7 Steps to Cook a Great Spaghetti Dinner in a Slow Cooker Without Cooking in a Hot Kitchen

When hearing the 7 simple steps for a spaghetti dinner recipe prepared in a slow cooker for the first time, I was skeptical. However, after implementing this cooking skill in my kitchen, the entire family was delighted with the results. Using this cooking knowledge will empower you to prepare a great spaghetti dinner with your slow cooker and only 4 ingredients.

Warm up your crock pot rather than your kitchen. With an initial investment of just 20 minutes plus four hours and a few minutes later, you can enjoy this great spaghetti dinner whether the weather is hot or cold.

You will need a slow cooker, a 25.5 ounce jar of organic garlic roasted garlic pasta sauce, an 8 ounce package of frozen veggie meatballs, 6 ounces of angel hair pasta, and 16 ounces of water.

Step 1 – Select the “high” setting for the base of your crock pot and allow it to warm for 20 minutes.

Step 2 – Pour the entire contents from the jar of pasta sauce into the cooking dish. Next, pour 8 ounces of cold water into the empty pasta sauce jar. Replace the lid of the jar and rotate it until you can pour out the rest of the pasta sauce mixed with water into your cooking dish. Next, cover it with the appropriate lid. Heat up the pasta sauce for a minimum of 30 minutes before proceeding to Step 3.

Step 3 – Open the frozen package of veggie meatballs and gently pour them into the steaming pasta sauce. Cover this mixture of ingredients with the appropriate lid. Continue cooking on the “high” setting for at least 4 hours.

Step 4 – Stir through the mixture of pasta sauce and veggie meatballs with a large spoon.

Step 5 – Break the angel hair pasta into small sections and gently stir the pasta into the mixture of pasta sauce with veggie meatballs. Pour in 8 ounces of water over this mixture and stir through it with a large spoon. Replace the cover on your dish and continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes on the “high” setting.

Step 6 – Stir through the mixture with a large spoon again before serving.

Step 7 – Serve and enjoy eating a healthier version of a classic spaghetti dinner with only four ingredients and your slow cooker.

The combination of these ingredients easily serves 4 adults. It smells delicious and tastes scrumptious.This dinner is suitable for children and adults. Cooks will especially enjoy the minimal time required to clean the slow cooker.

This culinary process is one of the most valuable cooking lessons I’ve learned from my daughter and a great example of a quote by Charles Spurgeon, “To know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.

Interview With Mom – What I Learned About Mom During a Sunday Afternoon Interview

More than eleven years after dad died, it seemed imperative to ask questions of mom that I’d never before asked. She’s wise, compassionate, fun, and creative. I believe her answers may teach us to be good listeners and encourage countless others.

While there’s still time, I wanted to remember and respect seemingly insignificant things that reveal her heart, a market place of treasures. “Mom, what’s it like to be you?”

Q. What is your favorite color?

A. My favorite colors as a child were yellow and light blue but now I prefer navy blue, red, and black.

Q. What is your favorite time of the day?

A. Sunset.

Q. What is your favorite book?

A. Gone With the Wind. When we were first married, I read it. We went to see the movie. Even though it’s been more than 70 years ago, I still remember that it was the only movie your dad ever went to see.

Q. What is your favorite food?

A. Hot chicken salad with almonds. It’s delicious!

Q. What is your favorite memory from school?

A. Well, that’s a two-part answer:

1. Sports: playing basketball and baseball. In my first year of high school until I graduated, I was a member of the first string and played every game as a basketball forward, one of three. Our uniform was a white shirt and dark blue shorts. I played in tip-offs. Our games in the 1930’s were half-court, not like today’s games.

2. Performing in school plays. In my junior year, I portrayed a mother in a play, although I don’t remember the title. The audience saw me sewing a white garment by hand. The husband walked toward me and asked a question. “What are you doing?” When I held up the white garment, the audience saw me holding a large pair of ladies bloomers with elastic around the legs and waist. They roared with laughter.

Q. When did you learn to ride a bicycle?

A. 10 years old. My brother would stand on the step and shove my bicycle. My first successful destination was riding to the local post office.

