Chicken Salad - Hmmm Good!

I went to the baby shower yesterday and had just the best time! The food was so tasty! The company was so cordial. The Mommy-to-be was just so happy and excited that she was going to have a baby.

The Grandma of the new baby hosted the event and she included a chicken salad from a local store on her menu. The chicken salad had grapes in it along with the usual, celery, mayo. etc. It is the best chicken salad anywhere! 

So I was looking on the internet this morning and found this recipe. It is the
Helen Corbitt's Chicken Salad. Famed Texas cook, Helen Corbitt, created this rich chicken salad for the café menu at Neiman Marcus department stores in the 1950s. How about that! I printed it down and plan to make it - how about you?

This recipe was posted on the Saveur site.

ENLARGE IMAGECredit: Michael Kraus

MAKES ABOUT 6 CUPS


INGREDIENTS
1 lb. cooked chicken breasts, cut
   into ½″ cubes
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup halved purple grapes
½ cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ cup whipped cream
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste


INSTRUCTIONS: Combine chicken, mayonnaise, celery, grapes, almonds, parsley, and salt in a bowl. Add whipped cream and pepper; fold to combine.

2 Ingredient Cookies - Yep, only 2!

I saw this recipe today and thought "This is so easy!". And I like easy. Only 2 ingredients! Wow! And I have the 2 ingredients in my kitchen! And it is healthy! Double Wow! No feeling guilty eating these cookies!

I am going to make these cookies today. It is cold and windy outside. These cookies will warm up the house and put that beautiful cookie smell in the air. I can'it wait!

This recipe comes from the The Burlap Bag . This is the recipe from their site.

Yes. For real. Two ingredients. (Yes, you can add other things if you want… but you don’t HAVE to!) I made this up after seeing a “healthy breakfast cookie” that wanted me to add eggs, applesauce, baking soda, etc and I said NO!

And also, I hate those “two/three ingredient” recipes where one of the ingredients is a boxed cookie mix. and the other is a can of pie filling. CMON PEOPLE.

Ingredients:

2 large old bananas
1 cup of quick oats

Mix those two together. Old bananas are amazing for this, but you can use fresh ones too. I buy a bunch of bananas, let them get old on my counter, and then stick ‘em all in the freezer.

Then add in what sounds yummy to you! (or nothing!) We love:
-a handful of chocolate chips
-crushed walnut pieces
-cinnamon
-raisins

Since all bananas are different sizes, the needed measurements can vary. If it seems too runny and the cookies would flatten out too much, add in more oatmeal. And make sure to not add in TOO many mix-ins as the cookies won’t hold together very well. The ones in these photos have a handful of chocolate chips, a teaspoon or two or cinnamon, and 1/4ish a cup of crushed walnuts.

We made 16 cookies with those measurements. We cook them at 350 degrees for 15 minutes on a GREASED cookie sheet. Don’t forget the greased part…. I did once and had to scrub my pan forever.

pre-mixing.

post-mixing. You can still see the chunks of ‘nanas.

pre-cooking.

post-cooking. check out those walnut chunks!

These cookies taste most amazing right out of the oven. But still great later. I wouldn’t even know if they taste great 2 days later because they’ve never lasted that long.

Sometimes we’ll make 16 “cookies”. And we’ll eat them all for lunch. I know what you’re thinking… WOW lauren you’re gonna be 500 pounds if you keep eating 8 cookies. But think about what went in these cookies! If I ate 8 cookies, I’ve had: 1 banana, 1/2 cup of oats, and half a handful of chocolate chips and walnuts. Amazing. Leave out the chocolate chips and they are all health.

My Second Baby Shower Gift

This is the 2nd baby shower gift that I made. It is a baby's hat. My model is the only baby doll I have in my house. I used some really thick yarn that I got at Joann's Fabrics. It is really soft and colorful. I think that the hat may be a little large for a newborn so I may make another one with thinner yarn.

