slow cooker thursday ~ creamy red potatoes

With my new ww committment, I am looking for recipes that I can actually eat!!! I love finding recipes that are good and not 30 points per serving. For those of you who have the good fortune of never needing to count points, you get an average of 18-30 points per day depending on how much you weigh at the time. Just this morning Amanda wanted to run out for McD's breakfast. I had to check the points and ended up getting an egg mcmuffin without the yolk for 5 points and had my tea I mentioned with it. It was good and I still felt like I had fast food (which I honestly don't really like). I have been making a scrambled egg every morning for 2.5 points that is really good! along with a slice of whole grain toast. Yum. Click on the banner to see more slow cooker recipes over at my friend Sandra's blog!

Creamy Red Potatoes (5 Points)

2 Pounds Red Potatoes – quartered

8 Ounces Neufchatel Cheese

10 3/4 Ounces Cream of Potato Soup

1 Envelope Ranch-style Dressing Mix

Place potatoes in slow cooker. Beat together the cream cheese, soup and salad dressing mix. Stir into potatoes. Cover and cook on Low 8 hours, or until potatoes are tender.

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 234 Calories; 9g Fat (35.9% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 31g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 30mg Cholesterol; 390mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Fat.

sct ~ peppery pork roast

2 medium onions, sliced
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 pounds pork loin roast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 cloves
2 sticks cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 (12-ounce) can peppery soda (recommended: Dr Pepper)
1 1/2 cups dried apricot halves
1 1/2 cups pitted prunes

Slice onions and place in slow cooker.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season pork roast with salt and pepper, then brown on all sides. Place browned roast in slow cooker on top of sliced onions. Add cloves, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf to cooker. Pour can of cola over roast and top with dried fruit. Cover and cook 3 to 4 hours on High setting or 8 to 9 hours on Low, or until thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove roast from slow cooker and let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, using a slotted spoon, remove onion, fruit and spices. Discard whole spices. Skim grease from sauce. Slice roast and serve topped with onions and fruit and a little sauce.

Serving Ideas: Delicious over garlic mashed potatoes.

I may omit the fruit, since I HATE really don't like fruit!

Thanks Sandra for hosting sct!

sct~chicken spaghetti

I'm pulling out some of my oldie but goodie crock pot recipes (since it is a new year... and a new diet). This recipe is always good, always easy, and best of all ... not full of fat!

chicken breasts (I use frozen
boneless skinless)

several cloves of
garlic

salt

italian spices (tone's spicy
spaghetti seasoning)

ragu roasted garlic spaghetti
sauce

whole wheat pasta (I use
linguini)

olive oil

fresh parmesan cheese

I lay the chicken breasts in the bottom of my crockpot, add a few pinches of kosher salt, press several cloves of garlic, then add a spice called spice for spaghetti that I buy in a big container at Sams wholesale club (you could use basil and oregano and a little red pepper flakes too though), pour the sauce over the top... I use one jar for just us and two if we have guests. I let this cook on low all day and then prepare the whole wheat pasta, drain it and put a drizzle of olive oil and a clove of garlic pressed into it and stirred while hot, I serve the chicken over the garlic pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese over the top.

Visit Sandra for more slow cooker recipes (every Thursday!)

slow cooker thursday ~ creamy chicken noodle soup

1 store-bought roasted chicken
1 cup diced onions
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrot
4 (14-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth
2 (10.75-ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic
2 teaspoon fines herbs*
Salt and pepper
2 cups egg noodles, cookedRemove the skin from the chicken and shred the meat from the bone. Put the chicken into a slow cooker along with the onions, celery, and carrots. Stir in broth, mushroom soup, and fines herbs and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high setting for 3 to 4 hours or low for 8 to 9 hours.

When soup is finished, stir in egg noodles. Adjust seasonings and serve.

