A Slow Cooker Thanksgiving
11 months ago
Friday, February 3, 2017
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Homemade ice cream
So I tried this homemade ice cream recipe last week and it was actually good, so I though I'd share.
Magic Vanilla Ice Cream
Yields: 1 quart
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 ounce white chocolate chips (Ghirordeli Classic White Chips)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/4 cup of sour cream
1 1/4 cups of heavy cream
Microwave sweetened condensed milk and white chocolate in large bowl until chocolate melts. Stir every 40 seconds. Let cool. Stir in vanilla, salt and sour cream.
Mix your heavy whipping cream on high {freeze bowl and whisk for an hour or two to before hand} until stiff peeks form {3 or so minutes}. Whisk some of the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture until incorporated and then gently fold the rest of the whipped cream in. Place in an airtight container and freeze 6 hours before serving.
I made chocolate ice cream by adding about 1/4 cup of Hershey syrup.
I was a little leery with adding sour cream but it actually turned out really good. It was smooth and creamy. A single batch was enough for Chuck, Chase, CheyAnn and I all to have a bowl.
Magic Vanilla Ice Cream
Yields: 1 quart
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 ounce white chocolate chips (Ghirordeli Classic White Chips)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/4 cup of sour cream
1 1/4 cups of heavy cream
Microwave sweetened condensed milk and white chocolate in large bowl until chocolate melts. Stir every 40 seconds. Let cool. Stir in vanilla, salt and sour cream.
Mix your heavy whipping cream on high {freeze bowl and whisk for an hour or two to before hand} until stiff peeks form {3 or so minutes}. Whisk some of the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture until incorporated and then gently fold the rest of the whipped cream in. Place in an airtight container and freeze 6 hours before serving.
I made chocolate ice cream by adding about 1/4 cup of Hershey syrup.
I was a little leery with adding sour cream but it actually turned out really good. It was smooth and creamy. A single batch was enough for Chuck, Chase, CheyAnn and I all to have a bowl.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Menu Monday (so it's a day late)
Busy week so lots of crock pot cooking
Monday - Mexican Chicken in the crock pot
3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
2 cups rice
1 can Mexican corn
1 jar salsa
Put it all in the crock pot in order listed. I added about 1 cup of water to make sure it stayed moist since I wasn't home to keep an eye on it. Unfortunately all I had was minute rice, I should have left it out and cooked it on the stove top and added some salsa to it for flavor at the end, it got a little mushy cooking in the crock pot all day. Usually I use the other rice that takes 30 minutes to cook on the stove top and it turns out fine in the crock pot.
Tuesday - Chili (simmering in the crock pot)
Wednesday - Beef Stew (crock pot)
Thursday - Turkey breast (crock pot) with mashed potatoes/gravy and green beans
Friday - Leftovers or eat out
Saturday - Cabbage rolls (double batch for the freezer)
Sunday - Finish off leftovers
Next week
Monday - Spaghetti
Tuesday - Clam Chowder with bread bowls
Wednesday - Tacos
Thursday - Homemade Pizzas
Friday - Leftovers or eat out
Saturday - Fish and fries
Sunday - Leftovers
Monday - Mexican Chicken in the crock pot
3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
2 cups rice
1 can Mexican corn
1 jar salsa
Put it all in the crock pot in order listed. I added about 1 cup of water to make sure it stayed moist since I wasn't home to keep an eye on it. Unfortunately all I had was minute rice, I should have left it out and cooked it on the stove top and added some salsa to it for flavor at the end, it got a little mushy cooking in the crock pot all day. Usually I use the other rice that takes 30 minutes to cook on the stove top and it turns out fine in the crock pot.
Tuesday - Chili (simmering in the crock pot)
Wednesday - Beef Stew (crock pot)
Thursday - Turkey breast (crock pot) with mashed potatoes/gravy and green beans
Friday - Leftovers or eat out
Saturday - Cabbage rolls (double batch for the freezer)
Sunday - Finish off leftovers
Next week
Monday - Spaghetti
Tuesday - Clam Chowder with bread bowls
Wednesday - Tacos
Thursday - Homemade Pizzas
Friday - Leftovers or eat out
Saturday - Fish and fries
Sunday - Leftovers
Monday, January 4, 2010
Wow it's 2010 already...
