Holiday Party Appetizers for the Non-Cook

I make some classic holiday appetizers that don't require any culinary expertise. They don't even require a kitchen. To make these you will need a crockpot, an essential appliance in the non-cook's arsenal. Many people have these stashed away with the unused wedding presents. They can also be borrowed from older female relatives. My mother usually has at least three.

The ingredients: two packages of Lil Smokies or store brand cocktail wieners ( a lot of stores have these on sale around Christmas) and two bottles of barbeque sauce. Instructions:

1. Assemble ingredients in crockpot.
2. Plug in crockpot and turn it on.

My pot has two settings, low and high. Which of these you use depends on the type of party you are going to. For a house party you turn it on high at home until the wieners are heated through. Transport it to the host's house and plug it in again there on low. If you are fixing these for an office party, wait to turn on the heat until you get there and the whole office will eventually smell of your barbequed wieners. A word of caution: don't leave the setting on high for too long or a burnt ring of sauce will form. If you don't like to cook I bet you like to clean up even less.

For a variation use one bag of frozen meatballs, one cup of barbeque sauce, and a jar of grape jelly. Follow steps one and two above. You need to use the high setting until the jelly melts and the meatballs are heated through.

For the more ambitious there is queso dip. This will require a knife and can opener (another must-have appliance for the non-cook). Cut up a one pound block of Velveeta into cubes and combine in the crockpot with a can of Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with green chilies. Heat to melting, stir and serve with tortilla chips. A can of refried beans or chili can also be mixed into this dip.

With the variety of jarred sauces and canned Mexican food out there the holiday appetizer possibilites for the non-cook are endless.