Popcorn.

So the other day when Alison and I were at Deseret Book, I found this CD which looked like a lot of fun for the kids.  (yes, the kids...honest).  So I purchased it and once we got in the car I immediately popped it in (pun TOTALLY intended) for a quick listen.
The songs are catchy and entertaining, and full of a hip hop beat that reminds me of all of the songs on the "Just Dance for Kids" game. 
It's now been playing in my CD player non-stop for three days.
Someone save me now.
Why do we,as parents, do this to ourselves?  We think - "oh look -here's something fun that will keep the kids entertained in the car and might not be to terrible to listen to myself"
and then after purchase we are silently screaming in our heads,

"Dear Mother - for all that is good and holy in this earth - make it stop! make it stop! I'll do anything you ask, just please, make it stop!!!!"
It wouldn't be so bad I suppose, if I hadn't realized that I had been singing and bopping along to the tunes for a full 20 minutes before I discovered I was in my car alone...
Yea, that's typically not something I should admit in public is it?
No worries, this isn't public, it's my blog - and my lovely three readers won't tell anyone, right?  Right???
Anyway - I want you to experience the joy that is Popcorn Bopping.  My kids love it.  And this tune, well - it's growing on me.

Now you are going to have that song stuck in your head all day.
You're welcome.

Things I know because I have kids.

1.) Webkinz is spelled with a "z" like Zebra, not with an "s" like snake.
2.) Chicken is gross, but chicken nuggets are awesome.
3.) Potatoes are gross, but French fries are amazing.
4.) The "kids" channels start at 290 on Direct TV and go to 300.
5.) No matter how much I protest, Lightning McQueen is MUCH cooler than Herbie the Love Bug.  (I still disagree.)
6.) It is actually impossible to make it through the day without peanut butter and bread in the house.
7.) NASA-like countdowns are appropriate in EVERY situation that involves a timer or a stopwatch.
8.) Tomato catsup is indeed a vegetable...even though Tomatoes are a fruit.  (to be fair, I learned this from the school lunch program.)
9.) Nothing I own is actually mine.  Ever.
10.) To have a child is to decide that your heart will walk forever outside of your body.
Yes, I stole the last one.

Dilly Beans

7 Quart size jars with lids, sterilized and hot.
7 lids for the quart jars, 2 part- with flat lids simmered (not boiled) in hot water.

4 lbs green beans washed and rinsed.
2 quarts of white vinegar
2 quarts of water
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of pickling salt
3 heads of dill (per jar)
1 tsp of garlic (per jar)
1 tsp of dill seed (per jar)
Combine the white vinegar, water, sugar and salt together in a large stock pot.   (mine is 6 quarts) Bring to boiling on the stove.  Reduce to simmer and allow to keep warm while working on the jars.
In the bottom of each sterilized quart jar, put in 1 teaspoon of garlic (minced) or one full clove, 1 tsp of dill seed, and 3 heads of dill.  Tightly pack the green beans into each jar  until fully filled.  You may need to break the green beans in half in order for them to fit into the jars.
Using a funnel, pour the hot brine from the stove top into each jar,leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Secure two part lids fingertip tight, and place into boiling water canner. Process at full boil for 20 minutes.  Remove from canner and allow to cool.
Let set in cool dark place for minimum of two weeks.  Chill, then eat.

Homemade Yogurt - The Tutorial (with Pictures)

A while ago I posted a recipe for making yogurt at home, in your crock pot.

The yogurt was good, in fact it was downright tasty - but it was a little runny and I didn't like the overall texture, so of course I decided to see what I could do to improve it.

After several trials I finally have settled on the following process.  Beware - it is very intensive, and if you don't have time to baby sit - well, it won't turn out right.  But,in the end, it is completely worth it - AND it brings the cost of yogurt down to about $2.00 for a 1/2 gallon.

Ingredients:
1/2 gallon whole milk.  (I prefer organic)
1/2 cup of room temperature starter yogurt - once you make your own batch you can use your own yogurt as a culture.  If this is your first batch, use an organic yogurt with live cultures and no additives.  I prefer Stoneyfield.

Equipment needed:
1 large pot with a lid(big enough to hold 1/2 gallon of milk)
Digital thermometer
Plastic or metal spoon or whisk (so it can be sanitized. Cultures on wood may ruin the yogurt - and on a side note...eeewwww...)

Process:

Bring the milk to a simmering boil in the large pot stirring constantly.  With the digital thermometer make sure you watch the temperature. When it hits 180 degrees remove the pot from the heat.  Allow the milk to cool to 110 degrees either naturally or by placing it in a cool water bath and stirring until it reaches the right temperature.