The pattern was fairly easy and here is the link Redheart Free Patterns.  Like I said the only model that I could use was a doll that I had for the grandchildren. Of course the doll is old and does not have any clothes. So here is the hat:

I turned the end up and am thinking of putting a flower on the top. I also added a border on the end. So what do you think?

Baby Shower Gifts

Hi! I have been busy making some baby shower gifts. The shower is this Sunday and I hopefully, will be done by then.

This is the first one:

At first, I thought that the mother and father were not going to find out what the baby's sex would be, so I bought some fabric that could be for a boy or a girl. I put a backing and batting on it and then proceeded to hand quilt some of the the lines going up & down and side to side. I didn't do them all because I just wanted it quilted enough to hold the batting in place. On the back, I put 2 fat quarters (1-yellow and 1-green) together and sewed it on with batting. Hope she likes it!

I will post the 2nd one in a seperate post
.

French Toast Dumplings…Simmered in Maple Syrup!

I saw this the recipe the other day and thought "I have Grands Biscuits and I love cinnamon. I have to try this. And I will try it after this post ;-). I like easy and I like a short list of everyday ingredients and I love sweets. So this was a no brainer. Here is the link where I got the recipe Oh Bite It just in case you want to go there. Enjoy!


What you’ll need:

1 can of Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers Biscuits

1.5 cups Maple Syrup..good quality if possible

1/3 cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp. Nutmeg

1 cup cinnamon Sugar (1 part Sugar to 1/2 part Cinnamon)

A dollop of Mascarpone..optional

Directions:

In a medium sauce pot add the Maple Syrup and the Brown Sugar..bring up to a simmer

Cut each raw biscuit into fourths and roll each section into a ball

Gently add them into the simmering syrup..leaving room for them to puff up..they get puffy!

Cover them and let them simmer until they are doubled in size..turning them once, to coat each side of the dumplings evenly in the thick and amazing reduced syrup sauce!

Let them cool. While they’re cooling, mix up the cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg in a bowl..set aside.

Gently toss each dumpling in the Cinnamon/Sugar/Nutmeg mix..for that French Toast crunch!

Pile a few dumplings into your bowl and top them with a scoop of Mascarpone or Sour Cream & a nice drizzle of the reduced Maple Syrup Crack Sauce!

O my!! Take a bite of the most soft, tender and incredible version of French Toast you’ll ever have! ~Enjoy!

I'm Not Necessarily a Ravens' Fan... but,

My daughter told me about the following article and I just had to post it. Ray Rice is a Ravens football player. There is a family in Littlestown, PA that had their house burned down last year. It was the house that they built. They lost everything including their pets. It was before Christmas and is so sad, they even lost the Christmas presents. Ray Rice stepped up to the plate and helped their school give to the family. I am a Steelers' fan and their is a lot of competition between the Steelers and the Ravens, but I must say...that I think I am becoming a Ray Rice Fan! Check out the video and the article below. Guess who I will be rooting for in the Superbowl?

This is from the local news station Fox 43:
Ravens mania is taking over the Annunciation BVM School in McSherrystown. But this isn’t your typical purple Friday. Although he couldn’t be there, Ray Rice sure knows how to throw a party.

8-year old Giana Hoddinott from Littlestown is a big Ravens fan. Her family lost their home, several pets, all of their possessions and Christmas presents in a fire two weeks after Christmas. “It’s just been absolutely devastating. That is a home that we built with our own hands and sorrow. Then on top of it, the community the school just came and rallied and that’s honestly what’s been getting us through,” says Giana’s mother Angela Hoddinott.

Her classmates surprised her with presents and also donated $1 to be able to dress in Purple Ravens gear at school on Fridays. ”They wanted to start doing purple Fridays in honor of me and my family, so that was huge. Because they’re not all Ravens fans in that auditorium right now. That right there is huge because they put their rivalries aside for us,” says Angela Hoddinott.

