Sunday, December 29, 2013

Udderly Smooth~{Mosaic Review}

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MOOOOve on over current lotion? Okay I couldn’t resist.  I was given the opportunity to review Udderly Smooth® creams by Mosaic Reviews..  I have to admit when I first saw this product a few years ago I was intrigued by the cute cow print, however I was not happy with the name.  Where would you get a name like Udder Cream?  Well it was first developed for use on the bovine community.  Developed by a pharmacist and made in the United States for over 30 years, Udderly Smooth® claims to be “not our average moisturizer”.  Does it hold up to this?  Read on to see.
     I have used the same lotion for the past few years.  Having Thyroid Disease my skin is extremely dry.  When you add to that being a wife and mother my hands are in and out of water all day.  My feet do not hold up to the cold temperatures either.  Now cold for us isn't like Alaska cold or anything, but it is cold for us. 
     When I find a lotion that I like I buy a bunch of it to last a while.  I have been using an Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin lotion for about 3 years now.  In order to make it a fair trial for Udderly Smooth® I thought I would use my ordinary lotion on one side of my body and then Udderly Smooth® on the other.    I have to say that it was a pretty fair comparison.  Here is what I discovered about this product:
It is not greasy

Has a very creamy consistency
You need to use a lot less

It last a long time

It helps to soothe or heal dry skin as well as moisturize it

It has a light clean fragrance, however comes in a fragrance free formula too

When compared to my lotions and creams of the past this stuff works the same or better.  I think overall it is a better product just because it is not petroleum based so it is not greasy.  
I think that other than the fragrance I love this stuff!  As my hubby would say I like the "foo foo" scented lotions. I love cucumber, vanilla and lavendar.  The scent of this is not bad and it is light so it isn’t like you would clear out a room, or have others wondering what the smell is when you walk in. 
What did I receive?  I received and 8oz tub of foot cream (with shea butter), 12 oz tub of body cream, 4 oz tube, 2 oz tube and some samples.   I now carry the 2oz one in my purse.  It is just the perfect size!  I keep the foot cream by my bed and put it on when crawl into bed.
The real test!  Like I said before I have Thyroid Disease and it claims the softness of my feet at times, even in the warmer months.  Using Udderly Smooth® foot cream one time reduced the dryness of my heals almost completely in one application!  You would assume that it would work pretty well when it is recommended for diabetic foot care!  You can read about their claims on Onocology and Diabetic skin care here. 
Where can you get  Udderly Smooth® ?  It is sold at many major retailors like Krogers and Walmart.  You can check out a complete list here.  They also take orders from their website and you can have it delivered to your door!  Check out http://www.udderlysmooth.com/order.shtml to order yours today!   On their website they sell for $4.00 for the 2 oz tube up to  $8.75 for a 32 oz bottle with a $7.00 surcharge for shipping and handling in the US.  To purchase at the store your prices are going to vary depending on what store you purchase it at.    
You can download coupons from this link

Check out what my friends are also saying about  Udderly Smooth® at Mosaic Reviews by clicking here.

Check out   Udderly Smooth®
                 Website     

 

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Hello Fresh {Mosaic Review}

Hello Fresh subscription grocery delivery service is here!  Thanks to Mosaic Reviews for giving me  the opportunity to check them out.  You can check out Hello Fresh too! Then you can have meals brought to your door.   They have made the recipes, done your grocery shopping and packed it all in an insulated cooler box shipped to your front door!
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Where do they get their ingredients? They are not certified  organic however they do look for the freshest ingredients. Click here to see their suppliers.
Read on from their website:
Where Our Ingredients Come From
Quality
We want our customers to be able to make restaurant-quality food in their own home. One of the key ways we make sure this is possible it by providing varied, high-quality ingredients that are packed with flavor. We use reliable, quality-controlled suppliers that regularly provide ingredients to the finest restaurants and whose products are not widely available in supermarkets.
Location
We work with trusted, local suppliers, and we try to use as few imported, non-local ingredients as possible. We believe that knowing who and where we get our meat, fish and produce from is the only way to guarantee quality.
Seasonality
We design our recipes to incorporate seasonal products whenever possible. This has environmental benefits, but most importantly means your meals are that much more delicious.
How do they compare? 
They have compared their Classic meal box for two people, with the cost of getting the same ingredients delivered for each dish from leading supermarket chains.
HelloFresh value comparison

What exactly do you get?
  Hello fresh offers two box types with gift card options as well.

