MONDAY MORNING MUNCHIES!

Well top of the morning to you lads and lassies (not dogs LOL)! I woke up in a rather chipper mood for some odd reason! And hungry... omg I could eat everything in the house! So here I sit munchin on some homemade pizza rolls and talking to you. Cool, wouldn't you agree LOL! I know, I know... you're thinking "who in their right mind eats pizza rolls at 7:30am!" ME that's who LOL and you can thank my father for it lol! He was a shiftworker and would always eat his meals in a wierd schedule. Yes I like chicken fried steak and gravy for breakfast too... and pizza, and all kinds of other oddities. Thanks dad!! LOL...

Got a question... have you ever had a moment of sheer absurdity (is that even a word? LOL) that would never normally enter your brain at any other time? I did this weekend... sitting outside bored out of my skull. I got a case of the "Nosey Neighbor Syndrome"! I really don't care about the neighbors and I really don't care what they think of me, but sitting out there all day yesterday and Saturday... well I got to wondering things I should not have been wondering LMBO! I told my hub and kids what I was thinking and they were like "OMG MOM!" LMBO! I couldn't help myself. I literally fell out of the chair I was sitting in and the hub came outside cause he could hear me laughing to myself all the way in the house! Not gonna go into alot of detail, cause one of my neighbors is a great person... but I was questioning their sexuality, why they never have garbage pickup, and a ton of other things I normally don't care about! It was wierd!

OK ok, moving on LOL... do you know that you people are invading my dreams now? LOL I actually dreamt about blogging last night! THAT was insane. Maybe I am losing my mind or something LOL... Let's talk crafts... today we are gonna talk about wearable art. You can't go wrong with a Tshirt... unless of course they don't WEAR Tshirts! A little bit of fabric paint and a Tshirt from the Hobby Store can make a wonderful gift!

Craft Idea of the Day: Painted Tshirts

The possibilities are endless on what you can put on a shirt. Here is one we made for my father last year...

We printed off pictures onto some iron-on transfer paper, ironed on some letters, and then dipped the kids hands in paint and "stamped" the shirt. It brought tears to his eyes as he was a "proud gran'pa". The shirt doesn't have to be elaborate either... you can print off some graphics and trace them onto the shirt with paint like I did for this shirt.

The gator head was the logo off their band shirts and the letters were just crazy ones I found in Microsoft Word program. I used blue paint (the school color) and then sprinkles blue glitter into it. Simple as that! You should see my Autism one... I love that shirt! Here look...

Every different color in the ribbon has the glitter too! That was a little tricky but it worked. (Yes people, I am a glitter freak LOL!) With a little imagination, you can make a shirt for just about anyone you know!

Man, I'm still hungry! All out of pizza rolls, so I have to find something else to devour! Geez, hope I can stop soon or I'm gonna be miserable! Speaking of food... let's get to recipes! I am thinking tonight should be something fairly easy seeing as there is a basketball game to be at tonight. I'm gonna make chicken flautas with rice and beans. Pretty easy, I think... check out these flautas...

Don't they look absolutely YUMMY!? Here's what ya do (really simple really...) You can either make or buy pre-made tortillas (you can use corn or flour, whichever you like more... we use corn).

Chicken Flautas

Ingredients

6 cups Cooked chicken, shredded or diced
1 jar of salsa
1 can whole kernal corn, drained (optional)
20 tortillas

Directions

1. If your chicken needs to be cooked, (lol) then in a skillet cook chicken thoroughly. Add salsa and corn to skillet and heat through.

2. Roll chicken mixture into tortilla and hold closed with a toothpick.

3. You can either deep fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown or bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

That's it... you can eat them dipping in more salsa or sour cream. Pair these with refried beans and spanish rice and you have an easy and tasty dinner! Well, I'm off to help the hubby wash clothes and pack and get ready for his trip. He is going to his hometown of Fort Worth, Tx to visit his family. Then I've got to get the Christmas stuff up before my baby comes home today from school. So you have a wonderful day and I will talk to you tomorrow! HUGS!!

