Almost all Yummy!

Well this wasn't on my UFO list but should have been.... Catch up on reading the blogs I follow...
Too late now I'm actually caught up. YAY ! I was like almost 60 days behind. Now I am commenting on current posts. LOL  I'm up to date on reading not posting. One day.

How did you spend Valentines? Ours was quiet really but nice. We exchange cards and maybe go eat somewhere but nothing elaborate or fancy. For Valentines dinner this year we went out Friday night to our new favorite place...in Cat Springs called Crossroads Tavern for all you can eat catfish, hush puppies, coleslaw, french fries and tea. All that for $10. We met up with a co-worker of David's and his wife. We always enjoy their company and have fun. Larry and Silvia are the ones who were hoping we'd buy the 9.5 acres across the road from them but it didn't happen. We didn't get home until 10pm. .It's an hour drive there and hour back. Enjoyed my evening with my Valentine.
Next morning I got up and went to College Station for lunch with the daughter and some shopping.
Pamela picked out a new place to go to called Madden's in Historic downtown Bryan. It was so good.

I had southern fried portabello mushroom, garlic mashed potatoes, and asparagus with a pablano pepper sauce. That first bite took me back to Missouri when we'd hunt mushrooms and fry them up in the pan.  mmmmm

Pamela got a grilled chicken sandwich with fruit and cup of tortilla soup. Very tasty. It was just the right portions and it wasn't heavy like Mexican food or BJ's Brewhouse. We'll have to take David there next time he goes to visit.
Then we went shopping a little. I Upgraded to the Iphone 6

After shopping we drove out to see the progress on Pamela's house.
Wow they were just framing out the slab and one side was up but now the siding is up, all but one window was installed. It's starting to look like a house.

It's hard to believe my little girl is buying  house.
     

She called today to say they had put a 2nd coat of paint on the outside and have started putting the brick and stone up on the front.



David has been doing a lot of cooking/grilling lately and all I've had to do is supply the sides. 
So this week I decided to be brave and daring and try some new recipes.
My first recipe was Buffalo Chicken casserole. Success. I tappered with the original recipe by adding an extra cup of chicken and a whole cup of Franks Hot sauce and 1/2c  of ranch dressing. Here's the recipe adjusted recipe if you're interested.  
BUFFALO CHICKEN CASSEROLE 

Serves 6
Servings: about 1 cup each
Bake: 25 min.

What You'll Need
4 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1 cup Franks Original RedHot Sauce
1/2 cup Ranch Salad Dressing
6 ounces egg noodles (or pasta of your choice), cooked and drained
1 3/4 cup Alfredo Sauce (make your own or use 14 oz jar of pre made)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
6 slices of provolone cheese (for top)
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (for top)
How to Make It
Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 11x8x2-inch baking dish.
Stir the chicken and Franks hot sauce in a large bowl. Stir in the pasta, Ranch dressing and 1/2 cup cheese. Spoon the chicken mixture into the baking dish. Stir in the Alfredo sauce.
Cover the top with the 6 slices of provolone chess and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling and the cheese is melted. Serve with Franks HotSauce if you like it real spicy
Oh and we drizzled some bleu cheese dressing on it before eating.  mmmm

I had 2 1/2 big chicken breasts left and decided to try my hand at making jalapeno chicken salad. You see there's this tea room we love to go to that serves jalapeno chicken salad. It is so good. I didn't have a recipe so I had to wing it but it turned out really good. Success. Ingredients chopped celery, jalapenos, some cilantro, mayo, of course chicken, some jalapeno pickle juice we got at the Fickle Pickle in Bandera. Oh salt and pepper to taste.

Then there was the crock-pot Lasagna. That was a Bust. First I over cooked it. I should have put a time on it so it wouldn't cook so long in the crock-pot. It had absolutely no taste and was way over cooked which could be why it tasted like mush.. So no picture or recipe.  Don't share the failures. LOL
And my last recipe was a homemade chicken pot pie in a skillet. made this last night and forgot to take a picture. Big Yay it came out tasty. All the standard suspects pie crust, potatoes, chicken, carrots, peas and mushrooms along with the creamy rue. The recipe makes 2 pot pies. Eat one now and freeze the other one for later. I plan on increasing the rue a bit on the next batch. David and I agree'd that the sauce needed to be creamier.

I guess I'll have to try some more recipes for variety around here.

Today is my 4th anniversary of blogging. Hard to believe I'm still doing this. This is my diary of sorts of our life and all it's adventures with its ups and downs. 

But I better get off here so I can make some progress on a couple of quilts that need to bind.

So until next blog ...I am not a fast cook, I am not a slow cook, I am a half-fast cook.  say that 3 times fast. LOL