Guinness Pot Roast

I love beer . . . preferably in a glass . . . but I also like cooking with beer.  Beer imparts wonderful flavor and the alcohol tenderizes the meat.   Oh my goodness . . . 

Guinness Pot Roast

1 Beef Roast, whatever size will fit in your crockpot
3 - 4 Medium Potatoes
1 lb bag of baby carrots 
1 Packet Brown Gravy Mix
Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning 
1 12 oz Bottle of Guinnes
8 Slices Pre-cooked Bacon

Scrub the potatoes and cut them into quarters.  Top with the bag of carrots. 

Top with the roast.  Sprinkle with seasoning and gravy mix.  I use Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning  but you can substitute your favorite seasoned salt.

Pour the Guinness over top of everything.

Top the roast with bacon slices.

Cover and cook on low for 10 hours.

Remove the roast from the crockpot and slice.

Serve with a healthy scoop of vegetables, crusty bread and a Guinness. 


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Cranberry Apple Pork Loin Roast with Sour Cream Sauce

Cranberry Apple Pork Loin Roast with Sour Cream Sauce


1 (3 To 4 Lb) Boneless Pork Loin Roast
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Can Whole Cranberry Sauce
1/4 C Brown Sugar
1/2 C Apple Juice
2 Apples, Cored, Peeled And Coarsely Chopped
Salt And Pepper To Taste
1 Coup Sour Cream 


Place roast in slow cooker; rub all over with the minced garlic. 

Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours. 

Pork should be about 160° when fully cooked.

Remove roast from crock pot and cover with foil.  

Mash the apples in the sauce with a hand masher or the back of a fork.

Remove a cup of sauce from the crockpot.  Allow to cool then mix in sour cream.  The mix the sour cream mixture in with the rest of the sauce.

Slice the roast and spoon sauce over slices.  Delish with rice.

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Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas

This is a easy meal to throw together in the morning.  You'll have a tasty dinner to come home to at the end of the day!

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas


1 Yellow Onion, Sliced
3 Sweet Peppers, Sliced
1 ½ Pounds Boneless Chicken Breast
½ Cup Chicken Broth
½ Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Cumin
1 ½ Tablespoons Chili Powder
Squirt Of Lime Juice
Tortillas
Fajita Fixings

Combine sliced onion and peppers in the bottom of a greased or lined crockpot. Lay chicken on top of veggies. Pour chicken broth over top. Sprinkle everything with cumin, salt, and chili powder. Give a nice quirt of lime juice over the top. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. When meat is done, shred with two forks and stir back into juices. Serve meat mixture with slotted spoon on tortillas with your choice of fixings.

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Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

24-Ounce Jar Medium Salsa

Juice From One Lime

1 Cup Fresh Cilantro, Chopped

1.25-Oz. Package Taco Seasoning

2 Jalapeno Peppers, Finely Chopped (Optional)

1 Large Tomato, Chopped

6 Boneless Chicken Breast Halves, Defrosted

 

In a slow cooker, mix together the salsa, lime juice, cilantro, taco seasoning, tomato and jalapenos.

Add the chicken and coat with the salsa mixture. Allow the chicken to cook, covered, in the slow cooker on low for 6 hours.

Shred chicken.  Serve over rice, as a taco filling or in a wrap.

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Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

These are different regular mashed potatoes. . . not in a bad way, just different, kind of like scalloped potatoes.  This is a great recipe for a holiday when the stove is being consumed by other things . . . you can set this up on the side and let ‘er rip.  Good, creamy and delish!

5 Lbs Russet Potatoes

1 Cup Water

1 Cup Butter, Cut Into Chunks

1 Tablespoon Salt, Plus

¾ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

1 1/3 Cups Milk, Warmed

Peel and cut up potatoes into 1-inch cubes.  Place them in crockpot with water and butter then season with salt and pepper.

Cover, and cook on High for 4 hours.

When potatoes are done, mash with a masher or electric beater.   Do not remove the excess water from slow cooker. Add warm milk to potatoes until desired consistency and texture is reached.

Keep warm on low until serving.

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If I had my druthers

Hubby and I were off on a scenic motorcycle ride.  We have a totally spiffy helmet to helmet bluetooth intercom system that allows us to chat while we're riding.  While we were cruising along we had a conversation about barbecue ribs . . . styles of ribs, places that make the best ribs . . . that kind of thing.  We'd been riding a while and we were getting a little hungry.


Anyway, as the discussion progressed I said that if I had my druthers I prefer ribs dry rubbed and smoked and then slathered with a tangy barbecue sauce.

Whoah, wait!  Druthers?  What in the heck does that mean, where does that word come from . . . sounds like a blog post.  Yeah, that's how these things come about . . . really and truly, it is.


