Healthy Home Cooking--Pot Roast

In the interests of sharing some ways to live well, live simply and live inexpensively (yes, that means cheaply), I'm going to share one of the easiest and most satisfying recipes that's been passed down through my family over the generations.  There's no tricks, no secret ingredients, just good cooking. 

You'll need:

1 pound roast or larger, your choice of cut

variety of winter vegetables, such as carrots, potatos, cabbage, onions, celery, enough to fill the crock pot you're using

4 quart crock pot or larger

Seasoned salt

You'll also need at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours to let the dinner cook.  It's a low-and-slow type meal.

Here's how I did mine:

Starting with the roast, take it out of whatever packaging it's in and rinse it off with cold water.  Put it into the crock pot and add enough water to cover it.  This becomes the foundation of the meal.

Next I decided I wanted cabbage for flavor and texture, but not the entire head, so I cut off about an inch-wide section from one side.

Put the rest of the cabbage away, and proceed to cutting up the cabbage section into bite sized pieces, in this case about 1" square.

After cutting up the cabbage wedge, add to crock pot.

I also added a few carrots, stalks of celery, and a very large potato, cut into bite sized pieces and added to the crock pot.

After adding all the big stuff, it was time for the little stuff, in this case, a handful of diced dried onions and a half handful of seasoned salt.

By this time, the crock pot should look pretty full, although you don't want the ingredients to rise above the rim of the crock pot itself. 

At this point you want to add water until it's about 1/2" below the rim (where the lid will set).  You don't want to fill it any higher than that because the vegetables will cook down over time, adding their juices to the broth. 

Add the lid, turn it on high, and let it cook for at least 8 hours, but no more than 24 hours, checking and stirring occasionally.  (It's ok if you want to put this on and head out to work--it'll be fine until you get home, and you can just stir it a couple times then.) 

I can usually count on about 3 separate and distinct meals out of this, each one serving 3-4 people..  The first, pot roast and veggies, is scooping out a plateful of roast (which should be nearly falling apart) and veggies, great for a cold winter's day, especially when accompanied with warm biscuts, rolls or garlic bread on the side. 

The second meal comes after the first has been taken out and enjoyed.  Remove the remaining roast (if there is any) and cut or shred it into bite-sized peices, then return to the crock pot.  Add 2-3 cups of (warm) water, and add seasoned salt to taste.  (Make sure you taste the broth BEFORE you add more seasoned salt to determine how much more you'll need).  You now have homemade beef veggie soup with no additives or preservatives.  This can be put into individual serving containers and frozen for the long term, or served with a side of a warm buttered bread or garlic bread, also great on a cold day.

The last meal you can get from this is a loose stew.  Take 1 cup of broth out of the crock pot and put it into a medium saucepan.  Add 1 cup plain water and 4 Tablespoons of flour, stir well.  Continue stirring while bringing the "gravy" mixture to a boil over med. high heat.  Once the "gravy" has sufficiently thickened it can be added back to the mixture still in the crock pot and mixed in.  This will give you a loose stew that can be served over bread, with bread, with mashed potatos, etc., and can also be put into individual serving containers and frozen for future use.  :)


If you've enjoyed this article, please consider stopping by my online shop, Horsefeather Nuggets at Etsy.com.  Thanks for stopping by!  :)

Slideshow for The Romance of Aprons

This is a slideshow of the first treasury I curated on Etsy.  There are some wonderful aprons in this collection.  I've also included a link to the craftperson's shop with each entry.  Enjoy!

This apron was created by Bernicesdesigns at Etsy.com , a regular seller on Etsy.com.  She has a long history of sewing and working with fabrics, and has many beautiful aprons in her shop.

This is an apron I created using fabric remnents I had around my home from my fabric stash and also the fabric stashes I inherited from my mother and grandmother.  My shop is Horsefeather Nuggets at Etsy.com, and like all the crafters here, I'd love it if you'd stop by and take a look around.

This is a beautiful white polka dot on black full apron from Creativechics on Etsy.  A partnership of 5 women who work in their home studios, rendering beautiful creations like this equisite example.

