Caroline- that really makes me so p*ssed when people say things like that to you. My in-laws had 9 kids in their day and even 40 plus years ago some comments that they received would make your skin crawl. When I tell them about this, I gaurentee they will get very angry and start talking about it.
Even my sil got a comment one time when she and my brother were expecting their 3rd. My parents' neighbor actually said to my sil- "why would you want 3?" and she was showing!!!! I almost threw up on the neighbor. Karen just looked at her. I told her later she should have said- "You're right, maybe I should go have an abortion right now, how stupid of me"
:
I think people should mind their own business.
Nut on a happy note- here are some crock pot recipes I recieved from other mdc ers in the past:
Crock pot
Crockpot Chili
2 1lb. can beans, drained
2 lb. tomatos, fresh or canned
1 lb. meat, browned (we use turkey)
2 med onion chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T chili powder, adjust to taste
1t pepper
1t cumin
salt to taste
Put all ingrediants in crockpot. Low 10-12 hours, High 5-6 hours
chicken breasts, half a taco seasoning packet or equivilent of homemade mix, 16 oz salsa cooked on low for 8 hours and then mixed with a cup of sour cream after chicken is removed.
Pour "gravy" over chicken breasts.
chicken breasts with lime juice, brown sugar, a splash of white wine or juice and some water mixed together and poured over chicken and slow cooked 6-8 hours on low.
. Beef (or bean) stews, chicken and turkey soups, pasta sauces are all pretty easy to do. Plus you can make extras to freeze. I find it fun to be creative -- like some chicken, brown sugar, honey mustard, and a bit of rosemary.
Meat - pork, chicken, beef, whatever
can of cream of whatever or homemade cream soup
little can of tomato paste or puree, not the juicy stuff like sauce
dump it all in, cook all day on low
When it is done, you have a nice thick gravy, you can also dump in any leftover veggies you have. We usually eat this with rice or noodles.
Saucy beef:
2 lbs stew meat
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package dry onion soup mix
Mix soups together and pour over beef in crock pot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. We usually serve ours over egg noodles or rice.
Sweet and Spicy Kielbasa
Kielbasa (I do a lot of this at once and freeze it)
equal parts brown sugar and brown mustard.
Mix the sugar and mustard together and pour over sausage. Cook on medium about 6 hours
Chicken and Stuffing
6 chicken breasts
2 packages Stovetop stuffing mixed with ingredients on package (I'm sure you could make your own stuffing mix)
2 cans cream of mushroom
Place chicken in bottom of crockpot, add stuffing and pour soup over top. Cook on high about 4 hours. This recipe can easily be split in half for smaller families.
My favorite things to do with the crock pot is soup. I just dump in whatever we have around- leftover meat, fresh or frozen veggies, dry or canned beans, lentils, broth or boullion, spices, pasta, and extra water. It always tastes good, no matter what I put in.
Ham & Lentil Soup
2 cups lentils
1/2 pound ham -- diced
1 onion -- chopped
1 bay leaf
2 ribs celery -- chopped
1 clove garlic -- minced
salt and pepper -- to taste
Combine all ingredients with 2 quarts water in the crock pot. Cook on low, covered, 8 to 10 hours. Adjust seasonings and serve.
Mac n cheese
8 oz macaroni noodles, cooked in salted water.
1/2 c. butter
3 c sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
1 1/2 c whole milk (I used 2%, it came out fine)
2 eggs
Grease cp lightly w/spray on oil. Cook noodles in salted water, add to cp. Add butter and cheese, mix. Add milk, evaporated milk, and beaten eggs. Season w/salt and pepper. Cover and DO NOT LIFT LID!!!! (I know, it's very hard for us stirrers!) Cook for 3 hrs on low.
Chicken and gravy w potatoes
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Potatoes, quartered, with jackets
About 6 stalks celery
1/2 pkg baby carrots
1 can cream of chicken soup*
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
Place vegetables on bottom of crock pot. Brown chicken breasts in PAM or vegetable spray. Place over vegetables. Cover with the cream of chicken soup, undiluted. Sprinkle with dry onion soup mix. Do not add water. Cover and cook all day on low, or 6 hours on high.
I had planned to substitute either Campbell's healthy choice or reduced fat cream of chicken. I have done this in other recipes, and cannot taste the difference.