So, what's the deal with the word 'druthers'?  Here's the low down . . .


Druthers is a purely American word.  Specifically, from the south and is used to indicate a personal preference. It first came into usage around the mid-1800's and was originally 'drathers' . . . as in, I'd rather - a man can't always have his 'drathers.  It wasn't long before it morphed to 'druthers' -   a man can't always have his  druthers.

As luck would have it . . . my luck, that is . . . we stopped for lunch and I had my druthers.  Oh yes indeed I did!  I had me a half a rack of dry rubbed pork ribs with a spicy sweet barbecue sauce.  Mmm, mmm good!

Those ribs are from Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery and you can bet your sweet bippy I had myself an amazing brew (or two) to go along with those sloppy ribs!

Slow Cooker Ground Beef Barbecue

3 Pounds Lean Ground Beef

1 Large Onion, Chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

5 Stalks Celery, Finely Chopped

1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

1 Tablespoon Cider Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Prepared Mustard

1/4 Cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar

3 1/2 Cups Ketchup

Place ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook until brown, breaking up the meat as it cooks, about 15 minutes. Drain excess grease.

Place the cooked meat, onion, garlic, celery, salt, black pepper, cider vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, and ketchup into a slow cooker, and stir to combine.

Set the cooker on Low, and cook for 6 to 8 hours.

Serve on a Kaiser roll or over biscuits with cheese.

Black and white are the colors of photography

I recently had the misfortune of having to attend the funeral of a close family member . . . my grandmother.  Obviously funerals are unpleasant experiences.  Despite the unhappy circumstances, it's was good to reconnect with family many of whom I hadn't seen for a very very long time.




I was relieved that there was no wake.  I really really dislike open casket viewings and the whole experience is always pretty awful.  I do not want take any comfort in viewing a corpse.  I prefer to remember the deceased when they were alive and happy and enjoying life. 


My aunt had placed photos of my Grammy at the entry way of the church spanning her lifetime . . . which was long and full.  It was nice to see her as a young girl and then a young woman and then into adulthood.  


It wasn't until I passed the easels of photos and greeted other family members that I noticed the casket  . . . it was open and my Grammy's body was on full display.  Ugh.  Passing by was unavoidable;  it was hard but I paid my respects.






I was disturbed to see people taking photos of her in the casket.  I've never seen anyone doing this before and I can't imagine why they would want to.  Besides feeling that it's disrespectful, I don't understand why someone would want to remember her lying dead in a box and not as she was when she was alive.


After the church services I attended the graveside services.  After it was all over I was once again disturbed to see people . . . her children and others . . . taking pictures of the casket poised above the hole into which it would be interred.  

I know that in some cultures it is a common practice to take photos of the deceased in their coffin and in others it's taboo.  


I don't know if its right or if its wrong.  I've just never seen it before and I don't feel like it's respectful to the person.  It didn't feel appropriate.  But that's just me.

Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Vegetables Recipe

Making corned beef in a slow cooker is incredibly easy. And . . . incredibly delicious!

1 package of Corned Beef with seasoning packet

8 small white potatoes cut in fourths

1 bunch of celery cut in 2-inch chunks

4 Large carrots cut in 2-inch chunks

1 Bottle of Beer . . . any beer

Chop up potatoes, carrots, and celery and put them in the bottom of the crock.

Trim excess fat from the meat.  Place on top of veggies.

Sprinkle with seasoning of choice.

Add beer and cook on low for 8 hours.

An ex is an ex for a reason

A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook:

to which I promptly responded:

Which begs to question . . . why on earth would you remarry someone when it obviously didn't work out the first time around?  They are your ex for a reason.  It clear there were problems . . . probably many . . . that lead to the demise of the first union . . . what would make you believe that those same issues wouldn't rear their ugly little heads on the second go-'round?


Its like when you take out some milk from your fridge, discover its gone bad... and put it back in the fridge... and you think "Well... maybe it'll be better tomorrow".


Me?  I was young and stupid and impetuous.  I was more in love with the idea of being married than I was to my husband.  The marriage was awful and the divorce was a nightmare.  I swore I would never put myself through that again and I never had any intention of ever getting married again . . . to anyone let alone my ex-husband.  

Of course, when I was older and wiser, I met Mr. Wonderful and life as I knew it suddenly exploded into fairy dust and burst with unicorn farts.  Life is good. 

The divorce rate in the United States is somewhere between 40 and 45 percent.  10% of those people will remarry their ex . . . way more than half of those people will end up in divorce court again.


I think someone who would consider, however so briefly, rekindling a relationship with their ex-spouse the following . . . 

Imagine all the little thing he/she did that annoyed the bejoobies out of you . . . imagine all those things and then try to visualize all the new annoying habits they've learned since.



