Easy Peezy Crock Pot Roast

Yet again, I have allowed myself to get behind in my blogging.  So I am going to try to get two recipes in one week this time.  We'll see.

Anyway, tonight's fairly short blog is for what I consider the easiest and best crock pot roast I have ever fixed.  Now, this will only work for the person who is not home all day long.

Place one frozen roast in the crock pot.  Yep, right out of the freezer.
Pour one can of Campbell's Beef Broth over the roast.  Sprinkle one packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix (your favorite recipe flavor) over the roast.

Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours.  My crock pot is the programmable type, where it switches to Warm after the timer is finished.  That may have contributed to the greatness of the flavor, but this was the best roast I have ever fixed!  Since we are trying to reduce carbs along with calories, I did not add any veggies.  However, you could just pile them on at the beginning and they will probably be good and mushy after 9 hours.

The finished product photo does not convey the yummy smell in my kitchen when I got home, but trust me, this was falling off the bone goodness.

What type of roast was used:  In these photos, I used a chuck roast.  At a different time, I used a sirloin tip roast.  We get our beef from my dad, so whatever cuts the butcher gives us, that is what we work with.  Good ol' Tennessee farm raised beef!
 

Grilled Vegetable Skewers

For several weeks now I have been remiss in my blogging duties.  Big T and I have initiated a “lifestyle change” that involves regular exercise and carefully monitoring our eating habits, so I have yet to fully adjust to a different schedule that involves a side trip to the gym after work.   Therefore, some items have fallen behind, like laundry and blogging.  However, I want to share some of my recipes that I have been putting into our rotation for anyone else that might want to try them, so the first one is for grilled vegetables using a marinade I found online recently.   Unfortunately, I do not remember which website I found it on to give them credit. I do, however, want to give a shout out for myfitnesspal.com.  It takes some discipline, but I really like this website and they have a mobile app to make logging on the go very easy!  So back to our regularly scheduled food.

We prefer to use squash, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, and cherry tomatoes for our grilled vegetable skewers. 

  

 I don’t like tomatoes but I add them for my guests and they are pretty.  You can also add peppers.  I don’t like them either.  These pics won’t show onions because we chose to grill them whole.  I’ll post that recipe later.

Chop the squash, onions, and zucchini into big chunks and put them in a ziploc bag with the tomatoes and mushrooms. Next gather these ingredients and make the marinade.

Vegetable Marinade

½ c. olive oil

½ c. lime juice

¼ c. water

¼ c. dijon mustard

2 T. real maple syrup

2 T. minced garlic

2 t. dried basil

½ t. salt

½ t. freshly ground pepper

If you add everything in order and DON’T mix it until the very end, it looks like this:

 

Love it when science and cooking mix. Or don’t mix.

Anyway,mix well and pour it over the vegetables. 

 

Moosh all of the air out of the bag and zip it closed.  Then roll the bag around and make sure all of the veggies are coated.

 

Throw the bag(s) in the fridge for 2 hours.  Go watch a favorite movie.  Then put the veggies on skewers.  I prefer metal, but if you use wooden ones, make sure they have been soaked for at least 30 minutes first.  Then place them on the grill on medium heat.

 

 Flip them after about 3 minutes or so.  Then flip them onto the plate.  Your side dish is ready; dig in! 

A couple of tips:

The marinade can be made up to 7 days in advance of use.  I usually store mine in a mason jar.

Chop your veggies the night before to save time on grill day.

Paper Tissue Flowers

Last week I discovered that I remembered how to make paper tissue flowers.  I guess I never really forgot; I just hadn't thought about making them.  But, I had this kinda cool looking gift bag that I wanted to dress up just a tad.  So I used a few sheets of coordinating paper tissue to stuff in the bag - as we do these days - and used the remainder for a flower.

First, I put six layers together of the tissue and cut a strip about 5" wide.  Then I fan folded the stack of tissue, with each folder about 1/2" wide or so.  Next I wrapped a bread tie around the middle, offsetting the fold of the wire just a bit so that I would have a longer "tail".  And yes, I said "bread tie".   A bread tie is just the right gauge wire for these.   If  you don't have a bread tie, go to the store, get some bread and take the tie.  You can use a clothes pin to hold the bread bag closed.

Round the ends so that what you have at this point is shaped like a tongue depressor.

Next fan out one side of the flower and pull up each sheet toward the middle.  Don't pull too hard, or you may tear the paper.  It's okay if you tear a little, the flower will be so tight it will not be noticed.

After you finish with that half, repeat on the other side.  Then fluff and pull until you like the way it looks.

Now you can attach it to the handle of a gift bag or onto the top of a gift. Wow - mine didn't look like this in 5th grade!

Boo Boo Bunny

                            
I found the instructions for making Boo Boo Bunnies many years ago in a book.  I used it then as a craft for the children that I was babysitting.  Now I include them as part of a baby shower gift.  They are so easy!  The idea is that when a little one has a boo-boo, you can grab the ice cube out of the freezer and pop it in the bunny and hold it against the boo-boo.

