No Chinese Takeout For Me!

I'll pass on the takeout and make this at home instead!

CROCK POT BEEF AND BROCCOLI

• 1 lb. boneless beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips
• 1 cup beef consomme
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. water
• Fresh broccoli florets (as many as desired)
• Hot cooked rice

Place beef in crock pot. In a small bowl, combine consomme, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil and garlic. Pour over beef. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. In a cup, stir cornstarch and water until smooth. Add to crock pot.  Stir well to combine. Blanch broccoli florets and add to the crock pot.  Stir to combine. Cover and cook for an additional 20 minutes on HIGH or until thickened. Serve over hot, cooked rice. Enjoy!

If you haven't made any of the recipes posted by Nikki from Chef In Training you have to. You really, really do. You won't be disappointed, I promise you! We have made quite a few of them and they have all been oh-so-yummy. In fact when I need some cooking inspiration, her blog is the first place I check now!

Easter Cheapies.

Next year I am doing this. Resurrection Eggs have been something I have wanted to do since Noah was little, but never got around to doing. Why, you ask? Oh, probably because I just couldn't bring myself to drop large amounts of money on the store bought ones and I wasn't clever enough to think of making my own...... So, next year I'm making them! I have to now, I'm out of excuses.

 And then there's this. An Eighteen25 Subway Art printable. Seriously, their holiday subway printables have got to be my all time favorite "cheap" decorations. By the way, I copied their plastic eggs in a glass jar idea that's pictured too-- another great Easter cheapie.

They (Eighteen25, that is!) also have a post about how to make this egg garland that I am thinking would be fun for next year. I even know right where I would drape it!  All I need to do is get a package or two of the plastic eggs from Target when they go half off next week and then remember that I have them and why I bought them next year when I dig out the Easter decs!

Call me crazy, but there's just nothing like decorating for the holidays with stuff you already have. Or with things that cost less than a $1.00 coffee from McDonalds!