Recipe Friday

For baby's baptism, I asked friends and family to stay for lunch.  Since church was immediately before, and since I work during church (being the minister and all), I had to do something crock-pot-able and quick.  Mexican is a good option-- throw the base and the toppings on the counter and suddenly it's a buffet! Here's how I made the base...
I have to warn you I'm an improv cooker, so I use measurements like "a splash" and "a few."

1. Pour a splash of olive oil in the bottom of the crock pot.  Just enough to keep stuff from sticking. Turn it on high.
2. Add a few boneless/skinless chicken breasts.  How many depends on the size of your crock pot and how many you'll be feeding.  I have one of those big oval crocks, so I put four in there.
3. Dump a can of diced tomatoes over top.  It keeps the chicken moist.
4. In an hour or so, pull out the breasts one by one and slice the chicken.  If it's already cooked through, great! If not, it's going right back in, so no worries. Once they're sliced, throw them back in.
5. Saute a chopped onion.  Or throw it in there raw.  I think there's more flavor when it's cooked, but sometimes easy is more important than perfect.
6. Grab a can or two of black beans.  Drain them, rinse fairly well but leave some of the black sooty stuff.  It adds flavor. Add them to the pot.
7. My favorite ingredient for soups/stews: a bay leaf.  Okay, four bay leaves.  Yum.
8. Add chili powder.  As much as you want, as much as you can handle (or if you're having guests, as much as they can handle). More spice options: garlic, onion salt, salt, pepper.  Add to taste.
9. Cook it till it's bubbly. Stir whenever you want.

Options:

• Replace Chicken w/ ground beef.  Obvi you'd have to cook it first, so you eliminate a lot of time. Cook the onion w/ it to infuse the flavor.
• Plop in a can of tomato paste. It makes a more saucy base.
• Add salsa.
• Add any other veggies you want.  Red and green bell peppers come to mind.  Ooh, and corn!