WRAPPIN' UP THE WEEKEND

Evening everyone! I am both happy and disappointed to say my weekend is finally coming to a close. The weather was not kind to me again today... rain- which meant no sales. Lots and lots of rain and vicious winds. It tore my canopy tent up real bad and it started leaking everywhere. Luckily nothing got wet, so I let each of my kids come "shopping" for every teacher, friend, etc. they wanted to give a gift to this Christmas. As payment, they each have to perform a special chore for me of my choice... something they don't do everyday. Then I packed it up and backed the car under the tent, loaded the car and took everything to storage. I'm officially done for the year with sales. Now I can concentrate on the rest of the gifts I need to do and then various things I want to do. So I came in early, dried off (cause the rain got me REAL wet), and cooked for my family. Now I'm just working on my lists... remaining gifts, crafts, to do lists, etc.

I want to talk about something personal for a bit. Christmas traditions... do you have any? Well I do... and I've veered from them this year and it really upset my youngest. And let me tell you, I feel TERRIBLE! See my son Alex is autistic. Routine and familiarity is very important to him. Well he is used to us having the Christmas tree out the day after Thanksgiving. Well this year we haven't got it up yet (cause of the craft sale weekends, etc.) and Frank called me in saying he (Alex) was crying for some reason and wouldn't stop. So I had them watch the booth and I came in. He hugged me and I asked him what was wrong. He said "momma christmas stuff" and my heart sank. I wanted to cry too! So I reassured him that we would put it up by Monday and he stopped crying. I feel so bad cause I didn't realize that something I only do once a year became a routine to him. I won't ever veer from that ever again! Another tradition... "White Christmas". When I was growing up, my mother and I used to sit together and watch Irving Berlin's White Christmas together on TV and sing together. Well, I didn't get to do that with her this year and when I was watching it with MY daughter last night, I was trying to sing but started to cry. She wants me to watch it with her now every year, just like my mom and I used to. It was very touching. Take it from me kids... if you have a good family tradition (be it Christmas or otherwise), don't stop or forget it. It makes for some wonderful memories!

Ok, now down to at least one of the reasons you come here... good info! With a wide variety of crafts to pick from, its so hard to say which one to give you each day LOL. How about today I give you a good idea for a teacher gift (either for your child to give or for someone you know who may BE a teacher?

Craft Idea of the Day: Pencil Vase/Jar



This can be used as a vase for fresh cut flowers (or even an artificial bouquet) or even as a pencil/pen container. I found some straight sided glass jars as the thrift store for 15 cents each. I bought (2) 24 ct. packages of the 97 cent papermate wooden pencils at Wal-mart and hot glues them all around the jar. Then I attached a ribbon & bow (again with hot glue) and some miniature tree teacher/school ornaments (bought at Hobby Lobby during the 50% off sale) and voila! Pretty gifts for the teachers at around $5 each! You could use a different ribbon and decorations and it would also be nice for co-workers in an office setting!

Being outside all day made me very cold and chilled down to my bones. Rainy nights like these call for something warm in the belly. A nice hot chowder sounded good... so I made a big pot of corn chowder with some Mexican Shepherd's Pie. Oh was it a yummy combo! Just the thing for a dark and rainy cold night!



Corn Chowder

Ingredients

6 slices bacon
1 onion, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup water
2 cups milk
2 (14.75 ounce) cans cream-style corn
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Fry bacon in a Dutch oven until crisp; remove bacon, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings. Crumble bacon and set aside.

2. Saute onion in reserved drippings until tender; add potatoes and water. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

3. Stir in milk, corn, salt, and pepper to taste; continue to cook, stirring frequently, until heated through. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon to serve.

