Crock Pot Pork Loin

I made this for my family the other day, and it was "OMG Good"!!!

3 lb. Pork Loin
4-5 Potatoes

Rub -

3 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
2 Tbsp. Dried Parsley
2 tsp. McCormick Tomato Basil Seasoning
1 1/2 tsp. Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper Seasoning
1 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
2 pkts. Sassoné Red (in the Spanish Food isle)


Put all rub ingredients in a gallon size zip lock bag, shake to mix.
Cut Pork loin in half, and place in zip lock bag, shake till well coated.
Refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

Day of -

Peel potatoes and cut long ways, then cut into 1/2" - 3/4" slices. Arrange slices on the bottom of the crock pot, add about 1/2" of water.

Lay Pork Loin on top of the potatoes so that the pork DOES NOT touch the bottom of the pot, or the sides (if possible).

Cover, and cook on low 4-6* hours.

Remove pork loin and potatoes from the crock pot.

Optional -
Make a roux with Butter and Flour and use the drippings from the crock pot to make a gravy for the potatoes.

I served this with nice big steamed Broccoli florets, and my family loved it!!

*cooking time will depend on the heat levels of your crock pot.

- Patty
The All-in-One Parent on FaceBook

Crock Pot Easy Potato and Ground Turkey Casserole

My Aunt used to make this in the oven all the time, but she would use ground beef. I used ground Turkey this last time, and it came out really yummy!! So I wanted to share the recipe!

Ingredients

6-8 Rustic Potatoes, peeled, and slicked into 1/4"-1/2" slices
1 lb ground Turkey, cooked, drained, crumbled
1 - 12oz bag frozen corn (canned corn works fine as well)
1 envelope Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix


Directions

Cook and drain the Turkey.

Mix the soup with 4 Cups of boiling hot water (I use hot water from the tap! works just fine!), set aside.

Peel the potatoes and slice them once you are ready to start the crock pot.

Begin layering the ingredients in even amounts until the potatoes are all gone.

Start with the Potatoes on the bottom, then do some turkey, and some corn. Another layer of potatoes, and another layer of turkey and corn. Keep in mind, you dont want to cover the potatoes, just sprinkle about 1/4 - 1/3 of the meat and corn on each layer.

Once all the layers are finished, pour the onion soup mix on top. At this point you can add salt and/or pepper.

Cover and turn on low - cook 6-7 hours until potatoes are fork tender, and starting to brown in color on top.

Hope you enjoy this!!!

- Patty
The All-in-One Parent on FaceBook

Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken

Honey Garlic Chicken

• Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breats, I used 4
• 3 Garlic Cloves, smashed and chopped
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Basil (I used Fresh)
• 1/2 cup  Soy Sauce
• 1/2 cup Ketchup
• 1/3 cup Honey

Add all ingredients to Gallon Size Freezer Bag.  When you are ready to cook this, put all ingredients into a crockpot and let cook for 3-4 hours on high.

via

TheKrazyCouponLady.com

- Patty
The All-in-One Parent on FaceBook

Crock Pot Meals - to Freeze, or not to freeze?

I keep coming across all these links on the web for crock pot meals you can freeze.

Sounds great to me! But, I guess if I had to pick, I would take 20 minutes before each meal, rather than 5 hours to fill my freezer with bags of food for my crock pot.

BUT, with that being said - I have my reasons.

I've never cooked frozen fresh potatoes, tomatoes, etc There are some foods I just cant imagine eating after freezing - even if I have bought them from the store frozen, I am always worried I will prep them wrong, and they will come out bad.

So, whats your take on it?

At any rate, I'm going to add some recipes I have collected from the web for Crock pot meals - frozen or fresh!

I hope you all enjoy them!

-Patty H.
The All-in-One Parent on FaceBook

Nothing Last Forever!

They said the only things certain in life are life, death, and taxes. Well, I need to add another; all good things must come to an end.

Yes, I said it. And think about it, think of all the things you have enjoyed that eventually came to an end.

·         A family vacation

·         A good book

·         A good movie

·         A trip to an amusement park

·         A lunch with an old friend

·         Maybe, the life of a close friend

·         The life of a family member

·         The life of a family pet

·         A family dinner

·         Special time with the one you love

·         A special afternoon with your child

·         A family reunion

·         Cooking dinner together with your family

You see, there are a lot of things that we do that are special. The problem is, we don’t always appreciate them until they are over. What can we do to appreciate them today? What can we do so that we remember these moments, lives, or activities even after they are over?