A variety of aprons listed by Inwiththeold at Etsy.com, these are great examples of the individualization and embellishment I wrote about in my post "The Romance of Aprons."  The technique of embellishment shown here is often referred to as chicken scratch or Hoover's Lace, and is a way of using the design of the gingham fabric as a template for the embroidery design, similar to counted cross stitch. 

This bright and beautiful hostess apron was created by Simplyaprons at Etsy.com, and is a great example of an elegant hostess apron.  This is a great example of showpiece apron, meant to be part of the entertaining experience for the wearer's honored guests at an event.

A wonderful example of a classic pinafore apron, created by Buythedress at Etsy.com.  Variations of the pinafore, a full apron covering much of the wearer's clothing, were worn by generations as a regular part of an outfit, to protect the clothing and provide pockets. 

This is a colorful example of Mexican folk embroidery as an embellishment in an apron listed by Storybookvintage at Etsy.com.  Such aprons served to showcase cultural elements and the skill of the creator's work, as they were usually hand wrought and took many hours to create.

A wonderful example of a uniform apron, common in the first half of the 20th century, created by Dotsdiner at Etsy.com.  These style aprons were worn by everyone from servers at resturaunts to maids, and were specifically meant to enhance the lines of the female form.

This is a great example of contemporary men's and women's aprons, listed by Pinkbutterflyaprons at Etsy.com.

Aprons are still often used as part of a server's uniform today.  This custom restaraunt server's apron was created by ThatsSEWAngela at Etsy.com, and features custom details such as the zebra print fabric and pink piping on a black background.

Another beautiful hostess apron, created by Mamamadison at Etsy.com.

Here we have an apron with a new personality--as children's dress-up clothing, created by rossandrosiedesigns on Etsy.com.  It illustrates the great versitility found in the simple garment of an apron.

A gorgeous feminine hostess apron from Politelypink on Etsy.com.  This apron again emphasises the purpose of a hostess apron to enhance the entertaining experience, and the style and flair possible at an event.

This is a wonderful example of a themed apron, created by sjcnane4 at Etsy.com.  While themed aprons have been around for quite some time, this is one of the most unusual I think I've found, and would fit in well hostessing a racing event.

Another example of an ethnic or folk apron, created by Vintagepatriotgirl at Etsy.com.  Usually hand embellished, the embellishments often have signifigant meaning as well as showing off the creator's skill in the needle arts.

Last but certainly not least, the festive cupcake-themed apron, created by Aquamarsboutique at Etsy.com.  Designed for a less formal occasion, this hostess apron would do well at a birthday or garden party.

I hope you've enjoyed my slideshow.  Feel free to leave comments and feedback, thanks :)

The Romance of Aprons

I've begun some new chapters in my life, and I'm finding that they are very good things indeed.  I've started creating with some abandon those things which are important or special to me, and I'm sharing them with the world through my online shop at Horsefeather Nuggets at Etsy.com.  While this is by no means a runaway success in financial or sales terms, it is a good way for me to share my creative spirit with a broader audience, including you :)

I am also spending a lot of time on Biblical study, something I've wanted to do for quite some time, but found difficult while I was still raising small children.  While I'm not here to bash anyone over the head with my beliefs and convictions, since they are such a core part of who I am both as a person and as an artist/craftsperson, reference to them will sometimes necessarily and unashamedly creep into my posts.  It is not my intention to offend anyone, however I will not withdraw my beliefs or convictions to save someone from being offended either. 

That being said, I have also started curating treasuries on Etsy as well, and have found myself wanting to share much more than the 177 charactors that I'm limited to there.  I am not a "tweet" person, I am much more an expositonary force in personality lol.  So I will undoubtably be writing much more here, and sharing the very special treasuries I've created. 

