Sunday Dinner

Here is a picture of my new "necessary" kitchen appliance. :)
I LOVE this new crockpot. I'd been looking at it for months but just couldn't bring myself to spend $65 on it. The reason I wanted this specific crockpot is because it has 3 interchangable pots - in 2, 4 and 6 quart sizes. FINALLY it went on sale to over 50% off and I snatched it up!! I think Walmart got a damaged shipment and that's why it was on sale.

We also have a new favorite Sunday Dinner
 ...Crockpot Country Pork Ribs. We love them so much we've had them 3 out of the past 5 Sundays! They are so simple to make and taste so wonderful. I cover them with Apple Cider Vinegar, add salt, pepper and garlic and let cook on high for about 1 hour. Then I add a few tablespoons of worshestire sauce, approx 1/2 - 3/4 cup of ketchup and 1/3 cup of brown sugar. Then I let it cook on high for a few more hours and switch it to the low setting cooking until the meat falls off the bones. It's so incredibly tender and has a great tangy taste!! I don't add barbeque sauce to the pot - I let each person add their own to their meat. My husband works the night shift and always brings the leftovers with him to work on Sunday night. He said the other guys drool while they watch him eat it.

I also used another wonderful timesaving appliance this weekend! My breadmaker! I actually seem to use it more just to make dough for rolls than I do to actually make the bread. I use the "dough" setting because it's so easy. You just dump in the ingredients and after an hour and a half the dough has done it's first rise and is ready to be formed into rolls. I dump it out onto my floured counter, tear off balls of dough  
and shape them into rolls.


Here is a picture of the rolls before the second rising....

And about 45 min later...after sitting covered on top of the warm oven.

Here's the finished product...after being brushed with honey butter.



Mmmmm....melt in your mouth good!!

Mum Season

Autumn is here!! And that means MUM Season!! I love getting new Mums in the fall and this year I found the best mums I've ever bought. In Jefferson City, the Kmart parking lot is home to the Farmers Market. An amish family was selling these mums at 3 for $20!! And these mums are HUGE! At our local greenhouse I would have had to pay $20 for ONE mum of this size. You'll also see our wood rack on the front porch - all ready and waiting for the wood to be stacked on it to be burned in our wood burning stove this winter!

Here are two of the mums - I put them on our deck in the back yard. They were almost too big for the pots that I have. The leaves are starting to fall, too. More proof that Autumn is here!

Cake in a Cup

A friend of mine sent me a recipe for a yummy QUICK chocolate fix. It's easy to make and tastes pretty good, too. You mix it all up in a coffee mug, pop it in the microwave for 5 min and tip it out onto a plate. You can top it with ice cream, strawberries and coolwhip for a quick dessert. I made mine using Dark chocolate cocoa and it was great, but really rich - I couldn't finish the whole thing!! My daughter loved hers, too. Here's the recipe:

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

A small splash of vanilla extract

1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

My Craigslist Treasure

Craigslist is now my friend!! :) Here is my newest treasure from Craigslist. I bought a pair of these orange chairs for $45!! They were in excellent condition, but the cushions were UGLEEE!! Who wants 1970 orange cushions?? NOT me! Made a trip to JoAnn Fabrics and found this chocolate brown fabric on the clearance rack and I took the cushions to a local furniture reupholsterer. He did a great job and made my chairs look like new! I am so happy with the finished product! (BTW - the pictures are in the wrong order. Orange is Before, Brown is After)

Abraham Lincoln's Home

In July we met my parents in Springfield, Illinois. This is 1/2 way between each of us - so we only each have to drive about 31/2 hours. We decided to make it a trip to visit Abraham Lincoln's home. Above is a picture of a bike that looks like only Abe would have been tall enough to ride.

I took a picture of copy of the letter that Mr Lincoln wrote to the citizens of Springfield before he left for Washington DC to become the President of the United States. In this letter, he gives all credit to God for all things that he succeeded in. He also talks about how he will be sad to leave them but is comforted because he knows that God will continue to be with them and with him when he goes to Washington. This letter really made an impression on me - it was even further proof to me that this country was founded by men who believed in GOD.

Everywhere we went in the neighborhood where Lincoln lived the tour guides were dressed in costumes from that era. Tori loved the costumes. The taller man is dressed in clothing that is a replica of Lincolns suit. The women below dressed how his wife Martha would have dressed. They even had on petticoats and hoops!! Tori wishes she could dress like this now. I think she would be tired of it REALLY quick!!

Below is a picture of Lincoln's home. My dad has a picture of his father sitting on the back porch of this house. The picture was taken when my dad was young. My dad thought it would be neat to have his picture taken sitting in the same spot so we took his picture there, too.

Summer Fun

Every fall we go to the local craft fairs in our area and every year there is a Tye Dye clothing booth. My daughter has always wanted to buy a shirt and every time I tell her we can make her own. Last christmas I got her a tye-dye kit and we finally got around to use it over the summer. She was so impressed with how the shirts turned out. Here they are:

I think they turned out pretty good, too!!