Well, I bet the number one thing that popped into your head is photographs or video tapes. But lets me honest, all those photos can fade, get sun damage, DVD’s get scratched, hard drives crash, online files can get corrupted, even tiny SD cards can get erased. Trust me I have had these things happen.

But, when those things are gone, what do we have left?

While you were taking photos or recording the videos, were you more interested in the subject of the frame, or the moment taking place? Were you worried about little Sarah’s hair and smile looking perfect, or were you just wanted to capture her just as she was running around on that playground. When that photo is damaged or lost, will you remember her playing, or will you remember how hard it was to get her to sit still on the slide?

You see, there is no point of capturing the moment if you have to stage the moment. If you spend your time worrying about how the photo will look, you will spend hardly any time enjoying the moment you are trying so hard to capture.

My favorite photos of Kathleen, or of anyone, are the ones when they aren’t looking, or don’t know I’m taking them, or when they ignore the camera all together.

THAT is when the moment is happening, THAT is what you want to capture. I mean, think about it. If you just wanted to take pictures of Johnny sitting on the swing, you could pack him up, grab the camera, and drive around and try out every playground in the city until you found just the right background. Then you would shoot 20 photos to see where you get the best light, least shadow, and best background scenery.

But that’s not what you want to catch is it? Because by frame 10, Johnny’s smile is weak, and he is slouching, and you’re fighting over getting him to look like he is really swinging, or really having fun.

What you really want, is to get a photo, and keep the memory of Johnny laughing and playing, and having fun with his little cousin, or sister, or best friend at the park. So, if those things are already happening, why stage it?

Let Johnny play, and snap the photos, 5, 10, 15, 30 at a time if you need to, and just pick the one you love the most. Because those are the memories you are trying to capture.

But let’s face it; you can’t always have a camera at your hip, so what about the other times? What can you do to make those times special so that they are never forgotten?

- Patty H.
The All-in-One Parent on FaceBook

Stay At Home Moms and Dads, Intro

Its not 1950 anymore, and things have changed, a lot!!

Mom's aren't the only ones staying home with the kids anymore! And not all households have a Mommy! Times have changed, and so have us SAHPs!

I remember spending a lot of time at my Grandma & Papa's home. He worked, and she stayed at home. She did the cooking, the cleaning, the washing, and the shopping - My Papa did the working, and the household repairs.

In my home - my Mom & Dad both worked, we didn't spend much time with them. When my Dad became disabled, he did everything - cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.

On a personal note - I remember my dad always being quite angry, and vocal about it, but when he couldn't work anymore, and became the SAHP, he became even more angry. I am sure he felt emasculated. He wasn't bringing home the "bacon" anymore, and he was doing the woman's work.

I remember thinking, I never want to do that. I never want to make my man feel less than how my Grandma made my Papa feel. But now I realize, it isn't about the man and the woman, its about the roles each plays, and its about each of them feeling satisfied in their roles.

If the man works and the woman stays at home - is he happy leaving the kids behind for work everyday to provide for them? If so, great! Is he able to set time aside on his days off to bond with them? Is the Mom happy spending her time cooking, cleaning, carpooling, and checking homework? If so, great! That's all that matters! And if the roles are reversed, and the Dad is at home, and the Mom is working, great! So long as they are both happy in the role! And if the two parent home is a same-sex couple, as long as each parent is happy in the role they are playing, that is ALL THAT MATTERS!!!!

Remember - even if we don't vocalize how we feel inside, the kids know when something is up!

So, that's what this blog and page are about.
Its about sharing tips about how to handle the household - be it a man or a woman doing the house duties. Cleaning, cooking, laundry, time management - learning to master all these things are what makes the home run smoothly. And even when we do master these things, there is no guarantee that the house will run smooth.

So, here I will share links I found, recipes I have tried, ideas I like to use, and things I would LIKE to TRY and see if they work.

I encourage you to do the same!!

Check out the link to my brand new FaceBook page below

www.facebook.com/SAHMandD

-Patty H.