need to ask yourself.  Draft up a menu and don't forget snacks, bread and drinks.  Pin that up or put it on the fridge for a few days.  You will probably add or subtract to it in that time.

Now you need a grocery list for each dish on your menu.  Check your recipes so you don't forget anything.  Work out when you are going to buy everything.  Perishables will have to be left until last but other goods can be bought ahead and stored.  Work out how you are going to make all the food and which ones you will buy in.  Don't forget the crock pot recipes here as they can be made a day or two before your dinner/lunch.

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If you like a mess free life then you might like to start using a crock pot liner for your crock pot meals.

Not only are crock pot liners good for no mess cooking but you can use them to transfer food to another contained which is really helpful when taking that cooked dish to another location such as a Pot Luck party.  You can also seal up that liner in the crock pot itself which will help prevent spillage.

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It only has an off-and-on button so it is a basic model    I wonder if you can get a programmable one?  It already has food in it and must be the vegetarian model.  It's fortunate that I like carrots, broccoli and zucchini.

Note though the words on the front though of  'smart home' and I suppose that says it all.  All smart homes should have a crock pot.  The switch does work and the little vegetables move up and down when the switch is on the 'on' position.

My friend has a good sense of humor and I am thankful that I have such a friend.  This is just a bit of fun and life and cooking should be fun.

This is another chicken crock pot recipe which is easy to make.  I like this honey mustard recipe for pork ribs also, so if you like pork ribs better, go ahead and use them instead.  This is a quick and easy crock pot slow cooker recipe to make and you should have the ingredients in your cupboards.

Honey Mustard Chicken

Place chicken in your crock pot.  Mix together the mustards, garlic, honey, BBQ sauce and salt and pepper in a jug and mix together well.  Taste to see if the sauce is how you like it as you can then add more mustard or BBQ sauce to get the taste you like.  Pour over chicken, making sure it is coated well. Cover and cook on low for 6 - 7 hours.  Mix together 2 tabs cornflower with 2 tabs water and add this to the sauce to thicken if necessary.  Serve with rice or mashed potato and vegetables.

For some great crock pot recipes you cant go past The Healthy Slow Cooker by Amazon.

I am not a big fan of turkey and would prefer a baked ham or chicken but I know most people do,  and turkey is a traditional Thanksgiving food so here's a fast and easy Thanksgiving turkey recipe that you can cook in the crock pot slow cooker.

Turkey breast with cranberry and apple

2 teasp melted butter

Place 3 tablespoons of this stuffing mix on each turkey cutlet and roll up and tie.  Place in the crock pot slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.  Serve with  extra cranberry sauce.