Visit Sandra to see more slow cooker recipes!

sct ~ southwestern pork burritos

2.5 lb. boneless pork shoulder roast
1 can rotel
3 T tomato paste
1 T honey
3 cloves pressed garlic
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
1 t. salt
12 flour tortillas
toppings... cheddar, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, olives.

1. put pork in crock pot
2. mix all other ingredients (down to tortillas) and pour over roast.
3. cook on low 8-10 hours.
4. shred with two forks
5. serve with tortillas and toppings.

Visit Sandra for more slow cooked meal ideas.

sct ~ chicken chili

Chicken Chili...

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 2 (15.5 ounce) cans great Northern beans
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 1 roasted chicken, bones and skin removed, meat torn into bite-size pieces (I use frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts)
• 3 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoons cayenne pepper
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Put everything in crockpot except sour cream and cook on low all day ... add sour cream and stir a few minutes before serving... and top with cheese.

visit Sandra to see more slow cooker recipes!

thankful thirteen slow-cookin' thursday

thirteen things i am thankful for today...

1. isabelle's love for pre-k!
2. quiet mornings
3. answered prayers
4. sonic ice
5. a clean house
6. 13 pounds lost!!!
7. smart healthy kids
8. phone calls from friends
9. lunch with my brother
10. new church friends
11. God's promises
12. countdown to vacation
13. YOU!

This is what's in my crock pot today...

frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts (3 or so)
1 can rotel
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 cans black beans
2 cans hominy
1 can chicken broth
1 package taco seasoning
1 package dry ranch dressing mix

Cook on low all day and serve with cornbread! YUM!

visit Sandra for more slow cooker recipes...
visit Lynn (Iris is away today) for more thankful thursdays...

rain, coffee pt II ~sct ~ diet devo day nineteen

I'm sitting here (with my sidekick Izzy by me) looking out the window, it is still raining. Not sprinkling, raining. It did stop for a couple of hours yesterday, but when we came out of church I could tell it had downpoured while we were in... I'm not complaining. I know that we won't all float away, God promised that. So, I just thank Him for watering all the beautiful flowers so nicely and soaking the earth. I am imagining all the fires that are being prevented from this rain.
So, Gail and Stacy both mentioned liquid creamers for the coffee. Gail even sent links to websites. I went yesterday with the goal of finding these creamers. I bought international flavors hershey chocolate with caramel I think. Miss Paula mentioned liking the Mocha foldgers. I have so much to try, very exciting. Then Jenna discouraged me from using splenda, she and I see eye to eye on those artificial sweeteners. So, this morning I made my first cup with the tablespoon of the new creamer, and 3 tsp. of sugar. It was actually good. I think it's funny how many people either hate coffee or really love it. Amanda loves starbucks and several of you suggested different drinks there. She usually talks me into a drink there when we are at Target. I have tried several and in the past if they had a coffee flavor I pitched them (I'm a new woman now, so I'll try again), usually opting for hot cocoa. Isn't this just fascinating stuff? :o)
At church last night, the pastor was talking about leadership, not in the way I would expect. More about courage and character. He said courage is faith in action. He also mentioned that there have been studies done that show the people who acheive their goals write them down. I am going to start writing my goals down. He also talked about living a yuck life and made an acrostic to define his thoughts... y - yesterday, living in the past, being caught up in what was or could have been; u - unsupervised, not being held accountable to anyone; c - callused; and k - killjoy, no fun to be around, someone who just sucks the life out of you. I certainly don't want to live a yuck life!
Izzy had summer school yesterday, for some reason she was so cranky there. She starting being fussy while I was getting ready to take her and then I noticed when I picked her up she was still very vocal and a little stiff. I'm not sure if her tummy was upset from her lunch, or if she just didn't want to be there. I can't wait until she can tell me what's wrong instead of playing the guessing game... I'm just glad that she does show me when she is uncomfortable. She slept really well last night and so far this morning seems to be doing good. When I heard her and went in to get her this morning she smiled and was glad to see me! I showed her the view out the window and we talked about the rain. I usually spend some time first thing in the morning in prayer over her too. She is a sweetie. Prayers are welcome btw.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs
2 pounds ground turkey breast
2 teaspoons salt-free garlic and herb seasoning or poultry seasoning
1 egg white
Salt and ground black pepper
2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons dried thyme
In a large bowl, combine turkey, garlic and herb seasoning, egg white and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Mix well and shape mixture into about 32 meatballs. Place meatballs in bottom of slow cooker.

