Slow Cooking Thursday

This recipe is one I love to make and take to church suppers and it will even fit in on your Thanksgiving table.

Slow Cooked Broccoli Casserole

2 bags frozen chopped broccoli, partially thawed
1 can cream of celery soup
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup crushed butter flavor crackers (about 25)
2 tablespoons butter

Combine broccoli, soup, 1 cup cheese, onion, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Pour into a greased slow cooker. Sprinkle crackers on top and dot with butter.

Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cook 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

For more slow cooking recipes visit Diary of a SAHM.

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods: pretty mild considering it is November.

One of my simple pleasures: spending time with my Husband before he goes to work.

On my bedside table: cell phone, clock, cough drops, Bible

On my TV: kids are watching a program I taped on the History of Thanksgiving.

On the menu for tonight: tater tot casserole

On my To Do List: Last night of woman's Bible study for the fall tonight, Wednesday night kids club at church, library on Friday.

New Recipe I tried last week: We had this at the museum on Saturday.


Butternut squash and Apple Soup

3 Tablespoons butter
2 large onions -- chopped
2 Tablespoons curry powder (good quality)
1 teaspoon chili powder
5 cans (6 1/2 cups) chicken stock -- homemade or canned
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, & chopped
3 firm tart apples (ie: Spys, Granny Smiths) -- peeled, cored, & diced salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (optional)


In a heavy skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent, approx. 5 mins. Add the curry and chili powders and cook for another 5 minutes. Add half the stock and bring to a boil. Transfer the mixture to a soup kettle, add squash and apples, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 45 mins. to 1 hour, or until squash is tender. Stir occasionally to prevent vegetables from sticking to the pan.


I skipped this step and used my hand blender. Strain soup and reserve the liquid. Place the pulp in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until pureed. Return the puree, reserved liquid,cream and the remaining chicken stock to a clean soup kettle and bring to a simmer. Ladle the soup into warm soup bowls and sprinkle with chopped parsley or cilantro if desired.
NOTE: This soup can be made ahead or frozen without the cream. 10 servings

In the craft basket: Christmas cards and gifts

Looking forward to: spending time with my Grandmother next week at Thanksgiving.

Homemaking Tip for this week: keep on the kids to put things away!

Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other): the post before this one on my weekend craft day at the museum.

Favorite photo from last week: the pomander ball. The house smells so good!!

Lesson learned the past few days: when you feel the Lord directing you to do something DO IT! A few times over the past month the Lord has been putting my former mother in law (also my children's grandmother) in my path. Her and I never got along, we have a long history of not liking one another. I kept waiting for the perfect time to share the Gospel with her. Well this past weekend she took a full bottle of pain killers and is now in a coma. I'm making supper for her husband tomorrow and taking it to him.

On my Prayer List: family, my kids grandmother, unsaved family and friends.

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses: Acts 24:25 (New King James Version)
Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.”

To read other HHM posts visit Diary of a SAHM.

Crafts 19th Century Style

Today my Mom and I went to our favorite local living history museum and made 6 crafts all for $20. We had such a good time. Click on the link and it will take you to the website.

The first one is a marzipan hedgehog. Isn't he just the cutest thing???! This little guy was made out of almond paste (you can find this in most large grocery stores) with cloves for the eyes and nose. Sliced almonds are the spikes in the back.

This is the other side of him, shows all the almonds. People of the 19th century used marzipan for decorating cakes, and for all types of decorations. I've seen small fruits made out of this.

This is a pomander ball. It is an orange covered with cloves. We took a nail and pierced the orange and pushed the cloves into the hole. Beware if you try this your fingers will hurt..LOL! Then we took cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and orris root (used to bind the spices all together) and we rolled the orange in it. As the orange dries out it will shrink holding the cloves in place for years to come. The lady that taught this craft had hers for 20 years. I love the smell in the house as I type this...so much like Christmas!!

This one is a tin ornament. It is a star with the current year underneath. This was a lot of fun also. You used a hammer and nail to make all the small holes.
This is our santa dollpin (clothes pin) ornament. He was made with felt and pipe cleaners for his arms. This took us a while to make because we had to wait for the glue to dry.

This is my bird ornament made out of an old wool blanket. I like the simplicity of this. I'm going to try and make more of these.

This is a Christmas cornucopia. Children in the use to make these to hang and get treats in. The picture is of a horse drawn sleigh.