My first treasury is titled "The Romance of Aprons", and is a beautiful mix of both modern and vintage styles, patterns, and colors.  The history of aprons goes back centuries, affording craftsmen an extra layer of protection for their clothing while they worked and usually pockets for holding their tools of the trade.  Aprons for women also afforded this protection of their clothing, but also served as a working tool, whether something to wipe their hands on while they did chores, or a convenient basket tied to their waist for gathering and carrying things from one place to another.  Depictions of aprons can be found in art renditions of the Middle Ages showing women using their large aprons to gather the harvest or as a sort of portable towel to wipe their hands on while cooking or doing household chores.  The amount and type of fabric used in the construction of the apron would often give the casual observer clues as to the woman's wealth (fabric cost a lot of money, and a longer apron, a fuller skirted apron, a pinafore or an apron with ruffles, bows, pockets, anything that used extra fabric denoted a wealthier status).  An apron made from calico or muslin verses an apron constructed from "homespun" was also a designation of wealth and status, and the amount and intricacy of any needlework served not only as a showcase for a woman's talents, it also alluded to the amount of "leisure time" a woman had at her disposal to devote to such pasttimes.  For women, the taking off of the apron in the evening was the ritual of the end of the workday for her, the time when the household had been taken care of for the day and a time when she could pursue more leisurely activities such as writing in a journal, reading, doing needlework or, if she were fortunate enough to have a musical instrament, a time to relax creating her own entertainment.  It was strictly a women's domain to wear this style of apron, and a sign of her femineity.  It was also an expression of who she was, as there were cultural and folk styles of apron, uniform aprons, formal hostess aprons and utility aprons, and aprons easily lent themselves to all manner of personal embellishment, be it embroidery, ruffles, bows, pockets, and the list goes on. 

In the 1960's and 1970's, with the advent of the Women's Rights Movement, aprons were one of the many things mistakenly thought to show women's bondage and were summarily discarded en masse along with anything that could be connected to a woman's historical role of homemaker and caretaker, and so has remained a lost expression of a woman's femineity and beauty until recent years, when it's utility and ability to facilitate style and self-expression has been rediscovered by a new generation, but with some signifigant differences. 

While aprons have come back into style, today's aprons seem to be mostly mass produced and limited in styles and colors, while aprons of past generations were usually among a girl's first sewing projects.   The diversity of styles, embellishments, fabrics and patterns seems to have been diminished, at least for the time being, although I have seen some progress in this area recently. 

An apron is simply an apron, but the history and tradition of aprons has a very long and storied past, full of nuance and romance, the story and history of women. 

Making A Wall Jewelry Hanger

In my previous post, I talked a bit about making a homemade Christmas.  This is one of the projects my daughter in law and I are working on.

It's a jewelry hanger for the wall, made out of a picture frame, plastic canvas, and clear plastic bulliton board pins.  While this one is plastic, the ones we're working on now are made out of wood.  You can hang necklaces or bracelets from the pins, and earrings or broaches go through the plastic canvas, making them handy for choosing your jewelry for the day, or keeping certain collections together in one spot.  This hangs on the wall like a regular picture frame.

To make one of these, first get a plain plastic or wooden picture frame.  You'll want to measure the bottom first, and I've found 1" increments work well, offset 1/2" from each side.  For setting the pins into a plastic frame, heat the metal part of the pin briefly in a flame, (a candle flame works very well for this), then gently push it into the plastic.  The plastic should melt slightly around the pin.  If it doesn't go all the way in the first time, take the pin out while it's still warm and reheat in the candle flame. 

For a wooden frame, sometimes you can just push the pin all the way in, and sometimes it takes a little coaxing with a small hammer.  Once the pins are in, if they're poking out on the back, take a pair of wire cutters and clip of the sharp points.

Next, flip the frame over and cut the plastic canvas to fit inside the frame.  Using hot glue, glue the plastic canvas into the frame (so it can't be seen from the front). 

You can add picture hanger hardware to the back as well if desired.  The larger the picture frame, the more jewelry it will hold.  These are so nice and handy, and they are simple to make.  Since frames come in an endless variety, you can make them as dressy or as plain as you like, just make sure there's a flat area to hold the pins.  Plastic canvas also comes in a variety of colors, so you can create something to color-coordinate with a particular color scheme. 

Since these are fairly flat, they are also pretty easy to wrap and ship.  Enjoy!  :)

Ah, The Holidays Are Upon Us Once More :)

And with them, the frenzy of the holiday season.

My home is a little different than most during this time however.  I usually do a mostly homemade Christmas, and it usually starts in August lol, so I'm a little late this year.  The tradition started when I was a single mom with 3 kids at home, fresh out of a women's shelter, and we had so little for the holidays it was painful to even think about.  To give you an idea, $10 for the materials to make enough Christmas ornaments to cover an entire 6' tree was extravegent.  I did manage to cover the tree that year though, with the help of a Dollar General (for a string of lights and garland), and a Walmart for 3-pronged clear, red and green beads, pipe cleaners and a small skein of gold ribbon for candy cane and wreath homemade ornaments.  (The candy canes looked a lot like these ).  The tree ended up looking beautiful and sparkled, not the Charlie Brown tree I was afraid I was going to end up with. 