In a medium bowl, whisk together tomato sauce, broth, chili sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and thyme. Pour mixture over meatballs.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.

Visit Sandra to share your favorite slow cooker recipe and/or to view more!

It's funny to follow a recipe with a diet devo huh? I have had some good laughs at the comments on the diet devos pertaining to recipes and food. You have to eat for goodness sakes, the point is to just be smart about it right... Anyway, here is day 19. I sent out several of these books yesterday, so if I promised one to you expect it soon.

"Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps ... Who his own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness."

It is good for us to remember, as we sit feeling sorry for ourselves because we may not indulge in tasty pleasures, that our sacrifice is not really so great when we compare it to the many sacrifices Christ made. What we are doing is indeed a sacrifice, but for self rather than for others. Christ sacrificed for us in order that we might enjoy life to the fullest. Let us learn from the sacrifices of Christ and remember that He has given us the power to overcome any temptation that might present itself.

Today's thought: Christ has conquered temptation and will be with me!

Hope you have a great Thursday!

sct~italian sausage, peppers & onions

2 lbs Italian link sausage, browned
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 large green bell pepper, sliced into thick strips
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano

Put all ingredients in slow cooker.

Cook on low for 4 hours.

Serve on hard rolls or hoagie rolls. 
Visit Sandra for more slow cooker recipes!

SCT~slow cooker jambalaya~

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 pound andouille sausage, diced
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound frozen peeled and cooked shrimp, thawed
2 cups cooked riceIn a slow cooker, combine chicken, sausage, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, celery, and chicken broth. Stir in oregano, Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, bay leaves, and thyme.
Cover, and cook on LOW for 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours. Stir in the thawed shrimp, cover and cook until the shrimp is heated through, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves and spoon mixture over cooked rice.

Do yourself a favor and visit my pal Sandra (Diary of a SAHM) to see more slow cooker recipes, and maybe even share yours~

a goulash-y post (a little of this, a little of that...) & SCT

Thank you so much for all your laughter my dear bloggy friends at my unfortunate experiences on Tuesday, it makes it all so much easier to bear knowing that my mistakes and misfortune cause you so much pleasure! No, seriously though... thanks for all the sweet comments! Life is pretty much back to some kind of normalcy, whatever that is.

sonic ice!!!

The new fridge is installed, it has food in it, the food is cold... it has even made a lot of ice! I tried out the filtered water in the door at 3 a.m. last night and I would give it a thumbs up! And regarding the old friend, two things I forgot to mention about that... 1) I did get dressed to go shop for a fridge and he was still with my dad visiting outside so I at least was able to show him I did know how to 'clean up,' and 2) the first thing out of my mouth when I stomped in the front room looking like I described was "don't look at me" Isn't that hilarious? I can't even believe I said that or that I am admitting it... but, it just came out of my mouth before my brain caught up. Oh well. I did take that lesson to heart and got dressed early yesterday morning so that I wouldn't be embarrassed when the refrigerator delivery people came. Good thing too! They came earlier than I expected.

Next subject... Sandra's slow cooker Thursday! I love my crock pot. I had crock pot meatloaf on my MPM for Tuesday night, but with the Memorial day cookouts it got bumped to last night. It was really good! I left it cooking while we went to church and everyone came home and ate it up! Even Amanda who hates meatloaf! (Bailey didn't eat it because, well, he doesn't eat meat...)
So, I already linked to it on my MPM... but, it was good enough to share it here. By the way, I also used the crock pot liner and those things sure make clean up easy! I used the foil over that because I thought it might be necessary for browning or something.

