School and Recipes

School is back in full swing and I think I am too. The beginning of the year is always a little slow different for me because we SLP's screen for about the first month and then begin our therapy in September. This week has been very steady for us.

Last week I took a hand applique class through Cotton Treasures. I suppose I can say I enjoyed it. I'm just not sure if hand appliqueing is for me--it is very tedious work. We were taught some basics and began a dahlia flower applique. It may be a little while before I finish that one. These are the next two projects I have picked out: a sewing machine cover and another Christmas tree skirt. Not sure exactly when I'll start those, but hopefully sometime soon.

Here's a breakfast recipe for you to try. Bailey's office has a brunch around Christmas and this is a recipe I got from someone he works with. I made it this past weekend for our Sunday School breakfast.

Breakfast Casserole
2 cans crescent rolls
1 pkg cream cheese
1 can Rotel (do not drain)
1 lb sausage
--Brown sausage and drain then add cream cheese and rotel. Stir on low heat until cream cheese is melted. --Layer bottom of 9x13 pan with one can crescent rolls then pour sausage mixture into pan. Top sausage mix with remaining can of crescent rolls.
--Bake at 350 until crescent rolls are golden brown.

And here's what we had for dinner last night. (I'm not sure where I found this recipe).

3 Cheese Baked Ziti
1-15 oz ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1-16 oz pack ziti pasta, cooked and drained
1 jar (28 oz) pasta sauce
1 c. shredded mozzarella
--Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, and parmesan cheese; set aside.
--In another bowl, combine hot pasta and sauce.
--In 13x9 baking dish, spoon in 1/2 of pasta mix; evenly top with cheese mix, then remaining pasta. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
--Bake 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve, if desired, with additional heated sauce. (I like things saucy and I think it had plenty of sauce--even today when I had leftovers.)

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.

Summer's End & Easy Stuffed Shells

Summer has come and gone all too quickly. I cannot believe how fast my time off went, but I must say that I believe I'm actually ready to get back--for the sake of a routine. I go tomorrow and Friday for our summer inservice (which allows us Fall Break and a full week at Thanksgiving--love it) and then Monday it begins. We have about 3 days of inservice, or whatever you'd like to call it, and then the kids start Thursday. I'm lucky that I don't immediately get back into the full swing of things. We do kindergarten and preschool screening for at least the first month and then start back with therapy the first of September.

One thing I've really enjoyed this summer is having the chance to sit down with a good book, or a few good books. Throughout elementary/middle school, my siblings and I always participated in the summer reading program at the local library. I really loved reading until I got to Jr/Sr High and we had to read for AR and read from particular lists. I will admit that my reading this summer has been strictly for pleasure. There are several sacred (for the lack of a better word--Christian/inspirational, etc.) books that I want to read but I find it difficult for myself to read those. I'm going to try to read one sacred book for every secular one I read.

Now for a simple and wonderful recipe. I adapted this recipe from one I saw in a Taste of Home magazine.

Easy Stuffed Shells
jumbo pasta shells (I use approximately half the box at a time)
1-24 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
frozen cooked Italian meatballs (1-2 for each pasta shell)
shredded mozzarella cheese (and any others, if you'd like)

Place meatballs in crockpot and cover with just enough sauce (I use about 3/4 of the jar). Cook on high for about 2-3 hours or cook on low for twice as long. Uncover and let cool some while pasta cooks.

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Place 1-2 meatballs in each shell. (I like one per shell but Bailey prefers 2). Place in a 13x9-in baking dish. Top with sauce (I start with the sauce leftover in the crockpot; also, use as little or as much as you like--Bailey likes just enough and I like alot.) Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Two Recipes to Try

Two posts in one day. Unbelievable, I know. But I've promised to share a few recipes, so I'm going to do just that. I'm not exactly sure where I found these (I'm horrible at writing down where I got recipes from--trying to improve on that). I believe they both came from here, but I could be mistaken. Both are crockpot recipes and super easy--my faves! And, once again,  I apologize in advance for not having pictures of either of these dishes.


BBQ Beef Sandwiches
1 chuck roast
rootbeer
a couple of spoonfuls of brown sugar

BBQ sauce ingredients:
1/2 cup ketchup                        
2 T. chopped onion
4 T. chili sauce                          
4 T. mustard
2 T. brown sugar                       
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. butter

Put roast in crock pot and pour enough rootbeer on top to cover the entire roast. Spoon a couple of spoonfuls of brown sugar on top.

Cook on low heat all day, for at least 10 hours. (I cooked it on high for about 3 hours and low for about 7)

When finished, drain & shred with a fork.

Boil all the sauce ingredients together & pour over meat. Serve with french rolls for a sandwich or all by itself for a yummy meal.


