If you know me, you know my crock pot. I have been raving about this thing since the day I bought it for $7.99 on Black Friday. My crock pot lets me cook and eat on my schedule and budget-- I can just toss some ingredients into the pot and let them sit for who-cares how long. When I get home, a hot and tasty meal is ready for me. It's also a super easy way to use up ingredients or left overs before they go bad.

I'm not big on recipes, but am super big on making my own-- so here are my favorite things that I've thrown in my crock pot!

1. Hot Crock-late

You thought crock pots were only used for meals? Think again.

Here's how to make this sweet stew:

Add one bag of chocolate chips, 1/2 gallon of milk, and 1/2 cup of sugar to the crock pot. Let it cook on high for about 3 hours, then add marshmallows. Cook for another 30 minutes, and sip... ahhhhh.

2. Buffalo Cauliflower Dip

I'm not a vegetarian, but I think it's super fun to come up with substitutes for meats--this could definitely be made with chicken as well!

Here's how:

Add 1 bag of frozen cauliflower, 1 cup of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of buffalo/hot sauce, scallions, cheddar cheese, and ranch to the pot. Cook on high for 4 hours, add more scallions and cheese, and enjoy!

3. Quinoa Fried Rice

This one was a result of really just not having rice, but it ended up being a super happy accident.

Here's how:

Add 2 cups of quinoa and 2 cups of water to the crock pot, along with some frozen veggies, olive oil, and soy sauce. Then, fry some eggs up in a separate pan and add them to the pot. Cook on high for about 3 hours, and you're good!

4. Quinoa Chili

Cheesy freakin' goodness. Just add 2 cups of quinoa, 2 cups of water, 1 can of black beans, 1 can of kidney beans, 1 can of diced tomatoes and cheddar cheese, and cook on high for 5 hours.

5. Parmesan Breaded Chicken and Cauliflower

This looks a whole lot fancier than it actually is-- just add breaded chicken tenders, cauliflower, parmesan, olive oil, salt, pepper, and chicken broth (totally unnecessary, but I love this stuff) and cook for 2 hours!

6. Enchilada Soup

This is pretty similar to the chili, but with some special bonuses.

Add 1 can of kidney beans, 1 can of black beans, 1 can of corn, 1 cup of cream cheese, 1 packet of mild enchilada sauce, cilantro, and nacho cheese, and cook for 5 hours.

Happy crock-potting!