Crock Pot Meat Loaf

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds ground beef

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup italian breadcrumbs or crushed crackers

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 small onion (diced)

1/4 cup water

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Form into a meatloaf shape that will fit into your crock pot. Cut a strip of foil and place under the meatloaf in crock pot. Cut it long enough to cover the bottom and sides of meatloaf. Place meat loaf in crock pot and top with an additional 2 tablespoons ketchup & chili sauce. Cover and cook on low for approximately 8 hours or high for four hours.

We've been putting Izzy in the stander that we borrowed from school a lot recently. Since we are home more with no school this is possible. This includes wearing the foot splints too, which I have to say she isn't thrilled about either. I do see her legs getting stronger, that is very encouraging. This is a pic of the stander. Our den is basically full of her equipment. It is tucked away everywhere and whatever we are 'using' at the time is just kinda in the middle of it all! I am getting used to it and it is just how things will be until we get her running around. I have said it before but feel it necessary to say again, "I believe Izzy will be restored completely through the healing blood of Jesus Christ, I believe that she has been healed by the stripes of Jesus, we are simply waiting and expecting the manifestation of this healing." If you don't agree with this, don't pray for her. I also don't need to be felt sorry for or talked out of my beliefs. These beliefs are based on God's word alone and have taken root deep inside me now, they will not be moved.

We went to church last night (cornerstone). There was a guest speaker. I am pretty aware of things so when they were having singing I noticed a gray haired gentleman standing by the pastor of the church ... I told Matt, "that guy has spunk, I hope he is the guest speaker." I was right! He did have spunk. His message was "shake it off and step up." He told a story about a donkey in a well that was being buried because they couldn't get him out and each shovel of dirt thrown down he shook it off and used it to step up until he was out of that well. It was a great motivational lesson and lots of good scriptures went along with it.

New topic... Amanda. She is leaving for montreal in less than two weeks and her passport has yet to come. We applied at the beginning of March and were told there was no problem and now here we are with a problem. I plan to spend the day on the phone trying to have it expedited. That and deciding how many american $ to change into canadian $'s have been the topics the last few days. We've been told she will need canadian money for niagra falls too. She is going with our church to visit our old preacher who has a church in montreal now. She is SOOOOO... excited.

Another thing I didn't mention is that Saturday on my way home from that brunch we hosted and while my mil was here, I got a letter from the health care authority stating that as of 5-31 Izzy no longer has tefra which is the program I had to jump through 8 months of hoops to get her approved for. Anyway, I couldn't call until Tuesday, because Monday was a state holiday but I finally found out that they deleted her from the system because I called when they mispelled her name "iszbell" instead of "isabelle" and that correction deleted her somehow. I was on the phone with them when I discovered the dead fridge and while I poured the gunk on Izzy. So, it was a fun morning all in all. I promise that is the last I'm going to say about that. ok?

In Light of the Truth is hosting a weekly memory verse. I signed up! This week's scripture is:
Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Thank you Tori for the cd you mailed! It is such beautiful music, I can hear it playing on the kitchen cd player! (it is her husband playing) You are so sweet! I love good mail!

TTT next week I was thinking about memories of our fathers since father's day is around the corner. What do you think?

Crock Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken

frozen skinless chicken breasts or tenders (about 2 pounds)

1/2 cup Lemon juice

several crushed garlic cloves (10-12)

1 teaspoon Seasoned salt

1 teaspoon Poultry seasoning

2 dashes Tabasco

1 cup White wine

Skin and cut up chicken. Combine with other ingredients in slow cooker/Crock Pot. Set on low. Serve over rice.

click on the picture to visit Sandra for more slow cooker recipes.