Zesty Crockpot Chicken
4 boneless chicken breasts                         
1 c. water
1 can cream of chicken soup                      
1 t. parsley
1 pkg Good Seasons Zesty Italian Salad Dressing mix
1 pkg cream cheese

Place chicken in crock pot. Blend soup, dressing mix, water ans parsley, add to crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

One hour before serving, add the package of cream cheese. (I would do this at least 1 1/2-2 hours before. I added mine one hour prior to serving and it hadn't melted completely. Also, might want to soften it some.)

Serve over rice or noodles. ( I served it over noodles---sooo good! And was even better for leftovers.)


Bailey doesn't always love when I try new recipes but he really liked both of these. Enjoy!

Over the Weekend

Quick update on Wrigley: she is doing much better. I ended up taking her back to the vet on Friday because the opening of where they lanced closed over night. He said it looked ok and her temperature was back to normal so just watch it and finish off the antibiotics.

Friday night I went to dinner with some friends to celebrate a few birthdays. We ate at Pei Wei and it was very good. Bailey went to his parent's to listen to the baseball game while I was out with the girls.

Saturday was a very lazy day. We didn't do a single thing but relax until that evening when Bailey went to play softball.

I've had this recipe for Chili's Salsa for quite a while but hadn't got around to making it. I made it this weekend and it is so good. I'm not sure that it tastes just like Chili's does but it is yummy!

Chili's Salsa

14 1/2 oz can Rotel

14 1/2 oz can whole canned tomatoes (with juice--I used diced)

4 teaspoons jalapenos (canned, diced, not pickled)

1/4 cup yellow onion, diced

1/2-3/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon sugar

Combine all in food processor. Run for a few moments until tomatoes have been nearly pureed, yet still chunky. Be careful not to over-process. (I had to do a little at a time because my food processor isn't very big).

Pour mix into bowl. Cover and store overnight for flavors to properly develop.

Serve with your favorite chips.

Grilling

I had a "first" yesterday. I, yes me, grilled for the first time yesterday. As in outside on the real grill, not inside on the indoor one. I have watched and helped many times before but this was the first time I actually did it myself. I will gladly say that Bailey started the fire, but once the fire was ready, it was all mine! I grilled the following two recipes from this fabulous book. And I must say that both were pretty delicious!

This is the first time I've used any of this book's recipes but plan to use many, many more in the coming months.

Jalepeno Chicken Wraps

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breats

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 talbespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon pepper

2 teaspoons seasoned salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 small onion, cut into strips (I didn't use these)

15 jalapeno pepers, halved and seeded

1 pound sliced bacon, halved widthwise

Blue cheese salad dressing (didn't use this either)

Cut chicken into 2-in x 1-1/2 in strips. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, seasoned salt, and paprika; add chicken and shake to coat. Place a chicken and onion  strip in each jalapeno half. Wrap each with a piece of bacon and secure with toothpicks.

Grill, uncovered, over indirect mediom heat for 18-20 minutes or until chicken juices run clear and bacon is crisp, turning once. (Mine took a little bit longer to get the bacon crisp). Serve with blue cheese dressing.

**This editor's note was included with the recipe: when cutting or seeding hot peppers, use rubber or plastic gloves to protect your hands. Avoid touching your face. (I used gloves because I'm prone to rubbing/scratching my eyes/face).

Grilled Potato Skins

2 large baking potatoes

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

2 green onions, chopped (I skipped these)

sour cream

Cut each potato lengthwise into four wedges. (I cut them into six because my potatoes were pretty large). Cut away the white portion, leaving 1/4 in. on the potato skins. Place skins on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Combine the butter, rosemary, salt and pepper; brush over both sides of potato skins.

Grill potatoes, skin side up, uncovered, over direct medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn potatoes and postition over indirect heat; grill 2 minutes longer. Top with cheese. Cover and grill 2-3 mintues longer. Top with cheese. Cover and grill 2-3 mintues longer or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with bacon and onions. Serve with sour cream.

I'm planning on trying a grilled pork chop and asparagus recipe soon so I'll be sure to post how that goes.

Two-Thirds Homemade and Our House

Tonight's dinner was two-thirds of the way homemade. We had fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese (the non-homemade portion).

I wish I had an exact recipe for the fried chicken and potatoes, but I don't. They're both things you have to just keep trying until it's perfect (or, nearly perfect).  We know from experience--the first time we tried frying chicken, the pan was way too hot. The kitchen and living room were full of smoke. We had to open windows and doors. The first few times we (well, technically, me) made the potatoes, they were the consistency of glue (those are Bailey's words). Bailey is now responsible for making mashed potatoes--his turn out much better than mine.

Here are some guidelines/suggestions for making the fried chicken.

