Not Your Momma's Asterisk

Ok, so I didn't exactly use the numbers like I said.  I went another way.  More work, more stuff.  More more.  Not sure what the center will be just yet.   Maybe more white.  Maybe the circles or dots.  I will test and see.

And here is something on the weird side.  We had lunch at Chicken Salad Chick.  They have chicken salad 14 ways.  And only chicken salad.  And it's not bad actually.  I don't know if they are a chain or just a local store. 

 But they are pretty good and not any fried food and french fries.


Frank was home Wednesday so I suggested he go in the pool with Sawyer for his Swim Class.  Sawyer was not happy about that change out however.  You would have thought we had switched him out with some random stranger who was trying shatter his universe! He kept looking at and me and back at Frank and saying MAMA emphatically and pointing to me.  He screamed and cried the whole class.   And I couldn't pretend he was someone else's spoiled kid, he was all mine! 

He was curl his body up when he was supposed to be floating and he would push the ducks away when Miss Erin would push them to him to distract his tears.
 
I didn't bring my bathing suit because I didn't think it would be such an important thing, you know.  So he was kinda stuck with Papa for the class.  And he let the whole facility know he was not happy about that one bit!

I had no idea I was so pivotal to world peace!


 So we took him home, fed him some sticks and he was fine.

Chicken Stroganoff - slow cooker freezer meal

We make 3 bags for each of us, totaling 6.  so we just multiply.  I would suggest you make at least 3 bags for yourself if you want a quick and easy meal that will last for about two days of meals each.

Love my slow cooker!

This can also be adapted to the instant pot.   I love that too. 

This is for one recipe that we get about 4 generous servings from.   but by cutting up those breasts you could easily get 5 - 6 servings if you have kids.  There is a lot of sauce too, which I like for the noodles.

4 chicken breasts
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 8 oz cream cheese softened
1 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
salt and pepper to taste
parsley for garnish
egg noodles for serving

1. place chicken in bottom of lightly greased slow cooker.  Add mushrooms.  In a medium sized bowl ad cream cheese, chicken soup and dry onion soup mix.  Mix until incorporated and spread on top of chicken and mushrooms

2.  cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.  serve over noodles and top with fresh parsley.

OK, so what we did was to mix the stuff they said to mix together.  Chop up the chicken into huge chunks and mix that in too,  Then stick it all in a freezer bag (already labeled, we learned that the hard way last time).  We also used only 3 breasts in each because we ended up a whole pack short.  Not sure how that happened. 

I dumped this one in totally frozen this morning.  By about 2 it was totally done.  I  put it in the fridge until supper.  Carrie wants to try beef chunks next time.  Maybe like stew meat or a chuck roast cut up in chunks.  But the chicken was good with that white sauce.

And anything with cream cheese is perfect in my book!

Let me know if you make it.

To Do List for Today

Not that I will get everything done, but I wanted to make a to do list for today.  Most of it involves sewing something, so it is good for you to see this.  And I want you to all marvel at how "organized" I am, at least for this morning.

I have for a long time, wanted to make pouches for each of the machines I have.  I want to have all the accessories and necessary items for each machine in a kit of sorts.  but I have never gotten around to making them.  I have developed a nice idea that each machine should be color coded and thus, all its stuff will make it back into the right pouch.  Or like, if I am going to a retreat and want to bring a specific machine, I can just pick up the right color pouch and have ALL the stuff I need.

Not that it has ever happened before that I actually have all the stuff I need when I go to a retreat.  Everyone knows that I have a great husband who has no problem bringing whatever I need, provided he can find it in my very messy and totally unorganized quilt room.  He has even brought stuff for OTHER people.  He is just that nice of a guy.

1.  I need to make three color coded pouches large enough to hole a whole set of stuff for each machine.

I am doing three blog hops.  One of which will be when I am on a retreat in two weeks.  So I need to have everything set up for that one, and the next one at least begun and scheduled.

