Sorority Rush 2012 has started. But shh, if PanHellenic knew I wasn’t calling the process “formal recruitment” I’d be in trouble. To break it down for all you “independents” out there, rush essentially consists of girls flirting with freshmen for hours and hours. Not to mention the set up, clean up, memorizing of chants, dances, songs, and skits, creating costumes and slideshows, and discussing the aforementioned activities for hours after it has all taken place. Yes, this is my life. Rock on, southern schools.

Oh, and did I mention that this monstrosity of a time consumption is in addition to attending classes and moving into my new apartment? In between class and rush we often only have a short period of time to relax, change, and eat a snack. Furnishing our kitchen is still a slight work in progress, but one thing we do have is a slow cooker. While most slow cooker recipes are famous for making tender meat or big pots of chili (and these recipes are coming!), it’s more versatile than most think. I threw all the ingredients for this spinach artichoke dip in the slow cooker before class, and when I returned a few hours later to get ready for that night’s round of rush, my roommates and I enjoyed an ooey-gooey warm snack that energized us to be the best flirters in town.

Lucy Dana is a junior at Duke University, who just got home from a semester in Cape Town, South Africa. Read More…

**Recipe**

Slow Cooker Spinach Artichoke Dip
Serves a crowd
Recipe Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients
One 9 ounce box of frozen spinach
One 12 ounce jar of artichoke hearts
8 ounces of cream cheese
1 cup of shredded mozzarella
½ cup of grated parm
dash of milk
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic clove, grated or minced

Defrost spinach, and squeeze out excess liquid in a kitchen cloth. It’s okay if some moisture remains; don’t go crazy trying to squeeze it dry. Drain artichoke hearts and break up with fingers.

Combine all remaining ingredients in slow cooker. Dip will seem very thick, but once the cheese all melts it will become more of a dip-like consistency.

Cook on high for 2 hours. Serve with pita chips, crackers, or whatever dipper your enjoy.