Mushroom and Chicken casserole

I had nothing planned for dinner last night so I needed to come up with something when I got home.

 I had 2 cooked chicken thighs leftover from dinner 2 days ago and some mushrooms 

that needed to be used. Here's what I came up with.

 My husband's comment was -"This is something you can make again!" The French Fried onions make the casserole especially good.

• 1 package wide egg noodles
• 1 - 2 cups cut up chicken
• 1 - 2 tablespoons butter
• 1-2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 onion coarsely chopped
• 1 large rib celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 fresh tomato seeded and chopped
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1/2 can cream of celery soup, undiluted (use all of it if needed)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 can French Fried Onions

1. Cook the noodles in salted boiling water until tender.
2. In frying pan, melt butter, (I often add a bit of oil to keep the butter from browning too much) saute' mushrooms, onions and celery until mushrooms are browned.
3. Mix soups and mayonnaise together in a bowl.
4. In shallow buttered casserole dish, layer noodles, mushroom mixture, chicken and sauce.
5. Mix gently with a spatula.
6. Sprinkle with french fried onions.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F  for about 30 minutes or until heated through.

Ooey Gooey Indoor S'mores

What is a summer BBQ with out S'mores and then when it isn't the season to have outdoor fires it is nice to have these treats. 

• 8 cups of Golden Grahams Cereal
• 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips
• 6 cups of marshmallows
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup

1. Melt 5 cups of marshmallow (save 1 cup for later), chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup in the microwave or on low heat., stirring occasionally, till all smooth.
2. stir in vanilla
3. grease a 9x13 pan.
4. pour cereal into a large bowl
5. pour in marshmallow mixture, stir until evenly coated
6. stir in remaining marshmallows
7. press evenly into the pan, pressing down the mixture with wet hands*
8. cool until firm, cut into the size that works best for you. It suggests 24 squares, but for this crowd it was 12!

*note* when you work with a sticky mixture like melted marshmallows, the best thing to use is a wet hands to pat the mixture into the pan, it works much better than if your hands were greased.

Finger Jello

Gelatin is, more often than not, thought to be just a fun food for kids, but we may need a little reminder that it's also a source of protein and good for our bones, muscles and skin. My sister, Monika, makes the best finger friendly jello I've ever had and when I asked her the secret, she basically told me it's four, four and four. Try this recipe and enjoy the feeling of being a kid again.

Ingredients:

• 4 small (3 oz) pkgs Jello - 4 colors if you like
• 4 pouches (1 box) Knox Gelatine (unflavored)
• 4 cups boiling water

Method for Rainbow Finger Jello:

1. Mix 1 packet of gelatine with 1 package of Jello well. 
2. Add 1 cup boiling water, stirring until well dissolved. 
3. Pour into small (not larger than 8X8) glass pan. 
4. Refrigerate until set, then repeat with the next layers. 

It doesn't take long to set each layer. Cut up and enjoy. It's very easy to handle and doesn't leave your fingers sticky. You can also use sugar free Jello.

Bread for the Journey

Are You Chasing Bubbles?

Bubbles. They grab the attention of kids of all ages.  My grands enjoy chasing after them. But here is what we know for a fact...no matter how big or how beautiful, they won't last!

And so it is in life.  Many of the things we long for and chase after are only here for the moment...fun, toys, bigger and better homes, happiness.  One day it will be gone...like the bubbles. And chances are that our bubbles will burst when we are least expecting it...and we will be left 'with nothing'.

Are you chasing the bubbles that are floating by...or are you fixing your eyes on Jesus?

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, 

since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 

2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

Backpack Snacks

My daughter shared this recipe with me and I thought it would be a perfect one to share here esp now during the season of backpacking and hiking in our country.

