Ramen Noodle "Stuff"

What you'll need:

1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey)
5 packages of Oriental Ramen Noodles
1 can corn (or frozen)
1 can diced tomatoes

What you do:

*In a large skillet, brown and drain ground beef (or turkey).
*Stir in flavor packet from the Ramen Noodles, tomatoes, and corn (with juices).
*Break up Ramen Noodles and add them to the skillet.
*Add some water.
*Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
*Cover and simmer until noodles are tender.

Chinese Lemon Chicken

I got so excited when I saw this recipe on Stephanie's blog. I have always had a "thing" for Chinese food. And since this is made in the slow-cooker aka Crock Pot, that makes it oh-so-easy!

Here's what you will need to make this delicious chicken:

*4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*1/2 cup all-purpose flour
*2 tsp. salt
*1/2 can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
*3 Tbsp. brown sugar
*1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
*3 Tbsp. ketchup
*Olive oil for browning the chicken

Here's what you do:

*Cut chicken into strips or large chunks.
*Coat chicken in flour and salt, shaking off excess.
*Brown chicken in a skillet with a bit of olive oil (do not cook the chicken, just give it some color).
*Place the chicken in the slow-cooker.
*Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over the chicken.
*Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, low for 6-8 hours.

This is what your chicken will look like after cooking for a couple hours.

Now it's time for me to make a few changes to this recipe. First, the next time I make it I will be doubling this recipe. I have a large family (a total of 8). Needless to say, this didn't feed everyone. Second, I won't cook it as long the next time around. One would think (okay, maybe it's just me) that meat doesn't dry out in a slow-cooker. It does! I cooked this on low for about 7 hours, which was too long. The chicken was a tad dry and my daughter told me that it made her lose her appetite. DRAMA. Third, I will follow the recipe and add only 1/2 can of the lemonade. I added the whole can because it didn't look like I was going to have enough liquid in the cooker. This ended up making the chicken and sauce very bitter.

I served the chicken with rice I made in the rice cooker and steamed Normandy blend.

All in all, it was pretty tasty. My youngest three children didn't care for it all that much. I think that was because of how bitter it tasted. Everyone else liked it, except for one child who wasn't home to get any.