It's SCT ~ Herb roasted chicken with veggies

So, I bought one of these...


because the one I had like this got left in Dallas last weekend...
and I use it twice a day to make Izzy's protein shakes.

Well, this morning the new one started smoking, so I had to go to Target and buy this...
(notice I said I had to go to Target...) so, let's hope the new one lasts more than two days.


I actually bought another one at Walmart late Sunday night because Target was closed and it died the first time I used it.

I sure hope this new Kitchen Aid Immersion blender does the job! If not I'm ordering another like the one in Dallas so I have a spare. (Matt hates it because it is loud...)

It's Thursday, Sandra is the host of slow cooker thursday. There are lots of delicious recipes for the crock pot to be had and they sure do save time. I love to have dinner cooking while I am busy with my day. And having the house filled with the smell of dinner is also a plus.

Herb roasted chicken w/veggies...

chicken (I use frozen breasts or tenders)
quarters or baby potatoes
1 sweet onion sliced or chopped
bag of baby carrots
butter
rosemary
kosher salt


Place ingredients in crockpot, put pats of butter on top, sprinkle with rosemary and kosher salt. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low 8. Yummy and smells so good.

The physical therapist put Izzy on the tricycle today. She helped push the pedals and they said she enjoyed riding. They took pictures and when (if) they email them to me I'll post them.

SCT~ Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue

• 6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce
• 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1. Place chicken in a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the barbeque sauce, Italian salad dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the chicken.
2. Cover, and cook 3 to 4 hours on High or 6 to 8 hours on Low.

visit Sandra for more...

SCT~Pork Chops...

This is probably one of the easiest slow cooker recipes I have made, but it is always good.

6-8 pork chops (I use butterfly pork chops/the thick ones that are boneless.)

2 vidalia or sweet onions

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

salt & pepper

butter

directions:

I put a little butter on the bottom of the crock pot, slice the onions, lay them down next, then salt & pepper the chops and put them on top of the onions. Pour the soup over the chops and cook all day on low~or half a day on high. They are good served with rice or mashed potatoes.

I almost didn't post a recipe for SCT because it is so late in the day, but I still wanted to participate! Thanks Sandra for hosting this each week!

We had another good day today, Izzy did well at school... her physical therapist Camilla, said that she was very quick to respond today. She put suction balls on a mirror and would tell her to stand to get a ball (supported) and she said she did almost instantly. I had a funny experience with her this morning too, Izzy doesn't always look at people but she is more and more so this morning I was feeding her breakfast and I said, "Izzy, if I can tame my wild hair you might be early for school, did you see my hair?" She turned her head to look at me and smiled almost laughed at my hair which is getting too long and is naturally curly so I have quite the hairdo in the morning. It's nice to give your family a reason to smile first thing in the morning. I'm always the giver ;o).

Slow Cooker Thursday~Beer Beef Fajitas

Beer Beef Fajitas

2 pounds beef round steak
2 packets (1.27-ounces each) fajita seasoning mix (recommended: Lawry's)
1 onion, thickly sliced
2 green bell peppers, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
1 red bell pepper, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
1/2 cup beer or water. Rinse steaks with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Season both sides of steaks with 1 packet of fajita seasoning. Slice into strips; set aside. Add vegetables to a 5-quart slow cooker. Toss with remaining packet of fajita seasoning. Add steak strips on top of vegetables. Pour in beer. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours.

Serve hot with peppers, warm tortillas, refried beans, and shredded cheese, if desired.

This is my 99th post! I am trying to compile a list of 100 things about me, it's hard! I guess that will be my next post when I finish...

Head over to Sandra's (family corner) blog to sign up and see more slow cooker recipes.

SCT~Slow Cooker Ham for Easter~

Easter Ham...

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 (8 pound) cured, bone-in picnic ham

DIRECTIONS

1. Spread about 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar on the bottom of the slow cooker crock. Place the ham flat side down into the slow cooker - you might have to trim it a little to make it fit. Use your hands to rub the remaining brown sugar onto the ham. Cover, and cook on Low for 8 hours.