This recipe for corn chowder makes about 5 servings or so... now if you pair it with the Mexican Sheppard's pie, you have an awesome meal. My family loves it! You can also eat both of these separate as well for just as good a meal.



Mexican Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
garlic powder to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes or rotel
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
3/4 cup hot water
1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8.5 ounce) package corn muffin mix
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
1 (2.25 ounce) can sliced black olives (optional)
1 can black beans, drained
Sour cream to garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Place the beef and onion in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until beef is evenly brown and onion is tender. Drain grease. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in the tomatoes, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until thickened. Mix in black beans and corn. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.

3. Prepare the corn muffin mix according to package directions. Spread evenly over the top in the baking dish.

4. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until puffed and golden. Garnish with olives, sour cream, and cheese.

So there ya go guys and gals... tons of ideas for the day. I'll have an earlier post for you tomorrow full of more great ideas for gifts and grub! I'm gonna go rest and finish my lists and stuff I was working. Until tomorrow... HUGS!!!

WEEKEND BLUES

Hey guys and gals... sorry for another late post. Been outside with the craft sale all day without any results except for frozen feet & no circulation in them (no kidding my toes were purple when I came in), alot of swelling, tears, and an all around BAD day! I am glad to be in, semi-thawed out, where I can just be me and chat with my friends. Blogging today actually is making me more happy the more I type. So thank you for being my cyber-buddies. Where would I be without you all? I love ya!

Ok, sitting in my craft booth/sale all day I was looking at all my stuff thinking "what do I want to share with you today"... I am gonna share 2 crafts with you today cause its getting very close to Christmas and I want you all to have lots of ideas to pick from and work on. Variety is the spice of life LOL! The first one I actually mentioned the other day when talking about gifts... and the name is courtesy of my friend Jean from Ohio! (Thanks Sweetie!!) It's called "Gift of Renee in a Jar" (using your own name of course)...

Craft Idea of the Day: "Gift of (Your name here) in a Jar"
Here is what the concept is... You cut 52 small slips of paper. You write (or print) 1 different chore that you can do (wash laundry, cook a dinner, do household shopping, etc.) on each slip. fold it up. Take a clean mason jar and put the slips in the jar. You can add candies to the jar if you like or leave them out. Put the lid on and glue a cute fabric top or decorate however you like. On the tag or label, write "Gift of (---) in a Jar" and the instructions that they can only pull out one slip a week and whatever they pull out, you will perform for them that week. Could be cooking their favorite meal, washing their clothes, etc. You just gave them a gift to last all year long and it only cost you pennies to make! If you only need one or 2, try looking at thrift stores and Goodwill, etc. or ask a friend if they have one. If you are doing a bunch (or if you do any canning as well), a case is fairly inexpensive at the local discount "W" store (at least it is around $6-7 here. When I get one of mine done, I will come back and post a picture for you!

OK, now I told you I was gonna give you a bonus idea for today, so here ya go...
BONUS Craft Idea for Today: Casserole Dish Covers
All this simple craft requires is 2 tapestry placemats, a small piece of velcro, and a piece of ribbon. You can add a wooden spoon for appearance if you want. Sew a 12in. ribbon onto the right side of one of the placemats. Stitch the ribbon onto the placemat about 1 inch or so from the side edge and make sure the ribbon is stitched in the center of it. On the INSIDE of the place mat under the ribbon, sew on one side of a piece of velcro about 1-2 inches long. Sew the other velcro side to the left inside area of the other placemat so when the mats are placed together, the velcro pieces will be together holding the cover closed. With the right sides together, sew both placemats together (inside out) along the 2 long sides and the one short side WITHOUT the ribbon & velcro. You are kinda making a little "pillowcase" if you will. Once sewn together on all 3 sides, flip the cover inside out. Close at the end by putting the 2 velcro pieces together. Tie the ribbon around a wooden (or plastic) serving utensil.

