Vlog: Holiday Plan, CrockPot Meal, Rae Dunn Haul!

Today I am sharing probably the best CROCK POT recipe I have ever share, I have a RAE DUNN and GROCERY HAUL and we will begin our planning for the HOLIDAYS!  There is always so much to do to prepare for the holidays that making lists and creating a plan can ease a lot of the anxiety associated with the holiday season.  I use my planner to create list and a game plan to not feel overwhelmed by all that needs to be done and to help get my home ready to be decorated for Christmas!  

Every year on November 1st I begin a list of all those things I want to get done before the holidays set in.  I take out my planner and start a wish list all of the home projects and housekeeping chores that I need to get done before I can decorate for Christmas and before I can welcome in my first guest.  By creating this list, it helps calm all those little anxieties that begin to build this time of year.  Getting it all out of my head and down on paper is the first step to plan for completion (or attempted completion!)  I have the same hope every year; hit the ground running on November 1st and get a huge jump on the holidays!  Some years I have better luck then others but the joy is in the attempt!

I keep this list in my PLANNER and work diligently to get as much done as I can.  This year we have painting the kitchen and family room on the list along with making curtains and reupholstering dining room chairs.  A pretty ambitious list!  We will see how much I actually accomplish!  Whatever is completed will leave me in a better place than I started!

Find my Holiday List HERE.

I am also sharing an awesome crock pot recipe that is good enough to serve for a holiday meal!  Crock Pot Apple Butter Pork is probably the best Crock Pot meal that I have ever shared on my channel!  If you are looking for something simple and delicious this is the recipe for you!  

Crock Pot Apple Butter Pork Roast

3lb pork loin

20oz jar apple butter

half cup of apple sauce

one chopped onion

3-4 minced garlic

1 cup water

S/P

garlic powder

Mrs Dash

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

Season pork roast well with salt pepper, garlic powder and Mrs. Dash.  Brown in a pan with  butter and olive oil, 3-4 minutes on each side.  Place in the bottom of your crock pot and cover with chopped onions and garlic.  Combine apple butter, apple sauce and  water and pour over top.  Cover and cook on high for 2 hours on high and then reduce heat to low and cook for an additional 2 hours.  Check with a meat thermometer before serving.

Roasted Potatoes

Chop 3-4 sweet potatoes and 3-4 red potatoes and place in a 9x13 dish.  add one small chopped onion 3-4 cloves of garlic crushed, fresh rosemary salt and pepper.  Cover with olive oil and toss until all the potatoes are coated.  Cover with foil and bake in oven for 35-40 minutes at 425.

Starting the stock the pantry with staples for the winter and upcoming holiday season!

New Rae Dunn pieces for the collection!  For all the details watch the video below!  

                       

Thank you so much for visiting today, if you are new here, I hope you will SUBSCRIBE HERE  I put out new videos each week about all things HOME!

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Cooking Day! Celebrating St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day for our family is a day of fun!  We gather together with some good food, relax and enjoy our time together.  Today I share two recipes that we have every year to celebrate March 17th!  

A quick OOTD before I head out the door!  I found the dress at Ann Taylor, the denim jacket is from Denim & Co and can be found on QVC, I am wearing Marc Fisher boots and the earrings were found at Target!

This awesome sweatshirt can be found HERE

I have had a love/hate relationship with Irish Soda Bread.  I know its odd to have any kind of relationship with bread but these are very particular circumstances.  I married into a large Irish family and St. Patrick's Day is their JAM.  I mean, all Irish families celebrate St. Patrick's feast day but few families take this day to heart like my husband's family.  Its more like St. Patrick's Day month.  They party, they gather, they wear green.  They spend no expense rounding up the essentials,  green rainbow suspenders, hats, hats with attached leprechaun beards, bow ties, clay leprechauns pipes, chocolate gold coins, Shamrocks, rosaries (yes, green) Bailey's Irish Creme, Irish Stew, Ham & Cabbage and the exalted, ever present much anticipated Irish Soda Bread. (Cue the angel chorus) I believe your value as a person is only judged by the quality of your soda bread.  