Q. Where did you first attend church?

A. At a Christian church close to our house. It’s still easy to remember the first scripture verse I memorized, Psalm 23. I walked to church as a young child before I ever began school. The path was straight between home and church; I didn’t even have to cross the road. My first Sunday school teacher’s name was Ms. Jewel Hatch and our class met in the church basement.

Q. Where did you first attend school?

A. My first grade class was in a one-room schoolhouse. When it was cold weather, I’d warm my hands at a stove inside a service station on my walk to school.

Q. Did you have any pets while you grew up?

A. One of my brothers brought a dog home with him one afternoon. The dog was black as a charcoal briquette. I kept a photograph of that dog. The photograph was taken with a box camera. Mom stood beside the dog that we named Little-Bitty.

Q. What is the most unusual event you remember from childhood?

A. Mom tinted my hair in the summer early on a Sunday morning when I was rather young. I wore a short-sleeved dress made out of light fabric. My hair was white as cotton and it always tangled. For some reason, mom apparently thought changing the hair color from white to black would make my hair easier to brush. She just didn’t like white hair. “I’m going to change it.” And that’s what she did. When the black dye grew out of my hair, it was never again as white as cotton.

3 Questions for Fun Decision Making – How to Find Fun With 3 Questions

“How did you find that concert?” It was a profound question because it was engaging and thought-provoking. After a pause of at least thirteen seconds, the answers bubbled in my thoughts.

It was easy to remember an enjoyable evening when attending a concert almost two years earlier. Even though advertisements for the latest concert performed by the same musicians and artists weren’t readily available, I’d found them with a minimal amount of research. Perhaps my friend was puzzled due to the fact that I hadn’t shared with her my three question process for fun decision-making.

The questions are straightforward; however, clarity of thought is paramount to the answering process. With practice, you will improve as you discern whether or not the time is right to pursue an event, an idea, or fun.

Question 1. Will this occur near my location again within the next twelve months? If yes is the answer, stop immediately. However, if no is the answer, proceed to the second question.

Question 2. Is it affordable? If no is the answer, stop immediately. If yes is the answer, proceed to the third question.

Question 3. Would participation in the event provide life-enriching benefits for me as well as others? If yes is the answer, proceed to take immediate action.

Using these questions on a regular basis generates serendipitous memories. More often than not, five minutes is ample time to easily answer the three questions but expertise is achieved only after consistent practice in order to make it a permanent process.

Remember, there is a magic five letter word associated with the success of these questions: Think. Caution is strongly advised when this element is absent in the process.

As you decide to implement these questions into your own decision-making processes, you’ll find new opportunities waiting for you. Of course, you must be forewarned as this could be among one of the most challenging things you may ever attempt. Earl Nightingale said it best. “To think is one of the most difficult things human beings do.”

Begin today by investing a tiny fraction of time for quiet in your day. Practice the process at least five days a week each month. Write your thoughts and ideas in a notebook or journal. Even if you believe you only have one good idea each day, after four weeks you’ll have a minimum of twenty ideas to ponder.

An unknown author wrote a poem of only four lines that emphasizes the importance of quiet in our lives:

“I have a treasure which I prize,
It’s like I cannot find;
There’s nothing like it on the earth –
‘Tis this, a QUIET MIND.”

1 Reason Why I Needed to Read the Fine Print

Stored in a miniature cedar chest, I paused when the view of a flat rectangular purse captured my attention. Inspecting the denim zippered artifact, it seemed odd to hold denim that resembled the color of a pink rose. It had been more than a few years since I’d last held that bag. Rediscovering a tangible moment of a forgotten childhood memory piqued my curiosity.

Dad worked in a textile mill when I was young. The mill exclusively manufactured dark blue denim fabrics, which was quite the opposite of the pink denim bag resting in my hands. While wondering whether I’d purchased the bag or had received it as a gift, memories of dad surfaced when Mom and I visited his place of employment. The family day event was planned to celebrate those represented by employees of the mill.