The Veggie Box                                                                                   The Classic Box


Veggie BoxClassic Box
 
Each box comes with all the ingredients for 3 meals that you choose for either 2 or 4 people.   With each box comes colorful easy to follow recipe cards.
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  So, how easy it is?  What did we make and how did it taste?
  The preparations really are easy peasy.  The first recipe we made was Chili Dusted Shrimp.  I personally do not eat meat nor do I eat fish.  I have made a few fish sticks and am not opposed to the family eating it I just don’t.  We really don’t eat fish when it is there either (like family gatherings or a buffet)  so I choose not to cook it.  So I thought we would go ahead and give this recipe a try. 
We gathered our food:  The bag contains all that we need!  We were even sent the can of corn.
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we dusted the shrimp                                                      We cut and mixed the veggies

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We cooked them separately
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The kitchen smelled so nice when we were cooking this!  We mixed garlic, ginger and scallions in with the veggies.  Once were were done cooking it we put it together

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Doesn’t this look delicious?
Since I did cook the shrimp and veggies differently I did try the veggies.  They did have good flavor to them with a hint of vinegar (that part I didn’t really care for).  Jacob and Cecelia liked the shrimp and ate it all!   The meal was made for 2 so the rest of us had spaghetti!
  The other two meal that we had were:
Steak and Brussels Sprout Stir fry                                             Chicken Quinoa Stew

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These recipes were also very simple to make and as the shrimp dish, all the ingredients were right there in the little bags. 

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I received the 3 different meals each made for two people.  Overall the food is really good. You could possibly stretch another person out of the meals if you had to.    We were not head over heals for the meats  in either of these dishes, though.  I have been purchasing organic chicken for my family for about year now I am not sure if that made a difference or not.   The beef was chewy and stringy and the chicken had no flavor  from what my family had said. I guess that is what happens when you get used to one kind and one kind only. 

The gist of the program~
You get 3 meals delivered (for either 2 or 4 people) to your door each week as part of the subscription service. 
They are automatically sent on the same day each week.  You log on to their site to check what meals they are shipping.  They have put together 5 meals for each week so if you do not like something that they have you can swap it out for one of the other meals.  You will get your meals each week until you no longer want the service.  If you are going to be gone for a week or so, no problem!  You can simply  log onto the site and hold your subscription for that week.  It really is simple.
The 3 classic meals for 2 people cost about 69.99 per week with the veggie box about 59.99, with the dinners for 4 servings about double.  This does include delivery however I  would think that rates would vary as to where it was being shipped.
Was this a good fit for our family?  Not really.  Here is why:
Although I loved getting the box of food delivered to my door, with its ingredients all premeasured out in cute little packs. Our eating out consists of mainly pizza or a buffet since we are a family of 6 (including 2 teenage boys).   We run on the budget system and we would need to purchase one of each of the boxes (the 2 and the 4) each week just for it to be enough food for all of us.  This would cost us about 200 per week, just for those 3 meals!  Yikes!  Being a stay a home mom it isn’t the most frugal choice for feeding my family. 

You can give Hello Fresh a try and receive $20 off your first box!
Use the code UA2ZCD for your discount.

