A teacher of 30 years penned this:

In the world of hi-tech gadgetry, I’ve noticed that more and more people who send text messages and emails have long forgotten the art of capitalization. For those of you who fall into this category, please take note of the following statement…

“Capitalization is the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse and helping your uncle jack off a horse.”

Is everybody clear on that?

Oh, how this made me laugh. And the best part – my Dad sent it to me.
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Continue reading Slow Cooker Cranberry Chili Mini Meatballs

Happy Chinese New Year! This year is dedicated to the Rabbit, which is a symbol for mercy, elegance, and worship of beauty. People born during the years 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 are Rabbits and share the characteristics of being keen, wise, fragile, tranquil, serene, considerate, fashionable, and kind – all great qualities, and very different from myself, a Rooster.

Growing up, our house had an array of gorgeous ukiyo-e woodblock prints hanging on the wall, books about netsuke, and grasscloth wallpaper.

We had a foreign exchange student stay with us in 1985. And I would often find my mother practicing Tai Chi in the living room (at one time with a sword!)

Ya. You could say my parents have a great appreciation for Asian art.

Then there’s the food.
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Continue reading Pork Ribs with Black Bean Garlic Sauce, for The Chinese New Year

*ears perk up* Did somebody say bacon? Ya. Go on, go on. I’m listening.

Bacon. It is all powerful.

So, how is it that I missed this recipe from the December issue of Everyday Food? Clearly I was preoccupied with the holiday and birthday madness.

Well, we won’t let that happen again.

Thank goodness I have my friends Rebecca and Krysta to kick me in the head, who both posted this on Tuesday. Rebecca made it in a dutch oven pot, while Krysta stayed true to Martha’s crock pot method.

I used my handy dandy crock pot as well. But honestly, the entire time it was cooking…with the lid off, per instruction…I kept thinking “Huh? This seems silly. What’s the point of using a crock pot without the lid?” In the end, it turned out juuust fine. However, the next time (and yes, there will be a next time), I’ll slow cook it in a dutch oven.

The color of my batch didn’t have that deep rich brown hue that theirs did. I’m guessing it’s because I used light brown sugar, instead of dark like the recipe called for. But hey, when bacon jam calls, who has time to run to the market? You use what you have on hand. Stat.

Also, I deliberately left out the maple syrup, which I thoroughly love on pancakes, but do not love on everything else. Who knows how that affected the end result…it sure didn’t ruin the yummy factor. My toast and eggs were quite happy. And so was I.

It is worth noting that Paul, who even loves bacon more than I do, did not care for this. He thought the vinegar flavor was too dominant. To which I say, “I pity the fool.”

My crock pot came out of hibernation last week. Like an old friend, we gave each other a big hug and then started our little dance in the kitchen as if we’d never been apart.

Just like any friendship, though, we’ve had our disagreements. Granted, this was the extreme, but I’ve lost track of how many recipes have resulted in pure disappointment.

Thankfully, my pot roast is never ever one of them.

There are a million different recipes for a basic pot roast out there, I’m sure. And if you grew up in a house where your mom made it, then you’re probably faithful to her recipe. I’m not here to convert anyone.

This is just the way I like mine – in a slow cooker, with a few simple ingredients. The results are so flavorful; sweet from the brown sugar, tangy from the ketchup, and rich from the beef stock. The meat just shreds effortlessly after cooking all day.

Served over mashed potatoes, it’s perfect for a cold winter day. Or when you haven’t seen each other for a while.

Note: I mentioned my frequent mediocre slow cooker results on Facebook, with a plea for help, and my awesome followers came through…as always. To read that thread with links to some other crock pot recipes, go check out my fan page here.

This past weekend promised the last semi-warm temperatures (and when I say semi-warm, I mean 50′s), so off to Emma Krumbees we went.

I had been hearing about this place ever since Haley was born. It did not disappoint! It’s a fantastic u-pick apple orchard and pumpkin patch, with a lot of extra activities, like a rope maze, tile maze, train ride, barnyard animals, playground, and the best-worst musical act ever. Plus a restaurant (sorry Emma, but your pie still ain’t got nothin’ on my Mom’s.)

If you aren’t in the Minneapolis area, I am certain such a place exists near you, and I highly recommend finding it. Especially if you have kids or grandkids.

First, we abused the General Store, making certain there was a bathroom, and ways to waste money on baked goods and unnecessary plastic objects.

Then it was off to play, look at the weird scarecrow displays, and let Haley sit on a pony (for an outrageous $5.)

The pumpkin patch was next. With itty-bitty pumpkins for my itty-bitty kids.

We saved the apple orchard for last. We walked around…

And picked…

And then it was time to go home. (Ya think?)

So I could make homemade applesauce in my slow cooker.

Well, what else are you going to do with 15 pounds of apples? (Besides apple crumb cake, apple spiced muffins, and apple pie…oh ya. All on my to-do list.)

Anyway, let me tell you about this applesauce – the aroma was absolutely intoxicating while they slow cooked for four hours. Then once the buzzer went off, all I did was take a potato masher to the soft mass (which had shrunk by half) and mashed away for a minute or so. Put a little on my spoon…applesauce has never tasted so good. Seriously. And I liked the warm factor. Who knew making this condiment at home was so easy? Now, all I need to do is figure out how to get my entire house to smell like slow cooked applesauce all the time.

Really great Fall day.