It suddenly seemed important to inspect the tiny label on the simple and perhaps insignificant denim bag. Imagine my unexpected surprise when realizing I’d received a minuscule history lesson about the mill where dad had labored for our family. The message had been hidden by thick lines bordering the miniature company label on the bag.

Squinting didn’t reveal the seemingly secret words framed in a square line of print. It bordered the edges of the label, which was equivalent to the size of a postage stamp. However, with the assistance of a magnifying glass, the elusive answer was finally revealed. The textile mill proclaimed excellence as they began their second century of operation. It was easier to read the subsequent line summarizing the mill’s mission to create comfortable fabrics for everyone. The pink denim keepsake served as a reminder of the reason why dad appreciated working for the respected textile mill in our community.

While recently watching a movie about the Santa Clause, it was amusing to watch the key character casually read aloud a name printed in bold letters on a business card. There didn’t seem to be any apparent reason to inspect the broad lines bordering the business card, which temporarily disguised the charge for the next individual who received it.

It was only a few days later when the similarity was understood between the fine print that bordered the postage sized label on my pink denim bag and the fine print that bordered the business card featured in the recently viewed movie. Neither the movie character nor I had stopped to read the fine print before us until a magnifying glass finally revealed the mystery. It was vital for both of us to read the fine print in order to proceed.

The movie character needed the details on the card in order to continue and complete his scripted story; however, my need to read the fine print on the label was sentimental. The details of that pink zippered denim bag had been overlooked for years. Perhaps that’s why it’s now such a valuable memory.

Dad was a man of few words, yet he generously served our family, his employers, and friends in our community. The visual struggle to read the fine print on the postage sized label stitched to the pink denim bag finally unlocked the door to cherished memories that hadn’t been recorded for others to remember… until now.

Boomerang 101 – How to Throw a Boomerang

One particular sermon illustrating the importance of the healing quality of laughter in life is unforgettable for me. Norman Cousins authored the book, “Anatomy of an Illness.” He discovered the positive effect of profound doses of daily laughter combined with Vitamin C that conquered his illness.

Fascinated with Cousins’ discovery of how laughter improved his life, my search for contagious laughter began. The notion developed about my preceding interest in boomerangs. Enthralled with their history, the mirth memory of a Far Side cartoon surfaced. While pondering the cartoon frame featuring Mr. and Mrs. Boomerang, I felt a smile and giggled.

In the lone cartoon frame, Mrs. Boomerang stood in the open door of their home while Mr. Boomerang walked away from the house. He held a solitary piece of luggage. Her words were few but the sentiment was clear. “Go ahead and leave. You’ll be back in 10 to 15 minutes, just like all the other times.”

It’s been more than a few years since an acquaintance had given me an Authentic Aboriginal Boomerang crafted by Wungella Artifacts in Australia. Several days ago my eyes rediscovered printed directions for the correct way to throw it. On the reverse side, a narrow rectangular sticker displayed the “How to Throw a Boomerang” instructions:

1. Throw at 45 degree angle away from wind direction.

2. Flat side away from wind or away from body.

The thought struck me that it was time to photograph the boomerang. It also seemed imperative to immediately complete the task since the New Year had just begun.

My goal was to understand how to correctly throw a boomerang. However, I received a greater appreciation for the meticulous design of the Australian boomerang.

Although throwing my boomerang produced a different result than the results featured on a YouTube video, it was easy to understand that practice is required to successfully throw a boomerang that returns.

Before throwing my Australian treasure again, I decided it was time to frame and exhibit the artifact in my work area. The frame shop guy I spoke with said this would be the first time he’d ever framed a boomerang. His finished project produced a stunning presentation of the painted kangaroo on the boomerang.

We smiled. Both of us enjoyed the boomerang challenge that incorporated humor, art, history, geography, and accuracy.

Boomerangs will return when correctly thrown; however, correctly framed boomerangs will tell stories that families and friends can throw and enjoy for countless years.

Sunday Afternoon Lesson of Appreciation For Home and Family

“Our women’s ministry group is holding a craft fair in the fellowship hall on Sunday afternoon,” my sister said. It was just one week before Christmas and although I had finished my shopping, the event sounded like fun.

