Chicken Salad, Cheese Baked Tomatoes, and Apple Cobbleer

 I had a friend come over for lunch today and wanted to have something I could pretty much make ahead and get out when she got here. I love my chicken salad. I can't have bread so I serve it over lettuce, but it is so good on toasted bread. I sprinkled both sides of chicken breasts with Greek seasoning and baked it about 25 minutes in the oven. It is also good to grill it for added flavor. I then shred into small bites and let cool. Add salt, pepper, and mayonnaise. I chopped some grapes and added that in. I toasted pecan halves and then chopped and sprinkled on top.

These tomatoes were awesome! I sliced them and added mozzarella, drizzled on olive oil, then made a mixture of Parmesan, oregano, salt and pepper and sprinkled that on top. Bake for about 15 minutes.

I made a peach cobbler with my home canned peaches. I mixed the peaches with cinnamon and sugar. Then I made a topping with oats, butter, and a spoonful of brown sugar. I mixed it until it was crumbly and added it to the top. I chopped pecans and added them. Bake 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Clean out the Freezer and Pantry Challenge

My freezers are so disorganized that I don't even know anymore what I have so I keep buying stuff so I "know" I have it. And, my pantry is full of a lot of items I can't have since having to go gluten-free so I want to use them up.... things like cream of chicken and mushroom soups, rice a roni, and a lot of flour. My family can have them so I thought I would make some casseroles with the soups and package them up for my husband to take to lunch. My teen boys are eating a lot so I just need to add the rice a roni to meals at lunch time to fill them up. (By the way, I have about 40 cans each of cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup. I have about 20 boxes of Rice A Roni that I got for about $.30 each.)

Looking only on a few shelves of my freezer I have come up with some meals to prepare this week without having to buy a lot from the store.

Today I have a friend coming for lunch. I thawed a bag that had two chicken breasts in it and baked it in the oven with Greek seasoning on it. I then a chicken salad with it mixing it with mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and some sliced grapes. I will toast some pecans today to sprinkle on top of mine and add in if she likes them. I plan for her to do a sandwich or salad with it and I will have mine on a salad. I have two Roma tomatoes that I need to use. I am going to slice them and then bake topped with mozzarella, Parmesan, and oregano. I have carrot sticks and Ranch dressing. I may steam some edamamme. And then for dessert I am using a home canned jar of peaches that I put up last year. I will add some cinnamon sugar to the peaches and put them in individual ramekins, then top with my gluten free oats, some oat flour mixed with butter and a little brown sugar and crumbled on top. All of this was items I had without going out for anything like I normally would do.

Some of the other menu items using what I have are:

pancakes, biscuits,  and cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I have one and a half ham steaks that I cooked and diced that I can add into omelets, ham cup quiches baked in muffin cups, and scrambled eggs. I have 2 lbs. of breakfast sausage to make sausage biscuits, have with eggs, etc. I have a lot of certified gluten free oats that I got from Amazon. I don't really like oatmeal for cereal, but want to try some oatmeal bars and homemade granola. There are about 5 waffles and 2 omelets in the freezer to eat.

I have a few frozen soups in individual containers so I am going to eat them a couple of times this week. Beef fajita served over rice. Pizza on grilled yellow squash. Ham and peanut butter sandwiches for the family. Tuna salad and sandwiches. Black bean soup. Ramen and grilled cheese.

Suppers will be a Chicken stir fry kit from Sams- not gluten free so I am going to make it for the family and let my husband take leftovers for lunch. It is a huge bag so I will only make a portion of it. King Ranch chicken casserole. Tacos. Have 5 hamburger patties preformed. Shepherd Pie. I have a bag kit for a breakfast skillet which has potatoes, sausage, onion, black beans, corn, and you add eggs to it. I will make that one night for supper instead of a breakfast. A chicken and rice casserole.

I have home canned apples and peaches from last year so I will make some crisps with those. I have boxes of gelatin and can make parfaits with gelatin and cool whip. I have boxes of jello pudding to eat. I have apples, grapes, strawberries and oranges. I have frozen yogurt to make smoothies with. I add in frozen strawberries and bananas with a little milk. If I make some granola I can sprinkle that on top. I want to make some oatmeal peanut butter cookies. I have a partial jar of chunky peanut butter no one is eating and that would be perfect to use up in the cookies.

I will need to buy milk, bread, eggs, sour cream, tomatoes, a green pepper, and chips for the kids. Other than buying the coupon items for the week, that is all I can think of that I need.

I don't think this cleans out a lot of stuff so plan to organize as I go and plan to continue on into the next week thinking up meals to use up more of the cooked chicken and other items.