Add the yogurt culture to the milk once it has reached 110 degrees.  Stir it in thoroughly with a whisk or spoon until fully incorporated.

Heat your oven to 200 degrees.  Allow it to sit for 10 minutes and then turn off.  Place the pot inside the oven with the thermometer inside and the lid on.  If your thermometer has the feature, set it to alarm if the temperature goes above 110 or below 102.  This is the tricky part.  The yogurt MUST STAY BETWEEN 100 and 110 degrees for a minimum of 7 hours.

I usually keep the pot in the oven, and when it starts to alarm, I'll turn the heat back on to 130 degrees and then turn it off again...ALL WITHOUT OPENING THE OVEN DOOR. The cultures need a stable environment to grow in.  Too hot, and they'll die, too cold and they'll go dormant.

After 7 hours, remove from the oven and scoop into containers.  Put in the fridge overnight.  Your yogurt should be thickened enough in the morning to pass for regular American yogurt standards.  If you want something a little thicker...you can always follow this tutorial on how to make Greek Yogurt .

Flavor your yogurt with honey or your favorite fruit and enjoy! Just be sure to keep 1/2 cup reserved for the next batch. The cost of this yogurt is the market cost for 1/2 gallon of milk, usually around $2.00.

Enjoy!

How to Make Greek Yogurt

You will need:

1 bowl
1 wire mesh strainer
Cheesecloth
Plain Yogurt - either homemade (see this post) or store bought.  (I suppose you could do this with flavored yogurt too, I just haven't tried it.)

 

 

Place your wire mesh strainer over a bowl. 
Line the strainer with cheesecloth - double thickness.


Fill the cheesecloth/strainer with yogurt.  In this photo tutorial, I used about 2 cups.


Let sit until the bottom of the glass bowl fills with liquid (this liquid is called Whey and can be used in many other recipes, or you can throw it out, it's up to you.)  the yogurt will sit for minimum of one hour.
You can scrape the bottom of the cheese cloth and redistribute the yogurt if you want to attempt to get more liquid out.

Pick up bag and squeeze (lightly) remaining liquid out of yogurt. 


It should be very thick, in fact, it should be thick enough that a spoon will stand up in it without assistance.

Transfer to  container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

 

You can add your own fresh fruit or honey when serving for a different flavor.

What I learned from a bag of Skittles...

I have to admit, I’m a little obsessive compulsive. As long as I can remember it’s been impossible for me to eat a bag of Skittles without first dumping the contents onto a table and sorting them by color. I’d then order the stacks of brightly colored candy from the smallest amount to the largest amount. Finally, I could enjoy my treat – starting with the biggest pile and working my way down. Eating Skittles for me has never been an out-of-the-bag or on-the-run treat.

One day, while sorting my snack, I became mesmerized by the colors. You see, each bag of Skittles has five individual colors. I started to think…I have five kids. Five colors, five kids. The idea was brilliant – or at least I thought it was, at first the family thought I was nuts.

So, what was my brilliant plan? You can imagine that it’s difficult to keep up on the household chores, laundry, dishes, etc when you have such a large family. It can be done, but most large families have systems in place to help increase the efficiency of the home. We had not yet put anything like this into place, so it seemed our family was always running to keep up with our own clutter. My Skittles had given me the plan I needed. I called all the children together and asked each of them what their favorite color was. I heard back, pink, blue, red, purple and for the baby we decided her favorite color was yellow (she has a blanket that’s yellow).


With our colors decided we went to work. I purchased some very inexpensive ribbon at Wal-Mart (.99 a spool) in each of the colors. I found some great wicker baskets on Christmas clearance at Target. We then tied a ribbon to the handle of each basket – identifying it to each child. Our color coding didn’t stop there. Each child has a bath towel in their color (easy to identify which child left it on the floor after their bath), each child has their own cereal bowl and cup (I found these at www.kidsmartliving.com very inexpensively), and each child has a cubby with their colored basket in it for their afterschool storage. Everything in our home is attached to a color code somehow. And you wouldn’t believe how proud they are of their baskets, towels, cups, bowls, and cubbies. In addition to learning their colors, they are learning to be responsible, considerate of others, and are proud of the fact that they are able to help around the house without having to be helped.


We use our color coding system to organize our days as well. We have a simple white board calendar with marker system; each child has their own marker - in their color of course. At a glance we can see who is doing what on which day. We also use colors in folding our socks by placing a small dot of color on the bottom of the sock in permanent marker. Finally, we use color coded hangers for the hang-up clothes in the closet.