You can also do this using fabric and lining you may have. I happened to find the placemats clearanced LAST year after the holidays and so I picked up a bunch of them. I got a box full for .10c each, had tons of ribbon and velcro already, and bought a 4pk of wooden spoons at the dollar store, so that was .25c each... Works out to .45c per casserole cover! I think I can handle that LOL!

As for food... well the gang is actually eating the portions of meals (soups, etc. I have been stashing in the freezer. So not really a recipe of the day to share. So I think with that I am gonna go sit with my family and watch Irving Berlin's White Christmas on TV (my absolutely FAVORITE Christmas movie). Popcorn, family, and relaxation... what a night! Look for another late blog tomorrow and then back to early ones on Monday! Thanks again for boosting my spirits... talk to you tomorrow! HUGS!

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS CRAFTING!

Well a freezing winter morning to you there! Nice to see you drop in. Its weird weather day here in the Galveston County, Texas area. Woke up to the warmest temps we are gonna have all day- 43 degrees! Its supposed to drop dramatically and start snowing within a couple of hours. Its already snowing about 35-40 miles north of here... Crazy! So I'm bundled up in my insulated hunting garb and I will be happy to turn on my oven and warm my house while I cook LOL!

OMG... I have GOT to tell you what my darling hubby did yesterday! He went out to hang fliers for me yesterday around town... and got pulled over by a STATE trooper! He got a no-seatbelt ticket, but here's the funny part. He gave the cop a flyer for the sale!!! Are you kidding me? Seriously, you did WHAT? LOL... I was shocked and amuzed at the same time! The cop took 2... said he was gonna give his wife one and hang one at the station! OMG... no way! It was insane!

Ok, sewing... yesterday I was bookin and a cookin on my sewing! It was great. All the crafts I got done yesterday include- 2 quilted wall hangings/baby quilts, 10 sets of potholders, a quilted Rudolph baby book, a quilt I have been working on for awhile (NOT my BFF's quilt), 2 scrub tops, 4 tote bags and all the accessories, 10 cell phone pouches, and 6 gift baskets. LOL! Told you I was in overload!

I want to take a personal moment and tell you about my health. I have had a bunch of emails asking about it, so I am gonna tell you. I have had health problems since the age of 5. Hospitals have known me by first name for many years now. I was assaulted at 17 and had my daughter as a result. That is the year they found my cancer. Then I had my son and he battled meningitis when he was 10 months old. He had a seizure and during that, he had 2 strokes. We almost lost him and now that is why he has autism and other developmental problems. Then the next month in January 1997 I was almost killed in a car accident. I have problems and handicaps from that. I had another son in 1998, which passed away when he was six months old. I've had lots of chemo and in 2001 I had a total hysterectomy which finally put me in remission from that. But the chemo damaged my kidneys very badly and contributed to AVN (Avascular necrosis) disease. Sept. 2007, they found a cancerous lump in my left breast. I had a lumpectomy and 8 weeks of followup radiation treatment and am in remission AGAIN. They then found out I also had DJD (degenerative joint disease). A fall this past summer off a tractor messed up my left hip and now they are looking to replace that within the next 2 years... my right shoulder to follow as its starting to show signs too. Basically my bones are dying cause of the AVN and the rest are crumbling out from under me due to the DJD. I've also had diabetes most of my life too. Oh did I mention I am only 33? But don't pity me... I refuse to let it get me down... I have too much to live for, so I fight the good fight each day for those I love! So if I mention about not feeling well, NOW you know why.

Ok, enough gloom and doom... back to the fun stuff LOL! I sat up last night (yes this blog is ALWAYS on my mind now LOL) and tried to figure out which craft and recipe to share with you next. In my search for my recipe, it was also about what I wanted to make for dinner tonight. Today I'm going asian- my favorite cuisine LOL! The craft today involves edibles too... who doesn't love CANDY?? YUMMY!!

Craft Idea for the Day: Candy bouquets!