It's been a while since I've updated this blog. Not sure why, lots of stuff has been going on. At least with the kids, they keep us running.
Chase is playing basketball again this year and loving every minute of it. He is playing on two teams in three different leagues. One is his select team he played on last year, they are playing in two different leagues and are 8-0 (10 to go) in one league 6-0 (4 to go) in the other. The other team is his school's 4th grade team and they start their games this coming weekend (13 to g0). 41 regular season games in 3 months time, then tournaments for both teams start in March. Then his select team is going to play AAU tournaments in April-June. So needless to say the boy eats, drinks, and sleeps basketball. But he is still getting all A's in school so he's handling it well. He has practice 4 nights a week and then games all weekend.
CheyAnn is playing basketball also and seems to want to take the same path as Chase. She's already asking us to let her tryout for the girls team in the select club that Chase plays for next year (can't start until 3rd grade). She's playing Upward Basketball again this year at a small local church. It's a good program but not competitive enough. Her schedule is easy 1 practice 1 hour a week and then 1 game on Saturday mornings for 7 weeks. She also is doing well in school, she has to work a little harder than Chase does but she is maintaining A's in all her classes.
Alyssa just moved into yet another apartment. It's a nice new complex. She's working at Wright Patterson Air Force Base as an administrative assistant to a Major as well as going to Wright State University where she's working hard to graduate in May 2011. Wright Patt will be opening a new Rehab Center in 2012 and she's hoping that by having a student job now that will open doors for her to get hired at the Rehab Center when they open. She's doing her undergrad in Rehabilitation Services and will do her masters in Speech Therapy. So even when she does graduate next year she will still have 2 more years to go to complete her program.
We redid Chase and CheyAnn's bedrooms in October, new paint, new flooring, curtains and bedding. And new to CheyAnn furniture in her room, we gave her a nice bedroom set from Chuck's dad's house. And believe it or not their rooms are still clean. I also cleaned up some old computers we got from Chuck's dad's house and set them up in both their rooms this past weekend so they are both enjoying that luxury for the time being. I told them that all I have to do is press one button and the Internet can be gone quicker than it came. I have parental controls set up so that they can only get to sites contained in the approved by mom list. Which at this point is only a handful. We are getting ready to redo our bedroom hopefully it will be done in the next few weeks. I'm still trying to decide on paint color and if I want wood floors or carpet. We did wood floors with area rugs in the kids rooms and they look really nice.
Not much else going on, I'm still menu planning and coupon clipping. I usually save at least $20 a week using coupons which has really helped since gas prices are creeping back up on us. Not to mention paying admission to all of Chase's basketball games.
I hope 2010 brings you all much happiness and good health.
S:)
Chase is playing basketball again this year and loving every minute of it. He is playing on two teams in three different leagues. One is his select team he played on last year, they are playing in two different leagues and are 8-0 (10 to go) in one league 6-0 (4 to go) in the other. The other team is his school's 4th grade team and they start their games this coming weekend (13 to g0). 41 regular season games in 3 months time, then tournaments for both teams start in March. Then his select team is going to play AAU tournaments in April-June. So needless to say the boy eats, drinks, and sleeps basketball. But he is still getting all A's in school so he's handling it well. He has practice 4 nights a week and then games all weekend.
CheyAnn is playing basketball also and seems to want to take the same path as Chase. She's already asking us to let her tryout for the girls team in the select club that Chase plays for next year (can't start until 3rd grade). She's playing Upward Basketball again this year at a small local church. It's a good program but not competitive enough. Her schedule is easy 1 practice 1 hour a week and then 1 game on Saturday mornings for 7 weeks. She also is doing well in school, she has to work a little harder than Chase does but she is maintaining A's in all her classes.
Alyssa just moved into yet another apartment. It's a nice new complex. She's working at Wright Patterson Air Force Base as an administrative assistant to a Major as well as going to Wright State University where she's working hard to graduate in May 2011. Wright Patt will be opening a new Rehab Center in 2012 and she's hoping that by having a student job now that will open doors for her to get hired at the Rehab Center when they open. She's doing her undergrad in Rehabilitation Services and will do her masters in Speech Therapy. So even when she does graduate next year she will still have 2 more years to go to complete her program.
