crock pot week

Becca, did you actually take your sandwich outside to be photographed? Well yes I did. And I'd like to thank the sun for it's lovely natural light.

Monday began with a bang. After reading some helpful tips on proper crock potting, I realized I had too big of a crock pot. If I ever want to do an Easter Ham, I am set. The one I have is huge. But for the best results for the recipes I was trying, I just needed standard size crock pot.
Target sells a red 3 quart Hamilton Beach slow cooker for $14.99. Sold. Bought mine Monday morning.

Monday was Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches and they were fantastic. This first recipe is a keeper. The steak was tender, the whole sandwich super flavorful and the bread and cheese all broiled together gave a bit of crunch that any crock pot recipe so desperately needs.

All of my recipes are from the Rival Crock Pot Best-Loved Slow Cooker Recipes cookbook. We just ate our second meal from this cookbook and it was also a winner. So far, two for two.

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches:
2 lbs round steak, sliced
2 tablespoons butter, melted (I never added this. Just forgot, I think.)
4 onions sliced (I used 3 small ones)
2 green peppers sliced
1 tablespoon garlic-pepper blend (I did 1/2 T garlic powder and 1/2 T pepper)
salt, to taste (I left this out because of the bouillon)
1/2 cup water
2 tsp beef bouillon granules (I used five cubes and melted them in the water in the micro)

6 crusty Italian or French rolls, sliced in half
8 slices Cheddar cheese (we used Havarti)

1. Combine steak, butter, onions, bell peppers, garlic-pepper blend and salt in crock pot. Stir to mix.
2. Whisk water and bouillon and pour over meat and veggies.
3. Cover; cook on LOW 6-8 hours (I cooked ours on LOW for 4.5 hours)
4. Preheat oven to broil (move rack to the top). Cut rolls, (we put mayonaise on ours), pile high with meat and veggies, cover with cheese, place on tray and WATCH CAREFULLY as they toast to perfection.

We liked this meal a lot. Hearty, tasty and our house smelled homey all day. A serious perk of the slow cooker.

free ice cream!

It is days like today when I know why Rory is the one who works from home and I am the stay at home mom. I asked him this afternoon if he'd like to come along for a free ice cream cone and he obediently declined saying he needed to work. Man, to be your own boss. I don't know if I could do it. But me? I busted over to Ben and Jerry's with Ivar like it was my job. Because it sort of is.

This was Ivar's first ice cream cone and he did not understand the concept one bit. He wouldn't hold the cone, he grabbed at the ice cream and when I put it to his lips he was offended by how cold it was. So guess who got TWO free ice cream cones?!! Hooray for free cone day!

Thanks to my former youth director, Dawn and her blog for the heads up on Free Cone Day! You can click here to find your nearest Ben and Jerry's. The deal goes until 8 pm tonight. And the lines weren't bad...no one pays and everyone is getting a single scoop. The trickiest part is deciding what flavor to get!

25 weeks

I'm 25 weeks and loving it. The baby is so active and has been very accommodating to kick when someone special is around to feel it. Sunday at church I sat next to a dear friend, Ethel, and the baby started boxing and high kicking during the sermon. I loved grabbing Ethel's hand and putting it on my belly. I could tell for a moment she wondered what on earth I was doing, but then she lit up.

I have had some awesome cravings over the last month. One night I got back out of bed at 11 pm, made Tuna salad, and then assembled a tuna melt loaded with pickles and cheddar cheese on toast. I brought it out to the couch where Rory was watching tv and he laughed hard. It was almost too cliche.

And yesterday I got the supplies to make those pickle rolls with a sweet pickle, wrapped in salami and cream cheese. My grandma bredberg used to make these and once I started thinking about them, I couldn't let it go. And let me tell you, they did not disappoint.

Check out this blog post of me at 24 weeks with Ivar. It's hard to tell with different clothes, but I think I'm showing pretty much the same...

growth spurt

Ivar slept last night from 7 pm to 9:21 am. A new record! Wondered if he was still alive, but not enough to risk the lovely, quiet morning we had here at the Groves House. And then he went back down at 1:00 for another 2 1/2 hours.

And guess who was nearly his equal for hours in bed?  Me! I think the little baby in me must be growing a whole lot too. And now it's nearly 8 pm, and with all the outdoor time wiping me out, I think it's time to hit the pillow again.

self actualization/ it's okay not to be all things

                                                                               image source

I get a weekly newsletter from Ali Edwards, the guru of all things scrapbooking. The newsletter is on Creativity and I love it. I save it for a quiet moment to read it entirely, to soak it all in.

Recently someone wrote a comment to her about the freedom she has found in realizing who she is and who she simply isn’t. She used the illustration of fashion.  This reader wrote of how she can admire fashion blogs, see a nice outfit on another person, but when it comes to her own wardrobe she neither enjoys the process of shopping or the daily task of picking out an outfit to wear for the day.

I read this comment and for some reason I felt ten times lighter. I might have even said an Amen. Her illustration fit me nicely. I, too, am not a lover of clothes or accessories. And that’s okay. I greatly appreciate a put together outfit on another. I can see it on others. And I love that others love clothes. I just happen to love sorting a junk drawer. We’re all quirky.

I am starting to realize the same may go for me and cooking. I loved Nancy's comment on Wednesday in her desire to write an "I hate to cookbook." Ha! For me, I love the idea of loving to cook. I adore cooking shows. I love the thought of preparing daily meals with happiness in my heart and pride in my culinary cuisine. But the real truth of the matter is that I don’t really love it. I can handle it, but my heart doesn’t skip a beat with excitement to get a meal on the table.

When I was a freshman in college my friend Heidi and I did a devotional by Donna Partow. I think it might have been geared at 50 year old women, but we loved it and used to make fun of Donna’s illustration in the book that making a casserole to bring a friend in need might not be your thing. Your thing might be in words of affirmation or offering to babysit. I think her point was that you don’t have to be all things to all people all the time. Heidi and I have made fun of this illustration by telling each other many times, “well, don't expect me to bring you a casserole, okay? It’s just not my gift.”

And guess what? It’s really not my gift!

But I’m starting to realize this is all okay. I have gifts in other areas. I don’t need to shine in the kitchen. Or in my ability to put a great outfit together. I just need to look presentable and fill the bellies of my family with something wholesome to eat.

It's good to recognize this I think. Better than fighting it the rest of my days. I'll just keep buying cardigans from Target and get fired up for crock pot week!