Apple Brown Betty Crock Pot Style

Image via Wikipedia

I love my desserts and this recipe is no exception. Apple Brown Betty is a good recipe for the crock pot slow cooker and can be served any time of year. It's a very popular recipe because it is so easy and tastes great too.

Apple Brown Betty Crock Pot Style
3 lbs green apples, peeled and cut
2 tabs lemon juice
4 cups of sliced bread, cubed
1/2 tsp cinnamon and nutmeg
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Place the apples in the bottom of the crock pot slow cooker and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Place the bread over the apples. Mix together the cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and butter together. Sprinkle this mix over the bread and put the lid on and cook on high for 2 hours.

Serve with lemon sauce or whipped cream if desired. I like this Apple Brown Betty served warm with ice cream.

For other great crock pot recipes then go to my blog CROCK POT MEALS.

How to make a blog

Starting out to make a blog is pretty scary really if you aren't a computer whiz. There is so much technical information to know about. There is some good news though on how you can make your own blog and learn as you go along.

I found the best instruction program was The Niche Blogger. There is step by step instructions, videos and screen shots on how to do everything you need to make a blog, one that makes you money by way of passive income. This program is perfect for the beginner especially.

Amy Bass runs the program and she is a mother of 4 and a successful blogger herself, who has changed her own family's life and now she wants to show how you can too. She has taught her mother using the same methods that she will instruct you so if a grandmother can do it so can you. Um, I must say here and now that I am also a mother and grandmother and I learned the same way so even I can do it so you can too.

I have used The Niche Blogger for a few months now and have already 3 blogs and counting. I should have another set up soon as well. You get great help from her and also from a forum where you can exchange ideas and help each other. Amy is very approachable so if you need help you can get it quickly to make a blog from scratch.

The cost is really low so why not find out more by taking up a 3 DAY FREE TRIAL which she has going at the moment. She is confident you will like the program and stay. Check it out yourself. I would love to hear your comments as I am sure you are going to be thrilled as I was.

I love blogging and now I get paid to do it.

Living a healthy life in 2009 - Now is the time

Image by Claudio.Ar via Flickr

2009 is the year that I am going to really concentrate on living a healthier life for my own sake. I need to do this for me otherwise my health will deteriorate as I am now in my 50s and starting to feel it physically.

The following are the things I am going to do this year:

Laugh a lot and be happy. We have to choice to look on the positive side or the negative and this year I am going to be happy and thank God for what I have and laugh a lot. This also attracts people to you so maybe I will make some new friends along the way.

Stress less but use it only to challenge myself to achieve the things I want. I am going to meditate more this year and the iPod is coming out again regularly to listen to binaural beat music as this really brings down my stress levels dramatically.

Don't worry so much. This is probably my biggest hurdle as I am a real worrier. This I'm sure impacts on my health and especially my blood pressure. I will set aside some time to think about my worries to find solutions then I will put them aside in my mind. Some problems have no solutions and worrying about them doesn' make it any better.

Exercise more often. I must admit that I'm not keen on exercising but I will start to walk again and this will be the main exercise I will do. A beach walk will be nice to do each week so Ill add that in. Exercise also helps me balance stress levels.

Eating well. I really don't have a problem with this one, only that I like my snacks as well, so Ill cut those down and eat more healthy ones like raw vegetables.

I'm sure I could do more but this is a good start and if I can achieve these it will make a big difference to my health. Now the only goal I will have to really work on is keeping my job and with the economy as it is this will be my biggest one for the year.

Cooking the crock pot way

I am a busy woman, working full time, trying to keep a house clean and be a wife and grandmother as well. I was looking for ways to save money and my time and I remembered I had a crock pot packed away somewhere. I finally found it and I have been using it ever since.

The crock pot is the best thing since sliced bread. I set it in the morning and I have a hot cooked dinner when I get home from work. For a complicated recipe I will cook on a Sunday and then reheat for Monday night's dinner. Serve with rice or potatoes and vegetables or in summer with a salad.

Winter and changing of the seasons are great times for soup and I have been making lots of soup lately. I have a blog with a lot of recipes which is called Crock Pot Meals and you can get the recipes there.

I have found that I don't spend as much time in the kitchen now and we have less take outs which saves me money (for my vacations). Have you rediscovered the crock pot?

Traveling in the off peak season

Image via Wikipedia

Traveling at the right time of year will cost you less.

If you travel in off peak (or low season) periods, or even in the shoulder season, you’ll find traveling costs a lot less. Saving money has to be a priority right now.

The seasons differ depending on whether you are in the north or south hemisphere. For example, the North America summer months are June, July, August but in Australia the summer months are December, January and February. You will need to research your destination to find out the low/shoulder season times to visit.

Positives of traveling in the off peak season are that air fares are much cheaper, accommodation is also cheaper and more readily available and eating in restaurants can be less expensive too as owners will be trying to attract patrons.

So what are the negatives of traveling in the off peak? Off peak usually means traveling in colder weather. Some tourist places close earlier or do not open at all in the off peak, so check up before you go so you are not disappointed. In some areas the public transport system does not run as often as in peak tourist season and some hotels and museums close down for the winter to re-furbish and get ready for the next high season influx of tourists.

If traveling in the off-peak doesn’t sound attractive to you, then you might like to try the shoulder season and still get some travel price reductions. Usually in this time you’ll get decent weather, less crowds and lower travel costs – not the great bargains you’ll get in off peak, but lower costs nonetheless.

This is my preferred time to travel as I get good weather and lower prices. For North America or Europe I prefer to travel in April/May or around September/October. There are less tourists about also so its more enjoyable.

When you are planning for your next vacation think about going in the off peak season and have fun and save money too.

The travel bug has bitten again

The travel bug can bite when you least expect it. You see a great deal and you can't pass it by. You don't think twice you just know you have to go. This happened to me this week. A great deal came up with a cruise to New Zealand from Sydney and I just had to work out a way to go.

I love cruising as it's the most relaxing vacation you can take. Just add an unbelievable price and its just too irresistible and so I'm booked. The cruise is on the Holland America ship the ms Volendam, sailing from Sydney to Auckland leaving 5 December. If you are going on this cruise too let me know.

I have sailed on the Volendam before and she is a beautiful ship. The weather should be good that time of year and I hope the Tasman Sea is kind to us on the way over. I am not a good sailor but I take my seasick tablets and some ginger and Im fine. I get car and bus sick also so I never travel without them.

Im very excited about cruising again and I will keep you posted on my and preparations. You can read more about my previous cruises at Angeltraveler.com

Seven rules to keep you healthy and happy

Hello again and hoping you are having a good weekend.

I have a few rules that I try and stick to that hopefully are keeping me healthy and happy and they are:

Laughter is one of the best things for your mental and physical state.
Recognize that stress is a killer and dont let it beat you.
Dont worry.
Get plenty of exercise or at least some exercise regularly.
Eat healthy foods.
Get proper sleep each day.
Learn to relax and unwind.

When Im troubled by something in particular I try and think of what could be the worst thing that can happen to me at that time and usually its not that bad, or is bearable, and I know that whatever it is it will probably pass. Let worry and stress wash over you.

Never worry about tomorrow until tomorrow comes.

Sleep is the best meditation....Dalai Lama

One should eat to live, not live to eat....Moliere

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone; ........Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Until next time....