Well, I used "low acid" orange juice and it hardly had ANY flavor. It turned out pretty good but it was weird because the dried pineapple had NO flavor. So what I did was marinate the thighs and breasts in a mix of onion, garlic, chopped dried pineapple and low acid orange juice, with ginger and cumin for spices. Then I sauteed the meat briefly and put it in the dutch oven with the marinade, fruit, carrots and baked it at 400 for 45 min. I put the chicken breast tenders in halfway through the baking time, when I also added some cabbage and sauteed green peppers. When everything was cooked I reduced the pan juices to serve as a sauce. You could not taste any pineapple taste when you ate the dried pineapple. It was sweet, but not very sour. Oh, and my folks had some rum which I added a dash to the marinade. My dad liked it, because he said he likes sweet things. Sadly, the whole meal lacked salt as far as I was concerned. I salted everything but not enough for my taste, it was rather bland. I should have added some cider vinegar to the marinade. I had actual cider with dinner and it was the strongest tasting thing on the menu! Oh and we had sweet corn which I have not had very much of this year. That was delish. I'm editing to add that I still have half a bag of the dried pineapple left so I'm open to suggestions. I thought about getting pineapple juice for the marinade but I hardly ever use fruit juice so I know the little cans of pineapple juice would sit around forever. I thought the pineapple might flavor up the blandish low acid orange juice but that was a bust. I think next time I need to do what Ruthanna said and make a stir fry sauce from the dried pineapple and thicken it with cornstarch and use in a stir fry. This post was edited by lpinkmountain on Sun, Sep 28, 14 at 22:15

I love the way my potroast is made. First, I have found that bottom roasts have a bit more fat than top roasts and beat any other kind of meat for flavor and juiciness. I put it in the crockpot fat side up on high for 10 hours. I use one box of chicken broth (never made it with the beef broth, but don't fix it if it ain't broke!), pour it over the roast. Then I mix 1-2 packets (depending on the size of the roast) of Lipton Onion Soup Mix in a large cup and mix that with about 2 cups of water. Pour that over the roast, making sure some of the onions are on the top of the roast. Cover and in 10-13 hours (no such thing as overcooking this kind of roast!) and then remove the meat, cut away any fat and then make gravy. I empty the juice from the crockpot into a big saucepan and bring to a low boil. I take about 2-3 tablespoons (depending how thick you want the gravy) of flour and put it in a seal-tight container with about a cup of water. Put the lid on and shake it hard for about 1-2 minutes. This will prevent lumps. Then add the flour-water mixture to the grave SLOWLY while stirring constantly. Let it cook for about 3-4 minutes, season with beef bouillion and pepper to taste. I get rave reviews of my gravy and I make a lot of it for leftovers. The meat is stringy but so tender and juicy. We like to bake a loaf of crusty bread, cut it in slices and make open-face sandwiches with it. If there is still some left, I mix the rest of the gravy with the leftover roast (cut into pieces) and fold it into cooked dumpling style noodles. SO SO good. Any questions just ask!

LindyLuWho - Grandma would prepare beans similar to your way. She always added salt/smoked pork, onions, and potatoes when slow cooking them. They were delicious! Have you ever tired Leather Britches Beans (dehydrated, then cooked, green beans)? They are to die for. I love green beans any way I can get them - raw, steamed, boiled, grilled, roasted, broiled, microwaved, hot, cold, room temp, canned at home, canned from the store, frozen, or right from the bushes in the garden! Mixed with any and everything, or all on their own. When Mom was pregnant with me she craved green beans from the time she suspected she was pregnant until my birth. When she started feeding me soft foods, the first food she gave me was soft, mashed green beans. She says I went wild for them, gumming and drooling in a fit of joy. To this day I still cannot eat enough green beans. I can eat all I can hold; I can stuff more in...but I still want more. they are my favorite food. Here is a link that might be useful: Leather Britches Beans This post was edited by caroline on Sat, Apr 19, 14 at 16:28

Oh wow, thank you guys! Just when I'm having a bad day, I jump on here and get complimented, and it makes my day! :) G - thank you! I didn't know people even looked at my kitchen on the FKB anymore since it was such a long time ago. I do enjoy my kitchen and still feel like it's brand-new. I can't stand clutter on my counters so I have to constantly clean, because I want it to stay new as long as possiblw! yes, I just love my corner sink. I also moved our sink from under a window to the corner, and it was a wonderful decision. I probably have 24 inches between the sink and the stove (to my left) and three feet between the sink and my dishwasher (to my right), so it's in a perfect position. If I would have had to sink under the window, I would have had to drip water on the floor all the time moving from the stove to the sink, know what I mean? It's been perfect, and I wouldn't have it any other way, seriously. It's great! You will love it! My mom still gets annoyed when she comes over because she's old school and does dishes in her sink, and hates my single sink. I love it though! It's nice and roomy. Email me if you have any more questions. I'd love to help! Claybabe - thanks! Okay, no white then, huh? I admit the grey grout I have now matches the counters perfectly, so I'm kind of reluctant to change it. but I have to do something. There are places where the grout is missing, so I guess I have no cnoice but to re-do it, or at least mis some up and fill in. Thanks, guys! Beth