For I Know The Plans I Have For You

Jeremiah 29:11 is my life verse. It spoke to me early on in my walk with Jesus and is what I bring up every time I walk through uncertain times. It reminds me that God is for me and has a plan for me. No matter what the circumstances look like at the time, His ways are to prosper me, to keep me from harm, to give me a hope, and a future. I just have to trust Him. To believe He really does love me and want what is best for me.

Today is the day that 25 years ago I buried my Mama. I was a young girl, right at my 18th birthday. I graduated high school 4 months earlier and was working in a dental office. I came home from work and found her lying on the kitchen floor. She had been having problems breathing for a few weeks. Every time she walked a short distance she was out of breath. She went to the doctor and he told her she was overweight and dismissed her. She said she had been overweight for awhile and felt something else was wrong, but had no answers. Her problem was that blood clots had traveled from her legs and settled in her lungs, blocking off her airway.

I knelt down to check her vitals so that I could start CPR, but she murmured, "I am okay," when I grabbed her wrist. She wasn't okay. I called the paramedics and they came. They thought she was hyperventilating and were being stern with her to calm down and breathe into a bag they placed over her mouth. I tried to tell them she had been having problems and wasn't hyperventilating. That is the hardest part of my story... to have the memories stuck within my mind of watching my Mama suffocate, to struggle to breathe. I still remember the look in her eyes, the sounds of her struggling.  The wouldn't let me in the ambulance so I followed behind. When we got to the hospital they came out a couple of times and told me to call some family to be with me. One time the nurse said it didn't look good. I thought she meant she was very sick, not death. It took over an hour for family to arrive. The longest hour of my life as I sat alone waiting. They took us to a room and told us that she had died in the ambulance and they worked on her an hour and couldn't revive her.Wow, in an instant she was gone. My life was changed. Over night I went from being a teenager to an adult, having to care for myself and a home. I no longer had a Mama.

The part of my story that gives me hope is that when this happened I was able to see God's hand in my life for one of the first times I can remember being aware of in a real way. I immediately was able to see how he had prepared me for two years to take care of myself. It started when I was in 11th grade taking my 2nd year of accounting. A lady came to the door and asked my teacher if she had anyone who would work well in a pediatric dental office. My teacher chose me and asked me to come outside the room and they asked if I would be interested in going on the interview. My Mama wasn't thrilled with me working but finally agreed to let me go- probably thinking I wouldn't get the job. I was hired that day and for the rest of the year and next got out of school after lunch and worked each afternoon. I was hired to work up front answering phones, filing charts, and helping out. Being a young girl the kids loved me and so were often found sitting in my lap while they waited their turn. In two weeks they brought me to the back to sit with them while we waited for their mouth to get numb. I began my training as a dental assistant and within the month was fully assisting the doctor.

My precious God had provided for me. My Mama's death was a surprise to me, but not to Him. He had been working in my life for years to prepare me. I had a hope. So, I don't choose to remember my Mama lying on the floor struggling  for her last breath. I remember how she told me daily she loved me. Me, the bratty teenager that rolled my eyes, stood stiff for hugs, talked back, thought she knew it all. Me! Her last words were, "I love you," that morning as I left for work. Just like God she loved me with an everlasting love, no matter what I did. She was much more outgoing that I am. She had an infectuous personality and heart for other people. She was always happy and fun to be around. I've missed much, but have so much to look forward to one day in Heaven.

Ham steak with friend potatoes and onions

I've been married 23 years and have never made ham steaks. I was at Sams and all their baking hams had a gluten glaze so I found a package with four hamsteaks in it. I have eaten them, just have never made them. I cooked it in a skillet with a tiny bit of bacon grease. It took about 5 minutes per side. For the potatoes I sauteed an onion then added the diced potatoes. I let that cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. I then added a lid and turned it down to almost low and let it continue to cook for another 5-8 minutes. A very quick meal! I didn't have everyone eating or it would not have fed us to just eat it as is. If I had everyone I would add about 6 eggs with a touch of milk to the potatoes and then dice the ham and stir in. Then bake that for about 15-20 minutes.

What to do with the foyer????

This is my foyer. It is a really big room and has two story walls and an angle wall where the stairs go up and turn, splitting into one going up to a catwalk for the upstairs rooms, and a staircase going down into the kitchen and family room area. We turned the dining room into a bedroom so I moved our dining table and buffet and an old antique dresser that belonged to my great-grandmother in the foyer. This photo doesn't show the size of the room, that table is pretty big, seating eight comfortably.

