As a thank you for all the help y'all have given me over the last year or two, I'd like to present you with "How to feed yourself while working on your web page"

::grin::

I live alone, and live out of my crockpot on the weekends, so my tastes may be suspect (according to my mother). However, others have tried (most) of these and pronounced them good, so this may be a way to feed your family (if you've got one) and still be able to put in quality time with your HTML program.

The last three recipes are not crockpot recipes, but they're easy and really good... maybe use them as an apology to the family for hiding in the computer all weekend? (The spinach recipe is a family tradition... I make it for all family dinners... and we fight over the leftovers).

Crockpot Recipes

Mexicanish Chicken & Rice Soup

Ingredients:
vegetable oil spray
4 chicken thighs without skin or bone -- cut in 1/2" chunks
1 lg Onion -- Diced
4 cloves garlic -- Minced
10 ozs spinach, frozen
1 can low sodium chicken broth
3/4 c Salsa -- Medium
1/2 tsp Jalapeno Sauce -- McIlhenny
2 tbsps Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 can Tomatoes with Green Chilies -- RO*tel
1 Bay Leaf
2/3 c brown rice -- raw; Not Instant
-GARNISH-
1 c sour cream, light
2 green onions -- chopped

Put oil in very hot pan, add chicken, onion and garlic. Stirfry rapidly till chicken is lightly browned & sealed on all sides.

Put in crockpot with all other ingredients (except sour cream and green onions). Add enough water to come within 1" of top. Cook on low all day. Whoever gets home from work first, stir it and check the water level. If you need to add more water, be sure and turn the pot to "High". AND KEEP THE LID ON FIRMLY!

Makes a thick soup, almost a stew consistency. It is slightly spicy. If you want it spicier, use hotter salsa, more cayenne, and/or more jalapeno sauce.

Top with 2 tablespoons of fat-free sour cream (per serving) and some chopped green onion on the soup...looks pretty. Stir it in...tastes heavenly!

This can also be cooked on the stove top. It just requires more attention than a crockpot. Stir occasionally to keep it from sticking.

Ingredients:
1/2 c Navy beans
1/2 c White rice
1/4 c Orzo
1 Onion -- chopped
1 Carrot -- chopped
2 Celery stalks -- chopped
2 cloves Garlic -- chopped
1 lb Ground turkey -- or chicken
1 ham bouillon cube
1 can tomatoes -- Diced, undrained
Jane's Krazy Mixed-Up Salt
-or-
Salt and pepper to taste

Dump everything, except tomatoes and salt, in crockpot. Add water to top of pot. Cover. Cook on high 3 hours. Turn temperature down to low. Cook all day. Add tomatoes with their juice and seasonings about 3 hours before serving.

Tomatoes and salt are added late because acid and/or salty foods tend to keep beans from softening.

Ingredients:
1/2 - 1 lb ground meat of choice, browned and drained
1 lg Onion -- Diced (or use frozen chopped onions - I love the supermarket!)
4 cloves garlic -- Minced (or to taste)
10 ozs spinach, frozen (1 box frozen chopped)
1-2 cans chicken broth
3/4 - 1 c Salsa -- heat of choice (If you're like me, and have a jar of salsa of the wrong heat that you bought by accident, use that. It gets diluted so much that the heat dissipates)
1/2 tsp Jalapeno Sauce -- McIlhenny (no heat, just flavor. Yum)
1 can Diced Tomatoes (plain, with roasted garlic, italian, whatever you have on hand)
1 Bay Leaf
2/3 c brown rice -- raw; Not Instant
Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt or salt & pepper to taste
-OPTIONAL-
basil, parsley - if using beef or pork
rosemary, thyme - if using lamb
In other words, season as you wish ::grin::

Brown meat, onion, and garlic together. Drain.

Put in crockpot with all other ingredients (except sour cream and green onions). Add enough water to come within 1" of top. Cook on low all day. Whoever gets home from work first, stir it and check the water level. If you need to add more water, be sure and turn the pot to "High". AND KEEP THE LID ON FIRMLY!

(If staying home while this cooks, hold back rice until it's cooked for a few hours. Then add rice, and cook a few hours more.)

Makes a thick soup, almost a stew consistency. It is slightly spicy. If you want it spicier, use hotter salsa, more cayenne, and/or more jalapeno sauce.

Top with sour cream (per serving) or grated cheese (or both, if you're hedonistic).

