Slow Cooking Thursday

Here's a slow cooker recipe that has been around for a while. I got this from my Mom, before I got married and I've been married for 26 years. I guess it has stood the test of time!

Zesty Swiss Steak

1 1/2 pound round steak

salt - to taste

1 tablespoon minced onion

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 can cream of mushroom soup

3 tablespoons catsup

Brown meat and lightly salt. Place in crock pot and sprinkle minced onion over meat. Stir together Worcestershire sauce, catsup and soup. Pour over meat. Cook on low for 12 hours.

*this needs to cook for a long period so the meat is tender. I sometimes cook it for a while in the evening, then put it in the frig overnight and start it again in the morning.

For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

I've been tagged

Karen, of Karen's Ramblings has tagged me for this Meme.

1) What I was doing 10 years ago: My kids were 14, 11 and 8. I was working part time on the 11-7 shift. This worked well because I was there for school and church programs and around during the day if they needed me. We were having problems in our church and I had a really bad attitude about it. It took me some time to realize that (surprise!) I wasn't perfect and that everything that happened in church wasn't about me. We had an interim pastor a year later who laid it on the line. Many people left our church, but those who remained grew close and our faith grew as well. Also at this time Andy was being taken off medication he had been on for a year. He had mini seizures, where he didn't lose consciousness, but would get "spacey". The neurologist said he would most likely grow out of them and he did. He was taken off the medication and has never had another problem. (A great answer to prayer!)

2) 5 years ago: I had just switched over to working days. The kids were older (19, 16 and 15) and didn't need me around so much during the day. I was happy to not feel like I was sleeping at such weird hours, and to be more awake. Our church was a changed place, with a great emphasis on outreach. I was feeling a new call to prayer and joined the Prayer Team at church. Bob had started a new job about 1 year earlier after his former workplace was bought by a competitor and closed. We were again reminded of how God takes care of us!

3) 1 year ago: Our oldest daughter had recently married and our son was in his senior year in high school. Our family life was really beginning to change. Heather (middle daughter) who is diabetic was just starting to use an insulin pump.

4) Yesterday: I had the day off after returning from vacation. I spent it doing all those things that needed to be done, like getting groceries, doing laundry, running errands.

5) 5 snacks I enjoy: Of course there is always chocolate! I also like fresh apples in the fall, fresh peaches in season, any of the 100 calorie packs, sharp cheddar cheese.

6) 5 things I would do if I suddenly had $100 million: Pay off the mortgage, buy new vehicles, give more to our church, help out with other causes, do some fun getaways and travel with family and extended family.

7) 5 locations I would like to run away to: Australia and New Zealand, Ireland, Grand Canyon, Eastern USA, Greece.

8) 5 bad habits I have: poor eating habits, impatient driver, want to be in control too much, thinking I am right, judging others

9) 5 things I like doing: blogging, reading, scrapbooking, taking pictures, spending time with family

10) 5 TV shows I like: Biggest Loser, Survivor, Extreme Home Makeover - I think that's about all I'm watching now.

11) 5 things I hate doing: folding laundry, cleaning up cat vomit, mopping the floor, paying bills, cleaning the tub.

12) 5 biggest joys of the moment: Andy's graduation from boot camp, my family, the beauty in nature, my computer, Knowing God has a plan for my life and He is in control.

Here are the 5 people that I am tagging:
1) Heather
2) Laura
3) Nancy
4) Jennifer
5) Melissa

Just the facts...

One last post about vacation. Hope you aren't all sick of this!

Miles traveled: 2750

States traveled through: 10 + Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, District of Columbia, Pennsylvania.

Cost of gas for entire trip: $349.15

Lowest price seen for gas: $2.53, somewhere between Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina

Highest price seen for gas: $2.89, somewhere in Ohio

Awful odors smelled: 2 - one in Ohio, one in Charleston. Laura thought she wouldn't survive it!

Wildlife seen : Dolphins, alligators, lizards, eels, egrets, turtles and 1 palmetto bug!

New vegetation seen: Kudzu, tobacco, cotton, palmetto trees

New food tasted: fried okra and collard greens. (Sorry Leslie - we never had a chance to try boiled peanuts)

Injuries sustained: One twisted foot when I lost my sandal while stepping off a curb, One scrape to Laura's foot, when I ran over it with a piece of luggage.

Oceans visited: the Atlantic

Military bases visited: Fort Jackson and Fort Eustis

Time spent laughing: too much to count

Blogging buddies met: 1 - Dena, in Summerville!

Most horrible hour: the hour we spent driving around Washington DC, in 6 lanes of non-stop traffic!

Number of crying females when we met Andy again after 9 weeks: 3

Number of crying females when saying good bye to Andy: 3

Sundays spent away from our churches: 2 - we were blessed on those days by traveling through the Smokies on the first one, and the Appalachians on the 2nd. We were able to listen to sermons on tape and worship music. Truly a time to say - "How Great Thou Art"

Hotels stayed at : Comfort Inn, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express. Holiday Inn Express won our vote as the best.

Amount of rainfall : 3 drops

Time spent held up in traffic by construction or accidents: None

Mechanical problems: None

Crabby family members and arguing: None

Number of steps we climbed on the Yorktown: Don't know, but it was too many!

Blessings on this trip: too many to count.

Time spent with family: priceless!