Other info about Hello Fresh

mosaics disclaimer


Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Tasty Tuesday~Zucchini Muffins

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  Do you need a really easy muffin recipe?  Check out this one! We love to grow zucchini in our garden and have it in the freezer most of the year.  So we can have this any time of the year!
First let me say that this is Oma’s recipe!  It is super easy and super delicious! 
  What do you need:  3 cups of flour,  1  1/ 2 tsp  cinnamon, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 3 eggs, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, 2 cups grated zucchini, 1/2 cups of walnuts~these are optional and we usually leave them out, finally 1 tsp of vanilla.
  So now what do you do?  You take the first 5 ingredients and place them in a bowl.  Mix slightly with a fork and set aside. 
                                                     Next take your mixer bowl and add your eggs to it.  Beat the eggs well in the bowl.  Gradually add the sugar and oil mixing well.  Next add vanilla and dry ingredients and mix again.
                                                    Finally mix in your grated zucchini.  If you are using zucchini that was previously frozen make sure that you pour the juice/water in in bowl also.  If you do not your muffins will be very dry.
                           Pour into greased muffin pan or into a greased 9 1/2 x 5 x 3 loaf pan
          You may sprinkle with sugar in the raw on the top of the batter.  This will give the top a crunchy topping.
How to you bake?  If you are making muffins bake them in a preheated 350 degree oven, for about 20-25 minutes.    You can also make a loaf cooking that for about an hour.  They are finished baking when a tester comes out clean.
Place on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes them remove from the pan.
If making bread do not cut until completely cool.
When I was making this batch I realized that I didn’t have any more of the Sugar in the Raw so I improvised for the holidays and put some red sugar on some!
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Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Tasty Tuesday~Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup

It was only rain/sleeting here this past  Friday with the promise of snow when I started to plan dinner. On cold days and nights like today as the thermostat creeps lower and lower I love to warm up the house as I cook and then fill the bellies of everyone with a hearty soup or stew.  So I went to the fridge to see what we had.  Zakery then asked if we could have Olive Garden's Chicken gnocchi soup.  We love Olive Garden however the closest one is an hour away, and on nights like tonight it is not an option to go out.  A few years ago when we first tried this soup at Olive Garden we loved it so much that I took to the internet to see if there was a recipe out there for it.  I came across a website that had recipes from several restaurants!  You can click here to check out the site.  It is called CopyKat Recipes.  I have made a couple of the recipes on this site including the Olive Garden’s copycat Chicken Gnocchi and the  Zuppa Toscano!  Stephanie, creator of Copykat Recipes has also written a book that has her fabulous recipes in it! 
     Now, back to the soup…I have made it several times now.  It keeps well in the fridge and can also be made in the crock pot!  You can find her recipe here .  I did have to leave out the onions, Joe is allergic to them and the celery as we didn’t have it on hand.  I also used what I had like homemade chicken stock instead of the canned/boxed versions. 
   Now first of all, what is a gnocchi?  It is pronounced “nookie” (according to the waiter we had at  Olive Garden waiter in Cincinnati the last time)  and it is a small dumpling.  They can be made from potato, semolina, wheat flour, flour and egg, flour-egg and cheese and the like.   The first time I planned on making this recipe I couldn’t find already made gnocchi.  So I thought I would try to make them.  They can’t be that hard, right?
  Well, I never tried it because the recipe I found for that was for a potato gnocchi.  It called for a potato ricer and a I thought this was more that what I wanted to do incase they didn’t turn out.  Then it happened to be that I was at Meijers and low and behold they were right in front of me!  I now have found them at Krogers as well.  So there you have it!  I use store bought gnocchi.
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So here is what I used beside the gnocchi:  butter, flour, chicken stock, garlic, half and half, boneless skinless chicken breasts, carrots, spinach, thyme, basil and parsley.
  I simmered the chicken in the stock for about 90 minutes.  I took the chicken out of the broth and set aside.  Once that was done cooking I started the gnocchi in a second pot.  You need to boil them like pasta for about 6 minutes or so.  I then put them in a strainer in the sink until I was ready for them.
DSC_0242 In a second pot I sautéed the garlic in the butter then added the flour , half and half and chicken stock. I boiled this for a few minutes to allow it to thicken a bit.  I then added the carrots that I was supposed to shred, however once again I didn’t have shredded.  I had whole carrots that I put in a food chopper and chopped them.  It obviously wouldn’t change the taste.  Finally I added the herbs.  This looks so yummy and smells the same.  My kiddos had asked me 3 times by the time I got to this point when it was going to be ready! 
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After this cooks for another couple of minutes I returned the chicken and the gnocchi to the pot.  It is almost complete!  You want to make sure that that is warmed all the way through so I brought it to a slight boil one more time.  When you are ready to serve it you add the spinach.  It wilts fast and makes the soup so pretty!
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So delicious, rich and colorful!  I am not sure of the nutritional value of this and I haven’t tried to make lighter.  I used a stick of real butter and then the half and half.  We don’t have it all the time so in moderation I really don’t even watch it.  This is served best with a hard crusty bread and of course the trademark salad of Olive Garden.  This time we had it with crescent rolls and side salads with ranch and not the the all you can eat version!  Hope you enjoy it!