Backpack Snacks

2 cups granola
1/3 cup chopped peanuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup wheat germ or ground flax..I used some of each
2 tbsp pumpkin seed
2 tbsp shredded coconut
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup peanut butter

In a large bowl stir first 7 ingredients together.
In a small saucepan bring honey to a boil. Boil vigorously for 30 seconds, then whisk in the peanut butter.
Add to the granola mixture and stir to combine.
While mixture is still warm form into 1 1/2" balls and refrigerate till firm.
Wrap up each ball with saran wrap or waxed paper so they can easily be taken along on that hike.
Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. That is if they last that long..
Yields 20 balls..I actually had 19. It doesn't really matter what size you make them.
Here they are all wrapped up and ready to be put into your backpack for a healthy, chewy snack!

Chicken Crepes

These crepes often bring back memories of the couple who was teaching/mentoring us when we were in a young marrieds class. Hank and Joyce modeled true caring and hospitality to all of us and often had a large group at their house on Sundays for brunch. We learned so much from them! I remember large cookie sheets of crepes coming out of their oven and being so impressed with the ease and joy they served us with, together. It made me want to be like that. I have altered the recipe a bit, although I think I would like to try it again in the way that they made them, with a little dry white wine in the sauce. For now I will just write it out the way I’ve made them. Always good! Use leftover, turkey, roast chicken or rotisserie chicken (when it's too hot to cook). Cubes best once it's been refrigerated. The meat goes a long way. I usually serve these with stove top dressing and/or rice, steamed broccoli and a cucumber salad.

CREPES

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup flour

1. Beat with whisk or electric beater.
2. Fill ladle with 3 tablspoons of batter and pour into a small, heated (7 inch) Teflon pan, holding it slightly at an angle and then rotating to cover. Cook just below med heat. Usually no need to grease, maybe spray for first crepe. Makes about 10.

CHEESE SAUCE

•  2 - 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour (mine are rounded, so maybe 3 to be exact)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons cheezwhiz or 1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
• 1 Knorr chicken bouillon, divided 

1. In small saucepan, melt butter and stir in the flour with a whisk
2. Add milk, starting slowly, while stirring, and continue until smooth and bubbly.
3. Stir in your preferred cheese and 1/2 of the bouillon cube (use other half in the water that you cook the rice in.)

ASSEMBLING:

1. Mix 1/1/2 – 2 cups cooked, cubed chicken with cheese sauce, saving some of the sauce for topping.
2. Spoon into crepes, roll up and lay side by side into Pyrex casserole dish.
3. Spoon saved cheese sauce over center of crepes and bake at 350 F, 20 min. I usually cover with foil to prevent drying out. You can probably heat them for 10 min without foil. These can be made ahead of time and refrigerated before baking.

Blueberry Crumble Buns

Blueberries are beginning to ripen in the fields on the farm next door. This recipe is a good way to use up the berries in your freezer or to enjoy the fresh ones that come your way.

• 2 tablespoons yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water

1. In a large bowl, put the yeast and sugar and add the warm water. 
2.  Let stand about 10 minutes.

• 1/2 cup of soft butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons of instant potato flakes
• 1 cup of hot water
• 1 egg
• 4-5 cups flour

1. In another small bowl, stir together the butter, salt, potato flakes and the hot water. Let this sit while the yeast proofs.
2. Add egg to the butter and potato mixture, then add to the yeast.
3. Add 1 cup of flour at a time stirring well.
4.  Continue to add enough flour to make a soft dough.  Knead until the dough is smooth.
5.  Put the dough into a greased bowl and let rise covered until double, about an hour.

Crumble

• 1 cup of large cut oatmeal
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup melted butter

1. Combine the crumble mixture. 
2.  Line 2 9X13 pans with Parchment paper.
3.  Divide the crumble mixture between the two pans.
4. When the dough has finished rising roll it out to a rectangle 20 X 10. 
5.  Spread a bit of butter on the dough and sprinkle with blueberries. I didn't measure how many blueberries, but I likely used about 2 - 3 cups. 
6. Roll up jelly roll style and mark the dough into 24 pieces and cut with a sharp serrated knife. Lay the rolls on top of your crumble.
7. Cover and let rise again about an hour or until nice and puffy and double.

