Dependence Day

Independence is something this first-born, Type A personality has down pat. As a kid, I could have been the poster child for the dictionary's definition of "strong-willed child." My middle-born sister - always the peacemaker - would continually tell me, "If you'd just keep your mouth shut, you'd get in less trouble."

Oh, so true. But oh, so hard to do.

I am a take-charge kind of person. Give me a job, and I'll figure out a way to get it done. I was raised with the Midwestern mentality that I'm supposed to pull myself up by my bootstraps and persevere.

There's a lot of good in having that kind of work ethic and determination.

But maybe, instead of adopting the theme of independence this month, I should look at dependence.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 3: 3-5

I've been reading a book, Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food by Lysa Terkeurst, president of Proverbs 31 Ministries. Even though the focus of this particular book is on food, you can fill in the blank with whatever you struggle with - "satisfying your deepest desire with God, not alcohol ... gossip ... judging others ... lust ...money ... shopping ... being prideful ... The list is as individual as the people reading this.

Made to Crave has been an eye-opening read on a subject that has been a struggle my entire life. Unfortunately, I've lost - and found - the same 50 or even 100 pounds. More than once.Me at almost age 8

This is hard for me to admit. This is hard for me to write. But it's also part of the journey. We all have our struggles. My struggles with food are admittedly hard to hide. Much as I'd like to keep it a secret, it's easy for people to see my failings in this area.

Lysa writes:

"Too many times, we try to muster up the gumption to make changes in our lives on our own. And it doesn't take long for the dark feelings of discouragement, disillusionment and defeat to fill our hearts.

"It is crucial to have a hope and power beyond ourselves. We are made for the same hope and power that raised Christ from the dead:

"That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised him from the dead and seated him at His right hand in the heavenly realms."

Ephesians 1: 19-20

That's a lot of power. It's certainly more power than my pitiful attempts at personal willpower can muster.

So instead of celebrating Independence Day this month, I think I'll choose, with God's help, Dependence Day (and Dependence Week, Dependence Month and Dependence Year ...)

A song by Jeremy Camp, "Beyond Measure," has a line that really speaks to this theme of dependence:

"I come alive when I've broken down and given You control."

That should be my anthem. Should it be yours, too?

***

Are you on your own quest to eat more healthfully? Try these salads.

Summertime Main Dish Salad

The fruits of summer can help you make better decisions about mealtime. I don't really have a recipe for this salad.

• I start with a generous base of romaine lettuce or spinach leaves (or mix them both).


• Choose your own fruits. This time, I added canned mandarin oranges (you can also cut up a naval orange), strawberries, blueberries and green grapes. (Other options might be cutting up nectarines, plums, apricots - whatever is on sale in the produce aisle for the week. In the winter, when there are fewer options, I cut up an apple.)


• Feta cheese (just a sprinkle)


• Walnuts (again, just a few. Or you can choose another favorite nut. I like walnuts because of the Omega 3.)


• A sprinkle of dried cranberries or other dried fruit (opt.) Again, watch the amount added because of the calories.
  


• Grilled chicken, grilled steak or salmon (only use about 3 ounces for 1 serving. That's about the size of a deck of playing cards.)


• Light raspberry vinaigrette dressing. If you need to watch calories, measure the dressing instead of just pouring it on.

***

Taco Salad

Again, I really don't have a recipe for this. I photographed my husband's salad instead of mine. I put some extras on his that I don't use because I don't need the extra calories. So choose all or just some of these ingredients to build your own Taco Salad:

• Start with a generous bed of romaine lettuce.


• Add veggies like diced cucumbers, colored peppers, tomatoes, green onion, radishes, carrots, sugar snap peas, etc. Be generous here: The veggies don't have many calories, so you can fill up on them!
  


• Brown hamburger and add taco seasoning (I buy taco seasoning at a bulk food store, but you can make your own or add a taco seasoning packet you purchase at the grocery store. Prepare as it says on the package directions.) Top your salad with about 1/2 cup of the prepared taco meat.


• For dressing: Combine 1 bottle of fat free Catalina dressing with 1 can of chili beans. Refrigerate before serving. You won't use it all for one meal, but it stores well in the fridge. I use much less of the dressing than my husband does. Again, if it helps, measure the dressing so you know how much you are adding to your salad.
  

