The Ultimate Collection of Slow Cooker Recipes

Hi!

It's been a week, and a hectic week it's been.  What with school, nursery and work starting afresh, my new 6am work-out routine, a new slow cooker to get to grips with and the second in the 50 Shades trilogy to read, I've been busy, busy, busy!

This month I decided to have a pause from the out of the mouths of babes monthly linky and have decided to take the opportunity to collect and share the best slow cooker recipes out there instead.  Yes, I know I have a vested interest now I have joined the slow cooker club.  But it's my website, so I get to pick!

How will it work?

Here's what to do.

If you are here looking for slow cooker recipes, enjoy!  The list below should continue to grow so please feel free to pop back another time too to find plenty of recipes for you to try.  
If you are here shortly after publication on 7^th September 2012, there may not be many links listed below yet.  DON'T FRET!  Folk will add their scrummy offerings – you are just a little early!  Please, please, please pop your email address in the box on the right to subscribe to this blog.  Future posts will pop into your inbox and not only will you find useful parenting and beauty information, you'll also be reminded to pop back to this post to find a growing list of brilliant recipes!

Alternatively you can subscribe to 'comments' over on the right and get an up-date every time a fellow blogger adds their slow cooker recipe here.

If you are a blogger with a slow cooker recipe post you'd like to share click on 'click here to enter' below and add your link.

 

• Please try and give the name of the dish as the title. 
• If you could also add a comment below this post that would be great as it will automatically let other reader subscribers know that a new recipe has been added. 
• Finally, you don't have to, but it would really help if you could add the link of this post to your recipe post so that readers can get back to the main list.  I've added a button below.  Simply copy and paste into your post and check the link remains intact.
• If you are here with a link to share and the list has closed, then please comment, or email me, (tweet/facebook, whatever) and let me know.  If there are enough people interested in joining in I will make the linky a regular one.

Thank you all lovely readers!  I'll look forward to discovering a host of new recipes and will be trying them out and reviewing them in later posts, so make them good!  I might even pick my favourite for a special mention next month.

Look out for another out of the mouths of babes linky next month.

Why Why Why Why Why?

Our 3 year old is in the Why? stage.

Picture credit: thewhyfoundation.org

"Oh look sweetheart", I observe as we leave the house yesterday morning, "it's rained so hard that the puddles are really big."

"Why?" she responded, with that tone that you start to hate.  You know what I mean.  With the inflection at the end and an elongated i sound.

My reaction included a longer than usual blink, a frown and a sigh all rolled into one.

"Oh dear, it's starting to rain fast now.  Let's get inside quickly."

"Why?"

My reaction?  A longer than usual blink, a frown, a sigh and an additional shake of my head for good measure.  These whys are not helping me look yummy at all!

But what why questions would I ask her?

Why are you telling me you're too tired to get your pyjamas on one minute, but are leaping around on your bed, full of beans, the next?
 
Why do you randomly take off all your clothes and abandon them at different places across the house?  Are you playing hide and seek with them?

Why did you like cheese yesterday, but hate it today?

Why do I have packets of raisins in every handbag, clutch bag, rucksack and holdall in the house?

Why does your hair never look like I've brushed it?

Why does my hair never look like I've brushed it?

Why do I have to remind you that it's pyjamas, brush teeth, brush hair, BEFORE, story and song time, every single night, despite the fact that we've been doing the same routine since you were born?

Why do you decide it's bath time at 8am in the morning just before it's time to leave for school?

Why do I quote Daddy Pig?

Why do I find myself humming Chi-Chi-Wah* at work and having to stop myself sticking out my tongue?

Why do you never respond to my questions the first time, making me repeat myself over and over again?

Why do you never respond to my questions the first time, making me repeat myself....? Oh pants.


Have you got any WHY? questions you'd ask your children?  Please add them to the comments below; I'd love to hear them.

This post is my response to Mummy Central's Why? Meme.  Thanks to Louise at A Strong Coffee for tagging me.  If you'd like to join in, feel free!  Either add your questions by commenting below, or write your own post and link up!

*It's a very amusing and highly infectious song that appears to be a staple of European holiday resort kids discos across France and Spain. Google search results seem to indicate it's a Spanish song, but the version my children learnt in France was the Dutch version.  We then had a German version in Spain.  Confused?  Me too.

Out of the mouths of babes

My children make me laugh every day.  Every day.  They see the world differently and it shows when they express themselves.  From their view of public sector strikes, to their innocent mispronunciations, it can be anything from enlightening to downright embarrassing.

At the moment my younger, at 3 years old, is starting to understand the concept of 'teasing'.  Mainly, I expect, because her father is a great 'teaser' and is often winding the girls up.

Yesterday, after I'd asked the girls to head upstairs to brush their teeth for bed; and I'd asked twice; she stopped, half way up the stairs.  She sat herself down and her bottom lip inched out.

"Mummy, I don't like you anymore"  she said.
"Oh, why not love?"  I said, wondering if I'd raised my voice more than I thought (I hadn't)
"You always tell us what to do.  I don't want you to be my mummy anymore".

Now at this point my heart was throbbing from the knife stabbed through it.

"Oh love!"  I exclaimed "It wouldn't be very nice if you didn't have a mummy would it?"
"Daddy will look after us" she responded.  The lip was still out and she was looking very coy, though I didn't notice it at the time I was too busy trying not to cry myself.
"Oh" I said.

And then; with timing only a 3 year old could possess, she looked up through those long eyelashes and said, sweet as pie, "It's alright Mummy.  I'm only teasing."

You can imagine it can't you.

