Slow Cooker Witch's Brew Recipe

Happy almost-Halloween! We had a play date today, and my 5-year-old taste-testers couldn't get enough of this stuff. The comments I overheard were priceless:

"it doesn't taste like there are spiders or lizards or bugs in it"
"how did your mom even know how to make this?"
"is my tongue green yet?"
"I've never had ice cream in a drink before"
"I guess this is why witches have green faces"

This is a super easy hot beverage to whip up, and tastes like a lovely citrus cocktail. I'm sure you could put a shot or two of something in there if you are planning on serving adults.

The Ingredients.
serves 8-10


2 quarts apple juice
2 quarts pineapple juice (or thereabouts. the canned holds 1 quart, 14 oz)
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 box (6 ounces) lime jello powder
5-6 whole star anise *
orange sherbert (to add before serving)

* I wouldn't go out of my way to purchase star anise if you don't already have it in the house. It looks neat floating in the pot (like little spiders), and provides a touch of a licorice taste, but not enough to justify the expense. If you really want a tad bit of licorice flavor, throw in a few jelly beans and call it a day.

The Directions.

You will need a 5.5 quart or larger slow cooker. If you only have a smaller one in the house, you'll need to cut down the juice quantities.

Pour in the juices, and add the allspice. Stir in the jello powder, and float the star anise (if using) on top. Cover and cook on low for about 5 hours, or on high for about 3. Serve with a scoop of orange sherbert---it will cool the beverage down enough for small children to enjoy right away, and creates a fun foamy slimy film---perfect for Halloween.

The Verdict.

Delicious. It's quite limey in flavor, and a really fun color. I debated whether or not to thrown in a handful of grapes to mimic eyeballs, and am glad I decided not to. I think the possible choking hazard thing would worry me too much. My little friends were thrilled with their after-school snack (I promise I fed them lunch before filling them up with sugar!) and I received many sticky hugs and thank yous.

I also taught them my favorite joke of all time:

What's Ernie's favorite ice cream?

SureBert!

hahahahahahaa

P.S. don't look now, but the Holidays are right around the corner. They really, and truly are. Here's a round-up I did on Totally Together for Holiday Gifts that Support Bloggers.

also, if you have not yet entered the $200 gift card giveaway, it's still going strong over on my Review Blog.

Have a fantastic Halloween. Be safe!

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Good Morning America, and Other Announcements

1.) The book is completely and totally and officially all done. It will be in stores this coming Tuesday, October 13. If you have pre-ordered from Amazon (and THANK YOU!!! for the pre-orders!) your book will be mailed that day.

2.) I am going to New York, and will be on Good Morning America on Tuesday, October 13. Set your DVRs, email your grandma, and tweet your peeps. I'm trying my hardest to not have an anxiety attack while on camera.

or on the plane.

My mom took me shopping for nice maternity clothes which actually fit, so I'm hoping I look pregnant and not just like a huge swollen blob.

3.) I got my hair done today. It's a bit darker than I've had in quite some time, and I really like it. The kids are weirded out. Adam likes it, but he says that no matter what. I'm quite pleased-- I think it looks fallish.

4.) You may have noticed my new super-awesome header with clickable tabs, thanks to the lovely and talented Jennette Fulda, of Make My Blog Pretty. If you are ever in need of any site design, tweaking, or hand-holding, Jennette is your girl. I can not possibly express how wonderful and responsive she is.
She is also the author of Half Assed, a hysterical weight-loss memoir I read on the plane the last time I went to New York. I was so thankful to have her book to keep my mind off of the turbulence.

I hate turbulence.

eek. Now I've freaked myself out again.

5.) I've gotten a few emails about an icky ad for cutting out belly fat that has been automatically attaching itself to the bottom of the emails that go out through feedburner. I had NO IDEA this was happening, and greatly appreciate the head's up. I've since contacted google and have asked to be opted out of certain campaigns, but it looks like it takes about 24 hours to process these types of requests.

