All about the food...

If you watch television, read anything on the Internet, look at any magazine...all you hear or read about it food!   There is a entire channel on TV about food and recipes, and there are articles on food in every magazine you pick up.  Someone is always telling you what is good for you to eat and what foods you should avoid.  How can you not eat when it's all you think about?  First thing in the morning, you wake up thinking "What's for breakfast?"  Next, it's lunch then the kids come home from school and want a snack.  Then, whats for supper?  dessert?  bedtime snack??  Food is a constant thought!
Well, I'm not going to tell you about what's good for you, or what you should or shouldn't eat.  I'm just going to show you what we had for supper last night!

This is one of those "Let's see what's in the cupboards" recipes.....my version of homemade chicken pot pie....

4 T butter
1 lg carrot (diced)
1 stalk of celery (diced)
1 small onion (diced)
2 medium potatoes (diced in small pieces)
2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken (diced)
   (I used chicken thighs)
1/2 C. of  frozen peas
salt and pepper

I put all the above in a large skillet on med/high heat and sauteed , stirring occasionally, until it started browning....

Make sure you scrape the skillet when stirring to get all the yummy bits of flavor off of the bottom...When everything is tender and the chicken is done...then I turned the heat down to medium and added 1/3 cup of flour and stirred it in.  It will make everything look thick and kind of pasty.  Then I added 2 cups of chicken broth, and one can of cream of chicken soup, and also added 2 teaspoons of garlic powder. 

Stir it all together and let simmer for a few minutes.

Spray a 13X9X2 casserole dish with non-stick spray

Pour your chicken and veggie mixture into casserole dish.  You will need two tubes of Grands homestyle biscuits for the top.

Lay 12 of the biscuits on top of your mixture and then quarter the remaining 4 biscuits and fill in the holes...

Then I sprinkled the top with parsley flakes.   I baked it on 375* until it was bubbly and the biscuits were a nice golden brown....easy and delicious recipe...full of chicken and veggies...and very filling!

Make sure to dice everything up small so that it gets tender quickly....you don't want hard potatoes!

I served this with fresh sliced tomatoes out of my garden, a nice salad would go nicely with this also.

Now, for dessert.....Cherry Turnovers....so simple!

This recipe is semi-homemade and very good!

You need 1 can of cherry pie filling and one box of puffed pastry...

Take the pastry out of the box and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.  Then dust your counter with flour and unfold one of the pastry's.  Using a rolling pin, roll the pastry out so that it is smooth and a little more pliable.  Cut into 4 squares.

Wash the edges of the squares with egg wash (whisk one egg with a tablespoon of cold water) and put a couple of scoops of cherry pie filling in the middle of each one.  sprinkle with cinnamon and fold the squares over to make triangles and use a fork and press around the edges.  Place on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper.  I usually put four on each cookie sheet.  Sprinkle each one with sugar and bake at 375* until golden brown and flaky.  Using both pastry sheets and one can of cherry pie filling will yield 8 turnovers.   After they have cooled, I mix powdered sugar with a dab of cold water and drizzle over the top!

These are very simple and very delicious!  You can substitute any kind of pie filling!

In other 'food' news.....I've been canning like crazy!  Tomatoes, salsa and pickles!   I just finished my last batch of dill pickles for the season.....

Uncle Danny and Aunt Connie have been giving me extra tomatoes, so I will probably have another batch or two to can before the end of the season.

It's hard work....but I love canning and love the fact that even in the middle of the winter I can have the fresh from the garden flavor at my fingertips!  And like I said.....It's all about the food!

Full of it...

We have survived the first week of school!   What a change it is to discipline yourself and your kids to get to bed on time and get up on time for school.  This year, the High School starts at 8:00 and the Grade school starts at 8:00 also.  That is 25 minutes earlier than the previous years.  The morning rush is followed by the drive to school which is full of road rage!  Nobody in Abingdon drives good in the morning....lol.  Then when I come home...it is so serene and quiet.   Those are the mornings that I live for!  Derek and Emily have had School pictures already this year.   Ieshia has hers next week. 
Willie has been the hot topic this week.   He hasn't felt well for a few months.  He was having trouble moving his bowels.  His DR. feels like this is due to his condition, Cerebral Palsy.  His muscles are tightening up a lot which leaves him feeling constipated.  After an extremely long doctors visit and an even longer evening at the ER, he was admitted for 24 hours.  He's home now and keeps saying the he feels so much better.  Although he really didn't enjoy the roto rooter (enemas) at the hospital!  haha
He is almost 30 and this is the first time that he has been in the hospital since he was very small!   Here is a picture of Willie enjoying the comforts of St. Mary's...

 He always has a smile on his face.....

Rodeo's, Demo's....and so much more

It's been a busy few weeks....so I will try to play catch up....On Saturday the 21st...we took the kids to the New Windsor Rodeo!   Loved it! 

It was awesome...they had some cool rides...

I hadn't had fair food all summer...so the first bite into the burning hot corn dog was delicious after I got the feeling back in my tongue...haha   Of course the heat was quenched by the absolutely perfect lemonade shake-up! 

Emily is totally mesmerized by horses!  She sat on her knees with her nose to the fence and didn't move a muscle....One of these days...I've got to get her a horse!

Derek in the blue hat

We all had a great time!

On Sunday, the 22nd..We went to the Abingdon Fall Festival and watched the Demo Derby....Once again we had great weather and a super time.....For once, every one was in a good mood and cheerful...Here are a few pics....

This is Debbie and Willie...bottom row ...Debbie is in the pink shirt...

We had some delicious funnel cakes and fresh cotton candy....It was very fun!!  During my spare time...(haha)   I had a lot of canning to do...Danny brought me a bunch of tomatoes that I put with mine and made 7 quarts or tomatoes, and 6 quarts of salsa!

Emily snagged my camera and took a few pics of Purdy cat sitting in Grandma's basket...

Last but not least....School is in session again for another year!!    YYIIPPEEE!!  If you come by my house first thing in the morning you will hear the music as I'm doing my happy dance!!  lol   Ieshia is in High School this year posing as a freshman...unbelievably will have Drivers Ed 2nd semester!?!    Derek and Emily are in 4th grade!   Where did my newborn twins go??   Derek will be falling in line with all the children going to 4B and Emily will be present in 4A.  

I hope everyone has a great week...and I'll be back with another post soon!  Don't forget to leave me a comment....