Memorial Day Projects

Jason headed to Dallas this last weekend for a bachelor party which means that I got to be productive. I have totally cleaned out the nursery and it is ready for demolition/painting. I still need to find someone to paint monograms on the armoire doors but that is about the last step. I found new places to store almost everything so we should be good to go. The next step will be to have Jason take the box of books (that I overfilled and can not lift) to the friends of the library for donation. I will have to make a nice to make up for that.

After I got all that done and took a liberally timed nap, I was up all night. I watched Gone With The Wind and then found a cheesy British mini series while I worked on the new wreath for our front door.

It took me a while but I think that it came out really well! I hope you all had a fun and safe Memorial Day Weekend!!!

Jason's Birthday BBQ

It has taken me a few days to get the pictures up but here they are. I wanted to do a sort of rustic but elegant outdoor Bar B Que. We had a great time and the weather cooled off enough to make it a pleasant evening.
Thanks everyone that came out. I know Jason had a great time!

*** Thanks to Emily and Kali for passing along some great recipes!!!

Dinner Party & Dessert

Friday evening we went to dinner at a friends house and she made a wonderful dinner. Seriously the BEST Wild Mushroom Soup ever!!! I took dessert and after a crazy day I went with my go to easy favorite: Orange Zest Shortcakes with Berries Stewed in Grand Marnier. Photos and recipe below.

Orange Zest Shortcakes

Zest of 2-3 Oranges

Zest of 1 Lemon

Juice of the fruit above (should be about 1/4 cup)

2 1/3 cups Bisquick

1/4 cup Milk

3 tablespoons Sugar

3 tablespoons Butter, melted

Preheat to 425 degrees. Stir together all ingredients, the batter should be like bread dough. Drop onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10-15minutes. They will be cooked all the way through and golden brown on the top.

Berries Stewed in Grad Marnier

3 1/2 pints Mixed Berries (I use Raspberries, Blackberries and Strawberries)

1/2 cup Grand Marier

Juice of 1 lemon (if you like)

Sugar to taste

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil while stirring. Cook until sugar is melted and berries are tender. I reserve a few berries and add them in later, especially the more delicate berries like raspberries. Do not let the sauce boil over or you will have the biggest, stickiest mess ever. Allow to cool. Sauce can be made in advance.

Pour sauce over shortcake with whipped cream as a garnish. It really only takes 20 mins!

Chicken Noodle Casserole

All I have really wanted to eat is hamburgers and Jason is getting a little tired of that so I went back to my speciality - CASSEROLES!

Chicken Noodle Casserole
4-5 stalks of celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
butter
1 rotisserie chicken - pulled apart and shredded or chopped
salt/pepper/thyme, to taste
1 slice of bread
1 package egg noddles, cooked
1 can cream of mushroom
1 tub of french onion dip
milk
fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degress

Cook about 2/3 of the onion and celery in a little butter until tender. Add chicken and seasonings and mix, cook until chicken is warm. Meanwhile add cream of chicken, french onion dip and milk (add enough to get the creamyness/thickness you want) to pasta. Add chicken and veggies. Toss and pour into a casserole dish. *I do not grease the casserole dish but you could if you wanted*
Melt a bit more butter in a pan and add bread 'crumbs' and the remaining onion/celery. Saute until the veggies are tender and the bread has started to toast. Add parsley and cook for a few minutes more. Top the casserole and cook for about 20 mins. Let it set for a few minutes before serving.

Bump Photo

So here we are at 22 weeks. I will do a better photo soon (Jason is not a great photog and it doesn't help when I interupt House)

More soon. I have some recipes etc!