We find new ways every day to use our color system. It has helped our home run more efficiently, become more organized, and has opened up more time for us to enjoy each other as a family – rather than spending time cleaning up messes that never seemed to end. Our color system has worked so well, I even use it in my office, my email account, and my day planner. All of this from one simple little bag of candy.

GetButtonedUp

Three years ago, we lived in a town called Laveen, Arizona.  It was the height of the wildfire season, and we were under a constant threat of evacuation as a fire burned approximately three miles from our home.

Even though we had two major roads to serve as fire breaks, I was still concerned.  It isn’t every day that a fire threatens to wipe out your entire neighborhood, your schools, parks, stores, homes…Let’s just say it was a tiny bit disconcerting.

One thing I had working in my favor was this.

This is Life.doc  - and it’s definitely a Fabulous Find.  Inside this seemingly unassuming little binder are several tabs – organizing your most important documents and papers.  There’s a place for birth certificates, immunization records, insurance policies, emergency contact numbers, health records (was little Jimmy allergic to penicillin or was it Tabitha?).  It takes a few hours to set up and fill out – but worth every minute once done.

In addition, we also have Valuables.doc- the binder to help you catalog all your valuables and irreplaceable in the event of something truly unimaginable, like a wildfire or home burglary.  There’s a place to store photos, receipts, serial numbers, and other important –yet easily forgettable in a stressful situation – information.

Get Buttoned UP! has products for organizing and simplifying many aspects of life.  And I truly do consider them a Fabulous Find.  Their binders start at about $20.00 and can be found at Target Stores, which is where I got mine.

ZadyBall

Today’s product comes to us via my daughter, Ali.

Isn’t he cute???  Sure he is!   So what IS he?

This is Zadyball … Baby Ringo the Octopus to be exact – and he’s cute as a button.  His tentacles are perfect for baby to grab on to and hold, his body is soft and squishy and he has a special surprise inside…bells…but not the obnoxious loud bells, a perfect little jingle sound that entertains baby, and doesn’t drive mom crazy.  The best part?  This little lovey (that your child will CERTAINLY grow attached to) is machine washable!  That’s right…try throwing that favorite teddy bear in the washer…go ahead, I dare you…No worries like that with the ZadyBall!

Zadyball has many different styles, animals, bugs, and simply round balls – AND she’ll customize one for you if you aren’t quite finding your favorite little buddy on the site.

My baby loves it – and come to think of it, a few of the big kids in the house like it too.  In fact, I was interviewed on our local television network and the camera guy also thought it was fabulous…I had to fight to get it back.  This thing is awesome.

To find out more about ZadyBall-
http://www.zadyball.com
http://www.facebook.com/zadyball

Tervis Tumbler

I love Arizona.

I love living here.

I even love the heat…except….

Sometimes the heat makes it impossible for me to enjoy a glass of ice water (or anything cold for that matter) unless I drink it very, very quickly – and we are talking superhuman quick here…Ice headache quick…and I’m just not willing to do that.

With Tervis, I don’t have to.

These things are awesome.

That’s right, they go beyond fabulous.

They are insulated so they stay cold.

They are double walled – so they don’t sweat (which is good, because I can never find a coaster when I need one anyway)

And…

Drum roll please…

The come in this FABULOUS Design…


This thing has just overcome fabulous and awesome and has reached Bodacious.

I have two – one in 16 oz and one in 24 oz.  They come with awesome travel lids, are super heavy duty, dishwasher safe, microwave safe, and keep my drinks filled with ice water for hours on end…that is if I don’t drink it too quickly.

I got mine at Bed Bath and Beyond (I had a COUPON!) But you can get them at http://www.tervis.com too.  The large cups sell for around $16.00 if you want one with a licensed logo, prepare to spend a little more.

The only thing that would make these perfect?  If they DIDN’T sell them with these on them…

Just sayin’.

Cookie Dipped Drumsticks

Okay, so I have an ice cream problem. 

The problem is, there is never enough.  Really.  That’s my problem.

I’ve always liked the quick easy ice cream treats like Klondike bars and Drumsticks – the only problem is they’ve always been messy.  Klondikes break open and the ice cream melts all over and Drumsticks have those nuts that go everywhere…
But not the Cookie dipped ones.

These things are so fabulous.