Now, I come from a long line of wonderful cooks and bakers.  My Italian grandmother was just incredible in the kitchen, she cooked, canned, made home made sausage and wine, grew her own vegetables and was even credited with keeping her neighbors fed during the snowstorm of 1947.  But even she did not make Irish Soda Bread.  How hard could it be really, flour, raisins a little of this, a little of that.    Well, my torment began in the late 1990's when my early baking attempts were used as street hockey pucks by the neighbor kid.  I'm not even exaggerating, no one ate it, no one even attempted to eat it.  This is how it went for years, every year  I baked and every year there it sat untouched.  Until I met Mrs Wolfe.  Mrs. Wolfe was a wonderful teacher at my daughters elementary school.  Every St. Pat's Day she would bring in several beautiful golden loaves for everyone to share.  After several years of envy, I finally asked Mrs Wolfe what her secret was.  She simply laughed and said "Oh honey, its easy" and wrote down her recipe from memory.  I brought it home, tried it, and from that very first loaf PERFECTION!

I want all of you to have a LOVE relationship with this sweet Delicious and moist bread so I am sharing wonderful Mrs. Wolfe's recipe exactly like she gave it to me all those years ago.

Irish Soda Bread

1/2 cup Crisco

3 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

3 tsp baking soda

1 egg whipped (with fork)

1 1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cup raisins

Mix all put in greased round cake pan bake for 45 mins @ 350

That's how Mrs. Wolfe wrote it out for me.  This is how I put it together:  Cream the Crisco and sugar together, add the egg.  Combine the dry ingredients and slowly add the dry to the wet ingredients adding the buttermilk a little at a time.  Put mixed ingredients in a round greased cake pan and bake.  That's it.

I hope you give it a try, maybe bake a few extra loaves, bring it to school and be that dear Mrs. Wolfe for someone else.

Beef Stew

2lbs beef cubes

3-4 chopped carrots 

3-5 celery stalks chopped

one med chopped onion 3-4 cloves of crushed garlic

5 red skinned chopped potatoes

A few shakes of Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup wine  optional

28oz can of tomato sauce

2 cups beef stock

2 tsp garlic powder

tablespoon dried parsley

s/p

3-4 Bay leaves

1 tsp tyme

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp Mrs Dash

In a large pan add 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil. Season beef well with s/p garlic powder and Mrs Dash. Dredge beef cubes in flour and add to pan to brown.  Meanwhile in a large sauce pan saute onions celery and garlic in olive oil.  About 5-8 minutes when veggies are soft add the white wine and cook a few more minutes.  Add tomato sauce and beef broth.  Slowly bring to boil and add chopped carrots and chopped potatoes.  Bring to a full boil, lower temperature cover and simmer on low for 40 minutes or until veggies are desired tenderness.

For All the details on these recipes watch the video below!

Thank you so much for watching today, if you are new here I hope you will SUBSCRIBE I put out new videos each week about all things HOME!

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Grocery, Rae Dunn & Target Haul Kitchen Organization and Chicken Recipe!

Hey Everybody!  Today we are celebrating a Snow Day with a Rae Dunn, Grocery and Target Haul, I share a great kitchen organization project and as always, a great dinner recipe!

I thought I would start today with my exciting OOTD!  We had ice earlier this morning so I am dressed for the weather in my new coat from Columbia, not favorite Target jeans and my Franco Sarto booties.

I headed out to my local grocery store with a list of meals I wanted to make this week and to have on hand for the upcoming weekend.

I got so many questions last week after my Pantry Organization video about how I store my canned goods and dry goods.  So since I was putting away the groceries I thought I would share how I use 1/2 gallon Mason jars to store things like pasta and rice.

How cute are these new Rae Dunn pieces that I found at Home Goods today?

Best way to end the day is with a good meal!  I love a great chicken recipe and this Saucy Chicken is not only simple but delicious!

Saucy Chicken Recipe ************************ 2-3lbs of boneless chicken breast S/P 1/2 tsp paprika 1 cup sour cream 2 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp Mrs Dash 1 tsp parsley flakes 1 cup shredded cheese or grated Romano cheese Place chicken in a prepared baking dish. Season with salt pepper and paprika to taste. In a bowl mix remaining ingredients and spread on top of chicken. Bake in a 375 oven for an hour or until chicken is cooked through. Place under the broiler for a few minutes watching closely until browned and serve over rice.