Enjoy!

I mentioned that we took Izzy Monday for botox and phenol injections. She is already appearing more relaxed and flexible. The phenol's effects are immediate, the botox takes about two weeks to have full effects. The plan is that in two weeks we will go back to the physical therapist at the place we went for botox and begin serial casting on Izzy's feet. Each week for four weeks they will remove and replace the casts to get her feet in the right position. I am not really looking forward to this four weeks for a few reasons... Izzy is already pretty heavy (about 45 pounds) and it will make everything a little harder having casts on. The main reason is I am not sure how she will handle this. They tried doing serial casting when we were in Dallas not long after her near drowning, she was still in the middle of the neurostorms and really freaked out. They had to remove them immediately because her heartrate went to 250 bpm. Anyway, I just pray that this works for her feet.

I took Izzy to the dentist today for her 10 day follow up on her dental procedures. She got a thumbs up A+. Everything looks really good, is healing perfectly. Praise God. One less thing now to think about.

We did therapy two times today. After the dentist trip and quick lunch with my buddy Melody (carryout from Panera-yum!), I came home and Jane (from church) came over to help with therapy. She usually comes on Wednesdays. Later Amanda then mom helped with the second session. It got pretty crazy around here while trying to cook dinner, realizing it was time for Bailey's track to be finished, trying to do therapy... I need to clone myself so I can be in three places at once. I know we all have moments like this! Izzy did really well in assisted crawling today which was good because I wasn't sure what the phenol and botox would do with her muscles and the crawling.

We... as a family... are continuing our nightly chain prayers. The kids really enjoy it and come to us to remind us in the evenings. Matt and I were laying down to go to sleep last night and were talking about the interesting things the kids pray for. Such sweet prayers going up. Speaking of prayers, I feel so blessed to know so many are raising Izzy and our family up in prayer now. It is very comforting and I know that God is guiding our steps.

"I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises." Psalm 34:1 NLT

For more slow cooker recipes, head over to Sandra's blog~

SCT~Easy Slow Cooker French Dip

I have been out and about all morning. I took Iz to school this morning, and then went to look for OU (Oklahoma University) fleece material. I had made a fleece blanket (you know, the type you make by cutting strips and tying it together?) Anyway, I have put that over Izzy in the past on cold days and they are having a fundraiser/carnival this weekend and Izzy's class is doing a OU basket for the auction. I asked what they had gotten so far and they quickly asked if I could make an OU blanket like Izzy's purple blanket. I luckily found the fleece this morning so that's what I'll be working on this afternoon. I'll try to post a pic when I finish. I am not really into sports memorabilia, but some really are so hopefully this will help the basket raise more money for the dreamcatcher playground at the school. This playground is really a blessing, the swings are so cool and Izzy loves to swing on them. This is a pic of her swinging...

Anyway, it is Thursday... and that means time for more slow cooker recipes (which I love by the way). Better late than never. Head over to Sandra's blog for more...

Easy Slow Cooker French Dip

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pounds rump roast
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
• 6 French rolls
• 2 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Trim excess fat from the rump roast, and place in a slow cooker. Add the beef broth, onion soup and beer. Cook on Low setting for 7 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Split French rolls, and spread with butter. Bake 10 minutes, or until heated through.
4. Slice the meat on the diagonal, and place on the rolls. Serve the sauce for dipping.

Slow Cooker Thursday ~ Pork Chop & Potato Dinner

This is the recipe I have on my menu for tonight. If you read my post on Monday, you would know that I printed all those bookmarks I had and have organized them. Somehow this recipe was transferred to word and printed, but I cannot for the life of me find the bookmark on IE. It's like it was eaten or something... weird. Anyway, I can't remember if I got this from one of you fabulous fellow blogger cooks, or from a cooking website... so I cannot give credit for the recipe. If this is yours, please tell me! I haven't actually tried it yet, as it will be made for this night's dinner... but it sounds like it will be really good.