The chocolate on the outside is a perfect blend of creamy chocolaty goodness with bits of crunchy chocolate cookie mixed in.  The cone (as always) is crunchy and not chewy…and if you are lucky you can get one that has a caramel center.
mmmmmm….caramel.

Anyway – these things are awesome.  You need one.  Now.

They are sold at most grocery retailers for aproximately $6 a box of 8.

Glad OvenWare

Ok, I have a big family.

Not 18 Kids and Counting  big, but still big nonetheless.

As you can imagine keeping them all fed and well-nourished can be a bit of a challenge sometimes.  Especially with a mom that has two businesses, writes this silly very informative blog, and occasionally likes her Thursday Girls Night Out evenings…

So, when I cook, I cook A LOT.  And I don’t cook a lot because my family eats a lot, but I cook large amounts – usually double portions – so that one full meal can be frozen for later heating and eating.

I USED to use all my glass casserole pans and large pieces of Tupperware (which are not oven-friendly and that is annoying) to do my fix and forget cooking.

Until I found these:

They come in 9x12, and 9x9 sizes and are perfect for my family’s needs.  They are oven safe, dishwasher safe, freezer safe, microwave safe – and completely, totally, loss proof…why?  Because they are disposable, so nobody cares if they don’t come home.

Not to mention the fact they won’t shatter like my $40.00 stoneware pan that got put into the HOT oven after coming directly out of the COLD freezer…no I didn’t do it, we don’t need to go there…

Look, these things are awesome, and they make my life as a mommy a little bit easier and more peaceful on nights where I’m pretty sure I might lose my mind if I add one more task to my plate.  With these things in my freezer full of yummy pre-made dinners, I don’t have to worry that cooking for my family is going to be the straw that breaks the mommy’s back on any given day.

Glad OvenWare cost about $6.00 for a set of two or three depending on the size. I found mine at the local Kroger store, but I know Walmart, Kmart and other discount outlets offer them as well.

Archivalife

Fabulous doesn’t even begin to describe today’s find.

First I need to tell you a secret. 

I am a closet scrap-a-holic…but I’m not very good at it. 

Regardless of how pretty I can make my scrapbook pages, I do believe that it is very important to preserve your family history, and your personal history.  In fact, my most treasured possession is a book written by my grandmother that details her life from childhood through marriage, children and grandchildren.

Grandma. Kept. Very. Detailed. Notes. And. Journals.

I think she may have loved to have one of these:

(image source – http://www.archivalife.com)

Look, I was skeptical about this at first – I figured it was just another scrapbook company (I’m from Utah originally, and I know scrapbook companies are a dime a dozen…seriously, go to the yellow pages, look ‘em up.)

This thing goes beyond a scrapbook (and doesn’t even require any frilly embellishments or glue.)  It’s a timeline.  In one book you can chronicle decades of a lifetime in one easy to read and view format.

The pages fold out in an accordion style so that you can read the entire timeline at once, or in periods of 10 units at a time.  Each unit gives you a space to note the things that are most important to you in that year. 

Who was your loved one/significant other?  (Or you know, who were you crushing on that year???)

What pets did you have?

What kind of car did you drive?

What school did you attend?

All at a glance.

You can flip the page over and write a detailed summary of the decade complete with embarrassing facts interesting tidbits.

You can buy either the Lifelines (which is the timeline described above) or the traditional scrapbook – OR you can opt to purchase both which come in a fabulous beautiful wonderful leather bound display quality case.

I’ve been trying to chronicle my history in this book since I got it three weeks ago.  It’s been a fun walk down memory lane and a great family project  (EWWWW Mom!  You drove WHAT?????)

I won’t lie to you, it is a big purchase - $125.00 for the Classic Edition or $49.95 for just the LifeLines book – however, Like I said above, the most priceless possession I own is my grandmother’s history.  This will last for generations, as will your family legacy – and that is what is most important.

*As with all Fabulous Finds posts – I have this product in my possession and have used it myself.  I am not in any way compensated for this review of this product nor will I receive any compensation should you decide to purchase this product.  Archivalife did offer me a complimentary sample of the product for review.  Please refer to our disclaimer if you have any further questions.*

Shark Portable Steam Pocket

Also found on our Humor Blog - http://someonewillbuythis.com - where there are products that aren't quite so helpful.
Have you ever cleaned your bathroom with a black light that is rated to see germs and bodily fluids?  If not, I actually do not recommend it.  You will find that what you think is a clean bathroom actually - - -well, is not.  It's icky.  Okay, well at least mine was.  Of course we are talking about the bathroom that my five children share - one of which is a 6 year old boy, but I digress.

