I am fortunate to have many friends. Quite a few of them of them are what I call my “teacher friends.” We have taught together in the years past and still remain friends to this day. I think when you are “in the teaching trenches” together it creates a common bond. We all have some great stories to share from our classrooms. No matter what age you teach, there are always stories. Two of most memorable events were from my very first year of teaching.
Many times, elementary students will tell some outlandish stories. My first teaching job was teaching 4th grade at Cruger-Tchula Academy. At the beginning of every day, I would ask my students if they had anything to share after we had our daily devotional. One day, a student told me that his father had saved his goldfish’s life the night before. I was a little skeptical, but let him continue his tale. “Goldie” had jumped from her bowl and was lying on the table and was not breathing. After hearing his son scream, the daddy immediately came to the fish’s rescue. He put the goldfish in shallow water, pushed lightly on the fish’s stomach and blew air into his mouth with a tiny straw. I remember thinking that was the craziest story I had ever heard in my life and I did not believe a word of it. After having a quick word about exaggerating the truth and always telling the whole truth, I basically brushed off the story of “Goldie”. That night at the Friday night football game, a man approached me and wanted me to know that he had actually saved that fish’s life and that his son didn’t think I really believed his story. He let me know really quickly that the story was true. OOPS!
Then there is the story of the “attack squirrel”. A student came limping in one morning and told us that the night before he was barefoot in the garage and a big squirrel came running toward him and bit him on his toe. It was still hurting and he was limping because of the pain. Once again, I gave my speech about exaggerating the truth and always telling the whole truth. I told the student to try not to limp (thinking he was wanting attention) and I was sure his toe would be fine. Of course, I didn’t believe the story of the “attack squirrel” any more than I had believed the goldfish story. Imagine my surprise when his father showed up at about 11:00 to pick up his son for a doctor’s appointment. Seems his son was bitten on the toe by a great big squirrel and the doctor wanted to make sure there was no sign of infection or other problems with the bite of a wild animal. OOPS!
They can only teach you so much in college. You learn a lot from experiences in life – teaching is one profession that you learn something every single day. Fact is stranger than fiction. These recipes have nothing to do with goldfish or squirrels, but a way to make your life easier by utilizing your crock pot slow cooker.
I hope you will give them a try. Thanks for reading.
SLOW COOKER RANCH CHICKEN
¾ cup chicken broth
1 envelope Ranch dressing mix
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, cut into cubes
In a slow cooker, combine the broth and dressing mix; add chicken. Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours. Remove chicken and shred; return to slow cooker and stir in soup and cream cheese. Cover and cook for about 30 more minutes or until cream cheese is melted. Serve over rice or noodles.
MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST
1 (3 pound) chuck roast
½ (12 oz.) jar pepperoncini peppers
½ (12 oz.) jar of pepperoncini juice
2 sticks butter
1 packet au jus gravy mix
1 packet Ranch dressing mix
Salt and Pepper to taste
Place roast in slow cooker. Pour peppers, juice and mixes on top; top with sticks of butter. Cover and cook on Low for about 8 hours. Remove and slice or shred with forks and serve with gravy over mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles.
MISSISSIPPI CHICKEN
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 packet dry Ranch dressing mix
1 (16 oz.) jar sliced Pepperoncini peppers, reserve juice
4 Tbsp. butter, sliced
Place chicken in slow cooker; sprinkle Ranch dressing mix on top. Place peppers, juice and butter on top of chicken. Cover and cook on Low for 6 – 7 hours. Let stand and shred chicken with forks or slice if you prefer. Can serve alone or over rice.
Oven directions: Layer all ingredients and place in a Dutch oven; bake at 350 degrees for about 1 ½ hours.
