Free Wedding Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke Page A

care of the rest.”
    “That’s a good idea, Michelle.” Hannah paused and gave Mike her own version of his own devilish grin. “Who knows? It might bring in as much business as another Lake Eden murder!”
     

GREEN TOMATILLO STEW
     
Grease or spray the inside of a 5-quart slow cooker with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.
     
Start this stew in the early morning of the day you wish to serve it for dinner.
 
The Ingredients:
     
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
2 pounds frozen chicken tenders (I used Foster Farms)
1 cup carrot nuggets (I used a fresh pack, the kind of carrot nuggets that you might put in a school lunchbox)
14-ounce package frozen tri-colored pepper strips (I used C&W, which is made by Birds Eye)
4 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
16-ounce bag of frozen pearl onions (I used Birds Eye White Pearl Onions)
two 7-ounce by weight cans of Salsa verde sauce
diced green chilies (I used one can of Ortega Green Chilies 4-ounces by weight)
diced jalapenos (I used one can of Ortega Diced Jalapenos 4-ounces by weight)
     
Additional Ingredients:
     
You will add these ingredients 1 hour before you’re ready to serve your Green Tomatillo Stew.
 
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
two 7-ounce cans mushroom stems and pieces (NOT drained!)
14-ounce can of green tomatillos (If your store doesn’t carry these, use a 13-ounce can of chopped stewed regular tomatoes instead—it won’t be the same, but it will be tasty)
two .88-ounce packets of chicken gravy mix (or turkey gravy mix—I used Schilling Chicken Gravy Mix)
     
Hannah’s 1 st Note: You may notice that there is NO SALT in this recipe. This is not an omission. The gravy packets that are called for in the recipe are very salty. They will usually add enough salt to the recipe. If your family would like more salt, you may add it later, when you adjust the seasonings right before you serve it.
Place the chopped onions in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Lay the frozen chicken tenders on top of the onions.
Sprinkle the frozen pepper strips on top of the chicken.
Put the celery on top of the pepper strips.
Place the pearl onions on top of the celery.
Open the cans of salsa verde sauce and pour them over the pearl onions.
Open the can of diced green chilies. If there’s any liquid, you can add that to your stew. Then sprinkle the chilies over the top of the salsa verde sauce.
Hannah’s 2 nd Note: CAUTION!!! If you use your fingers to sprinkle in the chilies, WASH YOUR HANDS IMMEDIATELY! If you touch your eyes without washing your hands, your eyes will burn and smart from the chilies.
Cover your slow cooker with the lid, plug it in, and cook it on LOW for at least 8 hours.
Hannah’s 3 rd Note: If you cook on LOW in a slow cooker, the time is not that critical. You’ll need 8 hours of cooking time, but if you don’t get back home for 9 or 10 hours, that’s okay, too.
When you get home from work, give the contents of the slow cooker a good stir and then add the additional ingredients in this order:
Sprinkle the garlic powder over the top.
Sprinkle the onion powder over the top of the garlic powder.
Stir the contents of the crock again to mix in the ingredients you just added.
Add the two cans of mushrooms, liquid and all. Stir them in.
Sprinkle in ONE packet of gravy mix and stir that in. Reserve the 2 nd packet of powdered gravy mix for later, if you need it.
Put the lid on the crockpot, turn it up to HIGH, and let the contents cook for another hour.
Right before you’re ready to serve, take off the lid of the slow cooker and taste the broth again. If it’s not thick enough, stir in the 2 nd packet of powdered gravy mix, put the lid on again, and let it cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Hannah’s 4 th Note: Some people like this stew with a dollop of sour cream with fresh salsa on top of the bowl. Have these bowl toppers handy on the table if your family likes them.
Hannah’s 5 th Note: If you invite Mike Kingston for dinner (or