Mexican Dirty Rice

Hearty, just spicy enough, and done in 30 minutes! Bingo!

1 lb ground beef
28 oz tomatoes (either canned - whole, chopped - or fresh chopped)
1 small onion, diced or a tsp of onion powder
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup uncooked converted rice

Brown ground beef, adding onions if using fresh. Add tomato, chili powder, salt and pepper, heat to boiling. Add rice, cover and reduce heat and cook until rice is cooked through. You may have to add water/chicken stock as it cooks (I usually as the orig. recipe called for instant rice which I can't stand to eat!).

I serve this with soft taco sized flour tortillas, melon salad and guacamole salad. Don't forget the sour cream at the table! I also enjoy sliced avocado on mine. Also good with a few chopped pimento stuffed green olives.

Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken

Great, easy way to make flavorful chopped cooked chicken for other recipes, or standalone on the dinner plate. I especially like it on salad.

1 - 4 or 5 lb whole roasting chicken
lemon pepper, salt, pepper, thyme, paprika, oil, garlic (1 clove)

Clean chicken well and pat dry. Trim as much fat/skin as you can (or just skin the bird!). Put a generous amount of salt and pepper in the cavity. Sprinkle the skin with salt, lemon pepper, thyme, paprika and rub in. Set chicken, breast up, in crock pot. Pour about a tbsp of oil over the bird, put one crushed garlic clove (or 1/2 tsp minced garlic) in the neck cavity.

Cook on low 8 hrs. No need to add any liquid.

Debone, chop and use however you'd like!

I'm sure you can use other flavorings to get the rotisserie chicken flavor you prefer, be it herbed, jerk, etc.