Other add-ins (depending on whether or not you are watching calorie consumption):

• Shredded cheese


• Olives


• Guacamole


• Sour cream


• Crushed tortilla chips

***
Another Idea

• You can make a lettuce and veggie salad like above.


• Add 3 ounces of your protein of choice - grilled steak, grilled chicken, etc.


• Use 1/2 cup of low-fat cottage cheese on the salad and a small amount of light or fat-free ranch dressing. The cottage cheese helps me "stretch" the dressing so I don't use as much and provides some calcium and protein at the same time. Bonus!


• If you don't care for cottage cheese, you can also stretch your dressing with salsa - as mild or as hot as you like!

***

This Marinated Vegetable Salad is a side-dish salad that's great for a 4th of July picnic or just for family meals.

***

This Southwest Beef and Pepper Skillet recipe has lots of bell peppers, plus the added fiber of brown rice. To reduce calories, leave off the cheese; however, the cheese does provide some calcium for your diet. Serve it with a green salad or some freshly-grilled garden veggies like zucchini.

A New Start

Sunrise on the County Line

A new year dawns. It's a blank slate.

It's like the excitement we felt as little kids, when we opened that big 64-crayon box at the beginning of the school year. There was a whole carton of possibilities. No blemishes. No broken crayons. All the colors were there, just ready for us to create.

It's another chance to begin again. We tell ourselves we will make better choices. After six weeks of holiday eating, we will choose more healthful foods. We will commit to exercise each and every day. We will vow to develop a spiritual discipline - read our Bibles more, pray without ceasing, find God all around us.

Ready, set, go! OK, I'm ready! Like the little kid with brand new tennis shoes, I'll run head-long into the new year. And I'll run really fast ... because I have those new shoes, you know.

And then the Lovely Branches Ministries leadership team gave us the January blog theme:

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 28:19

Hey, wait a minute! Don't they know that when I took my personal gifts inventory from "Serving from the Heart" that evangelism wasn't anywhere to be found in my Top 5?

Couldn't they have chosen something more in my comfort zone, I wondered?

How about the great commandment found in Luke 10:27?

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

That would be much better, I decided. Then I could stay in my comfort zone. After all, the handy, dandy guide told me I was much better at Assistance-Helps, Faith, Mercy-Compassion and Leadership-Administration.

But, maybe, just maybe I'm supposed to find my way outside the confines of my comfortable little box this year.

That's a scary thought. I'm not the best when it comes to change. So maybe I'll just forget about that message. It will be good enough to practice the great commandment, right?

And then I went to my church's charge conference, a time when we talk about the past year and make plans for the coming one. And wouldn't you know it! The very first bullet point my global church wants to emphasize was this:

"We believe in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world."

Hmmm .... It sounded rather familiar. Was there a theme developing?

Then our minister issued a challenge in the church's January newsletter.

"If you know of someone who hasn’t come to church in awhile that could use a little nudge, offer to give them a ride to church. Just knowing that someone cares could be all that a person needs to start a church-going habit."

OK, God, I get it. I'm supposed to step outside my comfort zone. I'm supposed to find new ways to love and serve you. What better time could there be than at this beginning of a brand new year?

We humans like the comfort of our "ruts." We like the familiarity of a path we've already taken - no GPS required. But sometimes God has different ideas.

So, ready or not! Here's the new year.

Dear Lord, help me to run head-long into the new year and be the hands and feet that will transform this world by drawing people closer to You. Lord, I can only do it through You. Amen.

***

A New Start in the Kitchen

OK, that was the "Thought" part of "Food for Thought." And now to the "Food" part.

Speaking of ruts, I can get into them in the kitchen. Don't we all? We have 30 minutes to get dinner on the table, so we turn to the most familiar ... the recipes we can do without pulling a cookbook off the shelf.

So, this new year, I hope to add new recipes to my repertoire. If you're looking for something new, here are a few tried-and-true meals from my County Line kitchen to help you break outside your mealtime box. Hey, while we're breaking out of our spiritual comfort zone, we might as well add adventure to other areas of our lives, too, right?

Enjoy!

