Crockpot Revolution

Any of you suffer like me, with a cracked pot? (that never not enough time in the day to cook a real meal feeling)? I suppose I can just come right out and say it... I love too cook, however, managing 3 kids, my house, and life in general gets in the way. So I thought: Why not share my, ahem, unnatural obsession with the crockpot (now, now, I know some of you suffer too). Yes, I am referring to that revolutionary electric appliance, gathering dust in the back of cupboards everywhere.

Winter, Summer, Spring, Fall, my crockpot is my friend. I mean, come on, you can cook anything in it. And bonus, it doesn't heat up your kitchen (those of you located in the desert mid-summer know what I am talking about). Besides, making it fast and cooking it slow, ready by dinner, also a real bonus. And did I mention it's energy efficient?

Let's cut to the chase here and prove my crockpot obsession is not insanity. I'll skip those soups, we all know how to do that. (however if you want some recipes, let me know, I can share) Let us instead focus on how easy it is to provide an array of diverse meals, snacks, dips, etc.

Slow Cooker Beef Roast with onions and potatoes
1 large sweet onion (I will never achieve a zen moment when cutting an onion)
3lb boneless beef bottom round roast (By the way, I hate the netting these sometimes come in, cut it off the roast before cooking)
3 potatoes cubed
chopped garlic (fresh or dried)
1 can beef broth
1 package onion soup mix
1/4 cup white flour

In 5-6 quart slow cooker, place chopped onion. Place beef roast on onionPlace potatoes and garlic around beef (This doesn't have to be arranged pretty but I know you're thinking about it, you perfectionist you)In a small bowl mix broth and soup mix, pour over the contents in the pot.Cover, cook on low 9 to 10 hoursI use the flour to thicken up the broth before serving, use a whisk to break up any clumps. It will thicken as it cools.


Fruit and Nut Baked Apples (gasp, that crockpot is good for more than soup!)
4-5 large apples (Some are tart, some are not, I'll leave it to you to decide )
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup dried apricots
1/3 cup walnuts or pecans
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar (you can substite if you are on a diet)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
caramel ice cream topping (optional)

Scoop out the center of each apple, leaving a 1 1/2 inch wide cavity approximately 1/2 inch from the bottom. Remove the apple peel about 1 inch from the top. Brush the edges with the lemon juice.Mix apricots, walnuts (or pecans), brown sugar and cinammom in a small bowl. Add butter and mix well. Spoon the mixture into the apple cavities.Pour 1/2 cup water into the bottom of your crockpot, Arrange the apples in the bottomCover, cook on low 3-4 hours or until apples are tender. Best served warm with the caramel ice cream topping.

Are you overwhelmed yet?.................. I didn't think so

Vegetable Stuffed Pork Chops
4 pork loin chops
1 can corn, drained
1 green bell pepper (optional, some of you may be gagging right now)
1 cup Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 can tomato sauce

Cut pocket into the side of each pork chop. Combine corn, bell pepper, bread crumbs, onion and rice in a large bowl. Stuff pork chops with rice mixture. Secure the pocket with toothpicks.
Place remaining rice mixture into the bottom of the crockpot (have I mentioned it's my friend) Lay the stuffed porkchops on top. Coat the top of each porkchop with tomato sauce. Pour any remaining sauce over the top
Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours

Triple Chocolate Fantasy (I am certain I have your attention now)
2 pounds white almond bark, broken into pieces
1 bar (4 ounces) sweetened chocolate, broken into pieces
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips3 cups coarsely chopped pecans

Place bark, sweetened chocolate and chocolate chips in crockpot.
Cover, cook on high for 1 hour. Do not stir.
Turn crockpot on low, continue cooking for 1 hour, stirring every 15 mintues. Stir in nuts.
Drop mixture by tablespoons onto a baking sheet covered with wax paper, let cool. Store in a sealed container. Enjoy!!
Note: Instead of pecans, try crushed peppermint candy, peanuts, pistachios, toffee marshmallows, or coconut

Delicious, eh?

After all that, I think we can safely make the assumption one can get over the "extra clutter" that a crockpot may provide to your kitchen. In the name of crockpot lovers everywhere, I promote thee! Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of the Crockpot!!! (after all it is happiness to crockpot obsessers everywhere)

Who says saving money isn't green?

Going green or green living is something you hear alot these days. But let's face it, most of the products are well over-priced. Now you're wondering how you, that average person or family can save yourself money and go green. I am here to tell you that you can implement go green and SAVE MONEY in the process. The steps aren't hard, believe me, I am, probably, listed high on the ladder of lazy and consider myself a penny pincher (ask my husband), honestly most of us don't have extra money to spend on the hype product. I am not talking solar panels or hybrid cars (although I love mine) here, just simple how to's, do it yourselfers, and recipes to help with your desired goal. Hmmmm...... Save money and energy at the same time, sounds like a winning combination.

