Hello Fall!

Here in LA, our fall starts a little bit later than most places.  This weekend, it was in the 80's and I was wearing shorts. However, fall has finally arrived and it is raining and everyone has taken out their boots and scarves.

For me, this means breaking out the crock pot and enjoying a delicious (and healthy!) home-made meal.  (For what I'm making tonight for dinner, check out this earlier post with the recipe!)

At times, I wish fall would look something like the east coast, or my house... the leaves changing colors and falling, the cold brisk air starting at the beginning of October, and everything decorated for fall.  But I do love living in LA.  Where else can you go to the beach at the end of October, and we do have Disneyland and many other things.  But in all honesty... I just can't wait for Thanksgiving week to arrive. Then all of the holiday festivities will have officially started.

**What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?**

Crock Pot Meals

As a college student, I find it so hard to find time to go to the grocery store and actually cook my own meals.  I would eat on campus, but I don't have a big meal plan and after awhile, I get tired of eating the same food, over and over again.

My mom has always made crock pot meals, and I think they're perfect on cold nights! Today, I had a good amount of homework to do and I also had a choir concert this evening.  That makes it hard for me to prepare dinner for my friends who come over every Sunday night for dinner. So, tonight I made one of my mom's crock pot meals. It's super easy to prepare too!

What you need:
1 Chuck Roast
1 bag of mini carrots
3 sticks of celery
1 package of French Onion Dry Soup Mix
2 Large cans and 1 Small can of Cream of Mushroom Soup (More or less depending on the size of your crock pot)

Preparing it:

1. Place the chuck roast flat on the bottom of the crock pot.
2. Sprinkle the French Onion Dry Soup Mix on top of the chuck roast.
3. Thinly slice the celery and throw it into the crock pot.
4. Add half of the bag of mini carrots, or enough to cover the majority of the meat.
5. Put the Cream of Mushroom soup to the top of the crock pot. 
6. Set to cook for 6 hours

I personally like eating this stew over white rice.  Here's a picture tos how what it looks like. It tastes better than it looks.