Dinner Challenge Chicken Pot Pie...

Check in at Carolyn's blog, Laughing Duck to see what I won!! I'm getting pretty lucky with that these days. I told her that I won twice with her because I am using a (greatly modified) version of her Chicken Pot Pie for my Dinner Challenge tonight! It looked SO good but I didn't think I had what it took to make it. I looked again with open eyes and found the perfect ingredients for mine but I'm sure hers is MUCH better. This suits Carrie's Challenge because I didn't have to get anything special from the store AND I've never made it before, in any fashion so definitely not an "in a rut" meal! Don't forget to scroll down a few posts and support Bernie's A Place to Bark...and Meow Cause.

Mine is Fast because we stayed at the bookstore ALL afternoon for our homeschool "park day". It was too cold to visit at the park so those of us(hi Patricia) with older kids went to Books-A-Million to knit and sew and read. We didn't get home til after 4:30 and then I had to take Ryan and his friend to the friend's house to spend the night. Soooo, when I came home I quick thawed the chicken, thinking I'd oven fry it and make baked potatoes or something to go with, but I found Carolyn's lovely email and became inspired by her mouth-watering recipe.
****edited to add pictures****
Here ya go:



Fast Chicken Pot Pie(based very loosely on Carolyn's)

3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
2 medium baking potatoes
1/2 red onion
1/2 big bag of mixed vegetables
1 can 98% fat free cream of celery soup
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon(or shake) garlic powder
1/2 cup milk

Simmer chicken and cubed potatoes til the meat isn't pink. Cube chicken and drain the water out. Add veggies, soup, cheese, spice and milk. Stir well.

2 cups flour(I use half white, half whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1-1.5 cups milk

Stir dry stuff together, add butter and mix with fingers til course crumbs. Stir in milk and mix up. Put chicken stuff into a oiled 9x13 casserole dish, smooth out. Drop dough on top of that and bake for 35 minutes at 375. Yum!!

Cooking Challenge!!!

I'm taking part in Carrie's(of Sommer Designs) Dinner Challenge for the week, having just found her blog about an hour ago. Her challenge is to cook dinner every night for 5 nights, something you haven't tried before or something you haven't made in a long time. ***Edited to clarify that this doesn't have to be done with things you have on hand, just that you go shopping once with a good list, so you don't have to run out and get "only xyz" and come home $75 poorer*** To be fair, today was shopping day for me so some of the things in this recipe are not staples(cilantro and green onions aren't always in the larder)I got in on it a bit late but I do have my recipe from Monday's post(we had leftovers last night-deliciously served over spaghetti squash that I'm ashamed to say has been on my shelf for 5-6 weeks now!) and one tonight that I can share. This might be leftovers for tomorrow or Friday too so my 5 nights might take longer than a week to complete. I consider that a bonus!!

Tonight's Meal:

Baked Bean Dip

Stuff you'll need:
2 cans refried beans(fat free or not, your choice)
1 cup grated cheese(as you can see, mine is cut up because the grater was in the dishwasher getting all cleaned up)
1/2-3/4 cup salsa
1 cup sour cream(or more, depends how much you like it)
Combine in greased 8x8 baking dish(or 9x13 if using 2 cans of beans). Bake about 20 minutes at 350.


Meanwhile chop and combine:

1-2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 cup cilantro(chopped to make this much)
20-30 black olives(add green ones too if you'd like)
1-3 green onions(depends on size, I've got big ones but have seen some much smaller)


Take dip out of oven and let cool 5-6 minutes.


Spread the bean mixture with sour cream, I dollop it on with a spoon and gently smear around.


Sprinkle with the veggie mixture.


Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!!!

Wall Color and Helping Animals...

I've decided on a wall color!! For real! It this single color card. Called "natural" and is a very light toasted-almond, feathery soft, beige. It is less yellow, more neutral than a true beige. We'll use the satin finish for it and do the trim in kitchen paint in the same color. Mark was leaning toward something darker, Otter Tail(next-to-lightest on that dark card), that was a milk chocolate color. It is a beautiful color but I think we'd be really tired of it after a short while.

Now for the Helping Animals part. Go visit Susan's Farmgirl Fare blog and read her latest post(from today) about A Place to Bark...And Meow. Follow your heart and donate what you can to Bernie's cause. What a selfless woman she is!

And Sarah holding Magic Panda for some Peaceful Panda Time in her bedroom with soft music and dimmed lights. All the piggies get the Peaceful treatment now and then and they LOVE it!

Dinner!

Holy Cow this was GOOOOOD STUFF!!

Turkey Olive Italian Curry Sauce(10 servings- 3 points for WW)

1 pound turkey breakfast sausage(or link italian sausage)
1(14oz) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
2(8oz) cans no-salt-added tomato sauce
30 black olives, halved
1/2 can chickpeas, drained
1 green pepper
1 onion
garlic powder
italian seasonings
curry powder

Brown meat, pepper and onion. Add tomatoes, olives, and chickpeas, plus seasonings to taste(1-2 teaspoons each). Simmer, covered for 25-35 minutes. Serve over elbow pasta or similar size.

Italian Bread Sticks(makes 16, 3 points each, 7 for 2)

2.5 cups each, whole wheat and regular flours
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons active yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoons total of seasonings of choice(or none), I used garlic powder, italian seasoning, dill and caraway seeds.
1- 1.5 cups warm water
1/4 cup olive oil(and more to coat ball)

Combine dry ingredients well. Add water and oil and stir til mixed, adding more water if it is too dry.

Turn out onto floured surface and knead for 7-10 minutes. Coat will oil and let rise for 1 hour 10 minutes or so(I put in my oven after heating for a few minutes). Turn out and cut ball into 8 wedges(like a pie). Roll each wedge into a long rope, about 18 inches long. Cut in half and put on a baking sheet(you'll need two) that has been dusted with cornmeal. Let rise in warmed oven for 35 minutes. Bake one batch at 350 for about 20 minutes, place other in cool place(fridge or outside if its chilly out). Change out and bake second batch for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve! Yummy!

This, 1 serving of pasta with sauce, and 2 breadsticks plus promise spread was 15 points and VERY satisfying!!

TWENTY FIVE THINGS

I found this over at Karen's blog, Musings, Mischief, and Mayhem. She got it from her daughter's blog(linked at Karen's). These are 25 things I'll never get tired of.

1. Being with my husband
2. Conversations with my kids
3. My cats and other pets
4. Chocolate in my coffee
5. Fuzzy socks
6. Quilts(making and snuggling with)
7. Yarn
8. Learning
9. Making things
10. Long, hot(not too hot) baths
11. Reading
12. Watching my kids learn
13. Swimming
14. The results of hard work
15. Decorating and taking care of my home
16. Antique and thrift shops
17. Occasional thunderstorms
18. Full moons
19. Foggy mornings(though I don't wish anyone to have a wreck while driving in them)
20. Red and purple sunsets
21. Grilling out
22. Baking bread
23. Cooking from scratch
24. Having my feet rubbed(and my toes twinkled)
25. Starry nights

What will you never get tired of?

At Last, I Know Who I *Really* Am...

No wonder I can feel peas under the mattresses!

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Her Most Serene Highness Lady Molly the Chimerical of Kesslington under Ox Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

How Many of These Have YOU Done??

Mine are in bold, all 77 of them! Very interesting meme but tiresome.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said "I love you" and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and didn't care who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country (but I have danced with a foreign stranger in this country)
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theatre
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on a television news program as an "expert"
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
l131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life