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Bruschetta 'n' Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

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Impossibly Easy Lasagna Pie

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Sloppy Jose Supper

Taste and See

One thing I love about being a Kansas farm wife is having a front-row seat to the changing seasons.

Only a few days ago, we officially said goodbye to summer and hello to fall - at least on the calendar.

I have loved the brilliant colors and visitors of summer.


But I am equally looking forward to the oranges and yellows of fall when the evenings bring a slight chill to the air and you get that snuggly feeling from pulling on a sweatshirt at a football game.



I know the chill of fall will make way for the colder days of winter. Though the ice and snow can sometimes cause hardships for travel or for work here on the farm, there is also great beauty in the season.


And after ice and snow and cold, we will be ready again for the birth of spring.


Isn't it amazing how God has created such a miraculous world, so full of visual beauty and reminders of His majesty and power?

Change is unavoidable. Days begin, days end. Weeks start, weeks end. We pull another month off the calendar and before we know it, it's time for a new calendar.

The years pass. The activities change. But the busyness remains. And I think we sometimes wish away the moment, anticipating the next moment.

I believe God wants us to appreciate the moments He gives us. God sets our lives into different times and seasons because He has a purpose for each one of us. There is no question that there will be times of storms and times of rejoicing.

"To everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1.

As I was writing this, the children's song, "This Is the Day," kept drifting through my mind. It's a song in which the leader sings, "This is the day," and the followers repeat, "This is the day." The pattern continues with the leader leading the way and the followers echoing the phrase:

This is the day (This is the day)
That the Lord has made (That the Lord has made)
Let us rejoice (Let us rejoice)
And be glad in it (And be glad in it.)

What would happen if I imagined the Lord leading that song every day? What if in the midst of my storms (usually of my own making), I realized that my Lord was there to walk through the day with me? I know it sounds simplistic, but what would happen if we relished every moment and every season?

Every stage of life brings fruits to remind us of God's presence and to make us thankful. These gifts remind us that God loves each of us with an unmatched, unrivaled intensity ... every day ... every season.

Every season gives us reminders of God's bounty and providence for us. Is there anything that tastes better than summer's first tomato, picked straight from the vine? Is there a better meal for the first cool day of fall than a steaming bowl of chili and homemade cornbread? Is there anything more tasty than a hot cup of cocoa after a day of sledding?

"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him." Psalm 34:8

Taste and savor each season of your life. It's what we are called to do.

***

If you want to savor the taste of fall in your own kitchen, try this recipe for Apple Butter Coffee Cake. Each year at our church, the Stafford United Methodist Women make apple butter to sell during a bazaar. (This year's bazaar is Saturday, November 13, and you're all invited from 9 AM to 2 PM!)

When I make this recipe, I use the UMW Apple Butter. The red hot cinnamon candies in the recipe give our version the distinctive pink color. But you may use any apple butter. It just might not look exactly like my version pictured here.

Apple Butter Coffee Cake

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup apple butter
1 cup dairy sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
Topping (see below)

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Mix dry ingredients together, and add alternately with sour cream. Add vanilla and apple butter. Put half the batter into a greased 13- by 9-inch pan. Sprinkle with topping. Place other half on batter on top and sprinkle with rest of the topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Topping

1/3 cup flour
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup chopped nuts
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Combine all ingredients and sprinkle over batter.

If you want a "fancier" presentation, you may put this is a Bundt pan. I usually put half the batter into the pan and sprinkle with half the topping. Then I use the rest of the batter and sprinkle on the remaining topping. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing onto a pretty serving platter.

I usually glaze the coffee cake with a thin frosting made of melted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and a little milk. Spread on the cake while it's still warm. If you're making a Bundt cake, drizzle the frosting in "swags," creating a decorative pattern. For the Bundt cake, you may want to wait for it to cool a little before frosting, so the frosting stays in place and doesn't puddle on the plate.

Tending the Garden

I probably will have to turn in my Kansas farm wife title, but here's a confession: I'm not much of a gardener. I am an indoor girl and always have been.

While my little sister had a worm collection, I had a collection of Trixie Belden mysteries. Give me a choice between curling up with a good book and getting covered with sweat and dirt? I'll choose the book every time.

