Wonderful Little Blessings - a Table and a Crockpot

As you can see, I was able to talk my landlord into getting me a table so that I could invite people over and actually have them sit at a table to eat.  Such little pleasures.  I also was the recipient of a crockpot from my friend LaDeana since she and her husband were going back to the US.  A week ago I made my first crockpot meal.  I decided I could get all of the ingredients for beef stew.  I was wrong.  I couldn't find any tomato sauce, but I did find spaghetti sauce.  Nothing like some good hot Italian beef stew.  I had it on the perfect day.  It was the first snowstorm in Beijing.  It was slushy and cold so the stew was delicious no matter what.