oh boy!

I found a blog that I'm pretty excited about. I realize that I strayed from out topic of conversation for the week, the slow cooker, but I've re-commited myself! check this out! A year of crockpotting she's got some fantastic looking recipes and I'm convinced I'm not using my oven again until at least next week!

My hubby my hero

So Cord got creative tonight and thought he'd make it a little easier for everyone to navigate through my blog...look on the bottom right-hand corner and you'll find two arrows. the "down" arrow will take you to my music so you can turn it off or pause it, or simply change the song; the "up" arrow will take you to the top of my blog again. Wow!!! Isn't he amazing? Swoon!

The Ottley family

So here is Cord's family...we finally got this picture converted from RAW (don't ask me what that stands for, it's photo talk) and I'm excited that we finally have it!

ask and ye shall receive...

so...no heads on the chopping block for this one;SLoW CooKEr OaTmeAL it's a work in progress, but it's yummy, healthy, and hot in the morning without having to do anything except scoop it out! I made this recipe up so here it goes...(like my yummy stock photo by the way?)

5 cups skim milk (yes you can use rice or soy)
1 cup rolled (not quick) oats. If you have the "church issue" make sure they're rolled, otherwise, put some in a 1 gallon zip lock bag and go over them with a rolling pin a few times.
1/4 to 1/3 c brown sugar (to taste) you can also use xylotol, stevia, or honey, but honey will get sticky
1 T butter, melted
1/2 t cinnamon
splash of nutmeg (if you're a fan)
1/4 t salt
1 apple sliced and peeled if you wish

mix all together and set slow cooker on low and let 'er rip for 8-9 hours! serve with extra milk if needed and/or brown sugar for taste. Good luck! There are also some great health food whole grain cereal mixes I've recently come upon that you can successfully cook in the slow cooker....a great way to start the day! I think this might be my theme for the week (or month depending on how busy I am).

a new friend

So I got this little baby a few weeks before Thanksgiving and I have to say I absolutely love it! I bought it at Williams Sonoma and here are a few reasons why it is the best slow cooker in my opinion. It has a non-stick surface on the insert that everything just slides right out of, including a rice concoction that I left too long in the slow cooker. I enjoy the 20 hour low function that it has, so I could essentially do a roast all night and all day for ultimate tenderness. My favorite feature (besides the easy cleanup and sleek look) is that the insert is aluminum with cast iron baked on so I can sear my roasts or cook my sofrito (onions, celery, carrots) before I put them into my dish without dirtying another pan! I was telling a friend this morning how much I love my slow cooker and promising her that I don't get a percentage of sales from this product nor do I own Williams Sonoma stock (although I should with how much I shop there!). I love to incorporate at least two slow cooker meals into my weekly menu and I have friends who are much more creative with their slow cookers than I but anyway, just a little sharing...from me to you! Happy cooking!

So long christmas decorations??

I'm sad that it's time already to take down the Christmas decor. It adds an ambiance (said with a french accent) that simply disappears after it's gone. I think we should vote in a Valentines Day tree or something! I know my family would love to re-decorate the tree with monthly themes... anyone, anyone? Anyway, that's what I'm doing today, taking down the magic. I guess the blessing in all of it is that we can carry the spirit of Christmas and Christ-like love and charity all year long without a Christmas tree in our family rooms. No pictures, it's too depressing...so I posted the cute video of Rachy sledding so we can all be cheered up by that after reading this post!

More snow fun

So here is Rachel enjoying the snow...and I'm playing the part of sledding instructor! those round discs are slippery little things! WARNING- Stop my music while you watch, my sweet husband added some music to the video just for effect!