Italian Chicken

WARNING: NOT FOR THE DIETER

(It needs Misty's tweaking! Although I don't know if you can substitute butter, that's why I LOVE it)

If you like this:

You'll love this:

The chicken literally melts in your mouth! Yum!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1/2 cup margarine or butter

1 env. dry Italian salad dressing mix

1 10.75-oz. can cream of chicken soup

1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese

1/2-1 cup water

Bow tie or cooked rice

Cube raw chicken and put into a slow-cooker. Add butter or margarine and dressing mix. Cook on low for 6 hours, and then turn up to high and cook 1 additional hour. Stir in soup and cream cheese, and cook for an additional 1/2 hour. Stir in enough water to create a smooth consistency. Serve over rice or noodles.

Makes 6-8 servings. *super rich, a little goes a long way*

Spicy Beef

This is a tonight and tomorrow meal (two for one). I make a day one with half and a day two with the other half.

Spicy Beef Sloppy Joe, aka my favorite sloppy joe (Day 1)

2 lb. lean ground beef

2 16oz jars salsa

3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (8oz)

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (3 medium)

1 1/2 finely chopped red and/or green sweet peppers

1/3 cups tomato paste

2 tsp. dried basil, crushed

1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed

1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 rolls

1) In a skillet cook beeef over medium heat until brown, stirring to break meat in pieces. Drain fat. In 5 or 6 qt. slow cooker stir together beef and remaining ingredients (except rolls).

2) Cover; cook on high-heat setting 4 to 5 hours or on low-heat 8 to 10 hours.

3) Reserve 5 cups of the meat mixture for Spicy Beef Taco Salad. Serve remaining meat mixture on rolls.

Spicy Beef Taco Salad (Day 2)

5 cups reserved meat mixture from spicy beef sloppy joe

1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 tsp. taco seasoning

1 head iceburg lettuce

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1/3 cup dairy sour cream

assorted tortilla chips

1) In a saucepan stir together meat mixture from spicy beef sloppy joes, beans, and seasoning. Heat to boiling; reduce heat simmer, covered 10 minutes.

2) To serve, place lettuce slices on serving plates. Add meat mixture. Top with cheese, tomatoes, and sour cream. Add tortilla chips.

*Spicy beef mixture can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight before using.

Crock-pot Cobbler

The best part about this cobbler is you can use any fruit that you want. My sister makes hers with candied cherries, pineapple, peach, and blueberry. You can use fruit pie filling, fresh fruit, or frozen fruit. Really, anything goes... it's all about how you like it. It's also super low fat- score!

Ingredients:

1 cake mix- vanilla works best

1 can soda- I used Diet 7-up. Last time I used Diet Mt. Dew- YUM!

Fruit-

I used 2 cups frozen blueberries

1 can can of peaches; with juice

Directions:

Grease your crock-pot with cooking spray. Spread the fruit evenly on the bottom. In a separate bowl, combine the cake mix and soda. Pour the batter over the fruit.

Take a paper towel and lay it over the top of your crock-pot before putting the lid on.

*This is the secret to getting it to cook*

Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Using a toothpick, check to see if the middle is done.

Serve with ice cream or cool whip.