But that's not to say I don't love fresh garden produce. There is nothing like fresh tomatoes lightly sprinkled with salt and pepper ... unless it's the perfectly ripened cantaloupe ... or a raw cucumber sliced into a sweetened vinegar mixture. It's the very taste of summertime! Is your mouth watering yet?

Yes, I love the garden produce. I just don't want to do the work.

Isn't that true of most everything in life? I want to lose a few pounds, but I'd sure like to be able to do it without giving up anything I love to eat or adding something different to my hour-a-day exercise routine.

I want to declutter my house, but I can't ever seem to move it off the TO-do list and actually DO it. (Check out Suzanne's blog Home Matters here on the Vine Press. She has lots of practical advice for doing this. Just click on the red words, and it will take you right there - after you're reading this, of course!!)

I want closer friendships. But do I call someone up and invite them over for coffee or supper? Do I make a date to go for an out-of-town window shopping excursion? Or do I instead log into Facebook or send someone an email? There's nothing wrong with cyberspace friendships, and it's been a great way to reconnect with people. But do those "relationships" take the place of true, face-to-face connections?

I say I want to grow in my Christian walk. I want to be a "lovely branch of righteousness." But do I really invest the time I should? Do I do more than read my daily email devotional? Do I commit time and effort to Bible study? Do I spend time in prayer? When I say I'll pray for someone, do I do more than just "throw" a prayer upwards and call it good?

Just like gardening, all these things require work. They require an investment of time and effort. They may require us to get a little sweaty and dirty.

"Their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law, they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper." Psalm 1: 2-3

It takes time, commitment and "weeding" for our garden to grow, whether we're talking about a summertime plot in the backyard, housekeeping, a friendship or Bible study. We can't expect to grow "fruit" overnight or without water, nourishment and cultivation.

Fruit grows when we spend time doing the hard work, getting out in the hot sun and hoeing the weeds, watering the plants, tying up tomato vines so they can grow.

It also takes some work to build friendships with others. I think it's more than "commenting" on someone's Facebook status.

It takes effort to truly grow on this Christian journey. Fruit grows as we spend time in Bible study, prayer, devotional reading, worship and fellowship with other Christians. It grows as we work at living our faith in service to others, becoming the hands and the feet of Jesus.

And it's OK that I'm not a gardener, despite the stereotypical image of the farm wife bringing bushel baskets of fruit and vegetables to the kitchen for canning. We all bring our special God-given talents and gifts to the table.

I love the imagery of I Corinthians 12.
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men." I Corinthians 12: 4-6.

It illustrates the different gifts given by comparing the body of Christ to our human body, something we are all intimately familiar with.

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ." I Corinthians 12: 12

(I encourage you to click on the link above to Bible Gateway and read the whole chapter. This is just a "taste.")

Yes, to be a gardener I have to do the work. To be a friend, I have to do the work. To have a clean house, I have to do the work. To be a Christian growing in my faith, I have to do the work.

Find the work you are called to do. And then do it well and abundantly.

And you can always enjoy the fruit of the other laborers in God's world. I didn't grow all the vegetables I used in the illustration at the top of this post (I do have a few tomatoes this year, but that is the extent of my gardening.)

But I do enjoy visiting farmers' markets when I have a chance or even choosing from the array of produce in the grocery store this time of year.

And, despite the joke about avoiding your gardening friends this time of year when they are pawning off sacks of zucchini "gone wild," I never turn down fresh produce from my green-thumb-blessed friends (hint, hint!)

I asked one of those friends for some recipes she and her family enjoy as they celebrate the bounty of their large garden. Of course, fresh garden produce is wonderful prepared simply as well - in a fresh salad or cooked crisp-tender in a nonstick skillet (with or without a little olive oil!)

But if you're looking for a little variety, here are some favorite ways Kim Volker and her family enjoy their abundance of squash at this time of year. I tried them all, and they are yummy! Enjoy!

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Squash Casserole

2 lbs. squash, peeled and cut up (yellow or zucchini: I used yellow)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup sour cream
1 8-oz. pkg. seasoned stuffing mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine

Cook squash and onion in salt water for 3 minutes. Drain. Combine chicken soup and sour cream. Stir in shredded carrots, squash and onions. Mix well and add salt to taste.