We will be at the hospital Thursday morning (I'm actually typing this Wednesday night) with Izzy to get her dental work done. We have to arrive at 6:30 a.m. and will probably spend most of the day there. After Izzy's near drowning accident, she did what they call neurostorming... this was extremely high heart rates, clenched fists, gritted teeth, high muscle tone so much so that her liver stopped working properly like an athlete that over trains. She was fed through a tube in her tummy called a g-tube. This neurostorming was terrible, and it lasted for about eight weeks. After we came home from the hospital, it was our mission to get her to be able to eat by mouth. I started with yogurt and Popsicles. I remember the speech therapist saying that we had to be so careful that she did not aspirate. Her motor skills are the main target of her damage... which includes everything you can think of including swallowing. Izzy passed a swallow study and we were able to have the g-tube removed about six months after her accident. This was pretty miraculous in itself. Her teeth, however, were still pretty tightly clenched. I was feeding her pedisure with a thickening agent to assure adequate calories in the beginning and then would try rinsing and brushing after every meal. The problem was her mouth was so tight I couldn't get her mouth rinsed well enough and the grinding during the neurostorms along with that caused her teeth to almost melt. The back teeth went first because I could get the front pretty rinsed. Now her mouth is much looser, we do a lot of oral exercises and I can rinse with clear water now and she doesn't choke. I still brush her teeth about four times daily. It was just too late. So, she is having her two front teeth pulled along with her little bottom tooth (she lost one little bottom tooth last month) and the rest of her teeth will require baby root canals and crowns.

I have had several people ask what was being done so I just wanted to share this with you. Please keep her in your prayers Thursday as she will be anesthetized. We haven't taken Izzy to the hospital since her release almost three years ago (another miracle). She is so healthy! We are blessed.

Okay, on to the recipe...

Pork Chop & Potato Dinner
What You
Need:
6 bone-in pork chops
1 T olive oil
1-30 oz. package frozen
hash browns, thawed
1.5 C shredded cheddar cheese
1-10 3/4 oz can condensed cream of celery soup (undiluted)
1/2 C milk
1/2 C sour cream
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1-2.8 oz can french-fried onions
What To Do:
Brown chops on both sides in a large skillet. Set aside and keep warm. Combine potatoes, 1 C cheese, soup, milk, sour cream, seasoned salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir in half the onions if using them. Place mixture in a greased 5-quart slow cooker. Place pork chops on top of potato mixture. Cook on high for 2.5 to 3 hours (until meat juices run clear). Sprinkle with remaining cheese and onions, if used. Cover and allow to cook for 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Please head over to Sandra's blog and sign up to join in. There are lots of great slow cooker recipes to be made over there!

Slow Cooker Thursday~ chicken curry

...I made the San Fransisco pork chops that were on my menu last night. I somehow forgot they were supposed to go in the crockpot so I scrambled to get it done... they did turn out really great and I imagine I will make them again (in the crockpot this time!) This recipe is on my menu for dinner tonight and I think it will be good. This will be the third time I have cooked with curry and the first two times I enjoyed the smells and flavors of this spice.


Slow Cooker Chicken Curry






chicken
1 jar (16 oz.) Salsa
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. curry powder
1 cup Sour Cream
PLACE chicken in slow cooker. Combine salsa, onions and curry powder; pour over chicken. Cover with lid.
COOK on LOW for 8 to 10 hours (or on HIGH for 5 hours).
REMOVE chicken to serving platter; cover to keep warm. Add sour cream to slow cooker; stir until well blended. Serve over the chicken. I'm serving mine with rice & veggies... maybe a salad too!

You can go to Sandra's SAHM blog to sign up and then post your favorite slow cooker recipe, this has been so great ~ learning all these new and easy recipes! My next step is creating a notebook instead of keeping them all on my favorites.