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Tasty Tuesday- Crockpot Mexican Chicken

  I just love recipes that don’t require a lot of attention.  Don’t get me wrong I love to cook, especially when my children are next to me helping.  However when life gets busy it is nice to have a stack of recipes that everyone loves but don’t require a lot of prep.  So here goes…  What do you need?
3 chicken breasts
1 can of whole kernel corn
1/2 can black beans
1 and 1/2 jars of salsa
rice and/ or flour tortillas
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I took the chicken right out of the freezer and placed them in the crockpot and let them cook for 4 hours on high.   Then I shredded the the chicken and then added  to the crock pot the rest of the ingredients. I let this cook on low for another 2 hours.  During the last hour of cooking I made some rice.  The kitchen smelled wonderful!  I scooped out a couple of spoonfuls of the rice and then ladled some of the chicken mixture over the rice and Viola!  There we have dinner!  Now you could also wrap this in a flour tortilla as well.  Joe is not a fan of soft tacos at all so I chose to do the rice only option.  What a simple yet delicious meal!  Now the kiddos can wrap the left overs in the soft tacos for lunch and have a hot lunch this week!
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I want to mention that this recipe came from my sister in law!  So glad that she shared it!
Thank you Sheila!

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Tour of the Tristate Warbirds Museum

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I just love to go on tours.  When I started college I entertained the idea of ROTC.  I would have loved to fly a plane!  I had heard or read ( I don’t remember it was soo long ago) that you had to have 20/20 vision to be a pilot.  I haven’t had that since I was in about 5th grade.  So I haven’t every flown a plane.  I have been on a couple and will probably forever be in amazement of them.  So when one of the homeschool groups we were in set up a tour of the Tristate Warbirds Museum I immediately signed us up! This gem is tucked about 30 minutes from Cincinnati in Batavia, Ohio.  It was formed in 2003 with the intent of educating and promoting and preserving the aircraft history of WWII.  Along with preserving and educating they also wanted to honor the veterans.
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    Check out this Curtiss-Wright P-40M KITTYHAWK MKIII.  Obviously it is being restored!
Below you are looking at the engine of another plane!
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Now you can’t really tell from this picture, however this engine is HUGE!  It stands about 8 feet tall!  I am not sure how wide it is or how much it weighs however I know it is a lot! As our docent was explaining about the plane that this engine when into and how they were going to ship it out of state for repairs when the time came, I asked what I thought would be an obvious question.  Here in Ohio we have Wright Patterson Air Force Museum.  They also do restorations.  So here is my question:  Why would we need to send it out of state with them here?  I found out some interesting information when hearing the response.  Wright Patterson restores their plans to how they looked,  The Tristate Warbird Museum restores their planes to FLY again!.  When each of the restorations are completed the planes can fly and do!  The Warbird Museum is the neighbor of the Clermont County Airport.  While we were there we didn’t get to see one of their planes in flight, however we did see the runway in action.  The airport is used by the University of Cincinnati’s flight school.
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This plane was one of the planes that was on a ship.  The wing is not broken it collapses!  Some wings “bent” back like this and some “folded” up.  Back in their time the wings were operated by a manual/hand pump.  The planes in the museum were  updated with a motor for the wings.  This feature came in handy when there was limited space on the deck of the ship.  These planes also didn’t really have  a runway for taking off and landing.  To take off you ran down part of the plane however to land, there just wasn’t the room.  So when they came in to land they couldn’t slow down too much in case they couldn’t land, they had to keep certain speed to be able to get back into the air.  So these planes were equipped with a hook.  I thought this was pretty neat!
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We had a really great time hearing about the veterans, from the veterans in the movie that we watched, the planes from the docent and seeing everything first hand.  The museum is open to the public on Wed from 4pm to 7pm and again on Sat from 10am to 3pm.    They can be reached by phone at 513.753.4500.  You can check out the website at

