Recipes and Some Other Random Things

If you have not seen the video of my son's baptism, click on the link or scroll down a few posts and watch it.....you will love it! (And yes, I know it is wrong to be proud, but I just love that kid and I think the video is cool).

Okay, so my friend Lysa TerKeurst is doing a little recipe swap thingie on her blog today. I thought I would play along - I have literally hundreds, nay thousands, of recipes, but don't tell my husband (he might expect me to make something new). So, I am going to post a couple of recipes that I make frequently. If you are wondering how I had time to copy all those recipes onto my blog--I have them all on my computer already (and about 50 more). Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that I heart my crock-pot so there are a few crock recipes here. If you are not here for the food - scroll down for the randomness........

Creamy Chicken
4 chicken boneless chicken breast
1 block cream cheese (softened in the microwave)
1 can cream of mushroom soup1 package dry Italian Dressing (Good Seasonings)

Place chicken in crock pot. Mix together cream cheese, soup, Italian Dressing mix. Pour over chicken. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Can be served with rice, noodles, or potatoes


Crock Pot Stew
2 lbs. beef stew
1 large can cream of mushroom
Worcestershire sauce to taste
1 pkg Lipton onion soup mix
Packet of brown gravy mix (optional)
One small onion sliced

Brown stew meat in skillet. Mix cream of mushroom soup, Worces. sauce and soup in a bowl. Pour mixture over browned stew meat in crock pot and cook for 6-7 hours on high. Serve meat and gravy over mashed potatoes.

Beth’s Cheesy Chicken Casserole

4-6 chicken breast (cut or torn into small chunks)
¾ large block of Velveeta cheese
¾ bag No-Yolks wide egg noodles
1-2 cans Ro-Tel chilies and tomatoes (1=mild; 2=spicy)
1 green pepper finely chopped
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tube Ritz crackers
1 stick butter

Preheat oven to 375. Boil chicken until completely cooked, remove chicken from water and place noodles in same. Boil noodles until soft. Sautee peppers and onions in small pan with a small amount of butter, salt and pepper. Cut or tear chicken. Drain water from noodles and add Velveeta cheese (cut into chunks), Ro-Tel chilies and tomatoes, onions, peppers, and chicken. Leave on stove until all cheese is melted and all ingredients are mixed together. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 pan or large aluminum baking pan (like you were making lasagna - easy clean up). Cover with crushed Ritz crackers and butter. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until top is brown.


Microwave Baked Beans
1 - 15 oz can baked beans
1 - 15 oz. Can kidney beans (drained)
½ cup salsa
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon bacon bits
¼ cup finely chopped onions
Mix all ingredients. Pour into 8x11 baking dish and microwave for 10 minutes.


Crock Pot Turkey
4-5 lb. Turkey Breast…..(3-4 lb. Turkey breast roast if you have a small crock pot)
1 and ½ Cup Water
1 Stick Butter
Seasoning Salt
Pepper

Thaw turkey in refrigerator for 24 hours if it has a giblet or gravy bag….if no bag, no need to thaw. Open turkey and remove giblet or gravy bag and slice fat off turkey. Pour water in bottom of 6 qt. Crock Pot. Cover turkey with seasoning salt and pepper (generously) and place in Crock Pot. Slice stick of butter and place pats all over top of turkey. Cook on high for 6 hours if frozen or 4 -5 hours if thawed (4 hours for small turkey).


O'Charley's Pie

2 cans of Eagle Brand condensed milk
1 pie crust
Cool Whip
Chocolate Chips and nuts

Remove all labels from milk cans. Do not open the cans. Boil the cans in water for 4-5 hours. I usually lean towards 4. While boiling, continue to check water depth. Add water as it evaporates to ensure the cans are covered. Let cans cool for 20-30 minutes. Open cans and pour caramel into pie crusts. Place in fridge to cool. Do not put cool whip on top until caramel has cooled. It will melt it. Top with any toppings. I use chocolate chips only or shave a chocolate bar on top, but many people add the nuts, too.


Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

4-5 Chicken Breast (cooked in boiling salt water)
2/3 Bag of Curly Noodles
3-4 Chicken Boullion Cubes
2 cans cream of Chicken Soup
Ground Pepper
1 small tub sour cream
1 can chicken broth

Cook chicken till done. When cool cut into chunks (big or small, whichever you prefer). Cook noodles in water that you cooked chicken breasts with boullion cubes and can of chicken broth added. Add cream of chicken soup, ground pepper & chicken. After simmering and when nearly done, stir in sour cream.