Candy bouquets are so easy and quite cheap to make! Especially when you recycle items for it. Look how pretty this is:

Ok let's make a bouquet... Take an empty veggie or fruit can and cover it in wrapping paper or scrapbook paper. (Make sure the can is washed and dried and no sharp egdes). Put about 1/3 to 1/2 the can of rocks (I steal them from my driveway LOL) in the can for weight. (Don't want it tumping over!) Put a piece of styrofoam on top of the rocks. (I use one of those blocks of floral "wet" foam- the green one. I normally get 2 out of the rectangle piece.) Now hot glue some candy, whatever kind you want to use, to some wooden bamboo skewers. Take some fake flowers and the candy sticks and arrange them in the foam. Weave a piece of garland around and in the sticks to fill the space and make it sparkle and hide the sticks. There you have it... That's it! I normally use the funsize bar candies, which cost me about $2.50 and I can get about 2 bouquets out of the bag; then the foam for about $1.77 and again get 2 out of it; a piece of scrapbook paper (cut in half) .59c; skewers cost me $1 for 100 at wal-mart and I normally use 12 per bouquet; and 1 garland and 1 fake flowers for $1 each at the Dollar tree. So it costs me about $4.53 to make one bouquet. Not bad huh? And pretty... and like I said WHO doesn't like candy??

Hungry from reading yet? LOL... I am. Tonight's feast includes homemade Hot & Sour soup and Pork Lo Mein. YUM! Now on the pork lo mein, you can also use chicken or beef... whatever you prefer. Cook up some noodles, add some stir fry veggies and some bottled sauce and your fried meat that you cook in a skillet with a little bit of sesame oil. Now the soup is a little more work but well worth it. Tastes just like the one in my local restaurant LOL!

Hot & Sour Soup

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced very thin
3 green onions, chopped
2 cups water
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoon cornstarch
4 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 (8 ounce) package firm tofu, cubed
1 (8 ounce) can sliced bamboo, drained
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
5-6 shakes of habanero sauce
1/4 cup button or baby bella sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup wood-ear mushrooms
1/2 cup pork tenderloin, thinly cut into strips
1 egg

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the red bell pepper and green onions and saute for 5 minutes. Then, add the 2 cups water, broth and soy sauce, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes.

2. In a separate medium bowl, combine the vinegar, red pepper flakes, ground black pepper, cornstarch, 4 tablespoons water, habanero sauce, ginger, and sesame oil. Add this to the soup and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes, or until soup becomes thick and bubbly.

3. Mix in the tofu, bamboo, mushrooms, and cooked pork, and continue cooking 10 minutes, or until heated through. Turn off the heat.

4. Finally, in a small bowl, break your egg and whisk/scramble it. Slowly pour into your soup (make sure the soup is NOT boiling as your egg will break up easily). Serve and enjoy!

There you go... an Asian meal for your family. I hope you enjoy. I'm off to do more sewing and watch for the snow! See you tomorrow- HUGS!!

FOOD & CRAFTS... SO IS THE LIFE...

Good morning guys and dolls! Its a brisk 46 degrees here and we are anticipating SNOW at 29 degrees tomorrow... man that's gonna be COLD! But knowing me and the hubby we will be out playing in it in the middle of the night again- JUST like last year LOL! Hades doesn't freeze over too often, so when it does, we take full advantage of it LMBO! Shoot, I still have a ziploc of frozen snow from last year in one of my freezers LOL!