Walking slowly into the crowded room, I attempted to follow the left aisle. Scanning crafts, prices, and people, I saw an open path and immediately walked toward the opposite side of the room.

Crocheted dish towels, cookbooks, customized pillowcases and baked goods are just a few of the items I saw that day. After scanning the entire room, I returned to my three favorite exhibits.

The first exhibit was a home baked persimmon pudding. I’ve been told this dessert is either loved or not. Since it’s only available in the fall season of the year, I knew this was my opportunity to taste a dessert I loved, one my mom had baked when I was a child. Purchase one completed.

The second exhibit was handcrafted pillow cases. Colors exploded and the custom designs temporarily mesmerized me. When my eyes landed on the purple and green set of pillowcases, it felt like I had found a tangible moment of tranquility. Purchase two completed.

The third exhibit was a combination of baked goods and miniature containers. Glancing at the display, I saw two miniature plastic bags inside a coffee mug, one contained a dry chocolate powder and the second contained a dry white powder. Directions to mix the contents in the cup were listed on the label affixed to the mug. It was something I hadn’t seen before and yet it reminded me of the miniature bake ovens popular with kids several years ago but this was an adult sized coffee mug. Purchase three completed.

Creativity of the exhibitors amazed me. In that simple Sunday afternoon event I had the opportunity to remember the love of my mom and dad, as well as explore new ideas that taught me ways to prepare things I hadn’t even considered.

When I looked at the calendar yesterday morning, an italicized quotation caught my eye. “Our minds are like parachutes; they work best when open.”

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Angela Scott is an author who diligently works to encourage and inspire you, and those with whom you live and work to continually find hope. Visit http://thatstorylady.com to get your free “Thought for Today.”

Volunteers, Bargains and Ideas Connect Random Moments of Remote Serendipity

Karen asked if I wanted to browse items in the Bargain Box a few minutes before our volunteer shift began. “Of course,” I replied. It had been several years since I last visited that store.

She looked at clothes while I went to the back of the store. My teacher in a coupon clipper class said the best prices were always found at the back of stores. As a specialist in bargain hunting, I remembered that lesson well. So, I looked at items in the clearance section. A framed picture for $1, “Heart’s Content” was one of the first items that caught my eye. An outhouse with the shape of a heart design cut through the top half of the door caught my eye. Many interpretations bolted through my mind and brought a mischievous smile to my face.

“I’m going to look at the books,” I told Karen. I left seven dollars in the car in case of an emergency, however, I silently told myself I had no plans to spend that money.

Browsing through the books, I found a book of essays written by Warren Buffet for fifty cents; a book of questions for fifty cents; Norman Cousins’ book, “Anatomy of an Illness” for fifty cents; and the book, “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” for $2.

Familiar with the first three books, the title of the fourth book stopped me in my tracks. “Could this be the same book related to the movie with Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson?” A sales associate walked past me and I had to ask.

“That’s what movies are – they’re usually based on books,” she responded. Returning to the car, I grabbed $4 to purchase all four books.

I began reading the book and quickly learned the movie and this book were one in the same. The book was published in 1998, although I did not find it until an unplanned shopping trip before our volunteer work began on an early Saturday afternoon in May 2007.

Karen and I discussed the bargains we found. Her eyes told the entire story when I showed her the “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” book. We giggled like school girls as we thought out loud about the unlikely place to find a book and movie connection in our own hometown.

Just four years prior, I had written a thank you note to Mr. McConaughey in appreciation for the difference he made in my life based on a comment he made in an interview featured on the cover of PARADE Magazine published in 1999.

McConaughey shared in his interview the fact that he was not a big reader and had serendipitously found a small book he read in one sitting. He said reading that book had made a difference in his life. So, I decided that if the small book made a difference in his life, it could help me as well.

I found the book and although I was not immediately hooked, I kept reading because of the words he had shared, “…not a big reader.” I had earned good grades in school but up until then, reading had not been one of my favorite leisure activities.