Did that person cheat on you, beat on you or otherwise abuse you?  What makes you think they won't do it again . . . and again and again and again.  


Did they hate your family? Your friends?  You?  I'll be they still do.


Did you have anything in common?  No?  And all of a sudden you do?  


Did you even like each other?

I see my ex-husband . . . not by choice . . . and he's the same lazy, sarcastic, condescending jerk he always was.  I don't think it's easy for people to change . . . I'm not saying they can't change but people are pretty much who they are and who they always will be. 

My opinion that a failed marriage is doomed to fail again . . . why would anyone want to experience the same kind of pain and distress twice?


Not I, says I.

A Slow Cooker Thanksgiving

 This is OMG!! good!   And, so easy!

5 Cups Dry Bread Cubes

1/4 Cup Instant Stuffing Mix

1 Cup Sliced Fresh Mushrooms

1/2 Cup Chopped Onion

1/2 Cup Chopped Celery

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Tony Chachere Seasoning

   Or Salt and Pepper to taste

1 (12 Ounce) Jar Turkey Gravy

1 (10.75 Ounce) Can Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 (16 Ounce) Can Cranberry Sauce

4 Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast Halves - Cubed

Toss together 2 1/2 cups dry bread cubes and 2 tablespoons instant stuffing mix; set aside. Combine the remaining bread cubes, instant stuffing mix, mushrooms, onion, celery, olive oil, poultry seasoning, salt, sage, pepper, gravy, condensed soup, and cranberry sauce in a large bowl.

Place the reserved bread crumbs and stuffing mix into the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the chicken and top with the vegetable, bread, and gravy mixture. Cover, and cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours.

In flagrante delicto

Have you ever gotten caught red handed doing something you shouldn't have been?  Yeah, me too . . . it happens.  I don't know if you noticed or not, but your hands weren't actually red . . . so how did they catch you?



Red-hand is a legal term from Scotland dating back to the early 1400's.  To have been taken red hand literally means that a person was captured with blood on their hands either from the act of committing murder or poaching game.

If a person was caught red handed there could be no doubt as to their guilt . . . the evidence was as clear as the blood on their hands.


The term was popularized by Sir Walter Scott when his novel Ivanhoe was published in 1820.  It was at this time when the Scots term 'red hand' morphed into 'red handed'.  

"I did but tie one fellow, who was taken redhanded and in the fact, to the horns of a wild stag". 

Chances are you probably did not have blood dripping from your finger tips but if you've been caught red handed then you have been caught with your hand in the proverbial cookie jar.

Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs

4 Slices White Bread, Finely Chopped

2 Lbs Lean Ground Beef

4 Egg Yolks

4 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Parsley

2 Tablespoons Dried Onion Flakes

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Mustard Powder

1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder

½ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

1 (10 ½ Ounce) Cans Condensed French Onion Soup

¼ Cup All-Purpose Flour

½ Cup Sour Cream

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

In bowl, combine bread with 1/2 cup water; let stand until absorbed (about 2 minutes).

Stir in beef, yolks, 2 tablespoons parsley, onion, salt, mustard, ginger, garlic, and pepper.

With wet hands roll heaping tablespoonfuls of meat mixture into balls, about 60.

Place in crock pot.

In bowl, mix together soup and flour; pour over meatballs.

Cook on high until cooked through (about 4 hours); stir.

Stir in sour cream and Worcestershire sauce.

What in tarnation??

What in tarnation??  What in the hell is that supposed to mean . . . that word ‘tarnation’?

My first recollection of hearing that word was from my youth . . . Saturday morning plopped in front of the boob-tube with a heaping bowl of Cheerios watching Looney Toons.   Yosemeti Sam would exclaim in frustration . . .  “What in tarnation??”

What in indeed.

Tarnation . . . a word used to express exasperation.  I always kind of thought it was a made up nonsensical word used in cartoons . . . after all, that was the only place I’d ever really heard it used.

It turns out it is, in fact, a real word.  Tarnation is defined as the act of damning or the condition of being damned. 

The word was popularized in gentler times when men were careful not to offend the delicate sensibilities of the weaker sex.  God forbid you use profanity in front of a woman . . . she might require the waiving of smelling salts under her nose or a cool towel touched upon her brow.  Basically, it would cause a scene.

So other words were used in the stead of everyday ordinary vulgarities. 

Many, many, many years ago . . . like a couple hundred or so . . . ‘tarnal’ was a vernacular form of 'eternal'.  ‘Eternal damnation’ was slangified into ‘tarnation’ and this became the acceptable substitution for expressing anger at something or other . . . most likely about how frustrating it was keeping women from fainting all over the place at the drop of a misspoken expletive.