3 lbs Boston Butt Steak
1 env dry Onion Soup Mix
1 bottle BBQ sauce (I used Hickory & Brown Sugar)
1 5.5 oz can tomato juice
1/4 cup water
1 ts Mexene Chili Powder
1 capful liquid onion
1-2 ts chopped garlic (more or less to taste...I love garlic!)

Cut pork into rough 1.5" cubes, trimming as much fat off as possible. Toss in large ziploc bag with Onion Soup Mix. Refrigerate until ready to cook, at least one hour.

Put pork in crock pot. Add entire bottle BBQ sauce. Rinse out bottle with tomato juice, and add to pot. Rinse out bottle with 1/4 cup water, add to pot. Add chili powder, liquid onion and chopped garlic. Stir. Put on lid. Set pot to High.

1 lb ground beef
2 cans kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can (6 oz) tomato juice
1 can beef broth
1 cup frozen corn
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach
2 generous T chili powder
1 generous shake cayenne pepper
onion & garlic to taste
salt & peper to taste
1 cup raw brown rice

Put all ingredients except rice in crock pot. Simmer on high until meat is no longer pink, or about 6 hours. Switch to low, cook all night. Switch back to high. Replace any water that cooked away. When bubbling again, add rice and stir. Let cook a couple of hours. Serve with sour cream and cheese.

1 pkg frozen chopped spinach
1 can chicken broth
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 can mushrooms
1/2 - 1 lb browned & drained ground meat of choice (I've used beef and pork, both are good.)
1/2 lb spaghetti, broken up into small pieces
--or--
1/2 lb pasta of your choice
basil, onion powder, garlic powder to taste

Put all ingredients except pasta in crockpot. Cook on high for several hours, until really, really hot (bubbling, if your crockpot gets that hot). Add pasta. Stir. Put lid back on. Cook until pasta is done. Serve with grated cheese.

Non-Crockpot Recipes

Spinach Casserole

Serves: 12

1/2 Tsp pepper
1 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Cup(s) butter
1 Tsp Grated onion
1 Tsp salt
4 Cup(s) milk
1 Cup(s) Flour
3 Pkg(s) (10 oz) Chopped spinach, frozen

Instruction: Melt butter, blend in flour, salt & pepper, stir and bubble one minute.

Remove from heat and stir in milk. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Boil one minute, stirring.

Drop in 3 pkgs still frozen spinach and cook until thawed.

Season with grated onion and Worcestershire Sauce to taste (small amount, approx 1/4 to 1/2 tsp each).

Place in casserole, top with buttered bread crumbs.

Bake at 325F for at least one hour.

Notes: Buttered bread crumbs: 2-3 Tbsp butter, melted, pour in fine, dry bread crumbs.

Categories: Poultry
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
1 can (10.75 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1 container (8 oz) sour cream
1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
2 tsp chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
12 (6") flour tortillas
1 med (about 1 c) tomato, chopped
1 (about 2 tb) green onion, sliced

Instructions:
This should take you about 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to bake. It's a fairly quick and yummy dish. You can use a hotter version of the Pace sauce, if you want a spicier recipe.

1. Mix soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder. Reserve 1 cup.

2. Mix 1 cup picante sauce mixture, chicken and cheese.

3. Spread about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam-side down in 3-quart shallow baking dish.

4. Pour remaining picante sauce mixture over enchiladas. Cover and bake at 350°F. for 40 minutes or until hot. Top with tomato and onion.

TIP: For 2 cups chopped cooked chicken, in medium saucepan over medium heat, in 4 cups boiling water, cook 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cubed, 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Drain and chop chicken.

Ingredients

8 Chicken breast halves, skinned & boned
3 T butter, melted
1 pkg Good Seasons Extra Zesty Italian Dressing
Salt & Pepper
1/2 can Cream of Chicken soup, low fat, condensed &
1/2 can Cream of Mushroom soup, low fat, condensed
or
1 can cream of chicken mushroom soup, condensed (higher fat result)
6 oz cream cheese, cubed (If you use fat-free, it'll be healthier)
3/4 c dry white wine
6 oz mushrooms, drained
Rice; cooked, hot

Dip chicken breast halves in melted butter. Place in single layer in casserole dish. Sprinkle 1/2 pkg DRY Italian dressing over the breasts. Sprinkle with salt and papper. Turn breasts over and sprinkle with remaining dressing and salt and pepper. Cover and bake at 250 for about 30 minutes. A few minutes before the 30 minutes are up, mix condensed soup, wine, mushrooms and cream cheese in a asmall saucepan over medium heat. Mix until cheese is melted. Pour over chicken, cover and return to oven for 45-60 minutes. Serve with hot rice, with sauce spooned over all.