This one's right down my alley! I'm happiest when I'm in my kitchen cooking and/or baking! TRI-TIP ROAST 2 lb. Tri-tip sirloin ⅓ cup white wine (I used Pinot Grigio) 1 jar sundried tomatoes, oil drained 8.5 oz. package feta cheese Place roast in crockpot. Place drained tomatoes over top of roast. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese. Pour wine over all and cook on low for 6-10 hours. Note: We all really like this! Its different and has a good flavor. Leftovers are very good on buns! Here's one for game. SLOW COOKER VENISON ROAST Very good! 3 lbs. boneless venison roast 1 large onion, sliced 1 tbsp. soy sauce 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp. garlic salt ¼ tsp. ground black pepper 1 (1 oz.) package dry onion soup mix 1 (10.75 oz.) can condensed cream of mushroom soup Put cleaned meat in slow cooker and cover with onion. Sprinkle with soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the soup mix and the soup and pour mixture over the venison. Cook on low setting for 6 hours. And who doesn't like Cheese Danish?! CHEESE DANISH 2 pkgs. Crescent rolls 2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese 1 cup sugar 1 egg yolk, reserve the white 1 tsp. vanilla ½ cup sugar ¼ cup chopped walnuts 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 egg white, lightly beaten Preheat oven to 350˚. In a medium sized bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla together. Set aside. Unroll 1 package of the crescent rolls on the bottom of a 9x13 in. baking pan. Pinch seams together. Bake for 5 minutes at 350˚. Spread the cream cheese filling on top of the baked crescent roll. Top with remaining crescent roll. Brush the top with egg white and sprinkle with walnuts and cinnamon. Bake at 350˚ for 30 minutes. ~Sandy~

This post is bringing up many wonderful memories. When I was a kid, our family played Yahtzee just about every night when we were on summer vacation (it was one of the few things that brought us together.) My sister and I would quietly stay up well after bedtime to have "Spit"(the card game) tournaments (it was also a great procrastination tool to keep us from homework--which also worked in college.) Our family also played Hearts, Spades, Sorry, Big Boggle (I can no longer find this version of Boggle) and Risk (there were always a lot of hurt feelings with this game.) When I was 16 I went on a bike trip across Maine with two older sisters--we brought a word dice game called Perquacky and played it in the camping area rest rooms (where there was light) at night (I think we only played if there was some sort of vanity shelf or large sink area. I hope we didn't sit on the floor.) Many of us got together this summer for vacation and we had fun with Texas Hold 'Em. My parents and a couple of my sisters really enjoy(ed) bridge. The games I've enjoyed playing with my kids are Scrabble, Cribbage (a favorite for my daughter and I when we are on vacation--we keep score with pencil and paper rather than a board), Sequence, Canasta, Chutes and Ladders, Life, Careers, Battle Ship, Rack-O and some lesser known games. Several of these come in small boxes and use special cards: Quiddler, Rat-a-tat-cat, Frog Juice, and for small kids Panda-momium and Hiss. We were/are particularly fond of Rat-a-tat cat and Frog Juice. Blink is also supposed to be very good. A game my teenage daughter and I got hooked on for a while is Fluxx--which is a card game with a special pack of cards. The rules of the game continually change depending on the card you play. It is great fun. We wore through a couple of decks. Mary 228: Harry's Hat game sounds like it would be lots of fun. Thanks for the chance to reminisce.

I have only made ice cream one time, and it was excellent. The recipe is from Giada De Laurentis on Food Network: Chocolate-Hazelnut Gelato: 2 cups whole milk 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup 4 egg yolks 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella) 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, crushed, for garnish In a saucepan combine the milk, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whip the egg yolks with the remaining sugar using an electric mixer until the eggs have become thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. Pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk and cream mixture into the egg mixture and stir. Add this mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 7 to 10 minutes. Place a strainer over a medium bowl and pour the warm custard mixture through the strainer. Stir in the vanilla and hazelnut spread until it dissolves. Chill mixture completely before pouring into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions to freeze. To serve, scoop gelato into serving bowls and top with hazelnuts. Yield: about 4 cups gelato

I watched Giada making this while I was riding my exercise bike a few weeks ago. It was very good. Though I eat meat I can go without it for days/weeks - this was a nice no meat meal. I used smoked Gouda instead of Mozarella and skipped the mushrooms since I'm not a big shroom fan. I also used whole grain pasta and skipped the butter and added salt to try to make it a little healthier. Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables 2 red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips 2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes 2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes 4 cremini mushrooms, halved 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon salt, divided 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence 1 pound penne pasta 3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade) 1 cup grated fontina cheese 1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander. In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined. Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes. Here is a link that might be useful: Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables