Great Crockpot EASY Meal

Make this ahead. Slice and Freeze for a last minute meal.

Cranberry-Onion Roast:

1 ( 3 to 5 pound) rump roast, trimmed

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

1 can jellied cranberry sauce

1 tablespoons butter, softened

2 tablespoons flour

Directions:
Rinse rump roast and pat dry.

Sprinkle the onion soup mix in the bottom of the crock pot. Place the rump roast on top of the onion soup mix. Spoon the cranberry sauce around and over the roast. Cover and cook on LOW for 10 to 12 hours.

Remove roast from crock pot and allow to rest while you thicken the gravy.

Turn the crock pot up to HIGH.

Blend the softened butter and flour into a paste and whisk it into the gravy. Cover and cook on HIGH for about 10 minutes, until thick.

Slice the roast into 1/4-inch thick slices and serve with the gravy. The slices may be frozen in the gravy in plastic freezer bags.

Fireside Fried Apples and Wieners

Christmas Fireside One-Pan Hearty Meal       

Adopted from an Old Mennonite Recipe

I am fixing this as a special treat to serve by the fireplace during our traditional Family Christmas Ornament Party.  Each family member will receive a new ornament for the tree as we share family stories about Christmas' past. Later, we will share Cookies and Hot Chocolate

Fireside Fried Apples and Wieners

"all measurements are according to taste"

First prepare a large cast iron skillet full of cored and sliced apples with peelings left on.

Then add about a pound of little cocktail wieners (or you may use sliced wiener pieces).

Over this pour about 1/2 cup of white or brown syrup and then sprinkle on about 1/2 cup of either white or brown sugar.

Now fry until well glazed, stirring often with one stick of butter in the bottom of the mixture. 

This makes a delicious and nutritious one-pan main dish. Serve it this Christmas!

Merry Christmas  



Fun Crafts for Thanksgiving

Pinapple Turkey Centerpiece

This is a fun and easy centerpiece to make for your Thanksgiving table.

Have a fun day and make them together as a craft during a "group" meeting

(the turkey head is made out of felt)

Kids Holiday Craft

"The Thankful Turkey"

Ask each child to write what they are thankful for on a paper feather, then stick it into this cute turkey centerpiece

Step by step instructions:

http://www.parents.com/holiday/thanksgiving/crafts/simple-thanksgiving-day-crafts/

Simple Candle/Pumpkin Centerpiece

Pumpkin Candle Centerpiece

Looking for easy and fun Thanksgiving crafts that you can do with children? This fun Fall and Autumn pumpkin centerpiece is a great project for kids. This family friendly Thanksgiving craft will make a great addition to your Thanksgiving holiday.

Read more: http://www.examiner.com/stay-at-home-moms-in-austin/easy-thanksgiving-crafts-pumpkin-candle-centerpiece

Are you a "Sidetracked Household Executive"?

I am one of those people who has lots of energy, but I can easily get sidetracked from what needs to get done now, by what needs to get done next. This can lead to finding myself worn-out at the end of the day with out anything accomplished. One of the best systems that I have used to overcome this habit, I adopted from this book. I can now say that I am organized and I can stay on track to accomplish those jobs and activities that I plan.

Now for anyone of you who can identify with this frustration, I recommend this system to help you get organized.
Read, Apply and Enjoy a whole new world of control.

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Two sisters share the system of organising household chores that they created to make managing a home less time consuming and more efficient, in an updated handbook that explains how to reduce chaos and clutter and achieve organisation in the home.

"Real" Easy Hot Chocolate

You want something warm and tasty. How about a real creamy cup of hot chocolate made as easily as warming milk in the microwave. This recipe will allow you to enjoy a cup of Hot Chocolate made with "real" chocolate and "real" milk, not a powdery cocoa mix.

Real Hot Chocolate for My cup
Makes 10 chocolate balls, enough for 10 1-cup servings
1 (12-ounce) bag (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
1 Cup evaporated milk (or heavy cream for a richer taste)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Microwave chocolate, evaporated milk, and salt in a large bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Roll 3 tablespoons chilled chocolate mixture into ten 2" balls. Individually wrap balls in plastic wrap and transfer to zipper lock bag. Refrigerate for 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months.

To Make 1 Cup of Hot Chocolate:
Combine 1 unwrapped chocolate ball and one cup of milk in large mug. Microwave, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Serve and Enjoy.

recipe adapted from October/November 2010. Cook's Country magazine

Home of Hospitality Recipe

Hospitality is an important element in making any home a friendly meeting place for family and friends. Good food plays an important part in helping to spell HOSPITALITY. This is one of my favorite meals to have prepared and WAITING IN THE FREEZER for the next "COME BY MY PLACE" dinner".

Wild Rice Chicken (Quick and Easy)

1 6 1/4 package quick-cooking long grain rice
1 Cup cooked, chopped chicken
1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 1 1/4 cups light mayonnaise
1 10 3/4-ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup

Cook rice according to package directions. Combine rice with chopped chicken, water chestnuts, celery and onion; put mixture in a 1- gallon freezer bag.

To prepare for serving, thaw rice and chicken mixture, remove from bag, and place in a 2 1/2 quart baking dish. Stir mayonnaise and condensed cream of mushroom soup together, and spread over top of chicken. Bake covered in a preheated 325 degree oven for 1 hour. Makes 6 servings.

Summarry of process: Chop 1 cup cooked chicken, 1 cup celery and 1 1/4 cups onion
Freeze in: 1-gallon bag

Serve with: Cooked Green Beans, peach halves with cottage cheese topped with a maraschino cherry, and Pumpkin Pie

Recipe copied from: Once-A-Month Cooking, Revised and Expanded: A Proven System for Spending Less Time in the Kitchen and Enjoying Delicious, Homemade Meals Every Day

Cooking Under Pressure

If you have not thought of pressure cooking anything since you got your first microwave, you may want to take another look at modern pressure cookers. My husband and I are living in El Paso, Texas in a small apartment. Even the shortest of cooking time on the stove heats up the apartment. With many summer temperature climbing way over 100 degrees, we began to look for a way to cook quickly and keep the house cool. My husband suggested we try pressure cooking to keep are meals healthy and quick. After two weeks of fixing meals in my Fagor 8 quart pressure cooking, I must admit that I love the quick cooking pot. We coupled it to a portable inductive cooktop which does not heat up like a stove, and allow you to time set the shut off button. Bingo problem solved.