All in all I think we had a fun time! 
For those of you playing along...(if you've just joined us you can get caught up a bit here) we are on week 20 of the book Queen of the Castle: 52 weeks of encouragement for the uninspired, domestically challenged or just plain tired homemaker.
I was just thinking about posting this recipe and then my friend, Tina, decided to post it. So...hop on over to her bloggy to snag the recipe, K? Enjoy! 
"Here's how to check whether a slow cooker is heating to the right temperature. Pour 8 cups of water into the crock, cover and heat on low setting for 8 hours. Uncover and immediately check to water temperature with an instant-read kitchen thermometer. If the slow cooker is working properly, it will read 185 degrees."
"If a favorite non-stick skillet has gotten sticky, here's a simple solution. Fill it with one cup water, 1/2 cup vinegar and 2 tablespoons baking soda. Bring to a boil for a few minutes. Rinse well with hot water and wipe clean...no more stickiness!"Do ya'll have any kitchen tips you'd like to share?
Do tell!
I'm glad he's on his way to a meal and a new home, but I kinda miss his little cries and all the excitement he added to the day!
First off, if you are in need of any advice and motivation, Back to Basics: Traditional Kitchen Wisdom: Techniques and Recipes for Living A Simpler, More Sustainable Life
is chock full of advice on living a simpler, more sustainable life. You can learn about composting, pickling, canning, gardening, and even beekeeping! It's what peaked our interest in beekeeping and we're thinking about getting started next year! You should really check it out to get some great motivation!
Now. Onto the blog. I found this adorable blog the other day and it is soooo....country! I love it!
While at a restaurant a while ago I tried an appetizer that was wonderful! I loved it so much that I had to try to make it at home. I think I succeeded. I'll share it with you!
For those of you playing along...(if you've just joined us you can get caught up a bit here) we are on week 20 of the book Queen of the Castle: 52 weeks of encouragement for the uninspired, domestically challenged or just plain tired homemaker."For several years, you've had impressed upon you the importance to your career of dedication and hard work. This is true, but as important as your obligations as a doctor, lawyer, or business leader will be, you are a human being first, and those human connections -- with spouses, with children, with friends -- are the most important investments you will ever make.
At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spend with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent...
One thing will never change: fathers and mothers, if you have children...they must come first. Your success as a family...our success as a society...depends not on what happens at the White House, but on what happens inside your house."
Once again, since fair season is upon us I thought I would share the recipe I use for Lemon Shake Ups...you know, that yummy, but overpriced lemony drink?
This may seem simple to some of you. To others it may be a "Why didn't I think of that?" moment. Instead of spending money on paper napkins or buying expensive napkins and having to feel like they need to be ironed to look pretty, I buy multi-packs of inexpensive washcloths. I keep them in a big basket on the baker's rack in the dining room. They get laundered right along with the kitchen towels and hand towels. When they get really used and abused looking they get designated to the rag basket for heavy duty cleaning chores. Now, I do have to tell you that when we have company we use paper napkins, so I keep a pack in the pantry. I don't want company to feel uncomfortable because they are using washcloths at the dinner table. ; ) There's my little kitchen tip from me to you!
Cinnamon Candied Apples
Drudgery, Schmudgery
I stumbled across a really inexpensive beef roast at the store yesterday morning. What kind? I forget. I can't keep round, sirloin, rump, or whatever straight. It's beef and they eat it. : ) So I decided to cook a roast this afternoon instead of what was on the menu (again). I got it home, sprinkled it with pepper and onion powder and seared it on both sides in the fry pan for a bit. Then I transferred it to a baking dish and poured over a half bottle of Kraft Sun-Ripened Tomato Vinaigrette salad dressing. I figured it's got tomatoes and oil and vinegar so it'd have to work, right? I baked it (covered with aluminum foil) at 350 degrees for about 3 hours and then 250 for about an hour or so. Let me tell you that it was heavenly!! It had a slight tangy flavor and the vinegar from the dressing was a great meat tenderizer. Mmm mmm good!! Give it a try next time!
7 Steps for Lowering Your Grocery Bill
The part of your budget that has the most flexibility is often the dollars you spend on food. If you're feeling the pinch in this challenging economic climate, don't trade quality for quantity -- with my simple solutions, your savings are in the bag.
1. But outside the box Shop the perimeter of the store - the outer aisles - where you'll find produce, meat, eggs, and dairy. When you delve into the other aisles, look for slow-cook brown rice, quinoa, dried lentils and beans, and rolled or steel-cut oats and avoid the expensive, boxed, highly processed foods.
