Easy Meatloaf

2 pounds ground beef
1 package (out of the box that has 4 inside) saltine crackers, crushed
1 onion, chopped
2 cups ketchup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In large bowl, combine beef, crackers, onion, and 1 cup of ketchup.  Mix well.  Place in baking dish, shaping it like a loaf.  Pour 1 cup of ketchup over top.  Bake 1 1/2 hours.

I have been so busy with my new jewelry store, Dazzle For A Dollar and with helping to paint the new Passion Play set that I was unable to find time to post on my blog.  Things have calmed down a little and I plan to post like I have in the past.

Dazzle For A Dollar

The part of the new Passion Play of the Four Corners set.

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Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, will become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

After Work Swiss Steak

1 (16 ounce) bag baby carrot
4 medium potatoes, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained
1 (12 ounce) jar beef gravy
2 to 3 pounds round steak, browned, cut into serving sized pieces

In slow cooker, place carrots and potatoes.  Pour tomatoes and gravy over top.  Arrange steak on top.  Cover with lid. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours.

I love to use my slow cooker in the summer.  There is nothing like coming home and opening the door to be welcomed by the delicious aroma of a home cooked meal, without heating up the kitchen.

Check back on Tuesday,

for my Tuesday's Tips & Tricks post! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, has become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Slow Cooker French Dip Roast

1 large onion, sliced
3 pound beef chuck roast, fat trimmed
1 (1 ounce) packet au jus gravy mix
3 cups cold water

In slow cooker, place sliced onion in the bottom.  

Top with roast. 

In medium bowl, combine au jus gravy mix and water.  Mix well. 

 Pour over roast.  Put lid on slow cooker. 

 

Cook 9 to 12 hours on low. 

To serve as a sandwich: After roast has cooked, shred, and place on rolls.  Serve with au jus gravy.

To serve as a roast with gravy: During the last hour of cooking, in a small bowl, combine 1 1/2 tablespoon corn starch with 1/4 cup cold water. Mix well. Add corn starch mixture to slow cooker.  Cover.  Cook remaining hour.

I love this easy recipe!  I chop the onion and trim the roast the night before and place them in the refrigerator.  For a hassle free morning, I also set out the slow cooker and a medium bowl along with the au jus gravy packet on the kitchen counter.  Then before I head out the door in the morning, it only takes me 2 minutes to put it all together.

My new cookbook is available at schools, businesses, hospitals, and book fairs in cities across the United States.  Be sure to pick up a copy or two, when you see them.  They make great gifts!

Check back on Tuesday,
for my Tuesday's Tips & Tricks post! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, has become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek! 

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Top 10 Recipes of 2012

 10. Hamburger Cupcakes

 9. Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Barbecue Sandwich

 8. Crazy Crab Dip

 7. Slow Cooker Posole

6. Pecan Pullaparts and Cheesy Pullaparts  

Same basic recipe with different flavors.

5. Chocolate Chip Cheese Spread 

 4. Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken Pasta

 3. Baked Pasta

 

 2. Grilled Cabbage

 1. Caramel Banana Poke Cake

My husband and chief taste tester put together his choice for my Top 10 Recipes of 2012.  The man knows his food, and after all the recipes he has to tested for my cookbooks, it kind of makes him an expert.  

My wonderful husband, Stan, gave his stamp of approval for the 

Top 10 Recipes of 2012.

My new cookbook is available at schools, businesses, hospitals, and book fairs in cities across the United States.  Be sure to pick up a copy or two, when you see them.  They make great gifts!

Check back on Tuesday,
for pictures and restaurant picks 
from my Christmas trip to San Francisco! 

Follow me on my Facebook page!

Visit my friends blogs!

GINGERLOCKS' KITCHEN, has become one of your favorite blogs! Stop by Jordan's blog and take a peek!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Barbecue Beef Sandwich

Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Barbeque Beef Sandwich

4 -5 1/2 pounds beef roast
1 (17 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce
1 cup salsa

In slow cooker, place roast.  Pour barbecue sauce 

and salsa over top. 

  Cover with lid.  Cook on low 8 to 10 hours. 

Shred using forks.  Serve on buns.  Makes 10 servings.

I love this recipe!  It is so easy to pop it in the slow cooker and be out the door in under 5 minutes.  You don't have to brown the roast, making it a super quick recipe.

We had lots of company last week, which means it was a good time to develop and test recipes on my friends!  This recipe was a big hit with them.  With the weather being so hot, I loved how I could fix a delicious meal for them, without heating the kitchen, or spending a lot of time preparing lunch.  Less prep time, means more friend time!

Check back on Tuesday, 

for Tuesday's Tip & Tricks Post!

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

2 pounds ground beef
1 (1.25 ounce) packet taco seasoning
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (15 ounce) cans mild chili beans
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Mexican style stewed tomatoes

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef.  Drain the grease.  Add to a 4 quart slow cooker.  

Add the remaining ingredients.  Add 1 cup of water.  Mix well.  

Cover with a lid.  Cook on low 4 to 6 hours.

On Wednesday nights, I experiment, I mean I cook, for the youth group at our church.  Last week one of the kids asked me to make Taco Soup, so that is what I did.  The kids all loved the soup, and said I am going to have a hard time topping the meal next week.

This soup is mild enough for your whole family to enjoy.  The corn gives the soup the flavor of a corn tortilla.  But to make it even more like a taco, I cut corn tortillas into strips.  You can skip this step and just leave the  corn tortilla strips off, or use store bought tortilla chips instead.

I fried the corn tortilla strips in a small amount of oil until they were golden brown.

 I drained the tortilla chips on paper towel.  The strips were light and crisp.

Next, I arranged the tortilla strips on top of my Taco Soup, and sprinkled cheese over the strips, and put a dollop of sour cream on top. 

Stop back by on Tuesday, for my 

Thanksgiving Tips & Tricks post!

Visit my friends blogs!

My friends are taking some time off from blogging, but they have incredible recipes in their archives!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Lynn's Rockin' Roast

Lynn's Rockin' Roast

3 1/2 to 4 1/2 pound roast
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (1 ounce) packet dry onion soup mix
1 1/2 cups (12 ounce can) cherry cola or regular cola
1 onion, sliced thick

Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.  Place roast in slow cooker.  In medium bowl, combine mushroom soup, onion soup mix, and cherry cola.  Mix well.

Pour soup mixture over roast.  Pepper to taste.  

Arrange onion over top.  Cover with lid.  

Cook on low 8 to 10 hours. 

This recipe came from a listener of my "Fast Food Friday" show on the Passion Radio Network.  Lynn, email me 9 delicious recipes.  My husband loves roast, so I picked her "Lynn's Rockin' Roast" to prepare first.  All of Lynn's delectable recipes are posted under the "Share Your Recipes" tab. 

Lynn said, she always uses Cherry Coke when she makes this recipe, so that is what I did.  Not only was this roast super easy to prepare, but the Cherry Coke added an interesting twist.  It was a huge hit at my house!  The cola made the roast so tender you could cut it with a fork and the onion gravy was a savory delight.

Lynn, my husband Stan says, "Your roast really is rockin'!"  And he wants to know what can you do with a chicken?

Stop back by on Tuesday, for my 

Tuesday's Tips & Tricks post!

 Don't forget to leave a comment on the
Tate's Bake Shop Giveaway post for your chance to win
Tate's Cookbook & Cookies!

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!