Potato soup
8 potatoes (peeled or not) chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 celery ribs chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped small
1 can chicken broth
2 T dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
sliced green onions, grated cheese, and chopped bacon for toppings
Put all ingredients down to and including the pepper into the crockpot. Add water to within 1" of the top of the crockpot (this recipe is for a 5 qt, so adjust accordingly). Cook on high for 8 hours. 1 hour before serving, put milk into a small conatiner with a lid, add flour and shake till well mixed. Add to the soup.
Oh, and I added rosemary too, it gave it a really good flavor. I chopped the celery very samll, so this would probably be a good way to sneak veggies into your kids. Also very low fat.
barbecue, beef, crockpot
2 1/2 lb beef round steak
2 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup catsup
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 small onion -- diced
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 cup celery
Cut beef into thin strips. Brown in skillet. Meanwhile, combine lemon juice, catsup, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, mustard, onion, water, brown sugar and celery. Pour into crockpot. Add meat. Cook on medium heat for 3 or 4 hours. Serve over hamburger buns
Crockpot Chile Verde
3 lbs. pork tenderloin or sirloin, trimmed and cut into 1" cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 large orange or red bell peppers, cut into 1" squares
2 large yellow bell peppers, cut into 1" squares
1 4 oz. can diced mild green chilies
1 large can (28 oz) green enchilada sauce
1 12 oz. jar green salsa (tomatillo based)
1 teaspoon powdered cumin
1 teaspoon powdered coriander
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/2 cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro
Put the onions, garlic, and peppers into crockpot. Add the pork cubes and remaining ingredients, stir well, cover and cook on Low about 8 hours. Serve over mixed whole grains. Makes 24 1-cup servings
Guinness-Braised Pot Roast
1 cup water
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup Guinness stout
¼ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup tomato paste
1 tbsp dried dill
1 ½ cups beef broth
6 black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1 (2-pound) chuck roast (trimmed of all visible fat)
Combine the first 11 ingredients in a slow cooker, stirring well. Place the roast over the mixture, cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Slice on the diagonal for a presentable platter and discard liquid and vegetables. Serves 4-6.
Vegetarian Black Bean Soup
1 pound dry black beans
1 1/2 quarts water
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 large red onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup dry lentils
1 (28 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
1. Soak beans in water overnight. Put beans in slowcooker with 1-1/2 quarts water, cover, cook on high for about 3 hours. Make sure beans are tender before going on to next step.
2. Add rest of ingredients except for rice, stir and cook for 2-3 hours. Seasonings can be adjusted to suit individual tastes.
3. Add rice and cook another 20 minutes or so until everything is tender. Process about half the soup in a food processor or blender and then add back with the soup.
Crock Pot Italian Beef
In a Crock-pot combine and simmer at least 6 hours:
3 lb. Rump Roast
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 onion, diced
Remove roast from crock pot and slice thin. Remove any grease from pot. Leave beef out on a plate.
Then, in another pan (on the stove), add the liquid from the crock pot and add:
½ teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon onion salt
½ teaspoon oregano
½ tsp basil
1 package of dry Italian dressing
Boil for 15 minutes. Put beef back into the crock-pot and pour juice over the roast and simmer for another 45 minutes.
Peanut Chicken Breasts
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tbs chopped peanuts
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs minced onions
1 tbs minced parsley
1 clove garlic -- crushed
Several drops of red pepper sauce
1/8 tsp ground ginger
4 whole chicken breasts -- skinned & boned
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs honey
1 tbs melted butter
1 10 1/2 ounce chicken broth
1 tbs cornstarch
Mix peanut butter, peanuts, 2 tbs soy sauce, onion,
parsley, garlic, pepper sauce, and ginger. Spread on
inside of each chicken breast. Fold in half; close with
small skewer or a toothpick. Place in slow-cooking pot.
Mix remaining 2 tbs soy sauce with honey, butter, and
broth; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5
hours. Remove chicken from pot. Turn control to high.
Dissolve cornstarch in small amount of cold water; stir
into sauce. Cook on high for about 15 minutes.
Spoon sauce on chicken and serve.
Just cut n paste like I did and hope this helps! Also check out the meal planning section of the boards.
mama...
thanks again!
I had those w the first and even had some shall I say ummm wet dreams 
. This time, there are no dreams but a lot of real life stuff. DH is loving this. Maybe I'm carrying a boy and its his horny hormones turning me into a nynph. But the chinese charts say girl again so who knows 
: kya, my oldest, is excited about the baby but keeps wanting one in her belly too! 
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