Change your filters
See? I told you this was easy. Always be aware of filters in your home and how to change them. The most common filters are in your air conditioning vents (or in my case, the swamp cooler), and your furnace. The older and dirtier the filters get, the more energy the units will have to use to achieve their optimum performance. By simply changing them, you are limiting the energy that the furnace or A/C has to use, which, of course, SAVES YOU MONEY. Filters are not expensive, and can be picked up at a local store, like Wal-mart. I bet some of you are saying you don't know how.... Well, believe me, if I can, you can. I am the most un-mechanical person you will ever meet... Besides, I bet you all know someone nice enough to show you how (and most appliances come with instructions pasted to the inside panel, complete with pictures). To keep things running at optimum performance these filters should be changed at least every 2-3 months.

Watch the doors
Don't you remember your mom telling you over and over to shut the door?(And if you are a parent, I bet you do it too) Whether she was just annoyed that were going in and out at high speed or focused on being energy conscious, she was on to something... If it has a door, make sure it is closed. Leaving the refrigerator or freezer open too long allows the energy too ecape. Therefore, the appliances have to work harder to keep those perishable foods cold. Keeping the door to your house shut, also cuts down on energy use, you won't be allowing the cold or warm air to escape, in turn the furnace and A/C don't have to work as hard. See how one and two tie together nicely? I told this would be easy.


Lightbulbs
Install compact flourescent light bulbs (cfl's, those funny spiral looking lightbulbs), which, by the way use 25% LESS energy than the traditional bulb. Most should be doing this anyway, since the traditional light bulb is on its way out. They won't even be making these anymore. Yes, you read that right, green living is going global! They seem expensive at first, but, please, read on. I installed ours over a year ago, and haven't replaced any of them since. This is with three kids, fascinated with flipping the light switch on and off. Each time you flip the switch off and on, the bulbs filament (the part that produces light) wears out and weakens. A cfl bulb's life expectancy is 2-3 times longer than the traditional. You figure out the math, for 3 kids flipping every switch in my house on and off x 1 year with the better cfl bulb. How many traditional bulbs would that have been?!? Cha-Ching!!! MONEY SAVED.

Make your own laundry soap
I promise you this isn't as hard as it sounds... I started making our laundry soap 6 months ago, love it, and will never go back to store bought. Many states have already banned the phosphates (contribute to the growth of algae, which depletes oxygen needed by fish, do you want that in your ground water?), in traditional laundry soap. Again, we are talking the beginning of a global change. That should tell you something, it's full of chemicals and bad for you and the planet. You can buy phosphate-free laundry soap from your local store or make your own, as I choose to do. I prefere this method because it SAVES MONEY. Seriously, traditional soap like, Tide for example, averages about $0.30 per load, by making it, I cut my cost to about $0.03 per load! No joke! All ingredients can be found, guess what, at your local store. Another benefit is you don't use nearly as much soap because you don't have to.... It cleans and works great (I hate the smell of bleach and no longer use it). It also keeps up with my busy family of 5, I made a batch 2 months ago and its still going strong. MONEY SAVED! I am going to make this really easy for you... by giving you the recipe: (I prefer liquid soap to powder but if you want a powder recipe you can comment and I'd be happy to share a few with you)

• 2 gallons Water (hot)


• 1 bar Soap (grated) (I suggest Ivory,Sunlight, or Zote, or any soap that isn't highly perfumed)


• 2 cups Baking soda or washing soda (found at your local store, in the laundry aisle)


• 2 cups borax (found at your local store, in the laundry aisle)

Melt grated soap in a saucepan with enough hot water to cover. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring frequently until soap is melted.
In a large pail, pour 2 gallons hot water and baking or washing soda and borax. Add melted soap, stir every hour until cool. It will separate, this is ok, simply stir before you add laundry soap to your washing machine. And store with a lid, when not in use.
Use 1/4-1/2 cup per full load, 1 cup per very soiled load.

Note: The hardest part to get used to is the lack of suds, Commercial laundry companies put additives in the laundry detergents to make these bubbles, to convince you that your laundry is really getting clean.

Note:You can add a few drops of an essential oil, if you really want a fragrance to your new laundry soap.

Freecycle

What is junk to you may be someone else's treasure (and vice versa). Reuse groups lik freecyle use email and forums to offer items that no one else wants, for get this, for free! Membership is also free. Find a loving home for would-be orphaned items in your basement, garage, or yard. By doing so, you also cut down on the amount of pile-up in the landfill (think about all the stuff shoved in there and buried under the earth). It's simple, economical, emotionally rewarding and SAVES MONEY.

Green living is not nearly as difficult or expensive as it seems, hopefully these tips have provided proof of that. So why not provide a safer environment for yourself, your family and planet by taking action.