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Tasty Tuesday- Homemade Chicken Parmesan


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Every once in a while I come up with a recipe that is really good.  I thought that I would try a hand at Chicken Parmesan.  My family loved it so much that I am going to share.  This is a fragrant, tasty and hearty meal in one!  I asked Luke if he wanted to help out and he gladly agreed!  Yeah, its so much better cooking with someone.  Isn’t it? 

         Here is what you need:  Chicken (shocker), Olive oil, garlic, basil, salt. pepper, flour, parmesan cheese, eggs, mozzarella cheese, and tomato soup.

  Preheat the oven to 350.  Place large skillet on stove.  Add about 3 T of olive oil, 2 gloves of garlic and about 1/4 cup of basil.  Then drop about a 1/4 of a teaspoon of salt and pepper in.  Cook that about 1 minute or so until the garlic is soft.  I would love to add onions here as well however my hubby can’t eat them.  Keep checking on your garlic, however start the chicken.  Cut chicken either into strips or cut horizontally. You want smaller pieces to cook faster.  You could also cube the chicken. 

     Check your garlic then add 2-3 cans of tomato soup.  This really depends on how much chicken you are using.  I used 3 cans and about 6 chicken breasts.  Add about half a can of water and stir.  Keep this simmering.  

        Once the chicken is cut up scramble 2 eggs in a bowl.  Add to the scramble 1/2 cups of parmesan cheese.  On a plate place 2 cups of flour.  To the flour add 1/2 tsp. of salt and black pepper.  Arrange the cup up chicken, the egg mixture, the flour mixture and a glass baking dish in a line in this order.

   Dip the chicken in the egg/cheese mixture, then the flour mixture and place on a holding plate.  Note:  If you are using cubed chicken you can place the flour mixture in a gallon sized bag,  Place the chicken cubes into the bag, seal and shake until all sides are coated.

      When all the chicken has been coated heat enough olive oil in a different skillet to generously coat the bottom.  Place the chicken in the skillet and pan fry for about 3-4 minutes per side.  Of course you need to adjust the time according to the thickness and size of the chicken.  You also may need to add more oil, if you have to cook your chicken is shifts instead of all at the same time.  You want to have all the pieces cooked thoroughly and evenly.  They don’t need to be golden brown however you want a nice color to them.  

     When all of the chicken is cooked.  Ladle a light layer of sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.  Place the chicken in the dish then cover with the remaining sauce.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and then a little basil and place in preheated oven. Bake in for about 10 minutes until cheese is melted.  Serve over pasta with rolls and a salad!

Hope you enjoy!

