Another Summer's End

Well, my summer has officially been over for several days now. And I think I'm mostly okay with that. I began the summer with a list of things to do and I have accomplished most of those things. One of the biggest being Bailey's t-shirt quilt. I started it the first week or two of my summer and then didn't finish it until the last week. (I say "finish"--I have finished my portion for now--the top and back. It is now at Chantay's waiting to be quilted on the long-arm). Here's a picture of the top:

I love the way it turned out and I can't wait for it to be completely finished!

We were able to spend a good bit of our last week or two with Bailey's family playing Tripoly. It was a game his parents played years ago and we have really enjoyed playing it. Bailey's brother, Bedford, left this past weekend to go back to school and his sister, Anna-Blair, will be leaving Sunday. 

I didn't cook a whole lot during the month of July but here are a few recipes I've made in the last week or two. The recipes for Mexican Chicken and Tangy Chicken came from Petit Jean Cuisine--a cookbook composed by the Petit Jean Family Community Education Club. Bailey's grandparents used to live on  Petit Jean mountain and his grandmother was a member of this club. In fact, she drew the illustrations used in the cookbook. I found the Scalloped Potatoes recipe here.

Mexican Chicken  (I have tried several different recipes similar to this and this has been my favorite. However, next time I think I'll add in some spaghetti and make it chicken spaghetti.)

1 fryer (I used several chicken breasts)                    

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 lb. grated Velveeta (I diced it pretty small)         

1 large onion, chopped (I left this out)

garlic salt                

1 can cream of mushroom         

1 can Rotel

1 small pkg. Doritos, crushed (save some for top of casserole)

Boil chicken and cut into bite size pieces. Saute chopped onion in a bit of margarine. Add onion, cheese and chips to chicken. Mix soups and rotel. Pour over chicken mixture. Put in greased casserole. Bake at 350 for 15-30 minutes. Sprinkle chips on top for last 5 minutes of baking. (I only put them on about as much as I thought we'd eat so they wouldn't be mushy in the leftovers).

Tangy Chicken

2 to 2 1/2 lb. broiler, cut up (I used several chicken breasts)  

1/2 cup Heinz 57 sauce

1/2 cup water

Brown chicken in oil and drain excess fat. Combine sauce and water. Pour over chicken, cover and simmer 40 minutes or until chicken is tender, basting occasionally. Remove cover. Simmer an additional 10-15 minutes. Skim excess fat from sauce and serve sauce over chicken.

Scalloped Potatoes

4 cups thinly sliced potatoes                    

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour                                   
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt                                         
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese        
1/2 cup grated cheese, to sprinkle on top
paprika
In a small sauce pan, melt butter and blend in flour. Let sit for a minute. Add all of cold milk, stirring with a whisk. Season with salt and cayenne. Cook sauce on low until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk. Reduce heat and stir in cheese.

Place a half of the sliced potatoes in a lightly greased one quart casserole dish. Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes. Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Top with some paprika for color. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour at 350.

I'm really looking forward to a new school year and all it holds. Also, next week I'll be taking a 2-night Hand Applique class, which I'm pretty excited about. Football is also around the corner, which will bring tailgating with friends and also a few mini-roadtrips to away games.