I must first tell you I got this off Hallson's site, (thank you Arlene--it's wonderful!) their cooking forum and it is indeed wonderful and wonderfully easy to make. You can shorten the cooking time in the crock pot by putting it together in a large pot first and cooking it abit or at least bringing it up to "speed" to "hot"! Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup Place in crockpot 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves or cut into small cubes before placing in crock. Without draining anything, combine in crock-pot bowl or pot: 2 (15oz) cans black beans (I use three and you can combine other types of beans as well) 1 (14.5 oz) can tomato sauce or 1 large can crushed tomatoes (I prefer the crushed) 2 (15 oz) cans Mexican stewed tomatoes or "Rotel" (a spicy tomatoe mix in a can I like really well) 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies (don't if you use the Rotel unless you like it REALLY HOT) 1 cup salsa, your preference as to strength Pour over chicken and cook on low 8 hours. Just before serving, remove chicken, shred it (if not cubed before), and stir it back into the soup. Stir in: 1 can Niblets corn (I use the white shoe peg corn myself) Heat just long enough to get corn and chicken hot. Serve topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips. Or put the chips in the bowl first and ladle soup on top.( I love it with just the cheese on top) I have served this at couple of ladie's lunch's with a really good multi-grain bread rolls and they loved it! Saves well and is even better as leftover! Here is a really, really good pear salad I made to serve before this soup: Use 1 pkg Dole Spring Blend lettuce or similar type divided for 6 on individual plates top 5 slices of pear (canned works)(star arrangement) dried cranberries or raisins top with Feta Cheese and top that with the packaged Honey Roasted Almond slices I found a good vinegarette recipe to use that is: 3/4 cup sugar, 1 cup vinegar, 3/4 vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon poppy seeds and 1 tsp salt, heat to rolling boil in sauce pan and keep stirring till sugar dissoves! Cool and drizzle over salad! This salad was a hit! A quick and easy dip for tortilla chips: 1 roll of pork sausage (I use Jimmy Dean original) browned and broken up like ground beef 1 can Rotel (original or milder) 1 pkg. cream cheese Combine all and place in your smallest crock pot! Really yummy! Freezes well, too! I've recently decided I like cooking for small gatherings again! I'm really enjoying finding wonderful recipes o the internet, especially where folks can pst comments upon trying them out for themselves! I've gathered some real winners this month!! I even found the recipe for Tuscany Brio Grille's "Roast Chicken with Butternut Squash Risotto" today!!!! So yummy and "comforting"! Hope you get a chance to try...

Kalbiqui Korean Spiced Barbecued Beef Ribs 2 lbs beef short ribs, cut into 3 inch lengths (with bone is tastiest, but not absolutely necessary) 1 T sesame seeds, toasted and crushed 4 T soy sauce 4 green onions, white & light green parts only, finely sliced 3-6 garlic cloves, crushed & finely chopped 1 1/2 T sesame oil 1 inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled & grated freshly ground black pepper (I like lots!) 2 t rice wine or dry sherry (I have used dry vermouth or even once, whiskey when I didn't have the rice wine, to good effect.) 2 t sugar Slash each rib in several places to let the marinade soak in really well. This is important as the marinade will tenderize otherwise tough meat. Mix all the ingredients & pour over the meat, spending a little time to work the marinade into all the meat surfaces & the slashes. Marinate for at least 3 to 4 hours, preferably over night. Heat up your barbecue & grill the beef, brushing occasionally with the leftover marinade for about 12-15 minutes on each side. Timing, of course, depends also on the heat of your grill and air temperature, but the meat should be nicely brown with just a bit of char. Also, though I generally am a rare beef gal, they really shouldn't be any more rare than medium. These ribs are richly flavored, and a bit salty so they really need to be served with a bland side dish such as plain rice or boiled potatoes. The Koreans eat them with kimchi, rice and a couple of fresh salads, and, having developed quite a taste for kimchi myself, so do I. The amount of sugar can be increased, which will make the sauce into a sort of garlicky teriyaki, but more care with the cooking will be necessary as the sweeter marinade will burn more easily.

I think a noodle dish would be interesting. Jessy posted this one which is a cold dish. Spicy Cold Soba Noodles 1/3 cup soy sauce 1 tbls molasses 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup tahini 1/4 cup sesame oil 1/4 cup chili oil 3 tbls balsamic or red wine vinegar 1/2 bunch thinly sliced scallions, white and green 1/2 lb soba noodes Place soy sauce in a pan over high heat and reduce by half. Turn heat to low, stir in molasses, and warm briefly. Transfer to a serving bowl. Add brown sugar through scallions and whisk to combine. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add noodles; bring back to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they just begin to soften, about three minutes. Have ready a large bowl of iced water. Drain noodles, plunge in iced water, and drain again (I just rinse with cold water in the colander). Transfer noodles to the serving bowl that has the sauce, toss well and chill. From City Cuisine by Feniger and Milliken. This one is served either warm or hot. Sesame Noodles (Chien Noir) by Susan Branch serves 6 1/4 cup tahini 1/4 cup warm water 1/4 cup soy sauce (or Tamari) 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 1/2 tablespoons chili oil 2 teaspoons sesame oil 1/2 cup green onions 16-ounces thin udon noodles Look for any unfamiliar ingredients at your health food store. Whisk together tahini and water; whisk in soy sauce, vegetable oil, sugar, vinegar, garlic, chili oil and sesame oil. Finely chop green onions. Cook the noodles according to package; lightly coat them with sauce, tossing gently. Sprinkle green onions and serve. Best hot or at room temperature. Try Chinese egg noodles if you canÂt find udon! For veggies how about Kimchee?

Been wondering where I got the idea that the short rib was somehow part of the prime rib, and found my answer when speaking to the butcher the other day. I was ordering short ribs for a dinner party I am having on Saturday, and he said he'd take them from the rib instead of the chuck. Hmmm, so I asked him to explain. He said that the prime rib bone extends another 12 inches beyond what we normally see when getting a bone-in roast. At the end of that is where the short ribs are located, and are a little less fatty than thse from the chuck. So, thankfully, I cleared up why I connected prime rib to short ribs. Whew, that feels better now. Sue