For full details watch the video below!

Thank you so much for watching and if you are new here, I hope you will subscribe, I put out new videos each week about all things home!

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Game Day Snacks

Hello Friends! The Big Game is only days away and today I am sharing some simple and delicious snacks that will keep everyone happy!

We are Eagle and Steeler fans in our house and although neither of our teams are playing in the Super Bowl, we can still enjoy the game surrounded by good friends and really good food. The recipes below are super easy to prepare and can be doubled to feed a crowd.

The day I filmed, my kitchen was so bright with the sun reflecting off the snow! I always love days like this!

Ham and Cheese Sliders 20 Slices of thin sliced ham 10 slices of Sharp Cheddar Cheese Pkg of Hawaiian Rolls 1 Stick of butter 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 2 tsp minced onion 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1 tsp Dijon Mustard Romano cheese dried parsley Melt butter in a pan and whisk together with the Worcestershire sauce, minced onion, mustard, S/P. Set aside. With a serrated knife cut the Hawaiian rolls horizontally in two pieces. Place the bottom half in the bottom of a baking dish. Layer with half of sliced ham, then cheese and then another layer of ham. Top with the the remaining rolls. Pour butter mixture on top and cover with foil. Let sit for 10 minutes then bake in a 350 oven for 20 minutes, Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes to brown. Remove from oven sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Cut into sandwiches and serve warm.

Pepperoni and Cheese Croissants

1 roll of croissants

4 oz cream cheese

pepperoni

On a lightly floured surface separate croissants, slice of a quarter size slice of cream cheese and place in the large end of dough, cover with 3-4 slices of pepperoni roll up and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and back according to package directions

Serve with warmed marinara sauce.

Corn Dog Bites Quaker Oats Corn meal beef hot dogs. Follow the cornbread recipe on the back of the cornmeal container. Mix and set aside. Cut each hot dog into 4 equal pieces and trim ends. Fill the cup of a prepared mini muffin tin 3/4 full with cornbread mixture. Place a hot dog piece in the middle of each muffin. Bake in a 400 oven for 12 minutes. Serve on a platter with mustard and ketchup!

Hope you all enjoy your Game Day celebrations and your team wins it all! Thank you so much for visiting and please take a minute to subscribe!

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Winter Freezer Meals

 So the time has come when we all turn towards home.  The winter season is here, the holidays are over and these are the days when we seek comfort and warmth from our favorite surroundings and from our favorite foods.  We ear differently in the winter then we do at other times of the year.  At our house we eat more casseroles and cheesy delights.  I have put together 4 of our favorite meals ready to eat or freeze to make those cold winter nights super easy!  

And of course you cant forget about your crock-pot, this little guy creates the tastiest meals and helps make dinner time super easy.

Below you will find all the recipes along with the video that takes you step by step to help you create these meals at home.  Click below!

                                  

Sausage and Peppers

6-8  hot and mild sausages

1 green pepper sliced

1 red pepper sliced

1 small onion sliced

homemade or bottled tomato sauce about 24oz

Layer ingredients in crock pot.  Cook on high for 2 hours reduce temp to low and cook an additional 3 hours.  Serve on soft Italian rolls.

Baked Spaghetti

1.5 lbs ground meat

1 cup onions chopped

3 cloves chopped garlic

1 24 oz jar tomato sauce

1 16oz jar Alfredo sauce

1 can fire roasted tomatoes 14oz

1lb spaghetti pasta

2 cups shredded Italian Cheese

Cook pasta according to pkg directions.  In a large pan cook meat, onions and garlic until veggies are soft and meat is browned.