2.  Do the tutorial for Leafs Me Happy for my post and link to the tutorial.  I have it completed, I just need to make my leaf in fall colors to comply with the theme.  Not a problem as they are pretty easy to do!  And I love them.

Betty Jean called me yesterday and asked if I could make a quilt for her little girl who is going to turn 2 in a couple of months.  LOL.  She is good, she didn't call me the week before!  I made the baby girl a quilt when she was born and she takes it everywhere!  I love it.  That is the perfect quilt!

Maylee back

Maylee's Baby Quilt

I have some ideas but I don't have her email address.  I did give her mine, and ask her to send me some of her ideas that she likes, but I have not heard from her yet.  I am chafing at the bit wanting to get started on something for her.  And I just had the idea to include one of her shirts and one of Dennis' shirts as well!  My, am I smart or what?

The picture was taken 7-11

3.  Get Betty Jean's email and exchange some baby quilt ideas with her.

I have this blue jean quilt, remember that?  I bought some red cotton to quilt it with but I have not been able to find that stuff anywhere.  So I guess it is time to buy more, it has been nearly 7 months now.  Maybe more than that.  Yep.  Maybe I need to section it to make two quilts.  This was only 4 pairs of blue jeans and the infamous dockers Frank asked me if I could do anything with.  See that hilarious story here.

4.  So I need to head to Hobby Lobby or Joann's to get red perle cotton for hand quilting.

The stupid cute little boy dog McGee rolled in something dead two days ago.  Frank stood there and laughed at him, positioning his shoulder to get maximum coverage.  And I mean dead like in Casey Anthony's trunk dead.  Boy did he smell bad.  I washed him off with some antibacterial spray from the kitchen.  No good.  I took kitchen detergent and washed him up and down his back.  No good.

Then I took some Nature's Miracle Dog Shampoo designed to get out the most stubborn basset smell, and it was no good even!  So about every 6 hours I wash him down with something else.  This morning he is  better.  But the remnant of the smell occasionally wafts in my direction.  He thinks he smells wonderful.  As does DiNozzo, he keeps going over to McGee and smelling up and down his back.  Two peas in a pod, those two are.  I am sure the REAL DiNozzo would be making fun of poor McGee by now.  Maybe he is, you never know what dogs are saying to each other.

5.  Wash McGee.  Again.

I need to cook tonight.  Chicken.  We had meat loaf for the last two days so I need chicken now.  I am thinking something Mexican, maybe chicken enchiladas.  I ate the sour cream I bought for it when I ate the flat pretzel chips the other day.  It was good and I kept saying, only one more, I need this for the enchiladas........you know how that goes.

6.  Take chicken out to defrost.  And put my recipe up for you to enjoy.  And ge more sour cream.

I am sure there is more, but if I don't get out and do some of this, the day will be gone.

glen

Yogurtville Update

The unfortunate yogurt maker is in the hands of professionals.  It will be shipped back to the maker for replacement.  This is a good thing, while it does bump me out of the yogurt business for a while, it will garner me a brand new yogurt maker for greatly reduced price I paid for the last one.

I was told by the "authorized repair center" man that this is a 2008 model, way outdated.  He said, they don't make these guys anymore!  LOL.   The chick was impressed by the transaction.

So the result will be a new model at the old model price.  That is a fabulous thing.  Although it would have to last for more than 4 years..........but maybe by then I will be in super production!  I love the homemade yogurt over the other store bought stuff by leaps and bounds.  the fact that it has no preservatives and no sugars makes it way more attractive to me.

Meanwhile I will bake some bread.  I have a recipe for a bread dough that does not need kneading, and you make a quantity of it, put it into the fridge and take out a hunk when you want baked bread.  You can add all kinds of things and the refrigerated dough improves in flavor and consistency the longer it sits in there.  It will last for up to two weeks so you can make a good sized recipe once and have fresh bread every night!

I have my new batch in the fridge cooling right now.  We will have flax seeds in it with some pesto swirled in.  I don't know if you can see it but DiNozzo made it his place to test taste a tiny corner of the dough.  It passed his inspection.  He had been hunting since I put it on the stove to rise.