Materials needed:

One washcloth

Reusable ice cube

Ribbon

I have found that the thin cheaper washcloths work better for these.   The reusable ice cubes can be found at Bed Bath and Beyond or probably any kitchen-y type store.

First, open the washcloth, turn it so that it looks like a diamond, and start rolling it up from the corner like this: (Sorry for the white on white. It's what I had handy.)

Continue rolling until you have one long roll like this:

Then fold it in half like this: (It won't stay together this close, I had to tape it to take the picture)

Then flip the front two ends back like this: (yep, tape again)

If you use a thicker washcloth, you might want to use a rubber band to hold it still while you tie the ribbon around its "head" and fluff the ears, but with the thinner cloths, I can just hold it and tie it tight:

The last step is to drop in the ice cube in the body of the bunny:

And now you have a really cute adder for a baby shower gift that only took minutes to make!

Baby Shower Guest Book

Practicality is one of my strengths and one of my weaknesses.   I seem to dismiss things so quickly with a “what purpose does that really serve?”  I'm glad that I let my creative corner of the brain take over momentarily.  I was one of the hostesses for a friend’s baby shower recently.  This was to be her third child, but her first girl.   The mom-to-be is rather practical-minded as well, so I wanted to come up with a guest book that could be more than just a list of names or an alibi for someone’s whereabouts from 7-9 pm on the day in question. 

As her mother’s closest friends, I thought we could all write a message to the baby that she could enjoy when she got older – something funny like how to deal with big brothers or something sweet like looking forward to meeting her.  The book had to be unique and not over-the-top pink, so I went to work with the following items that I had on hand:

Basic Materials:

11 x 17 piece of cardboard, 1/16” thick (scavenged from the workplace)

Pastel/Baby patterned paper, 12” x 12”

Hole punch

Fine sandpaper

Brown Ink

Embellishments:

“This Book Belongs To:” rubber stamp

Vellum (for quotes)

Extra baby stickers

Extra cupcake topper*

I did have to purchase the binder rings used to bind the book.  They can be found anywhere that sells office supplies.  Be sure that you get rings that will have the diameter to accommodate the thickness of your final product and not be too tight.   This book was 1/2” tall containing 36 pages, and I used a 1” diameter set of rings.

I wasn’t sure that my Fiskars paper trimmer could handle cutting the cardboard, but I was able to cut on one side, then flip it over and cut again.  I cut two 4”x6” pieces of the cardboard for the front and back covers.  I selected the pale pink stripe as the cover pattern.  I cut four 4”x6” pieces of the paper, making sure that the stripes would be vertical for the finished product.   I attached the pink paper to the front and back of each cardboard piece.  Now for the hard part.

Turning one cover vertically, I measured from the top 1.5”  and from the left side .5” and penciled a small dot.  I repeated from the bottom, and then again on the other piece of cardboard.  Using the hole punch, I centered on the dot and made an indention onto the paper and cardboard.  I then called for the strong man of the house to complete the task.  He was able to muscle the hole punch and get all four holes punched, but I recommend eye protection next time.  There is probably a better tool out there, but I was making do with what I had available.  A lighter weight cardboard could also be used, but, hey, I couldn’t beat the price.  Feel free to leave a comment/suggestion.

Next I cut out the pages for the book.  I used all of the colors available in the pack just to make it fun.  I cut four pages of each, 3 15/16 ^“  x 5 15/16^”  so they would be just smaller than the covers and then rounded two corners.  I have a total of 36 pages, but adjust according to the number of folks attending as you see fit.

Now it is time to punch the pages.  Using one page with one of the covers, line up the page on the side where the holes are and punch through the cover and the page.  Now you have a template to use for the remaining pages.  If you have access to an adjustable three-hole or two-hole punch, that will probably go a lot faster than the single hole punch I used.

To make your own baby quotes is really simple.  Just type them up in a Word document with the font of your choosing and print it out using vellum.  Punch or cut out the quote. Be sure to use adhesive specifically for vellum when attaching to paper so it won’t show through.

Now that all of the pieces are ready, it is time for the fun stuff.

First, I used the sandpaper to scuff the edges and round the outer corners of the covers.  Next I inked the edges of the covers lightly. 

I also inked the extra cupcake topper and attached it to the front cover.  (You could use any kind of chipboard sticker or decoration)  Now you just put the rings through holes of the back cover, the pages, and finally the front cover.  I had a bookplate stamp, so I used it on the inside of the front cover.

Place a few baby quotes, stickers, and stamped images on random pages and you have a one-of-a-kind baby shower guest book! 

* Cupcake toppers instructions found here.

