HAPPY THANKGIVING !!!!!

My wish for you is a blessed Thanksgiving 2009. Lots of wonderful time with family and friends, football, turkey, dressing, pumpkin pie, and a nap............

I am busy today enjoying my very favorite holiday. We will have Thanksgiving supper at 6 tonight. I will pop back in late tonight and post our menu and photos.


So, Until Later.................
S~~~

One Busy Week

We are busy getting everything ready for Lacy and Bashar to arrive on Saturday. That plus getting ready for Thanksgiving and the time has just just flown by.

Supper tonight and probably all week will be super easy. White Chicken Chili is a departure from the more typical tomato/ground beef based chilis but still really good. How can you not love chili on a cool fall evening?


White Chicken Chili

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 large onion - chopped
1 green pepper -chopped
1 carrot - grated
2 ribs celery - chopped
1/4 stick butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil

3 cups chicken stock (not broth)
1 - 12 oz. can Niblets Sweet Corn
2 cans Great Northern Beans
2 envelopes Lipton Cream of Chicken Cup of Soup
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. ground cumin (more if you are a big fan)
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 tsp. worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. sugar
2 cups Half and Half (or whatever milk you like)
1 cup shredded American cheese

Cook chicken breast until done, either in a saute pan or cooked in water or stock.
I usually use left over chicken that has been cooked in the slow cooker.
Dice chicken and place in a stock pot. Saute the vegetables in the butter and olive oil, throw in the pot with the chicken. Add remaining ingredients except milk. Simmer 30 minutes, covered. Add milk and shredded cheese and heat through, but do not boil.

This recipe is very forgiving. Sometimes I don't add the carrots and green pepper. I have even used Bushes baked beans in place of the great northern beans. Sometimes I don't even take the time to saute the vegetables, since you simmer in the broth I can't tell that it makes a lot of difference. Substitute celery seed for the celery, add a touch of Old Bay or if you choose add a small can of Rotel, as the original recipe calls for.
Its always crackers for us (we love the little round oyster crackers) but cornbread would be great with this too.

So, until tomorrow...........
S~~~

Just read this over the weekend and thought it was timely and oh so true.........

Four things you can never take back:

The stone...after the throw.

The word...after it's said.

The occasion...after the loss.

The time...after it's gone.

Until Later.........
S~~

Merry Monday

I have been so very busy lately I haven't checked in since last Monday.
This weekend was soooooooooooo beautiful I couldn't bring myself to sit in front of my laptop.

We had to pick up my car at Anderson Nissan this afternoon so I was running a bit late getting home. I needed something quick for supper and salmon always fits the bill. Supper would have been really quick but I decided at the last minute that I wanted the creamed corn casserole.

If I haven't mentioned it lately it sure is nice to cook for a husband that enjoys everything. I have also been blessed with a daughter that loves most food. Even as a toddler she liked everything but olives and apricots, go figure.

Have you completed your Thanksgiving menu yet? I will be posting mine in the next few days and I would love to see yours, please share.

So, supper tonight looked like this:

Oven Baked Salmon*
Teriyaki Noodles
Creamed Corn Casserole*
Baked Sweet Potatoes w/ Cinnamon Brown Sugar

Oven Baked Salmon

1 lb salmon fillet
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Preheat oven to 425*. Arrange fillet(s) in a shallow baking dish.
Mix together the remaining ingredients, & pour half of this mixture over the fish.
Bake 15-20 minutes, basting with the remaining sauce.
When fish flakes easily sprinkle with paprika and chopped parsley.


Creamed Corn Casserole

1 can whole kernel corn - drained
1 can creamed style corn
1 (8 ounce) carton sour cream
1 package Jiffy cornbread mix
1/2 cup butter - melted
2 eggs - beaten
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients in a buttered oblong baking pan (glass pans work best).
Stir until all ingredients are mixed well.
Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees *.

So, Until Tomorrow............
S~~~

Lacy and Martha

Knowing that Lacy was standing in a ridiculously long line at Williams Sonoma at the King of Prussia mall today to see Martha Stewart, I was not entirely surprised to see this photo entitled "Martha and Me" show up in my inbox at work. Martha 's new book "Dinner at Home" has just recently came out and Lacy was all excited to get an autographed copy. I, myself, like Martha just fine, I suppose, but Lacy is a true fan. A Martha junior if there ever was one.


Supper tonight was another trusty standby:


Pan Fried and Breaded Catfish Fillets w/ tarter sauce
Baked Potatoes
Cole Slaw
Garlic Breadsticks
Sweet Potato Cobbler*


My great grandmother made this pie and it has always been one of our very favorites. She called it just sweet potato pie, but I changed it to a cobbler because the title better describes this pie. Most sweet potato pies are somewhat similar in texture to a pumpkin pie. This is entirely different. Give it a try and let me know what you think. It is another one of those terrific fall desserts.


Sweet Potato Cobbler


3 large red sweet potatoes
recipe for a double crust pie (you may use the refrigerated Pillsbury crust if your prefer)
1/8 cup butter
1 cup sugar (sometimes I use a bit more)
1-1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2-1/4 cups evaporated milk (approximate)
1 tsp. vanilla


Wash potatoes and partially bake. (you could use the microwave here). You want them a little better than half done. Tender but not cooked completely through. Let cool until they can be handled easily. Peel and slice into 1/8 - 1/4 inch slices.

Place one crust into the bottom only of a deep casserole dish. Trim to fit and save the extra crust. Sprinkle crust with a Tbsp. sugar and a tiny bit of nutmeg. Layer 1/3 sweet potatoes, 1/3 cup of sugar, and dot with part of the butter, repeat twice more. Pour 1-1/2 cups of the evaporated milk and the vanilla over this layer.

Trim the top crust and take the extra pieces from both crusts and drop them into the pie randomly. Place the top crust over pie. Sprinkle with another Tbsp. of sugar.

Place into a 400* oven.

Watch carefully and just as soon as the pie begins to brown slightly on top take it out of the oven and using the back of a large spoon make holes in the tops, pushing some of the crust down into the pie. Pour the remaining milk over top. Return to the oven for approximately 15 additional minutes.




As you can tell this is not as much a recipe as a technique. I hope you enjoy!


So, until tomorrow............
S~~~