SLOW COOKER BUFFALO CHICKEN WRAPS

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup buffalo wing sauce (from a 12 oz jar)
3/4 cup ranch dressing
1 (11.5 oz) pkg flour tortillas for burritos (8 tortillas)
3 cups shredded lettuce

in a 1 1/2 qt slow cooker, place chicken; sprinkle with salt.

cover; cook 6-7 hours on LOW.

with a slotted spoon, remove chicken from slow cooker & place on a cutting board; discard liquid in slow cooker. in slow cooker, mix buffalo wing sauce & 1/4 cup of the ranch dressing. with two forks, shred chicken. return chicken to slow cooker; stir gently to mix with sauce.

to serve, spread each tortilla with 1 tbs remaining ranch dressing; top each with about 1/2 cup chicken mixture & about 1/3 cup lettuce. roll up tortilla; secure with toothpicks.

8 servings

TERIYAKI SANDWICHES

2 lbs boneless chuck steak
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
4 tsp cornstarch
2 tbs water
8 french rolls, split
1/4 cup butter OR margarine, melted
pineapple rings
chopped green onions

cut steak into thin bite-size slices. in a slow cooker, combine soy sauce, sugar, ginger and garlic. add steak. cover and cook on LOW 7-9 hours or until meat is tender. remove meat with a slotted spoon; set aside. carefully pour liquid into a 2-cup measuring cup; add water to liquid to measure 1 1/2 cups. pour into a large saucepan. combine cornstarch and water until smooth; add to pan. cook and stir until thick and bubbly, about 2 minutes. add meat and heat through. brush roll with butter; broil 4"-5" from heat 2-3 minutes or until lightly toasted. fill with meat, pineapple and green onions.

8 servings

VIDALIA-TOPPED CAESAR BURGERS

1 lb ground beef
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup caesar dressing
1/2 tsp peppered seasoned salt
1 small vidalia onion, cut into 1/4"-1/2" slices
1 1/2 cups shredded romaine
2 tbs freshly shredded parmesan cheese
4 sandwich buns, split

heat coals or gas grill for direct heat. mix beef, parsley, 2 tbs of the dressing & the peppered seasoned salt. shape the mixture into 4 patties, about 1/2" thick.

cover & grill patties 4"-6" from medium heat 12-15 minutes, turning once, until patties are no longer pink in center & juice of beef is clear. add onion slices to grill for last 8-10 minutes of grilling, brushing with 2 tbs of the dressing & turning once, until crisp-tender.

toss romaine, remaining 1/4 cup dressing & the cheese. layer romaine, burger & onion in each bun.

4 servings

TUNA BURGERS

1 (6 oz) can tuna, drained & flaked
1 egg
1/2 cup italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1/4 cup mayo
2 tbs chili sauce
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
dash hot pepper sauce
dash worcestershire sauce

in a bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. shape into four patties (mixture will be soft). coat a nonstick skillet with pam. fry patties for 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. serve on buns.

4 servings

PAULA'S CHICKEN SALAD

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp dry mustard
salt & pepper, to taste
2 cups halved grapes
2 1/2 cups cut-up cooked chicken
3/4 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

in a medium bowl, stir together first four ingredients. add chicken, grapes, celery & walnuts. stir well. cover & refrigerate until ready to serve.

4 servings

Miss Paula cooks the chicken in chicken broth. She also sometimes adds curry powder or garlic powder, both to taste.

I am going to play around with the fruit & nut components to come up with different variations.

ROB'S TUNA SALAD

1 (6 1/2 oz) can tuna, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet pickles
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp salt

TUNA DILL SANDWICH

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (6 1/8 oz) can tuna in water, drained
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 tbs shredded carrot
2 english muffins, halved
4 slices cheese

stir together mayo, dill & pepper. add tuna, onions & carrots; mix together thoroughly. for each sandwich, top 1 muffin half with lettuce, cheese & tuna mixture.

makes 4 sandwiches

SLOPPY JOES

1 1/2 lbs hamburger
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tbs worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 tsp pepper

in a 2 qt casserole, crumble beef. add onion, celery, & green pepper. cover; microwave on HIGH 10-12 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes. drain meat well. add ketchup, worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper. cover; microwave on HIGH 7-8  minutes until hot.

HOT ITALIAN SANDWICHES

SAUCE:

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1/4 tsp basil leaves
1/8-1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

SANDWICH:

1 lb ground italian sausage
1 med onion, thinly sliced
8 slices french bread, cut diagonally 3/4" thick
6 oz mozzarella cheese, sliced
2 tbs margarine OR butter, softened

in a small saucepan, combine sauce ingredients. bring to a boil. reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. shape sausage into 4 large, thin oval patties. in a large skillet, fry over medium heat about 10 minutes, or until done, turning frequently. in same skillet, cook onion until tender. set aside. remove all grease & drippings from skillet.

to assemble sandwiches, top each of 4 slices of bread with 1/4 of the cheese slices, 1 sausage patty & 1/4 of the onion. cover with remaining slices of bread. spread margarine on outside of each sandwich.

place sandwiches in skillet over medium heat. grill sandwiches on both sides until bread begins to brown & sandwich is hot. serve each sandwich with about 1/4 cup sauce for dipping.