And so, I thought it would be nice to bring together other mummy blogger's posts sharing the words of wisdom that our children provide us with.  Here it is; the "Out of the mouths of babes" link up.  Hopefully lots of my lovely fellow mummy bloggers will join up (instructions below) and add their links to the list below.  Have fun reading them!  The aim is to do this every month.  Let's see how it goes!

Instructions

1.  Grab my button and paste it at the top or bottom of your post, to enable readers to get back to the main list.  (Please let me know if the code doesn't work.  It's the first time I've tried this!)


<a href="http://www.yummymummyreally.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/out-of-mouths-of-babes.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5azveiiksZZmggNV6qeT25_ZXxUA-5qkn34QsYFukvuawymxe_fMdQjVdFQCCm3iMLtMzERGlSQpXcUEoqx3FLWD1PLgyJnEe22JPG6NqGDz4OFDGhXAQofl6z2hU-NZKcfNnn_m5gr8/s1600/Out+of+the+mouths+of+babes+button+125x125.jpg" border="0″ alt="outofthemouthsofbabes"></a>

2.  Publish your post on your blog.
3.  Add your post URL to the Linky tool below and watch your post appear as if by magic to the main list.

Thanks for sharing!

The Ultimate Britmums Live Linky

Claire at mummy blog "A Boy with Aspergers" is hosting the ultimate Britmums Live Linky.  This is where she gets to set a batch of questions for us to answer in the interests of a bunch of bloggers getting to know each other better.  Britmums Live is a conference, held in June, for British mummy bloggers.  This year will be my first year attending and I am stupidly excited.

I've been blogging here for nearly 3 years now, but have only recently started networking with other bloggers.  It's an interesting learning curve and it's improving the way I blog (I think?  Please let me know if it's not and why!)

So, in order to not feel quite so 'new girl' like when I get there in June I am joining in the Linky.  Here it goes!

Q1.  What's your blog title/url and how long have you been blogging?

I blog at Yummy Mummy? Really? intentionally about how on earth we can still be yummy whilst also being a mummy, but realistically about a whole host of parenting stuff!  I've been doing it since August 2009.

Q2.  Will Britmums Live be your first blogging conference?

YES.  (quivers in the corner)

Q3.  Did you bag yourself a sponsor?

Nope.  I haven't really developed any kind of brand relationships yet, so I'm paying for it myself.  I'm sacrificing some of the shoe budget!  It must be serious!

Q4.  Are you attending both days?

Yes.  Bring it on.

Q5.  What are you most looking forward to about the conference?

Meeting other bloggers in person, that I have so far only chatted with online.  Oh, and hopefully getting lots of tips to ensure this blog provides a great source of entertainment for it's readers!

Q6.  Are you wearing Branded clothing? (your sponsors brand)

Nope.  I refer you to Q3.


Q7.  What is your planned style for this event?

I was thinking probably smart.  I'm a big fan of tailoring, so maybe trousers and my favourite Ted Baker top.  Now there's a brand I wouldn't mind working with... hint hint!  (Tried to link to the top but it's last season, so no longer on their website... sorry folks!  It'll have to be a surprise.)

Q8.  Are you hoping to be nominated for a Brilliance in Blogging (BiB) Award?

I was, but unfortunately the nominations are now closed, and I wasn't.  If anyone is surprised by this, please feel free to rectify matters by clicking on the Mad Blog Awards nominations link instead over to the right!

Q9.  If so, what category?

See Question 8.  Perhaps Family Fun?  Not sure I quite qualify for Fashion and Beauty!

Q10.  Will you be looking to network with Brands?

It would be nice.  I'd love to work with a couple of beauty product brands, and maybe be able to offer some giveaways and competitions on the blog.

Q11.  What do you hope to walk away with, having gained from the conference?

An improved understanding of how to provide the best blog I can to my readers.

Q12.  Will you be dressing up in the toilet for the Friday night BiBs?

Now here's an area in which I excel.  Short time frame; no space; limited access to working hairdryers.  I can definitely get ready in those circumstances.  I'll have everything I need in my special Mary Poppins bag, including a gorgeous non-crease frock and killer heels.



Yeah right!

Q13.  Are you speaking at the conference, and if so, when, where, and how do you feel about doing so?

Not officially.  I suspect I won't stop talking though.

Q14.  Will you be joining the early morning bloggercise on Saturday?

Let me think about this?  Get out of bed earlier than is necessary on the one night of the year I don't have children walking me up at the crack of dawn?  I don't think so!

Q15.  What speakers are you most looking forward to listening to?

Nickie at I am Typecast.  She's been really helpful and I can't wait to hear what she has to share.

Q16.  What workshops will you be attending on the Friday (day 1)?

No idea.  I still can't decide.  Can I clone myself and attend them all?


Q17.  What workshops being held on the Saturday have grabbed your attention?

See Question 16!


Q18.  Are you booked into a hotel for the Friday night?  If so which one?

I am!

Q19.  Will you be looking for after party drinks?

Who's paying?  I am a Northerner you know!

Q20.  Are you worried about not knowing anyone, or being confident and socialising on the day?

I did a Performing Arts Degree.  What do you think?


Q21.  What are you most likely to be found doing whilst attending Britmums Live?

Drinking coffee and eating biscuits.  There will be some, won't there?

***

The rules say I now need to tag three more people; so here it goes:

Luci at Mother. Wife. Me. 
Trish at Mums Gone to
Susannah at A Modern Mother  (because although I thought she''d have already have done this.. she hasn't yet!?)

I absolutely understand if you aren't able to take part for whatever reason ladies.  If you can, then you'll need to click here to add your Meme to the main Linky!  Regardless, I will look forward to hopefully meeting you all at the conference!