Learn to be a good listener because success leaves clues. If you have not yet read the book McConaughey recommended, “The Greatest Salesman in the World” by Og Mandino, find it immediately. Read it and let me know when you find the clue I found.

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Angela Scott is an author who diligently works to encourage and inspire you, and those with whom you live and work to continually find hope.

“Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation.”

All writings here are copyrighted by Angela Scott. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

Antique Hospital Souvenir Money Could Never Buy – The Story of My First Birth Day

Although small and seasoned with age, it is in mint condition. I have studied it perhaps as much as a textbook when I prepared to take a test. Seventeen years ago, Mom had given to me a tiny layette card that detailed the story about my first birth day. I immediately placed it in a miniature cedar chest for safe keeping.

Actually, it was quite safe because I had forgotten about it until a few months ago. On a quiet afternoon at home, I rediscovered the miniature card while looking through a collection of photographs, journals and souvenirs in my miniature cedar chest.

Recorded in cursive handwriting in blue ink on a pink card, I savored the precious gift of life my mom and dad had given me. Reading all the details on the card, I learned seven things about my first birth day:

1) The hospital room number where nurses and doctors took care of my mother, and me;
2) The length and weight of my body;
3) The breadth of my head and chest;
4) The name of the doctor who delivered me;
5) The name of the hospital;
6) The city and state of my birth; and
7) The company who provided the canned Pet milk formula for me and the other babies born that year.

Curious to learn more, I contacted the hospital where I was born and spoke with hospital representatives. That is how I learned the official name of the tiny card, as well as how the cards are provided free of charge to the hospital for families in their facility.

An antique, my tiny layette card is unique because I have not yet spoken with anyone else who received or remembers a similar type of card with Pet Milk Company listed in the last line of text on the card. In addition to the name of the company, a miniature picture of their milk product was also displayed.

Last Saturday, I had the privilege of playing Bingo with my mom and her friends at church. The passage of time was easy to see in all of our faces and bodies.

We all are seasoned with age; however, last week I also saw another picture of the heart I had not previously understood.

A verse in Proverbs states, “As water reflects the face, so one’s heart reflects the person.” Gazing around the room, tears welled in my eyes. I sensed a new appreciation for life and my family who loved and cared for me.

Although it was a quiet afternoon, I silently heard a story about the precious gift of life, which was loud and clear. Think about it.

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Angela Scott is an author who diligently works to encourage and inspire you, and those with whom you live and work to continually find hope.

“Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation.”

All writings here are copyrighted by Angela Scott. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

Listening With My Eyes – Watching an Elephant Stand Beside the Still Water

After attending an early morning church service, we found ourselves walking in the midst of an afternoon so beautiful, it almost took my breath away.

Basking in the warm sunshine beneath the clear blue sky, something told me it was too early in February for such a warm day in the middle of winter. I knew this was a moment of serendipity.

It was a warm, sunny Sunday afternoon in February last year when we visited the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. With my digital camera in hand, I plotted my strategy to photograph the statuesque giraffes. Much to my surprise, the elephants captured my undivided attention.

Two elephants began walking toward us. One elephant walked beside the water and began drinking. The other elephant walked alongside the border of trees farther away from us but still within clear sight.

Right before my eyes, the elephant positioned himself parallel with the water as he drank. It was almost as if he saw his reflection in the water. It was surreal because the stillness of the water revealed a mirror image of the elephant.

Stepping back from the small crowd, I positioned my digital camera to capture the entire reflection of the elephant as it stood beside the still water. Professional photographers near me were busy snapping photographs; however, I am certain I received a gift the others may have overlooked.

On our way home, we stopped by the neighborhood photo kiosk to process a few prints because I wanted to see if the moment of serendipity in my memory would accurately reflect what I had seen.

Details of the photograph temporarily confused me because it was difficult to discern if I was holding the photograph right side up or down. The reflection was flawless. A temporary moment captured in the photograph gave me a first hand taste of the visual spice of life.

Even though I took the photograph, I could hardly believe what I saw. It is almost as if I had been listening with my eyes. Reeling in the the thrill of holding such a beautiful scene, I felt compelled to share the photograph.