Cream Cheese Icing

• 4 tablespoons cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons soft butter
• 2 cups of icing sugar
•  enough cream to make a nice smooth icing
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

1. Combine to make an icing that can be drizzled. 

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F.  
2. Bake on a lower but not the lowest rack to make sure the crumble gets nice and brown.
3. Flip the buns out so that the crumble is on top.
4. Drizzle with icing.  

Apple Pie Squares

There’s nothing quite like apple pie in July! Yellow transparents are an early apple and ready for the picking, and they make a wonderful, old-fashioned apple pie. I like to make 'apple-pie-by-the-pan' to feed a crowd...or simply to freeze and take out a few pieces at a time.

Apple Pie Squares

• 1 ½ cup margarine
• 3 ¾ cup flour
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• 1 egg yolk and milk to make 1 cup
• 6 cups peeled, sliced apples
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Cut margarine into flour and salt.
2. Add egg yolk and milk.
3. Roll out half the dough and place on large bar pan...about 12 x 16 inches.
4. Spread apple slices evenly over bottom pastry.
5. Sprinkle with sugar, flour, and cinnamon mixture.
6. Roll out other half of dough and place on top…pinch edges.
7. Beat egg white until foamy and spread over crust.
8. Bake at 400 for fifteen minutes…reduce heat to 325 and bake an additional 30 minutes.

Pie by the Yard

Well technically the pie is only about one foot long.
With the transparent apples ready in our region, the apple peelers are going full throttle.
This little apple peeler has peeled many apples.
After school snacks, apple sauce and of course pies, it's the handiest little tool.

• 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 egg yolks
• enough buttermilk to make 3/4 cup with the egg yolks in the cup

1. Mix together the flour and the soda and the salt
2. Cut the butter into the flour mixture
3. add the yolk and the buttermilk which has been stirred together
4. Stir together with a fork as well as you can
5. Turn the dough onto the countertop and form into a ball
6. Flatten into a rectangular disc and put it in the refrigerator for an hour.

1. Peel and slice enough apples to make 8 cups.
2. Toss the apples with 1 1/2 tablespoons minit tapioca.
3. Add 3/4 cup sugar.
4. Set aside.

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F
2. Divide the dough into two pieces.
3. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper
4. Roll each piece of dough roughly the size of the cookie sheet.
5. Roll the dough onto a rolling pin and transfer onto the two cookie sheets.
6. Divide the apple mixture between the two pieces of dough.
7. Fold first one long side over and then the other and then fold the ends onto the top last.
8. Take the two egg whites and beat them until soft peaks form.
9. With your fingers spread the egg white over top the pies as shown.
10. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• a drip of vanilla

1. Stir together until no lumps remain and then drizzle over the pie as soon as it comes out of the oven.
2.  Let cool completely and then slice.

Cool Lime Cake

Summer lends itself to a quick cake that keeps well in the refrigerator and tastes wonderfully cool on a hot day.  

• 1 white cake mix baked according to directions.  I made mine in a 6 inch pan and reserved a bit of batter for a few cupcakes. This cake would work really well in a 9 X 13 pan.
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup of fresh lime juice. . .about 4 small limes
• 2 cups of whipping cream divided 
• a few drops of green food coloring if desired

1. Combine the sweetened condensed milk, the lime juice and 3/4 cup whipping cream. 
2. Set aside 1 cup of filling for the frosting.
3. Use the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes at 1/2 inch intervals in the cake. .nearly to the bottom but not through the cake.  Pour filling over the cake and work into the holes.
4.  Whip the remaining whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add the few drops of green food coloring and the remaining filling and whip together until it is a spreadable consistency.
5. Frost the cake and chill until serving time.