pot roast, mashed potatoes, gravy and carrots

I seriously need to take more pics when I post over here...

today I knew was going to be a very busy day and so I planned on a crock pot roast cooking all day...
and it was delicious...

at the commissary where we shop, they have these "mock tri tip" roasts and they are so tender and so yummy and most times I use it as a pot roast and cook it all day in onion soup mix in the crock pot and it comes out so tender you do not need a knife...

threw some carrots in towards the end of cooking...was going to just make boiled potatoes also, but my 9 year old wanted mashed and that is what I did and for some reason they were the best mashed I have ever made...mashed potatoes used to scare me and for some time I relied on instant...(yuck, now) but I over time have really gotten to come into my own with making potatoes...and they are so easy too...

I use red potatoes, boiled till tender and they throw them into the kitchen aid and whisk them with 1/2 block of cream cheese, couple of spoons of sour cream, a little butter, garlic salt and pepper then after all creamed together, I add one handful of instant potatoes in to help bind it all together...

yummy dinner

and thank goodness I made extra, enough to send home with the littles...(they had a ready made dinner)

sloppy joes

since I am trying to be a good girl and make dinner as many nights as I can, and being at school so much, I have to be one night ahead every night so that I am prepared...
this is pretty easy to get together for a school night...

sloppy joes and I use the McCormick's seasoning mix, my family loves it and made tator bites and corn...

everyone was happy tonight...

meatball and pasta soup (easy)

after a Disney packed 2 days with grandkids, this fit the bill for an easy dinner...

8 cups of water, 2 pkgs of beef stew seasoning mix, add frozen meatballs and cook to a boil, add 1/2 pkg noodles of other desired pasta, and any frozen veggies (I always add peas, tonight I added carrots...)

makes a big pot and tonight, it is all gone...

what is for january? (everyday food holidays)

http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/March/clamshalfshellday.htm<<<

Bread Machine Baking Month
National Candy Month
National Egg Month
National Hot Tea Month
National Meat Month
National Oatmeal Month
National Soup Month
National Wheat Bread Month
Prune Breakfast Month
National Pizza Week	Second Week
National Meat Week	Fourth Week
National Irish Coffee Week	Fourth Week
Bloody Mary Day	January 1
Apple Gifting Day	January 1
National Cream Puff Day	January 2
Chocolate-Covered Cherry Day	January 3
National Spaghetti Day	January 4
National Whipped Cream Day	January 5
Bean Day	January 6
National Shortbread Day	January 6
National Tempura Day	January 7
English Toffee Day	January 8
National Apricot Day	January 9
Bittersweet Chocolate Day	January 10
Milk Day	January 11
Hot Toddy Day	January 11
Curried Chicken Day	January 12
National Peach Melba Day	January 13
National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day	January 14
Strawberry Ice Cream Day	January 15
National Fig Newton Day	January 16
International Hot & Spicy Food Day	January 16
Hot-Buttered Rum Day	January 17
Peking Duck Day	January 18
National Popcorn Day	January 19
National Buttercrunch Day	January 20
National Cheese Lover's Day	January 20
National Granola Bar Day	January 20
New England Clam Chowder Day	January 21
National Blonde Brownie Day	January 22
National Rhubarb Pie Day	January 23
National Peanut Butter Day	January 24
Lobster Thermidor Day	January 24
National Irish Coffee Day	January 25
National Pistachio Day	January 26
Chocolate Cake Day	January 27
National Blueberry Pancake Day	January 28
National Corn Chip Day	January 29
National Croissant Day	January 30
Brandy Alexander Day	January 31

breakfast for dinner

I had some sausage that I needed to use and so I made fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, sausage links and biscuits...everyone seemed to like it well enough, even though hubby does not like this kind of dinner...I also notice he got seconds...


nice change of pace for once...

roast turkey and cornbread dressing dinner

I usually do not make a big dinner on New Year's Day but we had an extra turkey in the freezer...I did not make Thanksgiving dinner as I usually do since I had bronchitis (we went to Pechanga an Indian casino, known for their great buffets...)
so today?
   roast turkey
   mashed potatoes
   cornbread and sausage dressing
   broccoli
   gravy
   pumpkin bread
   apple pie

for my dressing (cause everyone has their own recipe)  I use cornbread, cranberries, granny smith apples, onion, celery, melted butter, seasonings and chicken broth...this is the one my family loves...
oh almost forgot the sausage...in years past, we always used breakfast but today I decided to use Italian sausage and it worked rather well...

Salted peanut chews

http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/salted-peanut-chews/d388e477-da50-448f-b5b0-ef3c479812ea?src=SH


I have made these for years, since they first came out but back then, you made the base yourself so it was a little time consuming...
this version calls for the refrigerated sugar cookie dough as your base and then you build the cookie...

this is Tim's favorite cookies and I decided to surprise him with them on NYE, since I have not made them in a couple of years...
he said it brought back tons of childhood memories when eating them...

try them please, you will not be disappointed

Happy New Year's with cheese fondue

fabulous recipe that I have been making for years now and mostly everyone loves it (hubby does not...)
basically my recipe is:

make a roux with 6 tbs butter melted...add 6 tbs of flour and cook off the flour taste, then add 3 cups of milk and seasonings...I add garlic salt and pepper...

cook till thick and then add your choice of cheeses, stir till melted...and voila you are done...

we like it with:
  wheat thins
  crusty bread
  mixed raw veggies
  little smokies...

Tim and I said we should make this our New Year's Eve tradition...