makes 4 sandwiches

EASY SLOW COOKER FRENCH DIP

4 lbs rump roast
1 (10.5 oz) can beef broth
1 (10.5 oz) can condensed french onion soup
1 (12 oz) can OR bottle beer
6 french rolls
2 tbs butter

trim excess fat from the rump roast and place in a slow cooker. add the beef broth, onion soup and beer. cook on LOW for 7 hours.

preheat oven to 350°.

split french rolls and spread with butter. bake 10 minutes or until heated through.

slice the meat on the diagonal and place on the rolls. serve the "jus" for dipping

9 servings

GRILLED CHEESE PIZZA SANDWICH

2 slices mixed grain bread
2 tbs marinara sauce
1/4 cup (low moisture, part skim) mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon shredded parmesan cheese
pepper, to taste

spread 1 tbs of marinara sauce on each piece of bread. place mozzarella cheese on one piece of the bread (on the side with sauce on it). sprinkle parmesan cheese over mozzarella. top with second piece of bread, sauce side down. place in a heated pan and cook until cheese inside is melted and the outside is golden brown.

1 serving

GOAT CHEESE AND SPINACH TURKEY BURGERS

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey breast
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 tablespoons goat cheese, crumbled

preheat the oven broiler.

in a medium bowl, mix ground turkey, spinach, and goat cheese. form the mixture into four patties.

arrange patties on a broiler pan and place in the center of the preheated oven. broil 15 minutes or until done.

4 servings

TOASTED BAGEL WITH CRISPY PROSCIUTTO, POACHED EGGS & SPINACH

16 slices prosciutto
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
8 large eggs
1 tablespoon butter
6 cups (packed) fresh spinach leaves
4 bagels, split and toasted

preheat the oven to 400°.

use 2 slices of prosciutto to line each of 8 standard muffin cups (it's best to use 2 muffin pans each with 12 cups so that each set of prosciutto slices does not overlap the others).

set the muffin pans on large rimmed baking sheets to catch any drips and bake for 18 minutes, or until the prosciutto shrinks, becomes crisp, and forms cups.

meanwhile, bring a large skillet of water to a simmer over medium heat. stir in the vinegar.

crack one egg into a coffee cup or small bowl and then gently transfer the egg into the simmering water. repeat with 3 more eggs.

cook the eggs for about 3 minutes, or until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny.

using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the eggs from the simmering water and set them on a paper towel to drain the excess water.

repeat with the remaining 4 eggs.

meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saute pan over high heat. add the spinach and saute for 2 minutes, or just until the spinach wilts.

set the toasted bagle halves cut side up on 4 plates. spoon the wilted spinach on top of the bagels, dividing evenly. set the prosciutto cups on top of the bagels. spoon the eggs into the prosciutto cups and serve.

8 servings

BURGER DOGS

2 teaspoons brown mustard
1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 pound ground beef
4 slices bacon
4 hot dog rolls

in a bowl, mix together the ground beef, onion, mustard, salt and pepper. roll the mixture into the shape of (4) hot dogs. wrap each burger dog with 1 slice of bacon in a spiral fashion. place burger dogs on a baking sheet and broil for about 12-15 minutes, or longer if desired. serve in the hot dog buns.

4 servings

DIP 'N DUNK STEAK SANDWICHES

melt 1 tablespoon shortening in a skillet. pan fry desired number of cubed steaks over medium-high heat, turning to brown on both sides. season with salt and pepper. remove steaks; keep warm. to make gravy, drain fat from skillet. for each serving, pour 1/3 cup water into skillet. heat to boiling, scraping brown bits from bottom of skillet. for each cup of water, stir in 1 teaspoon instant beef bouillon. set oven control to broil and/or 550 degrees. place desired number of buttered slices of french bread on an ungreased baking sheet. sprinkle with garlic salt. place sheet on broiler rack about 4" from heat; toast until golden brown. place steaks between toasted bread slices; cut in half. serve gravy in individual small bowls. "dunk" sandwiches.

MEATLOAF HAMBURGERS

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1 1/4 cups crushed corn flakes
1 tablespoon diced onion
1/2-1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

in a large bowl, gently mix all ingredients. shape into 8 patties. grill, broil, or pan-fry to desired doneness.

8 servings

MEATBALL SUBS

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon diced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons oil, divided
2 medium green peppers, julienned
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tablespoon flour
1 (12 oz) bottle chili sauce
1 cup water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground mustard
9 submarine sandwich buns

cut a thin slice off the top of each roll; scoop out bread from inside. crumble 1 1/4 cups of the bread and place in a large bowl. cover rolls and tops with plastic wrap; set aside. to the crumbled bread, add beef, egg, milk, dried onion, salt and pepper. shape into 27 meatballs about 1 1/2" each. in a large skillet, cook meatballs in 1 tbs oil for 20-25 minutes or until no longer pink. remove with a slotted spoon; set aside. add remaining oil to skillet. saute green peppers and sliced onion until tender. remove with a slotted spoon; set aside. stir flour into skillet. add chili sauce and water. bring to a boil. cook and stir for 1-2 minutes. stir in brown sugar and mustard. add meatballs, peppers and onion; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. meanwhile, warm rolls in a 325 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. spoon 3 meatballs and sauce into each roll. replace tops.

9 servings