Making me smile, Random Kitcheness & Slow Cook Thursday

Updated with recipe at bottom.

Barbara at Stray Thoughts has passed on to me the "You make me Smile" award. Thank you Barbara. It always amazes me that people come around to read anything I write, never mind that it makes them smile. You've made me smile, Barbara.

The person who originated the award said:
"The thing that I love most about blogging is that I learn so much about a person just by reading their blog. I have met MANY wonderful people with wonderful stories to tell,and I am grateful every day for each person that I have the pleasure of crossing paths in life with.
I wanted to create something special for the top ten people who have inspired me through their blogging; the stories they tell, and the lives that they lead with grace and dignity. I visit their blogs for inspiration and encouragement.Although there are MANY people I want to give this award to at this very moment, I am going to choose ten bloggers:
Please grab your badge and wear it(with a smile) proudly, and pass it on because you inspire and encourage me, thank you.”

And now I'm supposed to pass it on. I'm having a very hard time picking just 10 people. I've been struggling for days with it, because you know, all the blogs I read make me smile in some way. So I'm just going to say that it's for everyone whom I visit on a regular basis. You all make me smile.

My friend Laura from I'm An Organizing Junkie has tagged me for a kitchen meme. 8 random things from my kitchen/cooking. I'm thinking maybe, just maybe this might be easy as I love hanging out in my kitchen. Okey, dokey, here goes:

1. One of my favorite utensils in the kitchen and that is used constantly is my Pampered Chef garlic press. I use it all the time.

2. I finally have a color I just looooove in my kitchen. It many, many years and 4 colors before I found something that makes me go "Ahhh, I love the color in my kitchen" whenever I go in there. It was actually Tia that suggested the color, from one of the million little color samples that I had taped to the wall.

3. My most used appliance in the kitchen is...can you guess? It's the coffee pot and now along with it, my Quisinart Coffee Grinder. I now get fresh ground coffee every single time.

4. My dishes are pure white. I love patterned dishes but I like how I can dress up the table with the same set of dishes just by changing up things like tablecloths, runners, napkins, candles, centerpieces, etc. And the dishes will go with it all. With my old set, a Corelle with a fall pattern on it, my dishes always clashed with the Christmas colors or the spring decorations. Now I can change it up however I want.

5. I love to cook but don't enjoy baking. I love to try new dishes and will make up dishes on the fly quite often. Most of them have been really good but the odd one has been a "thumbs down" event.

6. But I don't do fancy schmancy gourmet kinds of cooking, but I wouldn't mind taking a course just for fun.

7. I usually always have sour cream in the fridge. It's very rare that I run out of sour cream. It is definitely considered a staple around here.

8. The picture on the wall by our table is very special to me. It's a copper tooled rendition of the Last Supper made by my hubby's Dad, who's now passed away, and it was framed and the frame painted to match the original background by my hubby's sister. So it is a treasured thing in our kitchen.

So Linda, Shalee, Beck, Gibee and Tammy tell us about your kitchen and quirks.

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And following right along with a kitchen meme it's Slow Cooking Thurday hosted by Sandra. My crockpot has already been cooking up a storm. Something about fall that brings out the cravings for soup, stews and the like. This is one of my favorite easy recipes. It's a take on Stacy from Exceedingly Mundane's recipe, but I couldn't even tell you where on her site I saw it. If you'd like the original you can contact her through her site. I believe she called it 4 Beans and Sausage, if I'm not mistaken.

CROCKPOT BEANS AND SAUSAGE

-4 cans (15 oz. each) of a mix and match of beans (I used kidney, black, white northern, and pinto)

-1 can kernal corn

-1 1/2 cups ketchup

-1 medium onion, chopped

-1 green pepper, seeded and chopped

-1 lb (1/2 kg) smoked, cooked sausage (I used Mennonite garlic and baked it for 1/2 hour first)

-1/4 cup brown sugar

-2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

-1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

-1/2 tsp. dry mustard

-1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce

In a small fry pan, saute onion and green pepper for a few minutes just to start softening the onion.

Meanwhile, slice the sausage into 1/2" slices.

Drain beans and corn. Add all ingrediants to crockpot, stir and cook on high for 4 hours. Serve with a nice crusty bread or fresh buns.