In a large combine the meat veggies, jarred sauces, roasted tomatoes, pasta and one cup cheese.  Spoon into prepared dishes and cover with remaining cheese.  Bake in 375 oven for 35 mins.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

1 25oz pkg of flour tortillas

1 can cream of chicken soup

8oz of sour cream

1 4oz can of green chilies

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

1/2 cup chopped green onion

1 tp salt

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp pepper

2-3 cups cooked shredded chicken

In a large bowl combine the soup, sour cream, chilies, 1 cup cheese, and half of the green onions.  Cut flour tortillas in small pieces and put in bottom of prepared baking dish. Cover with half of the meat mixture and repeat layers ending with remaining flour tortilla, cheese and green onions.  Bake in 375 oven for 35 mins.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

1 package long-grain wild rice 

1 medium onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 package fresh sliced mushrooms

1 cup frozen mixed veggies

2 cups cooked shredded chicken

1/2 1 cup mayonnaise

2 cups shredded Cheddar

1 small can sliced water chestnuts, drained

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/2-1 cup sour cream

10-15 Ritz crackers crushed

Prepare rice according to package directions. Saute the onions, peppers and mushrooms in a large pan until soft.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl except for the crackers and 1 cup of cheese.  Spoon into prepared baking dish and cover with crushed crackers and cheese.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 35 minutes.

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Enjoy the recipes and this time with your families!

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5 Day Meal Plan Grocery Haul & Recipes

I have been thinking of all the ways we can create a less stressful home for ourselves.  With children that time of day when everyone is home from school, hungry with little time to to eat and get back out the door to after school activities.  This time of day was always the most stressful for me especially when I had not planned what to feed everyone for dinner.  I soon learned that the only sure way to make these after school bewitching hours easier was to plan, and by plan I mean meal plan.  Taking a few minutes at the start of each week and create a meal plan and grocery list saves me time and energy everyday.

Today I am sharing with you a 5 day dinner plan to help ease your family into their evening, well fed and less stressed.  Each week I plan 5 weeknight meals keeping one night free for leftovers and one night free for dinner out.  

I've included a grocery list for you to bring to the store to make everything on our meal plan.  And most importantly the recipes are included to easy make everything on our meal plan.

To get our meal planning week kicked off I share the step by step recipe for my favorite vegetable soup and cheesy bread, one of the meal options for the week.

All the detail can be found in the video below:

                                  

Click HERE To download your own free Meal Plan & Grocery List Printable.  The recipes for the meal options in the 5 Day Meal plan can be downloaded HERE

Thank you so much for visiting today and please leave me a comment and let me know if you try any of the recipes in the 5 Day Meal Plan!

Subscribe to my YouTube channel HERE

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Fall Freezer Meals

I know that technically it is still summer but for me fall begins with the new school year and I am so excited to share these fall freezer meals with all of you!  It's so good to know that your freezer is full of good food ready to feed the family even if you are too tired to cook after a very day.  I am sharing 5 recipes that are simple and delicious! 

 Two meals use your crock pot and it can not get easier then that!  Thank you so much for watching!  If you are new here, please take a moment to SUBSCRIBE, I put out new videos every week about all things home and I would love to have you back as part of our YouTube family!

Find all the recipes from today's video below!

Recipes 

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Crock-pot Hawaiian Chicken

3 lbs of chicken breast

2 chopped red bell peppers

1 chopped onion

3 cloves crushed garlic

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 small cans crushed pineapple

1 bottle Chili Sauce

1 tablespoon corn starch

water

Place chicken in cold crock pot cover with chopped peppers, onion and garlic.  In a bowl mix chili sauce, brown sugar and pineapple and pour over chicken, pepper and onions.  Set on High and cook for 4-5 hours.  Once cooked, remove chicken to shred and add a slurry of the corn starch and water to the crock pot and mix to help thicken the sauce.  Return shredded chicken back to crock pot and cook for another 15-20 mins.

Crock-pot Chicken Chili

2 lbs chicken breast'

1 chopped onion

3 cloves crushed garlic

1 can of chicken broth 

     or 2 depending how you prefer your chili

1 can Northern beans drained

1 can black beans drained

2 cans sliced green chiles

1 15oz can of corn

S/P

1 tsp cumin

1/2 oregano

1 tsp chili powder

1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp dried cilantro

1/4 -1/3 cup half and half

4oz softened cream cheese

1 tablespoon corn starch

water

Place all but last 4 ingredients in cold crock pot, mix well.  Set on high and cook for 4 hours.  At end of cooking time remove chicken to shred.  Add a slurry of cornstarch and water to crock pot to help thicken and add the cream cheese and half and half mix well.  Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot, mix and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Ravioli Lasagna