Thursday, October 31, 2013

See the Light Art Projects {Mosaic Review}



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  I love to color, paint, play with play dough, going to art museums and the likes.  Maybe because I am a mom, who knows.  However, I don’t know a lot about paintings, artists or anything of the like. I am not that great at drawing either.  I classify myself in the category of people who can’t draw a straight line WITH a ruler!  Smile  I was intrigued when I was given the opportunity to review See The Light Art Projects by Mosaic Reviews.  Anything that teaches art to someone like me has to be beneficial, right? 

This set of 9 DVDs was created by Master Artist Pat Knepley and would be a great addition to your homeschool or co-op.  DSC_0113Mrs Knepley uses her soft voice and friendly personality to go thru the step by step lessons that your child is to be working on.   Each lesson in the set focuses on one particular artist like Winslow Homer or Georgia O’Keeffe and includes history about the artist and their work as well as definition to clarify the techniques.  I received Peaceful Seas which is one of the DVDs in the set.  It uses water colors and focuses on Winslow Homer.   What all did I get from this? 

Biblical reverences?

    Of course!  I loved how with in each lesson the Bible was referenced.  Art is an reflection of God’s beauty.  The world and everything in it was created to his images and likenesses.  Mrs Knepley opens up her bible and incorporates a short verse or story to help remind us of this with each lesson.
   
                             Adaptable?

             To use with the  elementary aged kids use the video lessons and project time.  To switch it up for the middle school aged kiddos you can add a trip or two to a museum or an artist report.  For the older high school kids you would incorporate the artist report as well as the museum tours.
                                                                          
            Can I use this for high school credits in my state?

      You can use this curriculum in ANY State!  In order to count as an art credit you must have 60 hours of instruction.  The Art Project program provides 70.5 hours!  When you add the museum trips and reports you are adding the additional class time to meet the 120 hours to satisfy your credit requirements.
                                                                        
                    What else do they offer?

    As well as the 9 art project program they also offer Art Class which is a 9 volume art class that provides progressing, hands on tools to learn everything from basic art skills to advanced techniques.  You can also check out their online resources.

                  What is all this going to cost?

You can purchase each art lesson for $14.99 or they have bundled together all 9 lessons for only $99.00!

                           Click here to check out there prices on the Art Class.

                       Where can I find out more info on See The Light Art Projects?
  Website            Facebook
                                                                   
 Check out what others are saying at Mosaic Reviews

Here are my kiddos pictures!







 



      

