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It's that time of the year when time is of the essence, especially for working people, inside or outside the home. Using a crockpot/slow cooker to prepare meals is one good way to eliminate one "stress factor." You can put a meal together in the morning and 8-10 hours later it's ready to eat.

Perhaps you've asked Santa for one of these time-saving cookers. If it's to be your first experience cooking with a crockpot, I have some worthwhile hints for you. I found out some things I didn't know after using one for a number of years.

•When your schedule doesn't fit with dinnertime, shorten the cooking time by turning it to high, which counts as 2 hours on low.

•Herbs, such as oregano and basil, change flavor with a long cooking time. Cayenne and red pepper sauce tend to become bitter during long, slow cooking time. Stir these in the last hour of cooking.

•Root veggies, such as carrots and potatoes, take longer to cook, so cut them smaller and put in the bottom of the cooker. Baby carrots, especially, take a longer time. I substitute regular carrots, cut about 3/4-inch in length for the babies.

•Thaw frozen veggies or rinse with warm water before putting them in the cooker.

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With that, let's use the crockpot.

SWISS STEAK SUPPER

1-1/2 lbs. boneless round steak, about 3/4-inch thick

2 T. cooking oil

1/2 t. seasoned salt

1/8 t. pepper

6 small potatoes, peeled and cut into fourths

2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium onion, sliced

1-15 oz. can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained

1-12 oz. jar homestyle beef gravy or you can use a packaged gravy mix made according to package directions

Remove excess fat from beef. Cut beef into six serving size pieces.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle beef with seasonings. Brown beef about 8 minutes, turning once.

Layer potatoes, carrots, beef and onions in 4-6 qt. crockpot. Mix tomatoes and gravy together and spoon over beef and veggies. Cover and cook on low setting 7-9 hours or until tender. Makes 6 servings.

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SWEET AND SOUR

CHICKEN

1-20 oz. can pineapple chunks, in its own juice

1 c. peeled, sliced carrots, cut 1/2-inch thick (1 large)

1 medium onion, chopped (3/4 c.)

3 cloves garlic, minced

scant 1/2 t. ground ginger

5 medium sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces

3/4 c. low-sodium soy sauce (can use regular soy sauce if you wish)

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4 c. cornstarch

1/4 c. plus 1 T. water

hot cooked rice or chow mein noodles, if you wish

Drain pineapple, saving juice. Put pineapple in small bowl; cover and refrigerate.

Put carrots, onion, garlic and ginger in a 4-6 qt. cooker. Top with chicken.

Mix soy sauce, brown sugar and pineapple juice, pour over chicken.

Cover and cook low setting 7-9 hours or until chicken is no longer pink.

During last 30 minutes, add pineapple and peppers, gently stir to combine. Increase heat to high.

Mix cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into chicken. Cook additional 10 minutes. Serve over rice or chow mein noodles. Makes 6 servings.

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BEEF STROGANOFF

2 lbs. beef stew meat

1 large onion, chopped (1 c.)

1 - 10-3/4 oz. can golden mushroom soup

1 - 10-3/4 oz. can cream of onion soup

2-4 oz. cans mushrooms, drained

1/4 t. pepper

1-16 oz. package medium egg noodles (5 c. uncooked)

1-8 oz. package cream cheese, cubed

1-8 oz. container sour cream (1 c.)

Mix first six ingredients in a 4-6 quart crockpot. Cover and cook over low heat for 8-10 hours.

About 15 minutes before serving, cook noodles according to package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, stir cream cheese into beef mixture until melted. Stir in sour cream; heat 10-15 minutes. Serve beef mixture over hot noodles. Makes 8 servings.

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This is a good recipe for vegetarians.

VEGETABLE

SPAGHETTI SAUCE

1 T. olive or canola oil

1 large onion, chopped (1 c.)

2 medium carrots, diced (1 c.)

1-4 oz. can mushrooms, drained

1 medium green pepper, diced (1 c.)

2 - 14-1/2 oz. cans diced tomatoes, with basil, garlic and oregano

1-15 oz. can tomato sauce

1-6 oz. can tomato paste (Italian style if available)

1-1/2 t. sugar

1/2 t. salt (optional)

1 t. fennel seed, crushed (optional)

12 oz. uncooked spaghetti (about three-fourths of a 16 oz. package)

grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onions and carrots, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until crisp-tender. Stir in bell pepper and mushrooms. Turn into a 4-6 qt. crockpot. Stir in rest of ingredients except spaghetti and cheese. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours.

Cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package. Serve sauce over noodles; sprinkle with cheese. Makes 6 servings.

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Thought for today: The people who are waiting for something to turn up should start with their shirt sleeves. (Especially this time of year.)

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