Christmas Treats--Crystal

I made the following treats for Christmas!

Toffee colored red, Kenna didn't want it to be brown:

Brownine Cupcakes with buttercreme frosting and fondant snowmen:

Cinnamon Rolls with buttercreme frosting:

Muddie Buddies with M&M's:

Pics to come soon!

Applesauce--Crystal

I went to my mother-in-law's house on Thursday. She got some apples for the both of us to make applesauce (Kenna's favorite). I got to make some and take it home. Pics to come soon.

Here are the steps:

1. Wash apples.
2. Cut apples.
3. Put apples 3/4 full in big pot with 12 cups water.
4. Cook on medium heat until soft, stirring occasionaly.
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5. Take the apples out of pot and separate using a _____(I don't remember, I'll find out) into 9x13 dish to catch the juice.
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6. Then take the juice part and put into another pot and add 1/2 cup per 9x13 filled.
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7. Cook until boils and simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Fill quart or pint jars with 1/2 inch remaining on top.
9. Put on the lid and ring tightly.
10. Place into another pot full of water just to cover the jars.
11. Let the water boil for 20-30 minutes accoridng to your altitude.
12. Take jars out of pot and let cool on the counter. (make sure the lids are sealed, some will seal while they cool)
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Kenna helped. She thought it was cool that we were making applesauce. She got to be a taste tester and loved it. I didn't get a pic of that, I wish I would have. I'll take one of her when we open our first jar.

Freezer Dinners--Amy

So, I know this isn't really a craft, but it takes just as much planning and prep work. I also think it is a good skill to learn.

I figured out how to cook 30 meals in one day!! I'm not kidding. there are 2 books that explain how to do it. Dinner is Ready and Lunch Is Ready!! Some meals, like manicoti or stuffed shells are easier to make and freeze because you don't have cook the noodles. You make meals on the stove top, the oven, the crockpot and then assemble some for cooking later. Then you put the meals in freezer bags or disposable tin pans and freeze them. Then all you have to do to get a nice home cooked meal is to defrost it and warm it up.

We have tried several of the meals and they are really good. And you can use a lot of the meals you usually make as long as you follow the rules like don't cook the noodles and don't freeze potatoes. Other great part is that you can make double of the recipe without any extra time and then you have up to 60 meals. I have not done a full 30 meals because I don't have the freezer space. But since I am in school until 4:30-5pm some days I don't have time to make a nice dinner but can't afford to eat out all the time. This is a great solution. You cook one day and have meals for a month.

You can also check out this site http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com/ This lady makes something in her crockpot every day and has lots of neat recipies. She even can show you how to make soap or Christmas ordiments in your crockpot.