Crockpot Queen!

That's what Greg called me this morning when I put together my dinner for tonight. Lately, I do feel like the "Crockpot Queen." There's just something about a warm dinner on a crisp, cold night being all prepared and ready to serve at the end of the day.

The basis of the recipes I've been using come from a slow cooker book I bought used on Amazon.com, but as everyone knows, I change things up and tweak recipes to fit my taste. Here are a few I've tried lately that were successful:

SPICY PORK CHILI

2 lbs. boneless pork, 1/2-inch cubes
1 T. vegetable oil
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
2 c. frozen corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. beef broth
1 can (4 oz.) chopped mild green chilies
1 T. chili powder
1 t. minced garlic
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Garnish: 1/4 c. fresh cilantro, Shredded Mexican Blend cheese, sour cream, limes

In skillet cook pork in oil over medium heat 5-6 minutes. Transfer pork and drippings to crockpot and stir in all ingredients except garnish. At the end of the 6 hour (on low) cooking time I stirred in a container of our cream so the dish was creamier and squeeze in juice from a lime.

MANDARIN CHICKEN

2-3 pounds chicken breasts or
fryer chicken, skin removed
2 c. water
1 c. ketchup
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. orange juice
2 t. ground mustard
2 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. garlic salt

Place chicken in a large bag. Mix together sauce ingredients and pour half into bag. Cover chicken and remaining marinade; refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Drain chicken and place in cooker with remaining marinade.

Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Combine 3 T. cornstarch and 1/2 c. water until smooth. Stir into chicken mixture. Add 1 can drained pineapple chunks and 1/2 c. chopped green pepper. Cook on high for 30-45 minutes or until thickened. Serve over white rice and garnish with mandarin oranges, olives, chopped almonds and green onions.