Thursday, November 6, 2008

Crock Pot Love


I love crock pot cooking! My DH's grandmother gave us a crock pot when we got married, but I did not use it for y-e-a-r-s because I was always home when I was cooking. I had not experienced the perfect blending of flavors that slow cooking gives foods. We use one frequently now because of the fantastic flavors and the way it cooks meats especially...tender and tasty!

Crock pots are also great for long cooking periods w/o any stirring or meddling. Case in point...I had a few apples (about 8, I think) that were getting soft. I wanted to make applesauce, but there wasn't anyone who could stay in the kitchen and tend the pot. My crock pot volunteered! I used an apple peeler/corer/slicer and had the 8 apples in the pot within 10 minutes. I cut the pieces into small sections and sprinkled some sugar and cinnamon on top. I added about 1/4 cup water and put it on high. That is the top picture.

Three hours later it looked like it would be a long time before it was ready. The apples still had a lot of texture. I stirred it and checked again the next time I was in the kitchen, 30 minutes later. It was perfect! (Bottom picture)

This is a great side dish to make when you have company, especially families with young children. The aroma is fantastic even if (like me) one doesn't like to eat applesauce!! It makes the whole kitchen smell fantastically apple-icious!

~Joan

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

It Is Finished...Finally


You might be looking at this cross-stitched picture and thinking, "Big deal...so she finished a cross-stitch picture!" This picture was started in February 1993. Yes, 1993.

Today I picked it up from the framer and hung it above our fireplace mantle. It's about time. I couldn't get a good picture of the picture. Just trust me...it's beautiful. My favorite part is the lady bug on the sign. There is a second one on the bottom-most leaf on the post. So cute.

My girls have been getting on my case, er, asking me, to clean out some of the items we don't use any more for a yard sale we're having Saturday. I had a picture in this frame for years. I never hung the picture because it never matched anything in my house, but I liked the frame. I had my cross stitch mounted and reframed in the same frame, using the same glass and dark rose mat. All I had to pay for was a green mat and the labor charge. Yippee! The last picture I had custom framed cost me >$85. What was I thinking? That was 8 years ago, if memory serves me correctly (which it usually doesn't, BTW). This one was about $30.

You can read about the picture's history here.
While it's not as important as the presidential election or solving world hunger, it does make my world a happier place.

Tune in tomorrow to see what else makes my world a happier place. I'll give you a clue...it starts with crock pot.

~Joan