Crock Pot Tangy BBQ Sandwiches

This one is from my dear sister (who never comments on my blog-but I love her anyways ;-)

Crock Pot Tangy BBQ Sandwiches
3 c. celery, chopped
1 c. onions, chopped
1 c. ketchup
1 c. BBQ Sauce
1 c. water
2 T. vinegar
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. brown sugar
1 t. chili powder
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 boneless chuck roast (3-4lb), trimmed
14-18 hamburger buns
In a slow cooker, combine 1st 12 ingredients, mix well. Add meat. Cover and cook on high setting 6-7 hours or until tender. Remove roast; cool. Shred meat and return to sauce; heat through. Serve in buns. Makes 14-18 servings. FROM: Taste of Home. NOTE: This makes a lot and freezes well. The meat is pull apart tender! From: Lynda, September 2001

Hobby Lobby and Bed, Bath & Beyond Coupons

I am always surprised to find out how many people have not heard about coupons for these two stores, so I thought I'd post the info here.
Bed, Bath and Beyond: where we live this is a common place for girls to register for wedding gifts. They have a very nice collection of kitchen/household stuff. I have signed up for their mailing list and we regularly get 25% off and $5 off coupons in the mail. The part that most people don't realize is that they still accept coupons that have expired. (at least the stores I've been to do) I've used year old coupons there...so check with the store nearest you. It's a good place to buy nice stuff for gifts or your own home. They also accept coupons from Linens and Things (another local store). PLUS...you can use one coupon per item...so one time while shopping for wedding/shower gifts I walked in there and used six coupons at one time!!
Hobby Lobby is another great place to shop when you are in the market for a gift or household item. Sign up for their weekly email sales flyers and they send you a coupon to be used in store during that week. Often times it is for 40% off any regular priced item. This is a store that you NEVER have to pay full price in. They always are running half of the store on sale at 40%-50% off!! I LOVE to stop in an get fresh inspiration for our home.

Funny Phrases....

Ok...Andrew & Bee have recently made comments/references to "old tyme sayings" from their mothers or grandmothers and it has me thinking. What are some fun sayings you've grown up with and do you know the original meaning? One of the things I picked up from my Dad is the saying "Lord willing and the creek don't rise". I did a search on the phrase and realized there is actually a possible interpretation going around that is different to the obvious meaning of not being able to do something due to a stream of water rising and preventing your plans from taking place. Here is the alternate explanation...what do YOU think? Any fun sayings of your own?

Phrase
Lord willing and the Creek don't rise, Good Lord willing and the Creek don't rise
(colloquial, US) Barring unforeseen circumstances. This refers to the Creek Indians, not a small stream. "Creek" should be capitalized. Lord willing and the Creek don't rise, we'll have that new barn finished in time for the harvest.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Lord_willing_and_the_creek_don

OR~

"A professor based in Oklahoma contacted us about a phrase he wasn't certain was local: "I'll be there if the good Lord's willing and the Creeks don't rise." He was curious about whether the Creeks mentioned refer to (as he put it) "small, gentle waterways that become wide, fast-flowing rivers following strong rain storms, becoming difficult or impossible to cross," or (and we quote again) to "an Indian tribe which might become angry and rise up with weapons against the neighboring white settlers."
Although the powerful Creek confederacy did have some success in fighting, it wasn't any bellicosity on the part of those peoples that gave rise to today's phrase.
In fact, we've always heard the expression as, "The Lord willing and the crick don't rise." The pronunciation \CRIK\ belongs not to the Native American peoples (who were dubbed Creek by the settlers because of the impressive number of waterways running through their original lands), but to the name of the stream of water.
Should a crick (or creek) rise, bridges and fords may be flooded, making passage difficult if not impossible. So "the Lord willing and the creek don't rise" is a more conditional statement of intent than the categorical vow "come hell or high water." http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/wftwarch.pl?122603

Crock Pot Recipe - Turkey Ranchero

Ok Sarah, this is an EASY one...recipe #2: (I recently received a request for some of our favorite crock pot recipes from a dear friend (Bee) and her newlywed daughter (Mrs. Hart). So, for the next several days I will share some recipes from our family cookbook. ) If you have any recipes you would like to share with us...please post them on your web site and leave me a link under my "comments" section so we can all enjoy them!! Thanks!

Turkey Ranchero
1 1/2 lb Louis Rich Breast of turkey (or I'm sure you could use some leftover Thanksgiving turkey!!)
salt & pepper
1 can Enchilada sauce (or 1/2 c. water & 1 envelope enchilada sauce mix + 1 (6oz) can tomato paste)
2 c Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
1/2 c. yogurt or sour cream
1/4 c. each: green onions, chopped & sliced ripe olives
Slice turkey breast in 1/3” pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in electric slow cooker. Pour enchilada sauce over meat. Cover & cook on low 6 hours or until tender. Turn control to high and add cheese. Stir until cheese melts. To serve: spoon yogurt over each piece, sprinkle with onions & garnish with olives. Serves 6. (this one originally came from "Miss Renee" :-)

Crock Pot Recipe #1 - Peggy's Chicken

I recently received a request for some of our favorite crock pot recipes from a dear friend (Bee) and her newlywed daughter (Mrs. Hart). So, for the next several days I will share some recipes from our family cookbook. If you have any recipes you would like to share with us...please post them on your web site and leave me a link under my "comments" section so we can all enjoy them!! Thanks!

Thanks to Heidi, my sister-in-law for this family favorite! This one is easy and YUMMY!!!

Peggy’s Chicken ~ Crock Pot
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T. margarine or butter, melted
Salt & Pepper
2 T. dry Italian Salad dressing mix
1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup – undiluted
6 oz cream cheese, cut in cubes
1/2 c. wine-any kind (I use white)*
1 T. onion, chopped

Wash chicken & pat dry. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste. Place chicken in crock pot. Sprinkle dry salad dressing mix over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. About 45 minutes before serving, mix soup, cream cheese, wine and onion in a small sauce pan. Cook until smooth. Pour over chicken in pot. Cover and cook 30 minutes on low. Serve with rice, noodles or any type of potatoes. Makes 4 – 5 servings.
*I buy those small bottle of wine for cooking that come in a 4 pack. That way if I only need a small amount...I don't have to throw away a large bottle. I like the flavor wine gives in some recipes, but don't care for the taste to drink straight. :-) If you are oposed to using wine, you could try apple or other juice.

Crock Pot Recipe - Taco Soup

Another family favorite...

Crock Pot Chili Taco Soup
2 lbs ground beef
1 sm onion, chopped
1 (4oz) can green chilies, chopped
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
3 (14 1/2 oz) cans Rotel or regular stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 (15oz) can jalapeno (or regular) pinto beans, undrained
1 (15oz) can white hominy
1 envelop taco seasoning mix
1 envelop dry Ranch dressing mix
1 1/2 c. water
Brown ground beef with the onion and green chilies in large skillet. Drain the fat if necessary. Place all ingredients in crock-pot and cook all day on low. Serve with corn bread.

John Kerry...shamefully amazing...

This picture is worth 1,000 words!