Day 1: Rye Bread and Probably Leftovers from Last Night's NYE Potluck

Last night, we had something of a New Years Eve potluck, and while I didn't take pictures of things everybody else brought, I did snag a photo of the in-process taco meat.

I was actually gifted this 4-quart crockpot for Christmas, a nice change from my old 2-quart, which I actually purchased in 2011 at a garage sale for $1. Whenever I made taco meat previously, I usually filled the 2-quart to the brim. Last night, I doubled up on the chicken, but nothing else really. I also tried adding onions for the first time. I was not expecting to get this new crockpot as full as I did, but lo and behold, I added so many different things that I ended up not having enough room for everything.

I originally saw the recipe on Reddit's slowcooking subreddit, where the original post calls for chicken, salsa, taco seasoning, and 1/3 cup of water. Last night, I had four chicken breasts, an entire jar of salsa, four 15-oz cans of beans (two black, one pinto, and one can of dark kidney beans), a whole onion, and taco seasoning. I mix my own taco seasoning out of chili powder, paprika, cumin, pepper, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano, though you can also use pre-mixed packets of taco seasoning. You can also add corn, green peppers, chili peppers, or anything really.

Today, I haven't eaten too much so far, though I suspect I will be indulging in some leftover chicken tacos for dinner (with some guacamole, which I also made last night). So far, I've eaten two slices of toast from German Rye bread and two slices of pizza (which I started eating before I remembered my little side project. The pizza is the last of some leftover Digiorno from a few nights ago (how fancy!), topped with some Italian seasoning, oregano, and garlic powder prior to cooking. (Don't worry - frozen food is pretty much a rarity in this house, especially pizza - the boyfriend is actually employed at a pizza chain in town, and the few times we eat pizza, we usually get it from there).

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Meat Recipe

• 2-4 Chicken Breasts
• 1 16-oz jar of salsa
• 3-4 15-oz cans of beans of your choice
• 1-1.5-oz taco seasoning
• 1 medium sized onion
• 1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
• 1 can of corn (optional)
• 1/4-1/2 jar of jalepenos (optional)
• 1/4 cup rice (optional)

 Add chicken breasts, salsa, taco seasoning, beans, chopped onion, and any optional ingredients (with the exception of rice) to slowcooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken with two forks, and allow it to cook for 15-30 minutes. If mixture is soupy, add 1/4 cup of rice 15 minutes before serving.