Crock Pot Recipes for Summer

- Mark Boughton Photography/ Styling by Teresa Blackburn

Once summer rolls around, we tend to push our crock pots to the back of our cabinets. It’s a crime really—because using a slow cooker when the weather is warm makes sense—it uses less energy and won’t heat up your kitchen like an oven. So it’s time to bust that baby out and serve up these stellar summertime dishes.

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches: Place bone-in leg quarters in the crock pot and baste with your favorite barbeque sauce and add 1/2 cup of broth in the bottom of the crock pot. Cook on low for about four hours then shred chicken and allow to marinate for an additional hour in excess sauce. When shredding with a fork, do not overdo it as this will make your sandwich soggy in the end. To serve, scoop the meat on a sturdy roll and top as desired—try provolone, crisp lettuce, onions or coleslaw.
Cherry Crock Pot Cobbler: Using our blueberry crumble recipe as inspiration, add a can of cherry pie filling to a buttered crock-pot. Combine 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flower and 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar. Cut in 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter until mixture resembles a course meal. Sprinkle mixture over cherries and cook on low for approximately five hours. Serve with vanilla ice cream for a simply fabulous dessert.

—By Emily Arno