Monday, March 5, 2007

Good Morning! Thank you for your comments about my Five Senses Weekend and spring layout change. I always enjoy hearing from you!

Uncle Stephen is going home tomorrow, so we are going to make the most of his last day here. The girls and Benjamin will miss their trips to the park and I will miss all the fun and laughing together.

This weekend we had chicken and dumplings for dinner.



These are not the southern version of chicken and dumplings. Basically, you make a chicken stew and when it's finished cooking, you bring it to a slow boil and drop spoonfuls of biscuit dough on top. In about 10 minutes, they will be done. I pop the whole pot under the oven broiler for a few minutes to brown the tops of them.



Yesterday, after church, we took Uncle Stephen to our secret pond. It has been named that because you can't see it from the nature park trail. It was pretty much empty last summer, so it was so great to see it nice and full again!

We ate chicken salad sandwiches, grapes and fruit bars for lunch, by the edge of the pond.



Then, Grace, Emily and Benjamin led the way to the...



...creek!



The kids had their rubber boots on so they had fun wading in the water.



This evening, we are having a friend over for dinner and I think I will make White Chili. I made a pot for Stephen last week and he loved it. It is very quick to put together.



White Chili with Chicken

1 lb. cooked chopped chicken
1 onion, chpped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans chicken broth
48 oz. can white northern beans (I can't find large cans so I use 3 regular sized ones)
1 (16 oz.) can chopped tomatoes, drained
1 (4oz.) can chopped green chilis
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. oregano

Saute onion and garlic in a large pan until soft. Add remaining ingredients (along with salt and pepper to taste) and cook on medium heat, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the mixture is hot and well blended, about 45 minutes.

This is fairy mild so you can spice it up with chili powder, cayenne or hot sauce. I usually add some garlic powder and more cumin at the end.

Serve with tortilla chips and a variety of toppings: sour cream, grated cheese and chopped green onions.

Enjoy!




This coming week, I will share some gardening and spring decorating projects I've been working on. Talk to you all soon!