We redid Chase and CheyAnn's bedrooms in October, new paint, new flooring, curtains and bedding. And new to CheyAnn furniture in her room, we gave her a nice bedroom set from Chuck's dad's house. And believe it or not their rooms are still clean. I also cleaned up some old computers we got from Chuck's dad's house and set them up in both their rooms this past weekend so they are both enjoying that luxury for the time being. I told them that all I have to do is press one button and the Internet can be gone quicker than it came. I have parental controls set up so that they can only get to sites contained in the approved by mom list. Which at this point is only a handful. We are getting ready to redo our bedroom hopefully it will be done in the next few weeks. I'm still trying to decide on paint color and if I want wood floors or carpet. We did wood floors with area rugs in the kids rooms and they look really nice.
Not much else going on, I'm still menu planning and coupon clipping. I usually save at least $20 a week using coupons which has really helped since gas prices are creeping back up on us. Not to mention paying admission to all of Chase's basketball games.
I hope 2010 brings you all much happiness and good health.
S:)
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Cornbread Taco Bake (at least that's what I'm calling it)...
So I made a new concoction last night that was a hit at the Billet house. I'd been reading recipes online trying to find something different that my kids would eat. I read one where they made sloppy joes and baked it with cornbread on top. Maybe. Then I read a taco salad type recipe. Maybe. Then it came time to make dinner last night and I couldn't find the recipe for the taco cornbread that I read. Which it turns out I never read since it was actually two different recipes to begin with.
Here's what I made:
Ground beef with taco seasoning.
Added to it:
1 can of Northern Beans (drained and rinsed)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup salsa
In a 9X13 pan I crumbled 4 packages of snack size fritos, added the meat mixture to the top and then 1 package of shredded cheese (2 cups). Then I used 1 box of Jiffy cornbread (mixed according to package) and put dollops of the cornbread all over the cheese. Baked at 350 for about 20 minutes. The cornbread spread out to fill the whole pan.
Served it with shredded lettuce, sour cream and salsa.
So easy and it was a huge hit. Both kids asked what the beans were (they aren't bean eaters) and I told them just to eat 3 bites to try it before asking questions. Chase did and he loved it and said that the beans were good with the taco meat and had 2 servings. CheyAnn still trying to figure out if they were macaroni or potatoes, decided she wasn't hungry and didn't want anything. When she realized there was homemade peach cobbler and ice cream for dessert she took her 3 bites and ended up eating it all and said it was good and next time can she have extra cheese on hers.
Here's what I made:
Ground beef with taco seasoning.
Added to it:
1 can of Northern Beans (drained and rinsed)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup salsa
In a 9X13 pan I crumbled 4 packages of snack size fritos, added the meat mixture to the top and then 1 package of shredded cheese (2 cups). Then I used 1 box of Jiffy cornbread (mixed according to package) and put dollops of the cornbread all over the cheese. Baked at 350 for about 20 minutes. The cornbread spread out to fill the whole pan.
Served it with shredded lettuce, sour cream and salsa.
So easy and it was a huge hit. Both kids asked what the beans were (they aren't bean eaters) and I told them just to eat 3 bites to try it before asking questions. Chase did and he loved it and said that the beans were good with the taco meat and had 2 servings. CheyAnn still trying to figure out if they were macaroni or potatoes, decided she wasn't hungry and didn't want anything. When she realized there was homemade peach cobbler and ice cream for dessert she took her 3 bites and ended up eating it all and said it was good and next time can she have extra cheese on hers.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Menu.. Money...
I do a Menu Monday, but my own menu plans typically go Sunday-Saturday.
But anyway here is my menu for the week:
Sunday: Dinner at mom and dad's (celebrating Chuck's birthday a few days late)
We had two different kinds of wings, homemade potato chips, and macaroni salad, with ice cream cake for dessert.