From those humble beginnings, the tradition grew.  One year I made baked goods for presents, another year I made homemade candles, and many years I put my needleworking skills to use, making special things for the people I care about most.  One of the things I've noticed, doing these things over the years, is how much I enjoy doing it now.  When I start on a project for someone, I know I'll spend hours reflecting on happy memories of that person while I'm making that special gift for them.  And lets face it--getting a cheezy present I can "afford" from a mass retailer just doesn't mean the same thing.  I can't imagine how many hours I've put into making things for others, hours of effort and loving attention, smiles at imagining them enjoying the fruits of my efforts.  It makes the holidays much less an excercise in obligation (fighting the holiday crowds, spending money I don't have in an effort to impress) and much more an excercise in the loving devotion to that person to spend hours or days, sometimes much longer, just to put a smile on their face and remind them of my love for them. 

I would not mind having an almost entirely homemade Christmas every year.  They are special, and the time people put into them are sooooo beyond price.  They are an expression of love and devotion to others.   It is a reminder of the "Reason for the Season". 

A Full House :)

My chickens have come home to roost--literally!  With a tough economy and a little lack of planning, one by one 3 of my 4 adult kids has migrated home, adding a new wife and 2 babies to the mix as well. 

I see it as a great blessing!  I have friends who have shared with me that one or more of their children have moved home, and while they love their kids, they seem to have a lot of underlying worry or stress with the situation, and it seems to be such a hardship for them.  I don't know why my situation is so different, but I suspect it has to do with family structure and perspective.  Let me explain.

I run a Matriarchy, a long and archaic term which basically means I'm the unquestioned head of the household, the boss, the big cheeze, the rule setter, and ultimately, the person responsible for making the household run smoothly, both financially and socially.  That's established before anyone moves back home, that there are still rules, and they will be respected or people will be finding alternative living situations.  Being a single mom for over 15 years, I'm used to running the show.  But we've had some transitions as well.  My kids (including my daughter-in-law) are free to come to me with ideas on how to improve the way things are run or changes they'd like to see, we have a civilized and respectful discussion, I ask a lot of questions, and if it sounds like something that's workable, we start approaching the other "occupiers" to get their thoughts and opinions.  If we can get everyone on board and figure out what everyone's role is in making it happen, it works well. 

What does that look like?  Well, currently we have 6 people stuffed into a 3 bedroom apartment, W. & J. (my two adult bachelors) in one bedroom, R., H., and O. (my married son, his beautiful wife, and their 4 month old son) in another bedroom, and I have my own bedroom.  However, we have some changes coming about shortly.  My daughter S., who is currently in rehab, is projected to be coming home sometime after January, which is also when W. is headed to boot camp (go MARINES!).  That means either we need to get a home with another bedroom OR someone's getting evicted, and that's the way I presented the issue to the kids.  R., who seems to have endless energy sometimes, has been helping motivate people to create better employment situations for themselves, is doing the same for himself, and has located a 4 bedroom house that would suit us well (3 bedrooms on the main floor and a master suite/family room that would work well for his family in the basement), and we will be going to look at it next week.  The amazing thing is that everyone is on board with this and is pulling in the same direction, and barring any great obstacles, we should be calling a new residence home very soon.

Another way this functions well is we have 2 vehicles in the family, 1 working and 1 not so much.  (The property we're looking at has a 2 car garage--perfect for working on vehicles, a 2-car driveway, and on-street parking for an additional 6 vehicles).   We also have 2 bicycles in good working order, so the way this works currently is that W., who owns the running truck, uses his vehicle to work and get to his other events, and several times a week ferries someone else to appointments they have to attend.  In the meantime, at least 1 of the bikes is in constant use, the other one is in occasional use, and everyone walks when needed.  It's also a great motivator, with the weather turning colder, for everyone to work on getting their own vehicles, and once we're moved, R. and W. plan to put a torque converter in the other vehicle so it can go into service for the family.  As more vehicles are added to the family portfolio, strength and options will also be added. 