Combine stuffing mix with butter. Spread half of stuffing in bottom of 12- by 7-inch baking dish. Spoon vegetable mixture on top. Then put rest of stuffing on top of vegetable mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serves 6 (generously!)

***

Baked Chicken and Zucchini

1 egg
1 tbsp. water
3/4 tsp. salt, divided
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 cup dry bread crumbs or cracker crumbs
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
5 medium zucchini, sliced
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
1cup (4 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 tsp. fresh minced basil

In shallow bowl, beat egg, water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Set aside 2 tablespoons of bread or cracker crumbs. Place the remaining crumbs in a large resealable plastic bag. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then place in bag and shake to coat.

In a skillet, cook chicken in 2 tablespoons of oil for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown; remove and set aside. In the same skillet, saute zucchini in remaining oil until crisp-tender; drain. Transfer to a 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the reserved bread crumbs over the zucchini. Top with tomato slices; sprinkle with 2/3 cup mozzarella cheese, basil and remaining salt. Top with chicken.

Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Serves 4.

***

Zucchini Carrot Muffins

1 pkg. (18 oz.) carrot cake mix
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans

In large bowl, combine the cake mix, applesauce, oil and egg for 30 seconds. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in zucchini, raisins and pecans.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: About 16 muffins (I got 18).

A Different Kind of Freedom

(Photo by Brent Fritzemeier)

I'm a little afraid of coming across as sacrilegious with my message this month. I definitely don't want to give you that impression. I am proud to be an American. I am thankful our country was founded on Christian principles. I am grateful to the men and women who have served and protected our country since it began. I add my prayers to those of many others for the military men and women who are still fighting that good fight today. I thank the families of those brave service people who have an empty place at their table this 4th of July because their son or daughter is serving our country somewhere far from home.

As I pondered this topic and how it might relate to food or the kitchen, I kept coming back around to freedom from heat. I know it may sound trite when compared to meditating on our country's freedom or our religious freedom.

But I also know it's 101 degrees outside as I write this. The south wind is blowing like a blast furnace.

It is hot.

So the last thing your kitchen needs is more heat.

Yet our families still think they need to have three meals a day, with a few snacks thrown into the mix. While there are plenty of summertime fresh fruits and vegetables to enjoy at mealtime, my husband still likes hearty main dishes.

Your slow cooker can come to the rescue! I know you have one. Maybe you use yours all the time. Maybe it's gathering dust in some upper cabinet. Dig it out, and try some of these tried-and-true recipes for your summertime meals.

GOOP

GOOP is a recipe from Cook of the Week days, a feature I did back when I worked at The Hutchinson News. I'd forgotten about this recipe, but I found it again in Recipes and Remembrances from the Pratt First United Methodist Church: 1884-2004.

You can cook the mixture on the top of the stove (which is also quick and easy). But on a summer day or on a day you're away from home, the slow cooker does the work. I serve the GOOP on baked potatoes, though the recipe has different options. During the summer, when I prefer not to heat up the kitchen, I often bake potatoes in a different Crock Pot.

I further streamline this meal by browning extra hamburger earlier in the week. Then I just have to dump everything into the Crock Pot.

I serve the GOOP with a romaine salad with lots of cut-up veggies. Enjoy!

GOOP

3/4 lb. ground beef, browned and drained (I always throw a little minced onion in when browning hamburger)
17 oz. white kernel corn, drained (I usually just use regular corn or fiesta corn)
14 oz. stewed tomatoes, cut up
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped (I don't always use this)
1 tbsp. chili powder
Baked potatoes (can also use rice or cooked noodles, if you prefer)

Garnishes:
Sour cream (I usually use fat free)
Shredded cheese
Green onion (if desired)

Brown the ground beef; drain. Add the corn, tomatoes, ketchup, green pepper and chili powder. Either heat through in the skillet or put in a Crock Pot.

Use about 1 cup on a baked potato (or alternative). Top with sour cream, cheese and onion to taste.

***

Crock Pot Baked Potatoes

(From the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook)

Prick desired number of potatoes with a fork, and wrap in foil. Cover. DO NOT add water. Cook on High for 2.5 to 4 hours or Low for 8-10 hours.