 Isn't this the most adorable timer?  This chick times my stuff like the old timers did, not those digital ones that are so totally accurate down to the second.  10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-----wait for it--2-almost there-1!!!!!

This chick is more laid back, kinda like me.  Laid back quilting and laid back cooking.  I might add the dog timer I bought from the same place I bought the yogurt maker from didn't work.  Go figure.

glen:  off to quilt something.......


I

Favorite Fall Recipe, Pigs and Chickens

I am definitely dreaming of fall weather.  And while I should be cleaning up my quilt room if I ever plan on quilting in there again, I decided to fulfill a request for a favorite fall recipe from one of my friends blogs.

I don't have any pictures of this, but I do have some pictures of a pig quilt, and that is the next best thing.  The quilt was given to my sister-in-law last year for Christmas and I never ever got a thank you, or a go to h e double hockey sticks from her about it.  One would think that if one were gifted with a pig quilt and one loved pigs and owned a pot bellied pig, that one would.......like.....appreciate it. 

But I digress.  Because I could not find the picture of the pig quilt so you have a picture of a chicken quilt because I was talking to Mary about the Chicken Quilt from Buggy Barn this past Wednesday.  So crazy, my thoughts.  I must need therapy for straight thinking. 

Here is my fall pig recipe that is one of my favorites.  And if this is good I might even let you taste my rib recipe......but maybe not! 

Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Succotash 


¼ c apricot preserves
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 lb tenderloin trimmed of fat
¼ tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp salt

Succotash
1 tsp olive oil
1 pkg 10 oz frozen cut okra
½ med onion
1 tsp dried oregano
1 c fresh or frozen corn
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar
3 tsp thinly sliced fresh basil
¼ tsp salt

1. Heat broiler or grill to med high.

2. Prepare pork. Combine preserves and ginger in small bowl. Sprinkle meat with pepper and salt. Broil or grill pork for 10 minutes, turn and cook 10 minutes longer. Brush meat with ½ preserves and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Turn and brush with remaining mixture

Cook another 2 minutes or until internal temp registers 155 degrees. Turn pork for 30 seconds to set the glaze.  Transfer to cutting board and cover loosely with foil. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut into 16 slices.

3. Make succotash. Heat oil in non stick frying pan over med high heat as port cooks. Add okra, onions, and oregano. Stirring occasionally until onion starts to brown and okra stops giving off liquid. 6 to 7 minutes generally. Stir in corn and cook until starting to brown slightly about 3 minutes. Add vinegar and sugar and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir n basil and salt. Serve with sliced pork.

Design Wall Monday 5-16-10

I have an exciting design wall today.  I spent a bit of time working on this, I think I will claim it as my 15 minute blocks as well, since it seems that I could grab no more then about that amount of time each time I sat down!

I had been thinking of working on some Christmas presents for those I share the season with.  Most who know me know that is it a feeling of friendship that drives my celebrating the season, rather than some Christian belief system.  Even though I do not celebrate the reason, I do celebrate the friends who are dear to me, most of whom I would not choose to go through life without. 

I have been thinking of working on some Christmas presents.  Every time I go to the storage shed that holds artifacts from Frank's mother I find some odd treasure.  This time it was this little egg plate.  I knew it would find a home with some deserving soul this Christmas. 

I got home and found a perfect combination of yellow and green and brown and it went together in bits and spurts of 15 minutes or so.  No pattern, no thought process, totally random ideas that were amazingly separate from each other.  From the chicken to the chick to the blocks below and around them, there was no plan. 

I just need to finish it up and it can go into the Present Closet!

And it felt good.

So if you are generally a recipient of  my Christmas presents, and you read this, (most do not so I felt safe posting it)  and you really like this chicken and her chick......then let me know so I can put your name on the package under the tree!  It will probably go into a basket, maybe the wire kind that is shaped like a chicken, along with something you make with eggs, like maybe an omelet cookbook.........or salt and pepper shakers shaped like chickens.....or eggs!  How fun would that be?

glen