1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces 2 cups mushrooms, halved (I like crimini) 2 cups water 1 cup frozen small whole onions (or 3/4 cup chopped onion) 1 cup celery, sliced, 1/2 inch slices 1 1/2 cups carrots, thinly sliced 1 teaspoon paprika (make sure to use good quality paprika for full flavor!) 1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground, to taste 14 1/4 ounces chicken broth 6 ounces tomato paste 1/4 cup water 3 tablespoons cornstarch 2 cups frozen green peas 1. Combine first 14 ingredients in an electric slow cooker. 2. Cover with lid and cook on high setting for 4 hours or until carrot is tender. 3. Combine the water and cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended. 4. Add cornstarch mixture and frozen peas to the slow cooker, stir well. 5. Re-cover and cook on high-heat setting an 30 additional minutes. 6. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Parts and tools: the main metal reflectors are an electric cooker ring drip bowl ($5, the large one, to be the rear reflector) and a similar gas cooker drip bowl ($3, the small one, to be the front reflector) - all bought from HomeDepot. They are meant to sit under the cooking ring, catching grease and grime. Also pictured are 3 1/2 in drill bit and mandrel and half round metal file