Okay that's enough recipes for one day - time for randomness.................


** Can someone tell me why in the world we need verification at the comment section on blogs? If I have my blog set so that you have to type those infernal letters before you comment, I am truly sorry! What is up with that? Can someone please tell me the purpose? OR, have you tried to comment on a blog that asks for everything but blood? (and that is only because they havent come up with a sanitary way of taking your blood through the computer) The letters you have to type are in fonts that only the Chinese can read and they are so close together that I can even make them out with my nerd glasses on!
Why do you need my name, URL, AND email address --- it says you arent going to use my email address anyway.....why do you need it? I love getting email - if I have to type me email address - I want you to send me and email dern it!!! I know I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, but can someone fill me in on why we cant just comment and hit enter?

***UPDATE*** Okay, so several people have commented and said that the chinese letters keep the spammers away. I wonder how this is really possible. So, assuming they are right, you may at some point see verification at the comment section of my blog. Let me say in advance "If that happens, I am deeply and truly sorry for the trauma the Chinese letters may cause you". I will pay for counseling and glasses......

** Last night was the first night of Lake's basketball tournament (well, it isn't really HIS tournament, but you know what I mean). It was Lake's teams first and last night in that tournament. Have I mentioned that kid's sports brings out the worst in people? That's all I'm going to say about that. Well, just one more thing, if someone is say.......a total idiot......is it wrong to acknowledge that fact? I suppose it is. I'll be right back after I pray for forgiveness.

** So, I said I was going to lose 10 lbs by the first week in March. Can I retract that statement? How about changing it to "I am going to lose 8 lbs by the first week in March?" Yeah, that's better........8 lbs sounds much better than 10 (especially since my scale says I have only lost 8, but whatever...)

**Have I mentioned lately that Oprah gets on my nerves? I am sick of seeing her on the campaign trail with Obamanation. I am sick of her saying that she believes in "God" while she is promoting her new age agenda. I am ready for Oprah to announce her retirement.

** Our first night of Breaking Free went very well. It is a large group, but I think we are really gonna have lots of great 'discussers'. Let me help you with that definition -
'discusser' - adj - one who is not afraid to speak out loud in a large group and share their personal testimony. Does that clarify things for you? If you haven't been reading this blog for very long, then you do not know that I am a word-maker-upper. Do you need me to define that one too? I think not.
On a similar note, when I was little and my dad would tell me something, I would say "How do you know that?" and he would say "Because I wrote the Webster's dictionary". After much explaining that he wrote it under his pen-name Webster, I believe him. I went to school and told everyone that my dad wrote the dictionary. I am not sure why they didnt' believe me. Yet another example of how we can mess our kids up unintentionally. Thanks Daddy! Took me til third grade to live that one down.

**It was 70 degrees here yesterday. Today it is cold, windy and rainy with chances of snow tonight and tomorrow...........can anyone say "PNEUMONIA"? If you check my blog and there are no new entries, you will know I have succumbed to the dreaded consumption. In lieu of flowers, send the above recipes already prepared to my husband. (on a different note, I dont know if I have ever used the word succumbed before - maybe my dad is Webster after all)

**Had to go to Wal-Mart this morning (and every morning) for a few things and Kaden asked for some candy. My son ate Reese's Pieces for breakfast. Go ahead and call Child Protective Services - I will even give you the number - I deserve to be punished.

**I am reading the "Nativity Story" and loving it.

**I packed my first boxes to move a couple of days ago. (My dad is laughing right now). Actually, it was more because my son's room is a wreck than the fact that we need to hurry and get packed up. Actually, we will just be happy if our house is finished before the return of our Dear Lord. But, now I can walk through Lake's room without hurting myself and it makes me feel productive.

** So, I am really not happy with John McCain who seems to be the only choice for Pres. He looks like Franklin the turtle, but that is another story. I just dont care for his stand on most things. I do like that he is a veteran. I guess he will grow on me if he is elected. I pray he is elected. I cannot stand to look at Obamantion or Hillary for 4 or God forbid 8 years. I like Huck, but knew he couldn't hang in there. I have to wonder how people who call themselves Christians can vote for people whose party supports abortion, gay marriage, etc. etc............I have to wonder............

Okay that is enough randomness for now........if I think of any other useless random thoughts today I will be sure to add them to this list .....I know you all will be waiting anxiously!