As a family, we're also making a lot of "one-pot" dinners that will feed everyone.  We take turns, of course, and have enjoyed spaghetti and linguini as well as homemade potato and bean soups.  I think the biggest downside is I may have to invest in a much bigger soup pot!  These are meals that can be cooked in great quantities for very little cost, are nutritious and hearty.  (The goal is that everyone enjoys the meal and no one walks away hungry). 

I think one of the biggest reasons this is all working is we truly enjoy each other's company, and while differences of opinion are present, they are managed in a civilized and loving manner.  We're all working together to maintain and improve both our individual and collective situation, and we're having a lot of fun, laughing and carrying on along the way.  There's nothing like a contest of who can remember the most famous quotes or who can think up the most creative idea for building a skyscraper to entertain everyone (sans computer, tv, and cell phones).  It has the joy of a perpetual family get together.  Life is good, family is great, and all things are possible, even in challenging times and circumstances.  :)

Life's Changes

Ah, how life changes.  The seasons change, days get shorter, the leaves on the trees change colors and begin to accumulate in piles on the ground, jackets come out of the closets, and a chill begins to creep into the wind, a sign of things to come.

Another season in my life has changed also.  Yesterday another one of my children moved back home with me, bringing his beautiful wife and two very young sons with him, and the house was filled with the sounds of happy 2-year-old babbling once again, as well as "No, don't TOUCH that!" lol.  The insistant demands and cooing of a 2 month old also graced my home, and at the end of the day, lullibies were sung to the new arrivals, something I thought were long since passed.

My artistic workspace has also undergone a drastic change.  Where once it occupied large parts of my living room and dining room, about 75% of it has migrated to Grandma Pat's bedroom, much to the displeasure of the resident Navy Mascot, also known as Miss Cleo.  Miss Cleo, who is one of the rare felines that I know of to have survived a stroke and resides in my bedroom (as she is unable to defend herself against the 2 other cats in the house), has seen major changes in her world, and is none too happy about it.  Her cat tree now resides beside Grandma's computer desk, and she will be supervising my computer work from this point on.  The bed has been raised 6" (so I could drastically increase the storage space under it), and she is adjusting to the extra height she now much leap to gain her favorite curling-up spot. She is not at all pleased with the new sounds of new little people, positioning herself on my pillow, tightly curled up around my head when I took a short nap, and alarmed when the new sounds invaded her world when a crying baby was admitted to the room.  She approached the source of the new sounds with both caution and alarm, sniffing the new creature's leg as he squirmed and carried on, then retreating quickly to the run I left her under the bed, choosing to have nothing to do with the new arrival after that.  At this early hour, she is currently on her newly elevated perch, in a position where she can both observe my working, something new to her, as well as keeping a sharp eye on the door, least that small creature invade her space again.  :)

As for me, I feel energized and a renewed hope for the future, a sense of purpose I haven't had in a long time. My career was raising 5 children, and even with professional successes, nothing was more rewarding or more satisfying than contributing to my children's lives and watching their growth and development over the years.  I am thankful that my son decided that I had something worthwhile still to offer to his children as well, and although the new circumstances will present it's own new challenges, it also presents the potential for great rewards for everyone involved.

For now, my family is looking to the lessons of family from the turn of the 20th century, when economic times were not easy, and several generations living under the same roof were common.  In diaries and domestic literature from the time, we noted some of the strengths of those living arrangements, such as shared expenses being much lower (back then, homes were usually bought for cash after saving for years), and youngsters having the benefit of many adults to look to for guidance and attention.  There are many instances in memoirs of growing up with grandparents and even aunts and uncles in the household, and the special memories of who would fix breakfast and tell stories early in the morning, or who would share what life skills such as a favorite hobby with youngsters, as well as the added eyes watching out for the children, and the additional close adult associates from which to choose to share the monumental issues of childhood.  Even though I'm sure these are idealized remembrances, we are aspiring to use this as our modern model to build on the strengths of my family as it is now, and perhaps even to build something very rare and special for the upcoming generation.  We shall see how that works out, and I'm sure I'll share more of this new journey here.  :)