Another good one is ‘where in the Sam Hill?’ . . . another Yosemite Sam favorite.  It’s a variation on the same theme . . . let’s not offend the babes and come up with a supposedly civilized way of saying something that everyone knows what it means but heaven forbid we say the actual words. 

‘Where in Sam Hill’ is simply a euphemism for saying ‘where in the hell’ . . . such a naughty, naughty word. 

Southwest Black Bean Chicken in the Crock Pot

4 Chicken Breasts (You May Even Start With Frozen)

1  8 Oz Can Tomato Sauce

1/2 Of A 6 Oz Can Tomato Paste

2  15 Oz Cans Corn

2  15 Oz Cans Black Beans

2  15 Oz Cans Kidney Beans

2  14.5 Oz Cans Mexican Stewed Tomatoes

1 Southwest Marinade Packet 

Sour Cream

Tortilla Chips or Whole Wheat Tortillas

Mix all ingredients except the chicken, cheese, and sour cream and tortillas in the bottom of a large crock pot. If you want it a bit thinner to eat as a soup, then add the liquid from two of the cans. Otherwise drain the liquid from the cans.

Place the chicken into the crock pot and cover it up with the sauce.

Cook on high for 4 hours. After it has cooked for 3 hours, take the chicken out, shred it and put it back in the crock pot for the remaining hour.

Safety doesn't happen by accident.

Safety pins are so versatile . . . they keep your clothes from falling off, they can be used as jewelry, and they can make a fashion statement.  The safety pin as we know it was invented in 1849 for a rather practical reason.  But probably not the purpose you might think.  The creator, Walter Hunt, was good at thinking up all kinds of things . . . sewing machines, flax spinners, coal stove.  Unfortunately, he failed to patent many of his ideas and didn’t make money off of them.  However, he owed a friend a sum of $15 dollars and needed to come up with a way to pay him back.  So he decided to invent something new.  He decided to come up with a way to make straight pins safe.  So, in 1894, from a piece of brass wire he made the first safety pin, by coiling the center and shielding the end.  For this invention he took out a patent and sold the rights to it for four hundred dollars.  He paid his friend back and had three hundred eighty-five dollars to spare.            Of course, that’s nothing compared to the millions he could have made on his many other inventions.

 

Pins, regular straight pins, not safety pins were so rare in 12th century England that they were only sold on January 1st and 2nd. Since they were so expensive, a separate sum for this luxury was granted to the ladies by their husbands. That’s how the expression "pin-money” came to be.

Nearly one hundred years later in the 1980’s, safety pins became an accessory to punkers.  Among many other things . . . purposely-ripped clothes were held together by safety pins and safety pins were used as jewelry and as body piercings.

“The Safety Dance" was a popular single in the 1980’s.  Punk band, Men Without Hats, wrote the song as a protest against bouncers stopping dancers pogoing to music in clubs.  In a time when disco was dying a well deserved death, pogoing was new and strange.  It was done by holding the torso rigid and thrashing about. Bouncers, unfamiliar with this new style of dance, thought it could be dangerous and kicked pogoers out of many clubs.  Dangerous dance, hence . . . safety Dance. One misconception, in the era of a growing epidemic of AIDS infections, was that the song was a call for safe sex and the use of condoms. 

The use of condoms was, indeed, growing exponentially in the 1980 and beyond.   However, these penile protectors have been around for millennia.  Egyptian, Chinese and Roman society uses various materials to keep winkies safe from bugs and disease.    During the

The 16^th century experienced an epidemic of syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease.  Coverings of linen, silk and pieces of animal intestine slipped onto a love wand and secured at the base with a piece of ribbon.  Latex wasn’t invented until the mid-1800’s . . . those very early rubbers had a seam and were as thick as an inner tube . . . yikes!  Soon after it became safe and practical condoms became widely available.   It wasn’t until much later that it was discovered that condoms prevented not only unwanted diseases but also unwanted babies.  Hence making it safe to dance if you wanna.

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Italian Sausage & Steak Chili (A Crock Pot Recipe)

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Pounds Eye of Round, Cut Into Small Cubes

1 Pound Hot or Sweet Bulk Italian Sausage

Salt And Pepper  

3 Jalapeño Peppers, Chopped

1 Onion, Chopped

3 To 4 Cloves Garlic, Chopped

1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

2 28-Ounce Cans Cannellini Beans With Juice

1/2 Cup Tomato Paste

1 Can or Bottle Beer – I Used A Lager

3 Cups Beef Stock

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add steak and brown.  When steak is browned transfer to crock pot.  Brown to sausage in same pan used for the beef then transfer to crock pot.

Combine the peppers, onion, garlic, oregano, beans, tomato paste, beer and stock in the slow-cooker crock pot, and then close the lid. 

Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.

Serve in bowls topped with shredded cheese.