I chose to start the crock pot early because I didn't have time to make dinner at dinner time yesterday. I also wanted to cook the veggies (especially potatoes) until very soft - that's how my two boys like it - also the longer the cooking time the better the flavor. I usually use potatoes (carrot/yam/rutabaga), onion, celery, or any root/stalk type of vegetables in it, depends on what I have on hand. Tomatoes do add good flavor to the curry but you can go without. If you want to incorporate more veggies cooking in slow cooker I have another idea. I use my crock pot to make lentil soup. I use red lentil because of the brilliant color. I sautee the veggies i.e. onion, parsnip/yam/rutabaga with celery and other veggies I like. Put in crock pot with water/broth/milk/juice (whatever your choice is). My family like a bit of ham in the pot so I put a small chunk of ham with a bay leaf or two, season with salt & pepper. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8, until everything is very tender. Then I fish out the bay leafs and ham, puree everything else in a blender. The soup is very creamy and no veggies in sight. Slice the ham and chop up some fresh parsley and place them over a bowl of soup. Drizzle some yogurt or any dressing desired. My husband and little love this dish. I always serve it with some bread or a small salad. Al

I've made something similar, but it didn't contain the cream cheese, which I guess would make it much creamier. I would like the addition I think, & will try this soon. I rarely buy the Italian dressing envelopes, if you are interested here are the spice ingredients I found for replacement: Italian dressing mix 1 1/2 T garlic salt 1 T onion powder 1 T sugar 2 T dried oregano 1 t pepper 1/4 t dried thyme 1 t dried basil 1 T dried parsley 1/4 t celery salt Store in a tightly sealed container. To prepare dressing, whisk together 1/4 white vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons water or olive juice and 2 tablespoons of the dry mix. I have assumed that the 2 tablespoons of the mix equals a package of the purchased stuff. I've also used garlic powder instead of garlic salt to decrease the salt content, but some dishes I end up adding a bit of salt back to the dish. I've never really compared it to see how close it is, but I like it.

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup 1 or 2 boneless chicken breasts (can be frozen), cut into thirds 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes (I like del monte) 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce 1 medium onion, chopped 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 bay leaf 1 (10 oz) package frozen corn 2 Tbsps chopped cilantro 7 corn tortillas Vegetable oil Place all ingredients (except cilantro, tortillas and vegetable oil) in crockpot. Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours. Shred chicken with forks; stir in cilantro a few minutes before serving. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips; place on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, spread tortilla strips over soup. Makes 8 servings Adapted from allrecipes by several different sources My note: I added a little sugar toward the end (after testing) and bought canned whole chilies so I could remove seeds. Also made sure I bought Mild enchilada sauce! This is really delicious (and I like that I could throw in frozen chicken :) Ann

Chicken Marbella is a classic chicken recipe from the girls at The Silver Palate. It was my first "gourmet" cookbook and I've made it a lot over the years. The ingredients are very different and would not seem to go together but they do! The other day I found this crockpot recipe for the dish and I made it today because I was very very busy and something simmering in the crockpot while I painted the porch railings, sewed a Halloween costume, and changed out my flowers from summer to fall was perfect. I think it was as good as the original! CROCKPOT CHICKEN MARBELLA 8 pieces of chicken (you can use all breasts, a whole chicken, or all thighs or legs) 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 T. Italian seasoning (a new staple in my larder) ¼ c. olive oil ¼ c. white balsamic vinegar 1 jar capers, drained ¼ c. maple syrup ⅔ c. jumbo raisins or prunes* 1 jar Spanish olives stuffed with pimento, drained 2 bay leaves Place chicken in slow cooker. Add remaining 8 ingredients with the chicken Cover and cook until the meat is tender and cooked through, 4 - 5 hours on high, or 7 - 8 hours on low. Gently transfer chicken to serving platter. Top with raisin or prune//olive mixture and any remaining juices from the slow cooker. Garnish with parsley. *the original receipt used prunes and I did too. But raisins will work if you don’t like prunes or don’t have any in your larder.