These slow cooker vintage recipes are sure to impress anyone's mother

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The first slow cookers, aka Crock-Pots, were basic: They had only two settings, low and high, and the pot was not removable, making cleanup tricky and tedious. Today's models have various settings, and you can pop the ceramic insert into the dishwasher. Regardless of the model, most cooks turn to a few tried-and-true recipes.
If your slow cooker is collecting dust in a high kitchen cabinet alongside that punch bowl you used last century, climb up there to retrieve it, and prepare to slow-cook again. Coming home to a meal that's ready to serve is more enjoyable than you might remember.
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Vintage potatoes
What can make your day better than a ready-to-eat casserole dish complete with meat, potatoes and a green vegetable waiting for you at home? It's important to stir this recipe 30 minutes into the cooking time to avoid scorching, but the dish is worth that extra step. Cream cheese bathes everything in a satin-smooth sauce, and you can substitute another hard cheese for the cheddar if you like. Get the tutorial here.
Slow cooker ham and baked beans
This old-school recipe has been pushed to the back of the recipe box in some households. Now's the time to revive it as a savory dish that's especially satisfying on a chilly night. Garlic and onion bring out the best in the beans and ham, and perfectly infuse the chicken broth with deep layers of flavor. Get the recipe here.
Chicken adobo
With only seven ingredients, this Filipino classic packs a ton of flavor in every morsel. Use bone-in chicken for maximum taste and tenderness; dark meat provides natural succulence. Add a bowl of white rice to the menu, and it's a meal to add to your recipe rotation. Get the recipe here.
Chicken cacciatore
This delectable staple of Italian restaurant menus is easy to create at home in a slow cooker. Browning the chicken is important, so the skin holds up during cooking. Red wine tenderizes the chicken, flavors the vegetables, and adds authenticity to the dish. Get the recipe here.
Honey pineapple chicken
Using a spiral-cut ham allows the magnificent pineapple glaze to seep through the whole piece of meat during the slow cooking process. Spiking the glaze with the juice from the canned pineapple gives the dish a tropical edge. Leftovers make tasty sandwiches or transform freshly steamed white rice into an aromatic main dish. Get the tutorial here.
Creamy onion dip
No party is complete without a prize-worthy dip, and this one cooks itself while you tend to other preparations. It has everything people crave in a dip: creaminess, depth of flavor and top-notch dippability. Serve it with a plate of crudites, crackers and chunks of French or Italian bread to satisfy everyone in the room. Get the recipe her=e.
Cooktop Cove
Brunswick stew
This dish is a Southern classic and a true "everything-but-the-kitchen sink" meal. It combines more than 15 different ingredients in a slow cooker for a low-and-slow dish full of protein and vegetables, with enough to feed a hungry bunch. Get the full recipe here.
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