I'm terribly sorry that this happened, and I hate it that anyone has been inadvertently offended.

6.) The $200 gift card give-away is still going strong over at Totally Together Reviews. If you haven't already entered, hop to it!

7.) I am ecstatic that the book is finally here. I've heard several authors liken writing and publishing a book to child birth. I have even joked with friends that sometimes it feels that way. But I've decided it's not the same. It's not even close.

At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is family. So. Hug your kids, call your parents, your grandparents, your sister, and your brother, and remember that all the day-to-day stuff doesn't matter. Family comes first.

and then go set your DVRs. ;-)

xoxo steph

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Indian Spiced Lentils with Chicken Slow Cooker Recipe

I had a few bags of lentils in the house, and attempted to make a chicken and lentil stew last week. I really like Indian spices, and thought that if I threw some in the pot I'd get a tasty lentil soup/stew with chicken.

I didn't get soup.

It could have been because I was on the phone, and helping the kids with homework, and frantically folding laundry while I was assembling ingredients and writing down quantities, but it also could just be that I estimated the liquid-to-solid ratio wrong.

The result was not a soup or stew, but instead a tasty and hearty lentil dish with a bit of chicken here and there for some added protein. If you would prefer to omit the chicken and keep this vegetarian, that's perfectly fine. I wouldn't bother to adjust the liquid, but instead keep the lid off of the slow cooker while you set the table. The extra liquid will absorb into the lentils and the steam will evaporate.

We all gobbled this up---which just shows that sometimes your accidental flubs in the kitchen can be a great success!

The Ingredients.
serves 4, with a bit leftover


2 cups lentils (mine were brown)
3 cups chicken broth (you could use veggie)
3 cups water
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon corriander
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can diced chiles (hot or mild, your choice)--no need to drain
1 tablespoon dried parsley (or 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh)
2 large chicken breast halves

The Directions.

Use a 4 to 5 quart slow cooker. Rinse the lentils under cold water until it runs clear. Dump into the slow cooker. Add broth and water. Add diced onion and celery. Add all spices, the garlic, and chiles. Stir to combine.

Lay 2 largeish chicken breast halves on top of the assembled food. My breast halves were frozen solid.

Cover and cook on low for about 7 hours, or on high for about 4. Before serving, remove chicken from the slow cooker, chop it up, and stir back in. Serve over basmati rice with corn tortillas or naan wedges (not gluten free) as scoopers.

The Verdict.

Although I was initially pretty bummed that my soup wasn't a soup, this turned out really tasty, and all of us enjoyed our dinner. The Indian spices were pronounced, but not spicy. Adam added a bit of spice to his with some red chile flakes, but I abstained (to ward off pregnancy heartburn. in case you were wondering. which you probably weren't, but there you go.).

I heated the leftovers up for lunch and my almost-5-year-old and her friend happily ate them.

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Me, writing elsewhere. But Most Importantly, a $200 Gift Card Give-Away!

I promise that when I don't post regularly it's not because I'm sitting around watching bad day time TV and eating bon-bons.

Although, I do secretly wish that was true.

maybe not so secretly.

Sometimes when you write on the internet for a while people want to give you stuff. Mostly I ignore the stuff that is offered, because it doesn't fit into slow-cooking, our particular lifestyle, it isn't gluten-free, or it's icky (think viagra).

But sometimes something comes along that is just-too-good-to-pass-up, and would directly benefit our family for the better.

And I feel like I'd be a do-do if I didn't say yes.

A few weeks ago was one of those times. I'd like to share with you our brand-new free thing, and the opportunity for you to win a $200 gift card so you, too, could have a brand-new free thing.

Just in time for the holidays! Although I promise not tell if you keep the card for yourself.

I'd also like to share a new post on Totally Together: The Art of Being Present
and
a write-up on BlogHer.com I did about Helping Children Express Feelings. (edited: I guess the link isn't live yet. When it is, I'll update. )

and that's it. Now go! Go win some of other people's money!

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