Playing TN Tourist

This weekend we were honored to be guests at the wedding of a very dear friend which was being held at the Carnton Plantation in Franklin, TN.  We chose to go a day early and play tourists.  I say “play tourists” because I grew up not that far from Franklin, so I really don’t feel like we are really away from home even though we live in Alabama.  We had such great experiences at a variety of places, I thought I would blog about it and share with others that might visit the area.

After checking into our hotel, the first order of business was to find food for dinner.   Had it been earlier in the evening, we probably would have ventured to the downtown Franklin area, but as we were pretty hungry, we opted for a place reasonably close.  We have a rule that we also try new places when we travel, so we chose Buco Di Beppo, an Italian chain restaurant.   The staff was super friendly and our server did an excellent job explaining to us about their family style dining.  Basically, you pick your item from the menu and they bring it out in a bowl (small for 2-3 people, large for 4-6) and you share.  You know, just like you eat when you are at home.  We decided on a Ceasar salad, Penne San Remo, and a side of Italian broccoli.   Wow!  Even with ordering a small, we had enough left over for another meal.  But the food was yummy!  I have just recently discovered that I like Ceasar salads, and this one did not have a heavy dressing; it was just right.  The pasta dish was also rather tasty even if it did have a alfredo-ish type cream sauce (I am not an alfredo fan) and the broccoli was #1!  They added garlic, crushed red pepper, and a sprinkling of parmesan to this favorite veggie and really gave it some kick. 

While eating, I gazed across the table at T and realized in horror that I had forgotten to cut his hair this week like I had planned.  He could NOT go to the wedding looking scruffy with his combination three week beard and goatee.  So our first priority the next day was a barber shop.  Having a feeling that Franklin probably still had a REAL barber shop downtown, I did a quick search online and found exactly what we were looking for with Carson’s Barber Shop  – walk-ins and an average wait time of less than ten minutes.  We arrived shortly after they opened and walked right in and got him cleaned up.  It is an old house that has been converted into a barber shop, and they have all sorts of antique barbering items around.  They even had two little cars for little guys to sit in for their trims.  The waiting area even had a popcorn machine, TV, and games.  My favorite thing was the antique glass door knobs on all of the doors.  I know – weird.

Next stop was the Franklin Gun Shop.  T is quite the gun enthusiast, and having passed their gigantic billboard on the interstate multiple times, this was a must stop and look.  They do have a pretty good assortment of weaponry, new and used, as well as any accessory needed.  We managed to get in and out with all of our money still in our pockets, so I considered that a success.

Now we were on to the real tourist stops.  I wanted to go to the Parthenon  (1) because I had never been there and (2) we saw the real one last year in Athens, Greece and I wanted to compare the two.  It is located across from Centennial Park in West End.  The first floor has displays of items from the Tennessee Centennial and explains the history of the Nashville Parthenon.

 They are currently showing an art exhibit on the second floor called ARTWORK AMONG US: Portraits by Juan Pont Lezica that is photographs of Nashvillians posed and dressed similar to famous artwork.  For instance, one of the photos is of former Tennessee Titan Eddie George posed as The Thinker.  No photos are allowed of the artwork, so you will have to go see that for yourselves.  But photos are allowed on the third floor where Athena stands guard over her temple.  Having seen the Percy Jackson movie, I knew kinda what to expect, but to walk up the stairs and see this humongous, dare I say gaudy, statue was quite the sight.  

I have always enjoyed mythology, so I still thought it was neat to see the shield, the Medusa,  and just the total Athena package. We took several photos inside and out, and then moved on to our next destination – Cheekwood Botanical Gardens.

I basically chose Cheekwood because (1) we had never been there, (2) I thought it would provide good photo ops, and (3) we could get in for free.   The reason we could get in for “free” is because we are members at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens, which allows reciprocal visits to several other gardens and locations across the country through the American Horticultural Society (AHS).   If you visit several places like this in a year, the membership is well worth it with reciprocal visits and other discounts. 

The Cheekwood property is located in a beautiful area just 8.5 miles southwest of downtown Nashville.   We first grabbed a quick lunch at The Pineapple Room, their on-site restaurant.  Reservations are recommended, according to their website, but we did the walk-in thing, and it worked out okay.  From reading the menu cover, we learned that Cheekwood has a treehouse exhibit this year, so we got really pumped about seeing what kind of forest-y abodes were in store for us.   Here are shots of the seven tree houses:

All of the treehouses are big enough for adults to go in them and each is unique in its own way.  We did not explore the entire grounds available to us simply due to time and the heat.  The car’s temperature reading said 102F,  so I am sure it was hovering close to 100,  but it was tolerable since there were many shady spots along our route and it was dry.  All of the walking actually kinda reminded us of our time in Israel last spring, but with more grass and trees.   I would definitely like to go back and see some of the other gardens and the art museum housed in the Cheekwood  Mansion.  I bet it has air conditioning!

So many great places are available to visit in middle Tennessee, depending on your interests.  I hope this may have helped you in making the decision to hit the road and see the sights.  Happy trails!