I made 5 game-day appetizers in a slow cooker and I'd make them all again

These meatballs are super versatile — you can either serve them on their own with the tomato sauce, in a roll for a delicious meatball sub, or even with pasta. The ingredients for the meatballs are pretty standard — I used a meatball mix from the grocery store that included beef and pork.

It's really best to mix the ingredients together in the bowl by hand to make sure the eggs, breadcrumbs, and meat are well incorporated.

I could see the chopped onion and parsley peeking through the meat mixture. The recipe that I followed said you should have about 24 meatballs — I had that exact number, so I was confident that my meatballs were the right size.

Next, I broiled the meatballs in the oven for about four minutes on each side, careful not to burn them.

I then started gathering the ingredients for the tomato sauce the meatballs would cook inside in the slow cooker. The sauce calls for crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning.

However, it's OK if the meatballs are placed on top of each other if your slow cooker is slightly smaller.

However, when I pulled out my first meatball at the four-hour mark, I thought it looked a little underdone. It's important to check your meatballs before eating them, as there can be variations in the cooking time depending on the size of your meatballs or even your slow cooker.

I let mine continue cooking for another half-hour on high to make sure everything was done for dinner time.

I thought the meatballs were perfectly juicy and well-seasoned, while the tomato sauce tasted like homemade marinara that had been cooking on the stove for hours.

I enjoyed the meatballs on their own as an appetizer. However, later in the week, I served some of the leftover meatballs and sauce with pasta for dinner, which really impressed me as well.

You can view the full recipe by Chef Savvy here.

While I had heard you could make Buffalo wings in a slow cooker, I was admittedly skeptical. I just couldn't see how they would turn out saucy or crispy enough. However, this recipe called for putting the wings under the broiler at the end, which intrigued me.

I started by mixing together Buffalo sauce, minced garlic, chopped yellow onion, and brown sugar.

When you buy your chicken wings, make sure the drumsticks and flats are separated and ready to add to your slow cooker. I had to spend about 20 minutes trimming and separating my chicken wings, which took up extra time and energy as I had never done it before.

After they were fully cooked, I removed them from the slow cooker and placed them on a sheet pan with foil. I then brushed a generous amount of the extra Buffalo sauce over the wings and put them under the broiler for about three minutes on each side until they were crispy and slightly blackened.

I was surprised at how easy these wings were to make. I loved how the slow cooker cooked the meat and they only needed to be finished in the oven.

They were perfectly crispy and flavorful on the outside, while the meat inside was beyond juicy and moist. They were honestly perfect — not too spicy and the texture was out of this world. I would definitely make these time and time again.

You can find the full recipe by Spend With Pennies here.

I've tried a number of Martha Stewart's slow cooker recipes in the past, and I've enjoyed a majority of them. I was excited to see how this queso dip would turn out.

Like a lot of other Martha Stewart slow-cooker recipes, this dip only required a few ingredients, which I really appreciated when it came to braving the grocery store a week before Super Bowl Sunday.

I started by adding American cheese and pepper jack cheese to the slow cooker and mixed it together with a small amount of cornstarch.

I mixed it together until the mixture was creamy and combined and then seasoned it with salt.

You'll know it's done when the dip is bubbling and slightly thickened.

I added sliced jalapeños, red onion, and cilantro.

I thought the pepper jack and American cheeses meshed well together, while the tomatoes and green chilies added a ton of flavor. I really liked the texture of the dip — it wasn't too thick or too watery.

I also really liked how this dip only called for a few ingredients. It would definitely make life a lot easier when cooking for a group of people on Super Bowl Sunday.

You can find the full recipe by Martha Stewart here.

The recipe, which is in "Martha Stewart's Slow Cooker," calls for three cups of white sharp cheddar cheese and one cup of Gruyere in the macaroni-and-cheese mixture. The third and final cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano, is later added to the breadcrumb mixture.

In addition to three kinds of cheese, the recipe called for milk, yellow onion, and two cans of evaporated milk. The ingredients came together to make the most decadent, creamy, and delicious mac and cheese I've ever had.

Instead, you simply throw it in with the other ingredients and it cooks in the slow cooker. The macaroni and cheese only took an hour and a half on high to finish cooking — in addition to being delicious, it was much quicker than some other slow-cooker recipes I've tried.

This was by far the most flavorful macaroni and cheese I've ever had, and I thought it was very easy to make in the slow cooker.

However, it probably would have cooked through more evenly with a little longer in the slow cooker.

You can find the recipe in "Martha Stewart's Slow Cooker."

The base for the Buffalo chicken dip calls for crumbled blue cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, and ranch dressing. I mixed those ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl before spreading it in a single layer in the bottom of my slow cooker.

You can use rotisserie chicken or simply boil up some chicken breasts and shred them yourself with a fork, like I did.

I could already tell this dip was going to be delicious.

I set the slow cooker to warm and began prepping my toppings. I added another layer of American cheese and put the lid on the slow cooker to allow the cheese to melt. Then, I chopped up one green onion and added it to the top.

The layers of the dip were perfectly proportioned. With each bite, I got a delicious mouthful of cheese, hot sauce, and chicken. This recipe really impressed me, and I would definitely make it again.

You can find the full recipe by Taste of Home here.