2. Think big Bigger is better Save $$ by buying larger sizes and checking the shelf tags that tell you how much the product costs per ounce. (For example, you'll save about $2 buying a 32-ounce tub of yogurt -- transfer into smaller reusable containers for lunches.) Every ounces (and penny) counts.
3. Freeze it Shop the sales and freeze your bargains. Fish, meat, juice, and even dairy choices like milk, hard cheeses, and butter freeze well for short periods of time. It's like a store-wide sale in your freezer.
4. Heads up Buy fresh salad ingredients instead of those packaged lettuce mixes. The small pieces in the packages spoil quicker because their cut ends are exposed to more oxygen.
5. Weighty issues Buy bagged potatoes, onions, and fruit -- and weigh them first. Because they're bagged as 3 pounds, 5 pounds, or more, weights can vary a little and you can get up to 3/4 pound for free.
6. Herbal magic If you love fresh herbs but find yourself with spoilers before you can use them up, just refrigerate only what you can use within a week and hang the rest with a clothespin upside down to dry for later.
7. Tote it with you Many stores are now giving bag refunds when you shop with a reusable bag. Pick up a few -- think of them as fashion accessories!
Abby's cherry chip cake.
Housework, Done Correctly, Can Kill You
I think I mentioned before that I have a very non-green thumb. I don't own indoor plants...nor do I ever want to unless they are cactus and I don't care for the look of cactus so...no indoor plants. I love to look at plants and flowers outside. I love to harvest wonderful fresh veggies from the garden. Problem is similar to what I explained before...I have crafter ADD. I start a project and can't follow through with it to the end. I get bored. I think it trickles into the garden. Just the other day I went out to the potting shed (the really old outhouse transformed into the potting shed) to look for the new hummingbird feeder I know I bought last season on clearance (and I still can't find it!) but then I got distracted by some weeds in the path to the back mudroom door so I started weeding it. That turned into an hour or so job. Then I thought I'd go transplant some hostas and that turned into transplanting some pretty purple plant (not sure what it is, some kind of violet, maybe?) then I decided to dig out some nasty invasive ornamental grass. Needless to say I got seriously sidetracked but I did (mostly) finish my jobs that I started so that's good. Well, except the weeding of the path. I got tired of that so there's a section that still needs to be finished, but I Preened the living daylights out of the path so that I (hopefully) won't have to worry about it. The problem I have is that I get bored with my projects. I always get so gung-ho on gardening and then come August when it's hot, humid, and I couldn't give a flying leap about weeds I get bored. So out of the goodness of their hearts my Hubby and my mom pick up the pieces for me and take care of gardening while I process the goods by way of freezing and canning. I get bored with that, too, but thankfully by the time I get bored with it canning time is over. : ) I do have a point to this story, really! I need lots of gardening motivation. Lots. So I want to share with you what keeps me going. Margaret used to be the garden editor for Martha Stewart and now she's on her own. Margaret's blog A Way To Garden is a wonderful source of gardening info. Whether it's flower gardening or veggie gardening, she's got great advice for you! I particularly love her month to month garden chore list. It keeps me on my toes. Now I didn't say I do every activity necessarily, but it's good to have a goal, right? ; )
My mom had a birthday this week, too. I won't share her age...it wouldn't be polite, you know. My mom is my right-hand man (so to speak). She helps me with the laundry. Believe me, there are mountains of it some days! She helps the kiddos with their kitchen clean-up chores. I make the messes, er, I mean cook, and she helps clean up. She watches the kiddos whenever I need her to. She'll go shopping with me even though she hates to shop. She'll let me pick her hairstyle and what she wears. My mom and dad lived in Michigan (where I grew up). After my dad passed away from cancer almost 6 years ago my mom moved down here. She felt quite alone after dad passed and whenever she came down to visit she was much happier. So she bought a house about 2 miles from us. It worked out great, but it was a lot of work for her. When we knew our family was expanding with number 7 we also thought we were going to move to Omaha for hubby to take a pastor position. Mom sold her house and moved in with us. After Omaha fell through and hubby got a job a lot closer we sold our house and moved in to a larger one (the one in the pics in the blog header). We all have our moments but all in all we've had a lot of fun in our Old House so far!! ; ) Happy Birthday, Mom!! I hope we have many more years together!!
