Tag: Chicken-Mushroom

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts

Friday ROAD TRIP of Christmas Countdown

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Well this past week has found the Griswalds at Wallyworld, the Storage Unit and now ta da, we get to go to Big Bear, which is up in the mountains a couple of hours from our house for a Chocolate Tour. The tour takes you to 4 decorated houses with different chocolate treats at each place. Frosty and Noel will be in heaven. We have our Tums packed in our back pocket, our cell phones on silent and the GPS loaded with our destination. That just makes us sound so much cooler that “we have the map in the car”. Of course, where we are going, the GPS probably won’t work, so we do have our map tucked between the cooler filled with Energy drinks, Dr Peppers and chocolate covered pretzels, just to get us ready for our chocolate tour.

Will be so excited to return to tell you about the weekend. But have to tell you about our little experience last night. We had been invited to some friends house, (before I tell you this, don’t you really wonder how things like this always happen to us) for dinner. We had absolutely the best baked chicken I think I have ever had. She is giving me the recipe and will post it when she does. We finish dinner and she serves Pumpkin YumYums. Oh my, pumpkin layer over cream cheese layer over a buttery crust with whipped cream. To die for. Will post that when I get back also, but if you just have to make it this weekend, all it was was the 4 layer chocolate pudding dessert that people used to call Chocolate YumYums….but instead of the chocolate layer she mixed a can of pumpkin with 1-2 teas of pumpkin pie spice (depending on how much spice you like) with a small package of instant french vanilla pudding with the 1 1/2 cups cold milk. Beat the pumpkin with the pudding and spread over the cream cheese mixture which you make with 8 oz of cream cheese, 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 cup of Cool Whip. Well, I have gone this far, I might as well give you the whole recipe. Whip up the cream cheese, sugar and Cool Whip and spread over cooled crust. The crust is made up of 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 stick of cold butter and 1 cup chopped pecans. Cut butter into flour and add chopped pecans. Spread over a 9×13 pan and bake until golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Watch it closely. When it is cooled completely, spread CC mixture over crust. Pour pumpkin over CC layer and top with whipped cream. Put in fridge and let it sit for about 4 hours before serving. Now, back to my story.

We finished dinner and went into the den to watch a video. There were about 14 of us there. We were watching so intently (it was part of our Bible Study lesson) but I kept smelling something burning. I tried to get our hostess attention to tell her that I truly smelled something burning, but thought, well, she has the dishwasher on, I bet a plastic bowl is too near the heating element. But the smell kept getting stronger and stronger. All of a sudden one of the other guests turns around and yells, “the table is on fire”..The flames were shooting up about 4 feet into the air and we all ran for water and began to pour water on her table. So now not only does she have a burned dinning room table, but a soaked rug as well. But Frosty, being the Christmas Giver that he is with a most generous heart told her not to worry, he would buy her more candles to replace the ones that caused the fire..He is just the best!

The fire did not even dampen our night at all. We had a most enjoyable evening with precious friends and the most amazing dinner. Frosty was excited that he had got a home cooked meal, and he didn’t even have to buy the groceries. That always makes it taste better. Am headed to finish packing, will talk to you on Monday with new Christmas recipes and maybe a funny story or two. After all, when we drive to the mountains for the weekend, you know some story will come out of it.

Breads · Casseroles · Chicken

Dinner For Moms

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Tonight I am hosting a dinner for about 10 young moms who are so excited to be getting away from kids (and probably hubbies, but don’t tell the husbands that)  to come allow me to serve them. It is always a joy to have precious young women who are sleep deprived, frazzled and just tired of having to think up meals, carpool kids and all the while be attentive and trying to be a sweet, pretty wife. I hope that tonight when they leave, they  will feel loved on, waited on, with absolutely nothing to think about except what joy and fun they had just being “girls” for a few hours.

I can think of nothing better to feed them than comfort food. So the menu will be:

Homemade Chicken Mushroom Pot Pie, Dilled-Broiled Asparagus, Homemade Rolls, Salad and Homemade Peach Cobbler topped with Real Whipping Cream.

The Chicken Pot Pie is a new recipe that I am thrilled with the results. It begins with a cream sauce and was very simple, but tastes quite differently than most homemade pot pies. Try it during the holidays, it is such a great dinner for Fall nights and for impressing in-laws.

6 chicken breasts, baked and chopped (I sprinkle seasoning salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and parsley on them before baking. Bake them using 2 cups water or chicken broth. Makes the broth much tastier)

Save 2 cups of the chicken broth that the chicken is baked in. Set aside.

Cook 4 medium potatoes, chopped with 5 large chopped carrots, until tender. Drain, reserving the liquid and set aside. (won’t you be glad when you get to sit aside).

Melt 1/2 stick butter in a skillet. Add 1 cup each: chopped onion and chopped celery. Add 1 8 oz package of white mushrooms that you have washed and sliced. Sprinkle Seasoning Salt, pepper and garlic powder to your liking while veggies are becoming tender. Set this aside.

In another skillet ( I know, I know, all the pots and pans that you will have to wash, but isn’t that what either a dishwasher or hubby is for?), melt 1 1/2 sticks butter. Add 2 tables dried or fresh parsley, 2 teas garlic powder, 1 teas dry mustard, pepper and seasoning salt to your liking. When butter is melted add enough flour to make a paste, stirring with a whisk all the time you are adding the flour so that it does not lump. When you have a gravy like paste, add the 2 cups left over chicken stock,1 to 2 cups milk (adding the milk 1/2 cup at a time, until you get a thick cream sauce) and stir until thick. Add 1 8 oz package of shredded cheddar cheese to this gravy and stir until cheese is melted. Add chopped chicken, and veggie-mushroom mixture to sauce.

Pour into a large casserole dish which you sprayed with Pam. Using canned biscuits, or crescent rolls (but do not roll them up, leave them as they come out of package), place them over meat mixture to cover. It’s ok to leave a little room between the biscuits or rolls, as they will expand. Bake  at 350 until mixture is bubbly and rolls or biscuits are done and lightly browned.