This is easy but delicious (from eatingwell.com) Slow cooker braised pork with tomatillo salsa 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, or butt [i use loin] 1 1/2 cups prepared tomatillo salsa 1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth [I use 1 cup or less] 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, or ground cumin 3 plum tomatoes, (1/2 pound), thinly sliced [I usually use drained diced fire roasted tomatoes from a can] 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream Directions: Trim and discard pork surface fat. Cut meat apart following layers of fat around muscles; trim and discard fat. Cut into 2-inch chunks and rinse with cold water. Place in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker. Turn heat to high. Combine salsa, broth, onion and cumin seeds in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Pour over the meat. Add tomatoes and mix gently. Put the lid on and cook until the meat is pull-apart tender, 6 to 7 hours. With a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a large bowl; cover and keep warm. Pour the sauce and vegetables into a large skillet; skim fat. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil, skimming froth from time to time, for about 20 minutes, to intensify flavors and thicken slightly. Add the pork and 1/4 cup cilantro; heat through. To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of the remaining 1/4 cup cilantro. Oven method: Total: 3 hours Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine pork, salsa, 1/2 cup chicken broth, onion, cumin seeds and tomatoes in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; cover snugly with foil. Bake until the pork is pull-apart tender, about 2 1/4 hours. Skim fat. Uncover and bake until the meat begins to brown, about 15 minutes more. Stir in 1/4 cup cilantro. Ladle into bowls, garnish with sour cream and remaining cilantro. Note---I usually I don't have time to start and/or finish the sauce on the stovetop, and it still tastes very good.

Oy vey, braised chicken breast shanks anyone?! A classic example of how my "eye for details" NOT gets me in big trouble. I pulled out of the freezer what I thought was a big ol' hunk of frozen turkey thighs, and put it in a bowl of water to thaw while I made some cookies. Now I see that I have thawed three chicken breasts, which I had bought for a totally different purpose! Now I have to make them for dinner either tonight or tomorrow night, and tomorrow (Thanksgiving) BF and I had planned on dining on roast chicken! So that means I either have to make the turkey tomorrow and BF will have to have a less than favored meal for Thanksgiving, or serve chicken for dinner two nights in a row. LUCKILY, BF is a paragon of patience and tolerance, and a man who, in his own words, "knows what he likes and sticks with it" so I think it may be chicken both days. Just yesterday he told me that he could eat chicken for dinner every night of the week. I don't know if he was being sarcastic or not, be careful what you wish for! M-rivergirl you got that right! I don't know what I would do anymore without BF to help me keep track of my keys, shoes, mail and other necessities of life. On the plus side, I bring excitement into his life! :) And I may not have an eye for details, but I can remember the name of that movie, you know the one, with that actor, you know the one who is on that TV show, you know the one with that blonde actress that he likes . . . C'mon, you must know what I am talking about!! If I ever do manage to make the turkey thighs, I think I will use the Julia Child approved recipe linked below, with maybe some dried mushrooms thrown in that I have in the pantry. Then I can serve it with this apple-mustard braised kale recipe in my "to try" folder. Here is a link that might be useful: Braised lamb shanks

Here are two that are tried-and-true that we like very much! Shredded Beef Fajitas (Serves 3-4) 20 (1½-inch) cubes sirloin OR 1½ lbs boneless beef chuck) ¾ cup medium-hot salsa sauce 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar, packed 1 Tbsp soya sauce ¼ cup fresh cilantro (optional) 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (optional) Put everything in crock pot and cook on High for 4-5 hours or on Low for 8 hours. Shred meat with forks and return to sauce; cook on Low for 20-30 minutes for meat to soak up the sauce. Stir in cilantro and lime juice, if using. Serve on small soft corn tortillas with toppings of your choice (shredded lettuce, sour cream, roasted peppers, Spanish rice, etc). ********************************** Sirloin Roast 2-3 lb sirloin tip roast 2-3 garlic cloves, quartered 2-3 tsp dried oregano 1½ tsp powdered thyme Black pepper, to taste 2-3 Tbsp dry onion soup mix ½ cup medium-bodied dry red wine 1½ cups beef broth, divided With a knife, make holes in roast and insert garlic clove quarters in each hole. Rub oregano, thyme, and a little pepper all over the roast. Let sit in refrigerator overnight. Let roast come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes. In a skillet, brown roast on all sides; transfer to slow cooker. Pour ½ cup beef broth into skillet and scrape up all the browned bits; pour into crockpot. To crockpot, add remaining beef broth, red wine, and dry onion soup mix. Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours. Turn roast over halfway through cooking. When done, let roast rest on platter (covered with foil) for 20-30 minutes to let juices redistribute. Put the roast broth into a small saucepan and thicken with a cornstarch/water mixture.

Here's a good recipe for shrimp cakes that I think would go well with the rest of your menu. I have made rosemary roasted potatoes to go with them. I think you could skip a veggi, since you are doing the veggi pasta, but I think a tossed salad would be nice. Asian slaw would be too strong a flavor that goes in the wrong direction, IMO. These shrimp cakes are nice when having company as they are done ahead and quick to cook just before serving. Gingered Shrimp Cakes 1 lb. large shrimp, cooked 4 scallions, sliced, green parts included 1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger Grated lemon zest from 1 lemon 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley 1/2 C fresh corn, cooked, cut off cob (can use frozen) 1 lg egg 3 Tbsp mayonnaise 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce 1/2 tsp salt Pinch of ground black pepper 1 1/2 C fresh bread crumbs or panko (divided) 2 Tbsp olive oil (or more, for frying) 1 Tbsp butter (with the oil, for frying) Coarsely chop shrimp in bowl. Add scallions, ginger, lemon zest, parsley and corn. Combine mayonnaise, egg, hot sauce, salt and pepper and fold into shrimp mixture. Add 1 Cup breadcrumbs and gently mix. Form into 4 patties and gently dredge in remaining 1/2 C breadcrumbs, adding more if necessary. Put on a plate, cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 min and up to 4 hours. Heat oil and butter in large skillet over med-high heat. Saute cakes until cooked through and golden brown on both sides, adding more oil to skillet as needed, about 8 minutes. Chile Garlic Sauce (optional) To make Chile-garlic cream sauce, combine 2 Tbsp chile-garlic sauce ( from Asia aisle at supermarket and is sweet) and juice of 1/2 lime with 1/2 cup sour cream or cream fraiche. Spoon about 3 Tbsp of sauce on each plate and place shrimp cake on it, serve immediately. Makes four servings. Variation: Substitute lump crab meat for the shrimp. Nancy