Home's Warm Glow

Have you ever noticed that warm glow as you pass by homes this time of year? After the time change, even my trip home shortly after 5 o'clock requires headlights. As I leave town and wind my way out Highway 12, the street lights disappear and the countryside is dark. But every home has a few lights on, illuminated for those inside already home, or welcoming those who've yet to arrive. Along the lake the reflections of lights double the pleasure. It's a warm, homey feeling seeing the glow though the windows. Inside families are gathering for dinner. Home is our haven, our nest, our castle. It's that place where we can be ourselves with those we hold most dear, our family.

If you have something in the Crockpot, then dinner is waiting on you. Gourmet cooks out there, cover your ears...I am about to give the recipe for Crockpot Roast. It's delicious and has loads of gravy to put on fluffy mashed potatoes or rice. This is Paula Deen's recipe out of her first cookbook "The Lady and Sons," but if you look in any church cookbook ever published you will find an almost identical recipe. It's just down home good and your family will think it took great skills to turn out such a tender roast. Whoever invented the Crockpot, Thank You from the bottom of my Grandma heart!

Crockpot Roast1 (3-pound) boneless chuck roast
1 1/2 teaspoons House seasoning, recipe follows
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 bay leaves
3 or 4 beef bouillon cubes, crushed
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup Chardonnay
Sprinkle roast on all sides with house seasoning. Using a skillet over high heat, sear roast until brown in oil. Place roast in a slow cooker, and layer onions, bay leaves, crushed bouillon cubes, garlic, and cream of mushroom soup. Add the Chardonnay and cover with enough water to cover all of the ingredients. Cook on the low setting for 8 hours.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months
Printable Recipe

I hope no one's facing any surgery, but this group of singing anesthesiologist on YouTube cracked me up! Thanks to my sister-in-law Terry for passing this along!

Have a great weekend...



How to Make a Penny Oink

I used to clip coupons, I used to buy bulk, but now I shop a little differently to save money. We are lucky to have a "company store" where we're able to buy our protein. We are a family of 2, yet when I buy my chicken or beef or pork, it comes in a 20 lb. case. I bring it home, package it up and put it down in the freezer. I have my Mom's buying traits, buy often and buy plenty... just in case there is a famine! For the rest of my list, I shop Sam's Club, Walmart and Aldi. But not in that order. Forty years of shopping and I've learned a few tricks. After all, we had a budget of only $10 a week when we first married 40 years ago!

 Aldi runs ads every week and it will be tucked into your Sunday or Wednesday paper. They always have next week's at the door as you check out, to tempt you to come back!

 

The first thing you need when entering an Aldi is a quarter. This is my "Aldi Quarter" that I keep in the ash tray of my Santa Fe!

Insert it into the slot and ta-da, the cart is now yours to use for your shopping. This encourages you to take it back to the buggy rack and keeps costs down.

One of the things you will notice first off is how fresh the produce is... 

The prices will shock you, sometimes half what other stores advertise.

They proudly post information about their dairies being free of growth hormones.

Butter, cream, yogurt and cheese...even gourmet cheeses!

 Ask your Aldi manager and he'll share with you that Tyson provides all their meat... beef, pork and chicken, even deli meat!

 Not every canned item that you need for a recipe, but the basics.

 Aldi even has a great selection of organic products now. I read they were the first grocery chain to introduce organic!

 If you keep your eyes peeled and read labels, you'll find some wonderful gourmet foods. Olive oils, balsamic vinegar, coffees and teas from regions of the world that sell for much more at upscale groceries.

Basic cleaning supplies that work every bit as good as name brand and cost so much less.

You'll be saving money around every corner! Now comes the catch, you knew there would be a catch didn't you? When you get to the checkout, you'll see a sign...

 

Please don't be afraid, you can do it! It doesn't have to be in any order, just pile it on. Well...don't pile cans of tomato juice on top of the eggs or you'll be sorry. But put it up on the belt in an orderly fashion. By now you will notice the bags under the counter provided for you for a paltry sum. Remember, this is all  about cost cutting!

 For $1.99 Aldi sells a gigantic reusable bag that can carry a weeks groceries and I've even used these to move heavy items from my house to my daughter's house!

By now you can see the checker. He will be busy scanning and placing your groceries back in another cart that you will take over to a bagging area. I just take the cart out to my car, and leisurely sack my stash.

I forgot to tell you about their Belguim chocolate. They carry a premium line of milk, dark and 70% cocoa bars that are out of this world! Godiva good. Eat in the car good. Skip dinner good.

 So, if you have an Aldi in your neck of the woods plan a trip as soon as possible. Don't forget your "Aldi Quarter!"