Monday, January 16, 2006

On the Flip Side...

Ok, if you read my last post, you know the Truth about my housekeeping. But all hope is not lost... I have good things to share!

The first two good things are books by Christian author and speaker Emilie Barnes. Emilie has dozens of books published- devotionals, housekeeping hints, recipes,etc. I have read innumerable "household management" books over the years, and have found most of them to be very depressing. Who can keep up with these Type-A Clean Queens who thrive on making lists? But two books from Emilie are my all-time favorites: Welcome Home and The Spirit of Loveliness. These are the only books I've ever read that make me excited to clean the house! Welcome Home is a beautiful glossy book which has gorgeous photographs throughout of Emilie's own home. It is full of easy ideas on how to make your home a welcome retreat for your family and friends.

The Spirit of Loveliness focuses more on creating a lifestyle of welcome, creativity, hospitality, and celebration. It doesn't have photos, but it does have lovely drawings throughout. If you need a winter pick-me-up and some encouragement in your calling as "Keeper of the Home", I love these books. I also discovered another treat... Emilie has recently published a new book called Home Warming, which is now on my to-buy list! Yea- a new book by a favorite author!

My last happy discovery is an easy new recipe that my whole family really likes (well, except for Benjamin, who doesn't like anything except pizza and peanut butter and jelly):

Chicken a la King
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
3 T. flour
1/4 t. pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes
1 celery rib, chopped
1/2 C. chopped green pepper
1/4 C. chopped onion
10 oz. frozen peas
2 T. diced pimientos, drained
Hot cooked rice
In slow cooker, combine soup, flour, pepper, and cayenne until smooth. Stir in chicken, celery, green pepper and onion.
Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours (or on high for 4 hours). Stir in peas and pimientos and cook 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve over rice.

I had to double the recipe for our family, but it fed us well! We ate it with chow mein noodles. I did all the chopping on Saturday night and threw it together in the crockpot on Sunday morning. When I got home, I put the peas and pimientos in, cooked the rice and threw together a mandarin orange salad (mixed greens, mandarin oranges, chow mein noodles, whatever else you want to add). It was all fast and delicious! That's definitely a good thing!

Got any other good ideas or recipes to share? I'd love to hear them!

3 comments:

summer said...

you probably have this one, but my crew loves poppyseed chicken.

2 boneless skinnles chicken breasts
cooked and cut bitesized
1 can cream of chicken
1 8 oz. cont. sour cream
1 tube of ritz crackers
1 stick of butter
1 T. poppyseeds

mix chicken, soup, sour cream and poppy seeds. pour into casserole dish or 9x9 pan. melt butter and mix with crushed ritz crackers. sprinkle on top and bake at 350 for 25 min. makes about 6 servings. of course you would probably want to double that as well. i usually serve it with mac n'cheese or green beans and salad.
another one of our favorites is to cook a roast in the sow cooker by adding fench onion soup mix and a jar of peppercinis. cook on low for 8 hours or so. serve on hoagie rolls and top with mozzerella cheese. and a salad and it is a meal.
i look forward to trying the chicken a la king. take care sandy and i will be on the look out for emile's books.
summer

janjanmom said...

Chicken Spaghetti
1 pkg. spaghetti 1 stick of oleo or margarine
1 chicken 1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup celery, chopped 1 can Rotel with chilies
1/2 cup of onion, chopped Velveeta Cheese
1/2 cup of bell pepper

Boil chicken. Simmer onion, celery and bell pepper in oleo or margarine. Add mushroom soup and Rotel tomatoes. Boil spaghetti in chicken in chicken broth. Debone chicken. Add all ingredients to spaghetti and cook until cheese is creamy.

This is a very yummy recipe. You don't actually have to boil and debone a chicken-you can just use canned chicken breast and canned chicken broth or just boil enough chicken to make broth.

I will try your recipe as well!! I make the one Summer posted as well, only I top the casserole with stuffing mix (made according to directions) and leave out the poppyseeds -Oh and I add 1/4 cup of white cheese if I have it. I should try Summer's variation as well!

summer said...

the best recipe (because it is the easiest) i have found recently that we do very often is take a whole fryer chicken, wash it, sprinkle lowry's season salt (or whatever seasoning you like--change it up and you have a different meal each time)rub the seasoning all over. put in the crock pot, no water or anything. cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours. its like rotisserie chicken and just falls off the bone!!! we love it. i just serve this with some vegetable and rolls.

b/t/w,
what is oleo anyway?
summer