Ok, so its gonna be a fairly quiet weekend seems like. My 18yo has a basketball tournament, so he and the guys won't be here as much this weekend. And the girls (DD and her BFF) and the other band kids will be getting ready for the Christmas parade and concert too next week, so THEY won't be here alot either. Then of course I have planned my craft sale for this weekend too! Man I'm not gonna know what to do without a house full or even an expected house full! But next weekend will be very VERY full! We have the Christmas parade through the center of town, the band Christmas concert & tea party, the football banquet, and my family and extends as well are participating in a toy run with my brother's car club. Each year, they all get together and drive their sports cars down the highway about a 10-15 mile drive from their starting point to a local orphanage. Everyone takes at least 1 new toy wrapped to the kids. There the kids get to receive there gifts from Santa (who is always in the last car), check out the "cool cars", eat lots of food (donated of course), and just forget about their worries for a while. Its a very heartwarming experience that definitely tugs the heart strings and makes ya teary-eyed. I am proud to say we are carting a large gang this year! My DH and I, our 3 kids, my 2 brothers, and 12 of the kids that hang out at my house! I was so proud when they said they would like to go... it makes me feel like I am doing something right by letting them be in a loving environment and maybe teaching them a good path in life to take. Makes me want to cry... crud... brb! OK I'm back... sorry had a bit of a moment I just had to step away and regroup. Ya know, I've got a good family and even though I didn't give birth to these kids... I would gladly call them ALL mine! So lets change the topic before I start balling again! Today's agenda... Cooking (as normal) and crafts. Why include the crafts today? I'll tell ya...

I had a lady order a memory quilt from me a while back and she just picked it up not long ago. She had saved all her son's sports jersey's, etc since he was little and she wanted me to make a quilt for him cuz he's graduating this year (this kid just happens to be on the football team, so I know him as well lol). Well, she's been going around town telling everyone she knows about my work and showing them the quilt and bragging about my gift baskets, etc. She called me with a BIG order for herself and one from a co-worker, so I am gonna be very busy the next few days. But for some reason I am in (what my family calls) "Susie-overload" LOL! Some people call it "nesting" mood... I just call it the Ohcrap mood... LOL cuz you will say that when you see what all I end up doing.

Seeing as this is a "Jane-of-all-trades" type of blog, you'll get craft ideas as well as food, shopping tips, etc. A little bit of everything you will get here! Let's talk crafts first... I know that alot of people are very tight on funds this year and are stressed about Christmas. DON'T BE! I'm gonna vow that from now until the 24th of December I will give you at least one homemade Christmas gift idea and one recipe a day! I know, crazy huh? I used to be one of those frantic "black friday shoppers" and always worried how in the heck I was gonna pull off Christmas for my brood. Well tip number one (an obvious one really...) shop all year long! I normally buy 1 present per month minimum! I shop after Christmas clearance and stash it away for the next year. For example, 2 people in my family are getting seat massagers- ya know those $30+ ones that you plug in and put in whatever chair you are sitting in? Well I got 3 of them last year clearanced for $5 each!! And these are super snazzy cuz you can plug them into the car charger too!

But let's talk homemade... Ok, last year for my bachelor brother, he kept asking for pot holders cuz he only had 1. So I made a kitchen set in John Deere. I made pot holders, oven mitts, a utensil rack (the kind with hooks you hang on the wall), and a grocery bag holder (for all those annoying plastic store bags running around without a home lol!). Here's a pic...

SOOO this year I am gonna make some embellished hand towels to go with the set and a couple more things to go in the kitchen. This will be paired with a "gift of Renee in a jar" (THANK YOU Jean LOL!) and the crepes cooked for him that he loves so much!

CRAFT IDEA FOR THE DAY:
For that someone you need a gift for, see if they have a theme for their kitchen and make a kitchen set. Include pot holders, oven mitts, grocery bag holders, embellished kitchen towels (towels can be bought at many dollar stores and my local Wal-mart has them for $1 each as well). The set for my brother cost me MAYBE $5 to make. If you need material, look at local thrift stores, freecycle, or remnants at hobby stores. Need patterns? Pull them up online. There are TONS of great sites with free printable patterns.

Now I bet all this reading has made you hungry huh? Well how about some nice fall apart OMG so yummy crock pot roast & gravy? Trust me, its to DIE for and my kid who hates mushrooms eats it up! Its nice to have something -cooking, making your house smell yummy, and you don't even have to worry about all day while you are crafting- for supper on a cold night. That's what we're having tonight. I am lucky to have more than one crockpot, so I do lots of them lol!



Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Ingredients

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup diced white onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 cup of peeled and diced potato
1 1/4 cups water
5 1/2 pounds pot roast
1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. cornstarch

Directions

1. Dredge roast in seasoned flour and coat entirely. Sear roast on all sides in a skillet over med. high heat.

2. Place pot roast in bottom of slow cooker. In a bowl, mix cream of mushroom soup, onion, celery, carrots, potatoes, worcestershire sauce, and water. Pour over roast.

3. Cook on High setting for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours. One hour before the roast is done, whisk 1 tbsp. of cornstarch into the pot. Gravy will thicken over last hour.

Well there you have it. Your roast should be just falling apart by the end of the cooking process and melting in your mouth! I'm off to work on MY bbf's quilt Christmas gift and some other crafts while the roast simmers all day. Until tomorrow... HUGS!

SOUPS, SOUPS, & MORE SOUPS!

Good morning kiddies! Time to rise and shine! Its almost 9am here in my 57 degree home and it's soup kitchen day! At least there is no rain today YAY! I have decided that I am not going anywhere today... no more shopping right now. I'm gonna cook, cook, cook, til I can cook no more LOL! Maybe if I cook a bunch while the kids are all gone, I can get some stock of individual portions built up in the freezer LOL! Gonna finish sewing some projects I started in between all the cooking... both for Christmas and the sale this weekend. I am also gonna wrap up some gifts while they are gone too... gifts from Santa. You see, 2 of my kids and 3 of their friends actually still believe in Santa Claus (at least they tell me they do and they are pretty convincing LOL) so I have to play for a little while longer. Hey- I'm just that good LMBO! Being I have such a big family (both immediate and extended) we go through a LOT of presents... let me show you:



See, what did I tell you?? You would think Santa bought out the Wal-Mart right? LOL... But this is just for my kids and husband and immediate family. The friends, extra "kids", extended family, etc. are in the other room under the other tree! Creepy huh? Don't have a coronary LOL, most of those are handmade. I would say about 85% actually. There are a few of the kids who get something special... especially if they talk about it and I know their "parents" (using that term VERY loosely) won't get it for them. A few times it's been something as simple as a DVD or a music CD. Sad huh?

Well yesterday, with running my mom around (which I don't mind at all... I love being with my mommy LOL), I didn't get much personal stuff done. I got my son's letterman jacket ordered (YIKES... almost $200 for just stinkin patches LOL... but he earned it so its worth it!), and some of the grocery shopping done for the house. I was gonna go out again today (cuz my Kroger has the 10 for $10 sale starting today YAY!) but I am still not feeling 100% so I think its best to stay home and cook and sew, and wrap, and cook LOL! Sew, (lol) what's on the menu today? Well, after listening to all the perverted male jokes and comments last night about my squash, I will be making the butternut squash soup recipe I gave you last night, as well as some broccoli cheese soup, chicken and white bean stew, some creamy tortellini soup, and maybe some crock posole. The squash was prepped and in the oven by 7:30am and it smells wonderful already in my house! I will be freezing the squash soup and the BC soup. The rest will be tonight's cafeteria pots for when everyone wanders through LOL. Hmmm... 5 soups... which of the 4 remaining ones do I give the recipe to? I think I'll share the other most fave one in my house... the Broccoli Cheese soup. Don't worry now... stick with me and you will be able to make your own recipe book before too long LOL! So here ya go:



Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter*
1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli*
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (2 pound) loaf processed cheese food, cubed
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2/3 cup cornstarch
1 cup water

* Butter is only needed when you use fresh broccoli. When using fresh, use about 3-4 crowns chopped (or more depending on how much broccoli you like).

