Too hot to cook? Perhaps it's time for the crock-pot, which is once again considered a valuable kitchen appliance. I have been using mine a lot lately because it doesn't heat up the kitchen.

Recently, I decided to use the crock-pot for making chicken with an onion and mushroom sauce seasoned lightly with herbs. I opted for thighs because I like the dark meat, but this recipe would work just as well with chicken breasts. I had bought some dry onion mushroom soup mix and looked into the kitchen pantry for other ingredients. I found a can of cream of chicken soup. Good start for a flavorful and easy entree.

Knowing that rosemary and thyme go well with chicken, I decided to add these herbs to the soup mixture along with a little paprika.

You could add your own special touch to this dish by changing the kind of cream soup. Some suggestions would be cream of chicken with herbs soup or cream of mushroom with roasted garlic. For a chicken divan flavor, you could use cream of broccoli soup. If you prefer a gourmet touch, you might like to use cream of asparagus soup along with a little white wine.

I had an extra envelope of the onion mushroom soup mix so I added it to my easy crock-pot beef stew. I didn't have any kind of cream soup on hand so I simply sprinkled the dried soup mix over the beef cubes and added a little water and a can of diced tomatoes. Later a can of home style large mixed vegetables were added. If you choose to use fresh vegetables, you will need to add them a little earlier in the cooking process.

The slow cooker is also great for making snacks. If you have plenty of pecans on hand, you might like the following recipe for Hot Spiced Pecans.

CROCK POT CHICKEN WITH ONION MUSHROOM SAUCE
2 pounds chicken thighs, skin removed
1 envelope dry onion mushroom soup mix
1 can (10 3/4 ounce) cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Cooked white rice

Place chicken thighs in crock pot. In a medium bowl, combine the dry soup mix, cream of chicken soup, water, and seasonings. Mix well and pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on high about 5 hours or until the chicken is tender. Serve over rice.

EASY CROCK POT BEEF STEW
1 to 1 1/4 pound cubed beef stew meat
1 envelope dry onion mushroom soup mix
1/2 cup water
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (29 ounce) can homestyle large-cut mixed vegetables

Place the beef stew meat in the crock pot. Sprinkle the dry soup mix over the beef cubes and stir to coat. Add water and tomatoes. Cover and cook on high until a fork can be inserted into meat with just a little resistance. This will probably take 4 to 5 hours. Add the mixed vegetables and continue to cook on high until meat is tender which will probably take another couple of hours.

HOT SPICED PECANS
1 pound pecan halves
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine all the ingredients in crock pot. Cover and cook on high for about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low continue to cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 2 hours. Remove from the crock pot onto paper towels to cool. Makes about 4 cups.