• You'll need: chicken (I don't do bone-in chicken--just make my own chicken tenders), flour, an egg, milk, and some oil to fry it in. And, any seasonings you'd like to add to the flour--I like to add some paprika and/or Tony Chachere's seasoning, but you could just do salt and pepper.
• Cut the chicken into tenders/strips.
• Mix the egg with some milk (enough to dip the chicken in before dipping in the flour mixture).
• Dip chicken in egg mix and then flour mix (repeat, if you'd like). Then I let the chicken sit for about 10 minutes so the breading sticks.
• Pour some oil in a pan (enough to coat the bottom plus some). Heat oil over medium heat (again, I remind you--don't let it get to hot).
• Once oil is hot, start frying chicken. (I usually test it out with one piece). Fry chicken on each side for a few minutes--until golden brown, or cooked through. Try not to touch/flip chicken too often--that causes the breading to fall off.

Yum!!

A few guidelines/suggestions for homemade mashed potatoes.

• 
  
  You'll need: several potatoes, milk, butter, salt and pepper to taste
  
  
  
• 
  
  Peel potatoes and cut into bite-size pieces. Put potatoes in pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and let boil until tender, about 15 minutes. (As I said, this is Bailey's job so he's the judge of when they're tender enough).
  
• Drain potatoes and return to pot. Then mash them up--we use our handmixer. It does a fabulous job. While mashing, or mixing, add a splash of milk and some butter (as much or as little as you'd like). Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
  

Recipe for macaroni: Kraft Macaroni and Cheese from a box. However, I'm planning on trying to find a homemade recipe for this too.

Moving on to something else....we found out earlier this week that we may be closing on our house within a week or two. Now, I've got to decide on paint colors and a few appliances. Hopefully, more on this subject later.

Only Tuesday & Two Recipes

This week has already been extremely long and it's only Tuesday. (Thankfully it is now Tuesday night). The good news is that I only have 2 more days of work this week and then Bailey and I will take a small weekend trip. Friday we're leaving to go to Auburn for the Auburn/Ole Miss game on Saturday.

Last week and the first two days of this week have been pretty draining. (I feel fine but pray I'm not coming down with anything.) I work primarily at the middle school--that's where my office is and where I see most of my students. However, I also serve some students at the Junior & Senior high schools. Last week I felt like I was continuously running back and forth between all the schools for meetings, therapy, and hearing screenings. Yesterday and today have been similar, but not quite as busy. But tomorrow's not here yet. It's not always this crazy, it just seems to come in waves, and right now I'm stuck in the middle of one. I must say though, that I absolutely love my job. And God was so gracious to allow me to have it.

Now to a few recipes.

The first one I found here.

Chicken Rolls

2-3 Chicken Breasts

1 can Crescent Rolls

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

2/3 cup milk

About 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Chop chicken into cubes and cook in skillet over medium heat until done. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. While chicken is cooking, heat soup and milk in saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Unroll crescent roll triangles. Place a few pieces of chicken and a handful of cheese in the center of each dough triangle and roll up.

Place in a greased square baking dish. Place any remaining chicken and cheese in soup mixture. Pour soup mixture over rolls.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Note: Next time I make this I will let the rolls cook for a few minutes before pouring chicken and soup mixture over. That way the rolls can brown a bit more.

I found the next recipe here.

The picture doesn't exactly do them justice.

Green Bean Bundles

 2 or 3 cans whole green beans

bacon slices

1 stick of butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp garlic salt

Wrap handful of green beans in 1/2 slice of bacon. (That's one bundle--make as many as you'd like).

Melt stick of butter and stir in 1 cup of brown sugar (more or less depending on your taste). Add teaspoon of garlic salt. Pour over bundles.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Then put under broiler for 4-5 minutes at the end.

**Note: The few times I've made them, I used cut green beans because that's all I had. Bailey likes them that way because they're bite-size (for him, anyways).

Also, another option is that you use 1 cup Italian dressing in place of butter and sugar.

And just for fun, here's a picture of our whole meal.

And yes, that is on a salad plate. We typically use them for two reasons: First, my dinner plates don't fit in this particular dishwasher; second, when using a smaller plate, your portions are usually smaller, as long as you don't go back for seconds.

Ranch Crispy Chicken and Potato Casserole

Last night I made Ranch Crispy Chicken and Potato Casserole. Both were very good and pretty simple. I found them both here.

Ranch Crispy Chicken
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup corn flake crumbs
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 package dry Ranch dressing mix
chicken breasts/tenders (I used 3 large chicken breasts cut into smaller pieces)

--Combine corn flake crumbs, parmesan cheese, and dressing mix.
--Melt butter. Dip chicken in melted butter and then coat in crumb mix.
--Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes.

Potato Casserole
20 oz. hashbrowns, thawed
1 stick butter
1 teaspoon salt & 1 teaspoon pepper
8 oz sour cream
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups crushed cornflakes

--Combine all but cornflakes in bowl and mix well.
--Pour into greased 9x13 inch dish and top with crushed cornflakes.
--Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

I took a few other pictures but they didn't turn out (could be in part to my ancient dinosaur camera.)