What a Crock!: Bird is the word

Feeling like turkey, but don’t want the large bird just yet? There’s an easy solution.

A turkey breast is one possibility, but don’t overlook cutlets, especially if you don’t care for leftovers.

Cutlets are good for an easy stewlike recipe.

Serve over pasta and it’s a hearty dish for a busy evening. The mixture of the spicier Ro-Tel with stewed tomatoes provides just the right mix of spice.

The cutlets are not especially thick and should be ready closer to six hours, but can simmer for another two. There is plenty of liquid for the dish to be left for the upper end of the time range.

As a general rule, recipes that have very tough cuts of meat and lots of liquid are the ones that may be left for a bit more time should the cook be late coming home from work or school. Otherwise, keep a watchful eye on the time specified in recipes. The slow cooker gives more leeway than some cooking methods, but still needs to be watched.

Julie Kay is a columnist for The Advocate. She can be reached at juliekay1@cox.net