1lb sweet Italian sausage

one half onion minced

one half zucchini minced

one half green pepper minced

2 jars of spaghetti sauce

1/4 cup white wine

2 bags of frozen cheese ravioli

2 bags shredded Italian cheese blend

Brown sausage in pan, add minced veggies and cook together until veggies are soft.  Add white wine and simmer for 2 minutes.  Add the the jarred sauce and simmer fro 30 minutes.  In two med aluminum baking pans, scoop one cup of sauce.  Line up frozen raviolis and cover with addition sauce and shredded cheese.  Add another layer of raviolis, sauce and cheese.  Repeat for 3 total layers.  Cover with cheese and sprinkle dried parsley.  Cover with Foil and put i freezer or bake in a 375 degree oven for 30-3 minutes.  To bake from freezer remove the night before and bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until done.  

Creamy Spinach Casserole

1lb of penne pasta

1 1/2 lb cooked shredded chicken

1 cup sour cream

4-6oz cream cheese

1 pkg Ranch dip mix

7 oz frozen thawed spinach

1/4 cup half and half

2 cups shredded Italian cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.  In a large mixing bowl combine the sour cream, cream cheese and half and half.  Mix in packet of Ranch dressing mix, 1/2 cups cheese.  Combine with the shredded chicken and about 2/3 of cooked pasta.  Pour out into med size baking dishes and top with remaining cheese.  Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 30 mins and either serve or let cool and freeze.

Chicken Pot Pie

Pillsbury pie crust

frozen mixed vegetables

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup whole milk

1 1/2lbs shredded chicken

1/3 cup flour

1 chopped onion

4 stalks celery

s/p

garlic powder

1/3 cup pf butter

in a large sauce pan saute the onions and celery in butter until veggies are soft.  Add flour and stir until well combined.  Slowly add the chicken broth and milk and cook until thickens.  Season with s/p and garlic powder to taste.  Add the shredded chicken and about 12oz of frozen mixed veggies and combine well.  Take off heat and let cool 10 mins.  Meanwhile roll out a pie crust to fit into your pie plate or pan.  Fill with chicken mixture and top with 2nd pie crust/  Seal edges and make slits.  At this point you can wrap in foil and freeze or brush top with beaten egg and bake in 375 degree oven for 45 minutes or until crust is brown.  To bake from frozen remove from freezer and bake at 375 degrees uncovered for 30 mins then cover with foil and bake an additional 30 mins.

                                

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Check out my AMAZON Page for all my favorite kitchen products:

HERE

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Linking with these wonderful blogs:  Funtastic Friday

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Easy Meal Planning / April Meal Calendar / Recipe

We all want meal planning to be easy, today I share some easy meal planning tips, the April meal Calendar and a great recipe to get everything kicked off!

Download the April Meal Planning Calendar: HERE Meal planning can be a frustrating process but I have found that my household runs much smoother when everyone is well feed and mom is happy! One of the things that makes me happy during my day is knowing what I am making for dinner and that my ridge is full of everything I will need to put the meal put together and get it on the table. Below is a link to my April Meal Planning calendar and a link to the blank calendar that you can use to plan your own month of meals.

Download the Blank Meal Planning Calendar: HERE
Our recipe today is meatloaf with red skinned mashed potatoes and Italian green beans! All the information you will need for this recipe can be found below! Thank you so much for watching today and please SUBSCRIBE. If you like organizing home and family, decorating, cooking and DIY videos this is the place for you!

***************************************************************** April Meal Planning Calendar: HERE Blank Meal Planning Calendar: HERE *****************************************************************
MEAT LOAF RECIPE
2 pkgs of meat loaf mix half of a green pepper chopped 1 small carrot chopped 1 quarter of onion chopped 2 cloves garlic 1 egg 1 1/2 cups of fresh bread crumbs 1 tablespoon parsley s/p tsp Mrs Dash 1/2 tsp basil 1/4 cup Romano cheese few dashes of Worcestershire sauce Big squirt of ketchup ;) In a large bowl mix by hand all of the ingredients until well combined. Separate into two equal loafs placed in a sprayed 9x13 pan and bake in a 375 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Check out the video for the full meal information. Thank you so much for visiting today! Please leave me a comment down below and let me know if you find the April Meal Calendar helpful or to just say Hello!

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