The third time I shared the photograph of the elephant, it was with a new friend I met while attending a workshop for the workplace. She said, “You have to get this photograph in the hands of someone at the zoo.” It sounded like a great idea.

With a smile on her face, my new friend said she had met a fellow from the zoo just one day prior to our meeting. They had met at the same facility where the workshop was held. He had given her an extra business card, which she gave to me. “Call him,” she said.

My new friend at the North Carolina Zoological Society asked if I would donate a framed print of the elephant to their annual auction, which was quite an honor for me, an amateur photographer.

The photograph of the elephant was originally framed so the memory could be given away; however, later on I decided to have a gallery wrap, a 16″ x 20,” made for my own enjoyment. Released from the frame, the elephant looked free as he stood in peace by the still water, a visual buffet for the eyes.

A few weeks ago I heard someone say, “All elephants are gray but not all gray things are elephants.” The experts were right. A picture is worth a thousand words.

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Angela Scott is an author who diligently works to encourage and inspire you, and those with whom you live and work to continually find hope.

“Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation.”

All writings here are copyrighted by Angela Scott. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

A Dough Story – Mom Bakes Bread in Snowstorm

Meteorologists predicted a lot of snow for our area this weekend and the first thing my family asked me related to bread, not money. “Do you have all the ingredients to make Aunt Bea’s pocketbook yeast rolls?” My answer, of course, was yes.

Taking care of errands on Friday, I confess I stopped by the grocery store to buy a roast to cook in the crock pot. There was no need for me to rush and buy milk and bread because I have learned to be prepared for most unexpected emergencies. There is a verse in Proverbs which says, “Wisdom is the tree of life to those who find it, and happy are those who embrace it.”

Among the staples I keep in my pantry are cans of Pet Milk, water, batteries, vegetables, rice, flour, sugar, and Fleishmann’s Rapid Rise Yeast.

After I walked in the kitchen, I turned the temperature on the crock pot to high and gingerly placed the eye of round roast in the Corning Ware dish, covered it with dry onion soup mix and water.

Checking the time on my wristwatch, I knew there was ample time to refuel my daughter’s car before picking her up from work as well as finish reading a book, “The Shack” a friend had recently shared with me.

We drove from cloudy skies to skies filled with millions of snowflakes in a matter of ten minutes. It looked like a cloud of light burst in front of us. Although our intentions were not to travel into a storm, there was nothing we could do to avoid it.

As we pulled into the garage on Friday evening, I was thankful to know that while dinner was cooking there was enough time to mix up a batch of Aunt Bea’s pocketbook yeast rolls.

It is Sunday morning now and the snowy ice mixture was so bright that it woke me up. My daughter asked if it was okay to warm up the leftover yeast rolls for breakfast today rather than eating cereal. It sounded like a good idea because it freed up a block of time for me to accomplish another task.

Our kitchen smelled like a bakery this morning after only a few minutes. When we ate our breakfast of yeast rolls, honey, and hot tea, everyone was satisfied and returned to their schedules. Although it was only a half hour we spent together, I felt richer for the experience because I was able to share a portion of my heart through fond memories of my Aunt Bea.

I have been asked why I do not bake the bread more often, which gave me reason to pause and think. As a matter of fact, the last time I remember baking these yeast rolls was on December 18 last year when snowy weather kept us together.

I realized there were three questions to be answered in order for me to commit to the time required for the bread baking process.

1) Who will be eating the bread?
2) What is the occasion for the bread?
3) When will the bread need to be ready for consumption?

Even though we drove into a storm, it turned out to be a good thing. We have spent more time together as a family than our regular schedules permit. It has been inconvenient in several aspects but this is one weekend which gifted me with a much needed respite.

A mixture of inconvenience, laughter, laundry, yeast rolls and family tell the whole dough story.

Angela Scott is an author who diligently works to encourage and inspire you, and those with whom you live and work to continually find hope. Visit my website to get your own copy of Aunt Bea’s pocketbook yeast rolls and share your love with others.

“Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation.”

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All writings here are copyrighted by Angela Scott. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.