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Tasty Tuesday: Pot Roast

  I love cooking in the fall and winter for many reasons.  First of all, you can keep your house warmer with the oven on for longer periods of time.  I just hate to be cold!  Second, it seems as if your recipes stretch farther.  When you are making chicken and then make soup with the left overs, or chili one night and then chili spaghetti the next it makes it easier in this house to stretch the budget a little farther, this is always a good thing when you have 2 teenage boys in the house.   So I decided to share a delicious pot roast recipe with you.   I think that there are two secrets to making a good and tasty one.  First of all you need to find a roast that has a lot of marbling in it.   Usually when I buy meat I look for the leanest and I trim the visible fat before cooking.   I think that the fat in the key in adding flavor and keeping it moist.  Next you need to carefully sear your meat before you put in in the pan, you don’t want to char it!  
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   I use about 3 Tbsp. of olive oil and about 1 Tbsp. of garlic to add additional flavor.  It takes about 3-5 minutes per side to get it to a nice brown color.  Essentially you want to caramelize the meat.  Once this is finished I place my roast in the roasting pan and preheat my oven to 300 degrees.  As that is preheating I take my 8 washed carrots and 8 washed potatoes and cut them up and place them in the skillet.  At times I add additional olive oil and or garlic.  I just go by looks this time.  You don’t want to stir fry the veggies I want to slightly brown them in the olive oil juice that was in the skillet.  I keep them in the skillet for 3-4 minutes stirring frequently until they are glazed and browning.
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oops one got away and is trying to hide there by the skillet!  Once the veggies are slightly brown you take them and add them to the roasting pan with the meat.  I then use 4 cups of beef stock.  I use what ever I have on hand.  I frequently buy bullion and containers of stock when on sale or I have a coupon to have on hand for a quick soup or stew recipe.  Once you have your roast and veggies in the roasting pan take a large bowl and measure out 4 cups of water. Add one Lipton soup mix and stir a bit.  Pour over the meat and veggies.  If I am making a larger roast or more veggies I add another soup mix packet.
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Pop the lid on and place in the oven.  I cook mine for about 2.5 hours.  I check it about every 45 minutes just to make sure that I don’t need to add more liquid.  Yep I do this out if experience.  One of the first pot roasts I ever made I put in in the oven and walked away until the timer went off.  Let’s just say that I inadvertently charred the meat and veggies!  Now, when your cooking time comes to an end take your roast out of the oven.  I immediately, and carefully take the roast out of the pan and place it on a cutting board to rest. While it is resting I remove all the veggies with a slotted spoon and make gravy with the remaining liquid.  I don’t have any pics of the gravy but I will share how I make it.  I must say that if you are making this the day you read this the gravy will be fat free , if you save it and make it later it won’t be.  Obviously I am kidding here Smile  I don’t make gravy like this often so the butter doesn’t bother us.  So for the gravy you should have a second pot-medium size.  Place a half of a stick of real butter I the pan and melt it.  Add 1/4 cup of flour to that butter and stir.  It is going to get sticky  and you have to work fast so you don’t burn anything.  Once it is that sticky, pasty concoction you are ready to add  that juice/broth from the roasting pan.  Bring this to a boil stirring constantly with a whisk.  It will thicken nicely and you will have a great tasting gravy.
    By the time this is finished (or while someone else is stirring)  take your rested roast and slice it up and transfer it to your serving platter.  Doesn’t that look moist?  You really can pull it apart with your fork.  It falls apart.  It just looks nicer if you slice.
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You can choose to return the veggies to this and drizzle a little gravy over it or keep the veggies in the bowl that they are already in.  Serve with a nice tossed salad and you have one tasty dish!  Hope you enjoy!

Sunday, October 20, 2013

A Light for my Path {Mosaic Review}

DSC_0333My two favorite books of the bible are Psalms and Proverbs.  I have opened my Bible many times throughout my life to find comfort and direction with the words of these two books.  I was so thrilled when I was given the opportunity by Mosaic Reviews to review the book A Light for my Path. This book was written by Davis Carman and illustrated by Alice Ratterree, and published by Apologia.   This book comes across as a simple ABC book, however, as you will see it is so much more!  We read this book together many times snuggled in bed.  What a great bedtime routine!
     This book was written to teach the ABC’s as well as to teach your child about God through its four different purposes.  The first purpose was to be ready by parent and child snuggled together.  The second was to learn the English alphabet.  The third  was to instill in children a love and respect for God’s word.  Finally, the last purpose was to teach the Hebrew alphabet.
              Each page is artistically illustrated that includes either an animal or a plant.  We enjoyed looking at each picture and trying to guess what image was going to be on     DSC_0001the next page by what letter it was.  Each page is written with a different attribute of God’s word, for example the letter “S” is paired with steadfast and “T” is paired with true.  I think this is on of the things that sets this off from other ABC books.  Our personal favorite picture was the lady bug that was on the “L” page that listed light.  Our  least favorite was t he Narwhal on the “N” page.
  The Psalm is written in 22 stanzas, one for each Hebrew letter of the alphabet. These stanzas are listed in the back part of the book with it’s corresponding Hebrew  letter.  The English spelling so that you and your child pronounce the letter correctly. With the Old Testament being written primarily in Hebrew, this may DSC_0002be a good tool to help your child feel closer to the word of God.  Whether you use this book to introduce your child to the alphabet, God’s word or both, this book is a must have for homes with little ones. 
Now how can you get a copy of this book?  How much does it cost?  Where can you find it?
You can purchase the book from Apologia  for only $14.00.
Check them out at Apologia
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