Monday: Taco Pizza
Tuesday: Cheesy chicken and rice
Wednesday: Roast in crock pot with potatoes, carrots and whatever other veggies I have on hand to throw in. Sourdough bread
Thursday: Chicken and wild rice soup with sourdough bread (hopefully there will be some left from day before)
Friday: Individual pizzas on tortilla shells.
Saturday: Clean out the fridge night.
I read this article on line a while ago written by someone whose name I can't remember on budgeting. Anyway the article said to put cash in envelopes for your weekly/monthly expenses and to only pay with cash, when the cash was gone then you were done until the next week/month. Since I've finally gotten things under control and am actually caught up for a change I thought we'd try this system out for a few months and see how it goes. We haven't used our credit cards in a LONG time except for emergencies, which we've had a few of the past few months, but they are still at a manageable amount.
So here's what we are trying
Chuck $80 (for gas, lunches, etc)
Shelly $80 (for gas, lunches, etc)
Groceries $100 (food, household supplies, first aid)
Kids $20 (snacks at ball games, treats at store, friend parties)
Entertainment $50 (admission to ball games, eating out, any other family activity)
Clothing $25
We started this on Friday and so far we are over in our entertainment envelope by almost $40. But at the last minute Chuck and I went out Friday night so we hadn't planned for it (and had to pay a sitter). We also celebrated Chase's touchdown in his game on Saturday by eating out with friends afterwards. I bought groceries on Sunday and spent less than $70 so I'm under so far there, so hopefully by the end of the week it will all even out. The clothing budget for this week will be combined with next weeks to buy CheyAnn a couple pair of jeans for school. I got Chase's last weekend so now I need to get hers.
I have to learn to say no to last minute things when I know we don't have the money to spend at that time. But we had such a good time that I'll probably say yes at the last minute next time. LOL!!!
But anyway here is my menu for the week:
Sunday: Dinner at mom and dad's (celebrating Chuck's birthday a few days late)
We had two different kinds of wings, homemade potato chips, and macaroni salad, with ice cream cake for dessert.
Monday: Taco Pizza
Tuesday: Cheesy chicken and rice
Wednesday: Roast in crock pot with potatoes, carrots and whatever other veggies I have on hand to throw in. Sourdough bread
Thursday: Chicken and wild rice soup with sourdough bread (hopefully there will be some left from day before)
Friday: Individual pizzas on tortilla shells.
Saturday: Clean out the fridge night.
I read this article on line a while ago written by someone whose name I can't remember on budgeting. Anyway the article said to put cash in envelopes for your weekly/monthly expenses and to only pay with cash, when the cash was gone then you were done until the next week/month. Since I've finally gotten things under control and am actually caught up for a change I thought we'd try this system out for a few months and see how it goes. We haven't used our credit cards in a LONG time except for emergencies, which we've had a few of the past few months, but they are still at a manageable amount.
So here's what we are trying
Chuck $80 (for gas, lunches, etc)
Shelly $80 (for gas, lunches, etc)
Groceries $100 (food, household supplies, first aid)
Kids $20 (snacks at ball games, treats at store, friend parties)
Entertainment $50 (admission to ball games, eating out, any other family activity)
Clothing $25
We started this on Friday and so far we are over in our entertainment envelope by almost $40. But at the last minute Chuck and I went out Friday night so we hadn't planned for it (and had to pay a sitter). We also celebrated Chase's touchdown in his game on Saturday by eating out with friends afterwards. I bought groceries on Sunday and spent less than $70 so I'm under so far there, so hopefully by the end of the week it will all even out. The clothing budget for this week will be combined with next weeks to buy CheyAnn a couple pair of jeans for school. I got Chase's last weekend so now I need to get hers.
I have to learn to say no to last minute things when I know we don't have the money to spend at that time. But we had such a good time that I'll probably say yes at the last minute next time. LOL!!!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Hmmmm....
Dealing with lots of family stress isn't good on the ole' pocketbook.
Who calls it a pocketbook anymore???
Getting back on track with our budget this week, spent the last week getting caught up on bills. Some days I think it would be easier just to let them foreclose on our house and file for bankruptcy. Then we could just start over. But with both of us working for government contractors doing that would also mean we'd lose our jobs, because we'd probably lose our security clearances and without those we couldn't work the contracts we work on. And the last thing I want to do right now is try to find another job, so I think we'll keep on keeping on month to month. I need for the president to send some stimulus money my way to help boost my family's economy.