Directions

1. In a stockpot, if using fresh broccoli, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in broccoli, and saute in butter for about 7-10 minutes or until the florets are bright rich green. Cover with chicken broth. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Reduce heat, and stir in cheese cubes until melted. Mix in milk and garlic powder.

3. In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into water until dissolved. Stir into soup; cook, stirring frequently, until thick.

So there you have it... my "famous" broccoli cheese soup. I tell ya I can't keep it in the house long enough to freeze any and when I get it in the freezer, it doesn't last long! My daughter says the "ultimate shiznizzle" is when I pair this with a grilled cheese sandwich. She says its her little food heaven LOL! OK so that's where I'll leave you for the day... I'm off to get my squash out of the oven and start the soup and sewing marathon! Until next time... HUGS!

MONSTER veggies & Butternut Squash Soup

Greetings ladies and gents. I know this evening I am somewhat late... and I'm sorry. I had to take my mother to run some errands since my dad was at work and then I had to do my household shopping and scare the cashiers and little kids in the store LOL! Its cold and wet here and downright dreary! The weatherman here said we very well might get snow on Friday. I'm torn... I want it but yet I don't cause I planned my last craft sale for the year this weekend! UGH! But I know that for the next few days its lots of warm home cooking! YAY!

I bought the last of my baking supplies today- 50 pounds of sugar and 50 of flour, powdered sugars, flax seed, you name it I bought it. I still have to go get another 10-15 dozen eggs though, along with gallons of milk, butter and other cold things. LOL I ran out of room in the basket and had to stop. I bought 2 cases of corn, 1 of green beans, etc. and the little boy behind me in line was asking hundreds of questions. LOL his little sweet self thought the business would close if I took it all home. I couldn't help but chuckle! Plus I started hurting real bad so it was time to come home. I dropped over $450 today at one store and about $120 at the meat market. And sadly, I'm not done yet lol! But OMG the veggies I found today (hense the title)! Beautiful and HUGE butternut squash and broccoli crowns and CHEAP! Look at these...



Aren't they ginormous!? LOL!! The squash was on sale for .29c a pound and the broccoli was .65c a pound! I was in heaven as these are 2 main ingredients in my gang's 2 favorite soups (I can't ever make enough of each of them!): Broccoli Cheese soup and Creamy Butternut Squash soup- which I am gonna share with you. My 18yo son does not care for butternut squash on its own, but he will eat the soup like crazy! So even if you're not fond of it, give it a chance. You might be surprised!

Well The gang is fed and getting showers and clothes for tomorrow, etc. Thinking its "Dad's on call" night. Gotta recover for tomorrow's day of cooking, wrapping presents, sewing, oh and did I say cooking? YAY! My favorite sport! Some girls like shoe shopping, I like cooking. LOL could explain why my husband has gained so much weight since we got married LOL!

OK, I think I'm gonna take my meds and lay down as I am hurting pretty bad. The weather is making this a not-so-easy day for me... so until tomorrow (and yes I promise it will be an early posting lol), sit back and enjoy some tummy warming yummy creamy butternut squash soup! HUGS!



Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
6 tablespoons chopped onion (optional**)
4 tablespoons margarine**
6 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (this is about a 2 lb. squash)
3 cups water*
4 cubes chicken bouillon*
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

* You can substitute 4 cups of chicken broth for the water and bouillon cubes)*

** If you do not like onions, you can omit them and butter and that step in the instructions**

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Slice squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Brush squash with olive oil and dust lightly with a small amount of salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Place sliced side down on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for about 10 minutes until able to handle carefully. (Squash should still be somewhat firm.) Remove skin from squash. (You can also peel squash skins and cut into chunks before roasting.)

3. In a large saucepan, saute onions in margarine until tender. Add squash, water, bouillon, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Bring to boil; cook 20 minutes, or until squash is very tender.

4. Puree squash and cream cheese in a blender or food processor in batches until smooth. Return to saucepan, and heat through. Do not allow to boil.