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Christy's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Maybe you don't think about soup being a summertime meal. But I like soup any time of the year. My son-in-law's mom, Christy, had this soup in a Crock Pot when we all helped Jill and Eric move from their apartment into their home earlier this year. Jill had told me about this super-easy soup before. Once I tasted the soup, it was a must-add to my recipe box.

If you can open cans, you can make this soup. Again, it is a recipe you can cook on top of the stove or put into a Crock Pot.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 can corn
1 can chicken broth
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
3/4 cup salsa (anything from mild to hot - suit your taste!)
1 can refried beans (I used fat-free beans)
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
Tortilla chips
Shredded cheese

Combine black beans, corn, chicken broth, salsa, refried beans and chicken. Heat until heated through, on the stove or in a Crock Pot. To serve, top with shredded cheese and slightly crushed tortilla chips (You can also use soft taco shells if you prefer). Jill & I just cook chicken breasts in the microwave and then chop them. You could also use a can of chicken meat, if you prefer.

I have also used hamburger with this soup since that's what we beef producers have in our freezer.

I served with a fruit salad, but you can also round it out with a green salad, baby carrots or another side dish. Christy served it with a homemade cheese ball that was also delicious.

***
Easy Roast Beef

As I said last month, I like getting multiple meals out of one cooking effort. I just think it's smart to factor in "planned overs," a fancy name for leftovers.

We just completed harvest on our Kansas farm, so this plan of action came in handy on busy days when I might have to go to the field to drive the truck or when I was sent on an emergency run for parts.

But it's also great to have "planned overs" when you're part of a busy family with 4-H meetings to attend, ballgames to get to and summertime fun to have!

I never make pot roast in the oven anymore. I think it's so much easier and gives a more tender product to slow cook the meat in the Crock Pot.

To make planned overs, I usually use two small roasts (whatever you can fit in your Crock Pot). I have a fairly large Crock Pot that I use for these occasions. For the first meal, I serve the traditional pot roast with potatoes and carrots.

Then I can use the leftover meat to make beef and noodles over mashed potatoes for another meal. I use additional "planned over" meat to make BBQ sandwiches to take to the field.

If you don't want to use the beef all at once, you can package the leftovers in freezer bags and pop them in the freezer. Measure the amount you'll need for the recipe, label it well and then freeze. Then you're ready in a snap for a last-minute meal.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

3 to 3.5 lb. beef pot roast (or what fits in your cooker)
4 carrots, chunked (I often use baby carrots these days)
4 medium potatoes, cut in large pieces
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
3/4 cup water

True confessions: I don't measure this stuff usually. But I found this recipe and it's a good guide to use. I purchase the dry onion soup mix at a bulk food store.

Since our larger meal is usually at noon, I usually cook my roasts overnight. Just before bedtime, I put the roasts, dry onion soup mix and water in the slow cooker and turn it on low. In the morning, I add the carrots and potatoes. The veggies are tender by lunchtime.

But if you're cooking it for your evening meal, here are the "proper" directions:

In slow cooker, arrange vegetables; top with roast. Combine soup mix with water and add to slow cooker. Cook, covered, on Low 8 to 10 hours or on High 4 to 6 hours. Remove roast and vegetables.

I always serve the broth "as is" to top the potatoes. But if you prefer a gravy, here's how: To thicken gravy, stir in 1/4 cup water blended with 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (make sure those are well blended before you add to the slower cooker.) Cook on High until thickened.

***

I hope these recipes will give you "freedom" from kitchen heat. Use these as a jumping off point. There are lots of cookbooks especially designed for your slow cooker. Your Crock Pot probably came with a booklet with recipes. Or search for recipes online. One blog focusing on slow cooker recipes is: www.crockpot365.blogspot.com. In 2008, the author made a New Year's resolution to use her Crock Pot every day of the year. There are even recipes for spoon bread and cakes made in the slow cooker.

If you try one and like it, be sure to comment here, so others can try it, too.

***

Blessings to you and yours as we approach the birthday of our great nation. I pray you are able to celebrate the great freedoms our country enjoys AND a little freedom from heat in your kitchen!