I have this wall going up the stairs that is two story. Because it is so tall it just looks like a big blank blob of beige. I have toyed with the idea of putting a wall of frames here. What do you think? I am scared it will look cluttered instead.

This is the buffet that goes with the table. I think I am going to paint it and am looking at a gray color. It is an antique, but needs refinishing. The table has some damage on one of the legs and the top is worn and scratched.

This wall is really hard to figure out what to do with it. I don't like it at all. I want a couple of large florals or Italian landscapes or something, but I can't find what I want. I also want a very large floral arrangement with a red flower added in. I also would like to make a burlap or other floor length tablecloth.

I think I am going to paint all the interior doors a light gray, but I am not sure. I like the look of painted doors with the white trim.

I need something on the sidelights. The morning sun is horrendous and is really bad on my table. It comes in the upper window as well as the sidelights. I have thought about a faux burlap panel. I have also looked at some of the window films at Lowes and am not sure about them.

The wall. So, what do you think.... wall of frames or not? Any other ideas?

These are some inspiration photos of walls of frames. I have collected a lot and some are black some are brown and some have a light patina. I don't want all black since my furniture and accessories I plan to do have more of a country French color scheme. I think the mixture will blend better. I plan to pick up more frames and continue to add to it when I find them cheap.

The one above is a mixture of frame colors. This house was Coastal Living or one of the other magazines. It belongs to Judy Cullbreth and is located in Fairhope, AL. I worked with her mother, Grace at the dentist I worked for from 11th grade until after I graduated.

These are some of the painted pieces that I like. This is what I am looking at to paint my table and buffet.

The one above and below has the doors in a gray tone that I am looking at painting my interior doors. I like the one with more blue in it on the chest above to paint the buffet and table. I actually may refinish the table in wood tone, and just paint the buffet, or the other way around.

I like the colors below. Would love two prints like that for my awkward wall behind the table. Mix that with a large arrangement with red in it on the table. It gives an idea of the painted furniture with colors I am using.

I am planning on painting the banisters black like this.

Smoked Sausage and Broccoli

This is an extremely quick meal to put together. I use frozen broccoli and steam it in a double boiler. While it is cooking slice smoked sausage and broil until browned and heated through, turning once. My family makes spaghetti noodles, but since I can't have gluten I eat mine without the noodles. Mix in enough Italian dressing to coat everything. If you eat it with the noodles put it all in a large bowl and mix the dressing into it all.

Cowboy Caviar

I have had many versions of Cowboy Caviar, but used my friend Ginger's recipe for this one. I do not have any cooked black beans or I would have added them to this.

1 can (or equivalent cooked from dry) black eyed peas
1 can (or equivalent cooked)  white shoe peg corn
1 can Rotel tomatoes
small bottle Italian dressing
3 Tbsp (or 1 package) dry Ranch dressing mix

Stir all together and let sit in refrigerator until needed. This is better if prepared up to four hours ahead so flavors can marinate together. I added the whole bottle of Italian and ended up draining the liquid out, so next time I would add about 3/4 of the bottle and see if that is wet enough, adding more as needed.

English lesson:
Marinade is a noun and marinate is a verb.
Marinate the chicken in a marinade made from soy sauce, lemon, and garlic.

Sangria Punch and Book Swap Party

 Tonight I had the ladies from our home school group over Mom's Night Out and a book swap. I found the idea for the centerpiece off Pinterest. You use a can to put the flowers in. Cover the can with pencils, holding them in place with a rubberband. Then tie a ribbon around them to cover the rubberband. (I had moved the ribbon to show the ladies and didn't put it back) I used some of the kids' books stacked on the table with the centerpiece.

We drew numbers and picked a book from the pile. Only one other woman brought four books and I had three so we had enough for everyone, but I don't think they were really interested in the books. I think home school moms are just too busy to read for pleasure. Oh well :)

I made a sangria punch that was really good. This photo is from the Kraft site along with the recipe.

4 cups cranberry fruit punch
1 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp lime juice
3/4 cup dry mix Country Time lemonade or pink lemonade (I used pink)
3 cups club soda- I used ginger ale
2 oranges sliced
2 limes sliced

Mix cranberry punch, orange juice, lime juice, and lemonade mix and refrigerate until ready to use. Right before serving add ginger ale and sliced fruit. Serve over ice. This would be really good mixed in iced tea. This recipe makes 8 servings. I doubled it.

My battery was dead so I didn't get photos of the table with food or the people. This is what was left of the punch. Everyone said it was very good. Definitely a keeper.