“I really miss our pets and I miss some of the things that my family got me. I miss my house and my room, and my clothes,” says Giana Hoddinott. “I’m really excited because I like how they are helping our family.”

Ravens Running Back Ray Rice caught onto the story and decided to throw the kids a Purple Friday Pizza Party. “It was shared with Ray Rice on his Facebook page. His publicist came out and contacted us immediately and he was touched by two things. He was touched by the kids kindness and the school because he is all about anti bullying, and about the pets, the loss of the pets,” says Angela Hoddinott.

The party included trivia, prizes, pizza and over 300 team shirts, one for every student. Ledo’s Pizza supplied 80 pizzas. ”He has no idea how he has made my family and the community feel and I just want to thank him very much,” says Angela Hoddinott.

Read more: http://fox43.com/2013/02/01/ravens-ray-rice-throws-party-for-local-girl/#ixzz2JlCiFiTY
Read more at http://fox43.com/2013/02/01/ravens-ray-rice-throws-party-for-local-girl/#DEuOdwHztXoYlfSu.99

Paying It Forward

I have been following the Pay It Forward page on Facebook and have found the stories so inspiring! Paying It Forward (PIF) sends uplifting true stories everyday and some of those beautiful says with great backgrounds. The stories are a Representative of the people who paid it forward and the people who have received the PIF. You don't have to be rich to do this. Look at this page and you will be uplifted each day and you will also be more aware of the ways that you can "pay it forward". The page is Pay It Forward Face Book Page or go to the their web site Pay It Forward Web Page . Here is just one of many examples:

McMuffin Casserole Recipe - Oh so good!

Yes! Another recipe that I saw on Pinterest (it took me to the Plain Chicken 
site) and thought I would try it. It looked easy and it looked good. Well,
it turned out delicious!! It is a light casserole.

It has all the flavors of an Egg McMuffin in casserole form. This casserole
is assembled in minutes the night before and baked when you are ready.

I used Thomas' English Muffins.

McMuffin Casserole
serves 4
(Printable Recipe)

4 English muffins, split (Bays)
6 oz Canadian bacon
1 cup cheddar cheese
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk
salt
pepper

Grease an 8-inch square baking dish. Cube English muffins and chop 

Canadian bacon. Add half of the cubed English muffins in a single layer. 

Top with half of the Canadian bacon and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Layer 
the remaining English muffins and Canadian bacon and 1/2 cup more
cheese.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl until 

combined. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the casserole. Wrap the 
baking dish with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 
1 hour, or up to 1 day.

Then take the plastic wrap off of the baking dish and bake it at 325 
degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.

Spicy Sausage Skillet

I saw this on Pinterest (it took me to the Plain Chicken site) and thought I would like to try it. It looked easy and it looked good. Well, it turned out great!! It was a little spicy but spicy is suppose to rev up your metabolism - right? So that is good!

It's done in a skillet - no transferring to another pot or bowl (less to wash). I did modify it a little. I used 1 cup of heavy cream because I might have put too much penne pasta in and the pasta seemed to absorb the cream. I could only find the Rotel tomatoes with chili peppers. So I used them. I also used one of those frying pans that everything slips out of (advertised on TV) and it can be placed in the oven. Anyway, my husband and I just loved it! I will be making this dish again!



Spicy Sausage Skillet
adapted from KevinAndAmanda.com
(Printable Recipe)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb smoked sausage, sliced into 1/4" slices
2 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can Rotel tomatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz campanelle pasta (or penne)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

Heat olive oil over medium hight heat in a 12-inch oven safe skillet until hot. Add sausage and cook until lightly browned.

Add onion flakes, garlic powder, broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover skillet. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until pasta is tender.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in half of the cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly.

New Grandbaby’s Blanket

This is a baby blanket I made for our new granddaughter, Norah. She was born on 1/14 and is just a cutie!