We've spent way over on our food and gas budget the past few months with all the extra driving and eating out we've done. Plus with the new school year and the school fees, school pictures, football pictures, and whatever else I've forgotten about, being due that also puts a little dent in the checkbook. I really need to learn to put these things into my budget so I actually have money to pay for them every September.
The kids have been finding hidden treasures in Chuck's dad's house as we've been cleaning up, which means added clutter at my house. I've found a years worth of cleaning and paper products and a lifetime supply of light bulbs. I kid you not I won't have to buy paper plates for a long time. The next thing I'm going to tackle is their storage closest with all the gift wrap and greeting cards. I gotta get all my clorox wipes and lysol spray stored away and find a place to store wrapping paper and party supplies before I go through that closet.
With both Chuck's dad and step mom passing away so close together this has been a huge wake up call for me to get my house in order. They had important papers all over the place and some documents are still missing. I too have important papers all over the place and I am determined to get them all filed away in my nice big 4 drawer filing cabinet that right now is full of crap that I hide away when company is coming.
We are starting this weekend by pulling everything out of our shed and taking all the totes of kids clothes to Goodwill, you know the ones I've been saving for 3 years for a yard sale that I've never had. I'm going to let them bless someone else. I have Christmas stuff in every corner and I'm going to get it all together and in one spot along with the pitching machine, bikes, and whatever other sporting equipment is out there. Once it is organized I'm going to put the stuff piled by my front door that's been waiting for space in the shed, in the shed finally. But first I'm going to go through it again and see if I can get rid of more of it, I'm sure I can. Plus I have to go through it to find the fleece I bought to make blankets for Christmas gifts so I can get started on them and have them out of the way before Christmas Eve.
Have a good weekend.
S:)
Who calls it a pocketbook anymore???
Getting back on track with our budget this week, spent the last week getting caught up on bills. Some days I think it would be easier just to let them foreclose on our house and file for bankruptcy. Then we could just start over. But with both of us working for government contractors doing that would also mean we'd lose our jobs, because we'd probably lose our security clearances and without those we couldn't work the contracts we work on. And the last thing I want to do right now is try to find another job, so I think we'll keep on keeping on month to month. I need for the president to send some stimulus money my way to help boost my family's economy.
We've spent way over on our food and gas budget the past few months with all the extra driving and eating out we've done. Plus with the new school year and the school fees, school pictures, football pictures, and whatever else I've forgotten about, being due that also puts a little dent in the checkbook. I really need to learn to put these things into my budget so I actually have money to pay for them every September.
The kids have been finding hidden treasures in Chuck's dad's house as we've been cleaning up, which means added clutter at my house. I've found a years worth of cleaning and paper products and a lifetime supply of light bulbs. I kid you not I won't have to buy paper plates for a long time. The next thing I'm going to tackle is their storage closest with all the gift wrap and greeting cards. I gotta get all my clorox wipes and lysol spray stored away and find a place to store wrapping paper and party supplies before I go through that closet.
With both Chuck's dad and step mom passing away so close together this has been a huge wake up call for me to get my house in order. They had important papers all over the place and some documents are still missing. I too have important papers all over the place and I am determined to get them all filed away in my nice big 4 drawer filing cabinet that right now is full of crap that I hide away when company is coming.
We are starting this weekend by pulling everything out of our shed and taking all the totes of kids clothes to Goodwill, you know the ones I've been saving for 3 years for a yard sale that I've never had. I'm going to let them bless someone else. I have Christmas stuff in every corner and I'm going to get it all together and in one spot along with the pitching machine, bikes, and whatever other sporting equipment is out there. Once it is organized I'm going to put the stuff piled by my front door that's been waiting for space in the shed, in the shed finally. But first I'm going to go through it again and see if I can get rid of more of it, I'm sure I can. Plus I have to go through it to find the fleece I bought to make blankets for Christmas gifts so I can get started on them and have them out of the way before Christmas Eve.
Have a good weekend.
S:)