I took these pictures for your shock and enjoyment.  (and much to my mother's utter disbelief and embarrassment - sorry mom.)

Yea, gross, right?

The thing is, this is AFTER I used a certain name brand spray cleaner to clean it up.

That's right, I said AFTER.  Apparently all it did was streak the icky mess downward.

So, I decided to heat things up a bit, and pulled out my Shark Steam Pocket.  I bought this thing not too long after my first steam cleaner machine pooped out on me.  Probably because I rarely used it, and it sat dormant for a while - I know - bad me.  Anyway - I filled it up and with some bursts of steam and a clean wash cloth (dry to wipe down with afterward...) this is the result...

Pretty stinkin' amazing right?  And all of this with just WATER.  My bathroom smells fresh and clean, my  toilet passes the black light test, and I did it all without harsh chemicals or fumes.  Anyway, I love my Shark Portable Steam Pocket.  It also does this to my kitchen, my carpet, and my walls and baseboards.  Clean and fresh like a daisy...the whole house.

Baked Spaghetti

6 oz spaghetti noodles - cooked and drained
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 cup cottage cheese
Salt and pepper to taste (approximately 1/2 tsp each)
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 jar Spaghetti sauce (your favorite)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

layer cooked noodles in a greased 13x9  baking pan.
Combine the parmesan cheese, egg, and cottage cheese, salt and pepper and parsley flakes, and layer on top of the spaghetti.
Finally pour out the spaghetti sauce on top of the cottage cheese mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until bubbly.

Serve with more parmesan cheese if desired.

Chili Mac

By far the easiest recipe, and yet my family loves it.  The jury's still out with me, but it is a crowd pleaser.

2 boxes Kraft Macaroni and cheese
1 cube butter or margarine
1/2 cup milk
1 Can of your favorite chili - my family likes Stagg brand.
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Prepare Mac-n-cheese as directed on the box.
Mix in the can of chili. Heat until heated thru.
serve with grated cheese on top.

Baked Chicken Nuggets

1 Sleeve Ritz Crackers
1 Package of seasoning of your choice - I have used taco, Ranch Dressing Mix, and Italian dressing Mix
2 eggs
4 Tsp. Water
2 C Flour
1/2 Stick (1/4 cup) Butter
3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cubed into bite size pieces - OR Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders - approx. 18

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a Gallon Size Ziploc bag, smash the saltine crackers to pieces.  Both fun and therapeutic.
3. Mix in with the saltine pieces the package of seasoning of choice.
4. On a large baking sheet (cookie sheet - if you are from Utah), melt the butter in the oven.  Once melted, remove the pan from the oven to prevent the butter from burning.
5. Combine the eggs and water - mixing until frothy.
6. Dredge the chicken in the flour, then dip in egg wash, then throw into bag of crumbs/seasoning.
7. Coat Chicken with crumbs, and lay on to the baking sheet (in the melted butter)
8.  Bake the nuggets for 10 minutes, then turn them over and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
9.  Drain on paper towels if needed. (Never have needed to yet...)

Chicken Parmesan

Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 large egg
salt and ground black pepper
1/2-1 cup dry Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 recipe for Marinara Sauce
cooked pasta

Place chicken breasts smooth side down on large sheet of plastic wrap.  Cover with second sheet of plastic wrap and pound gently to 1/2 inch thickness.

Beat egg and a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a small pie plate or other shallow dish until completely broken up.  Mix bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, a heaping teaspoon salt, and a pinch of black pepper in another small pie plate or shallow baking dish.

Pre-heat broiler.  Working with one at a time, dip both sides of the chicken in the beaten egg.  Then in the bread crumb mixture.   Set cutlets on large wire rack set over a jelly roll pan.

While pasta is cooking heat oil over medium high heat in a 12 inch skillet.  When oils starts to shimmer, add cutlets and sauté until golden brown on each side, about 5-6 minutes.  Wash and dry wire rack, and return to jelly roll pan.  Transfer cutlets to wire rack and top each with mozzarella cheese.  Place pan of cutlets 4-5 inches from the broiler, until cheese melts and is spotty brown.

Place finished cutlet over a bed of pasta topped with sauce.

Asian Chicken Salad (AKA Baby Shower Salad)

1 head of cabbage - finely chopped or shredded.
2 medium Granny Smith apples (these are the sour green ones)
2 stalks of Celery - cut small
1 large can of mandarin oranges - drained but not rinsed
1 cup of toasted Almonds (slivered or pieces)
2 Packages of Oriental Ramen Noodles, broken apart and toasted in the frying pan or oven
2 cups of chopped cooked chicken (or my sister uses chopped Tyson chicken Nuggets for added texture)

Dressing:

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup Sugar
2 packets of Oriental Ramen Noodle Seasoning (from the packages above)
1/4 cup of Water
2 Tbsp of Oil  - sesame oil works best (yummy flavor) but vegetable oil, canola oil  will work in a pinch.
2 Tsp. Soy sauce.

Combine all the ingredients for the salad in a large bowl, except for Almonds and Ramen Noodles (and chicken nuggets if you chose to use those).

Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a secondary bowl, or salad dressing mixing cup.

1 hour prior to serving the salad, pour desired amount of dressing onto the salad and toss - coating evenly.

When you are ready to serve, add Ramen noodles, almonds, and chicken nuggets (if you decided to use those)  Serve Immediately.

You can also choose to serve the noodles and almonds on the side.  It is up to you.

Crock Pot Brownies

1 box - family size brownie mix
Ingredients on the box to make the brownies
1/4 cup butter - melted

pour melted butter into the bottom of the crock pot

mix brownies according to box directions

Pour brownie mixture over melted butter.

cook on low for 2-3 hours or until done.

Crock Pot Pot Roast

1 5-6 lb beef pot roast - FROZEN
1 envelope Onion Soup Mix - dry
1/4 cup beef broth
1 tsp ground black pepper

Place frozen roast in crock pot, and pour over it the beef broth.

Liberally spread the onion soup mix mixture over the now wet pot roast (so that it sticks)

Cook on low heat for 3-4 hours.

Add:

1 medium onion - slightly larger than diced pieces
3 diced potatoes
2 cups of baby carrots
2 celery stalks - cut into 2" pieces

Allow to cook on low heat another 2 hours, or until veggies are tender.

Chili

2 lbs ground beef - browned and drained
1 medium onion chopped
4 stalks of celery chopped
2 can Kidney Beans - with liquid
2 can Pinto Beans - with liquid
2 28 oz can of diced peeled tomatoes - with liquid
2 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 8 oz can green chilis
4 medium tomatoes - chopped
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp Black pepper
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt

Combine all the above ingredients into your slow cooker.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

Crock Pot Pulled Pork (Easy BBQ)

1 4-5 lb pork pot roast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 bottle of barbeque sauce - any flavor - and the cheaper the better
1 bottle of grape jelly

put pork pot roast into crock pot and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook on low heat for 4-6 hours, or until it shreds easily.

combine the barbeque sauce and the grape jelly, and pour over the now shredded pork.  mix well

Cook for an additional 1 hour, or until the sauce is fully heated.

Serve on Hoagie rolls, hamburger buns, or deli rolls.

Crock Pot Meat Loaf

2 lbs of lean ground beef
1/2 cup quick oats
1 cup of bread crumbs - I like the Italian style
1 egg
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 package of Italian Salad dressing mix, or Ranch Dressing mix.
1/4 cup dried minced onion

Combine all the above ingredients, and shape into a loaf.
Place into the bottom of a greased slow cooker.
Cook on low until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.  (approximately 4 hours)

simple marinara sauce (red sauce)

2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt and ground black pepper
In a large saucepan heat garlic and oil together over medium high heat until garlic starts to sizzle. Stir in tomatoes, basil oregano, sugar a pinch of salt and pinch of black pepper. Bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer until sauce thickens a bit and flavors meld, 10 to 12minutes.

Franny Cheese Steak

This recipe I give credit to my mother...the first Jill of All Trades I knew.

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef
1 medium white onion - chopped (approximately 1/2 cup)
1 green pepper - chopped (approximately 1 cup)
2 tbsp butter or oil (for frying)
2 cups mozzarella cheese
6 Hoagie or Deli Rolls

In a deep sauté pan, melt the butter or pour in cooking oil.

Add the vegetables cooking until crisp-tender.

Crumble the ground beef into the pan - added to the onions and green peppers until fully browned.

Drain any fat from the beef, and return to the pan.

cover the meat mixture with the mozzarella cheese, cover pan and allow for the cheese to melt.

Serve meat on the hoagie buns.

Easy Alfredo Sauce

1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
1 Cup Fresh Parmesan Cheese
5 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

Bring cream and butter to a simmering boil.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Once it boils add Parmesan cheese.  Stir until mixture thickens.

Serve over noodles with fresh vegetables steamed or blanched, and pieces of grilled chicken if you wish.  Enjoy!