CHICKEN CONTINENTAL – YET ANOTHER VERSION

This is yet another version of my grams old recipe.

CHICKEN CONTINENTAL
1 1/4 – 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
1/3 cup seasoned flour
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups minute rice (white or brown)
1 bunch green onions, sliced
4 large mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons butter

  • Pre-heat oven to 375°.
  • In a large skillet, heat butter until sizzling over medium-high heat.
  • Dredge chicken pieces in seasoned flour.
  • Quick sear chicken pieces for 1-2 minutes on each side, set aside.
  • Add onions to butter in skillet and saute’ until beginning to soften.
  • Add mushrooms and saute’ a minute or so more.
  • Whisk together the soup and broth. Add to skillet and stir well.
  • Stir in rice.
  • Season to taste.
  • Add the majority of the rice mixture to a greased shallow baking dish.
  • Layer chicken on top in a single layer.
  • Top with remaining rice mixture.
  • Cover and bake 25-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender.

NOTES:  Sometime I add chopped carrots, garlic and bacon pieces.  If I add the bacon I cook it first and trade out some of the bacon grease for the butter to add in the flavor.

BLOGMAS 2018 – DAY 12 – WINTER TAG QUESTIONS

✨Top 2 Winter Beauty Essentials?

  • A NICE HOT SHOWER to relax and clean out the pores.
  • A super moisturizer to keep away dry skin!

✨Top 2 Winter Fashion Essentials?

  • I wait ALL year for it to be cold enough to bring out the boots! I
  • Scarves and gloves.  I have color combos to match anything.

✨ Favorite Winter Accessory?

  • HATS & SCARVES of course!!!!

✨ Favorite Winter Nail Polish?

  • Red for Christmas, but normally a pinky mauve. I just have too much red in my complexion.

✨ Hot Cocoa or Apple Cider?

  • Homemade hot cocoa and MUST have marshmallows!

✨ Favorite Winter Candle?

  • Apple and Cinnamon

✨ Does it snow where you live?

✨Have you ever made a snowman?

  • Absolutely! And a snow woman and snow kids!

✨What is Your Favorite Holiday Movie?

  • IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE tops the list! Home Alone, Miracle on 34th Street and they never get old either.  

✨What’s your favorite holiday drink? 

  • Coffee
  • Hot Cocoa
  • Hot toddies

✨Candy cane or Gingerbread men?

  • I like the chalk style peppermint, but I’m not real keen on actual candy canes and I like soft gingerbread men.

✨What’s your favorite holiday/Christmas song?

  • That’s a tough call – depends on my mood… White Christmas, Silent Night and I’ll Be Home for Christmas

✨What is most important to you about the holidays? 

  • That it is genuine and homemade for the most part.  It is not a commercial holiday for me.  I believe in trying to remember the real reason for the season and keep the Christmas spirit in my heart and life ALL year long.

 

WINTER PORK ROAST – CRANBERRY ORANGE

WINTER PORK ROAST

3 pound boneless pork loin roast
avocado oil
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 + 1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
8 ounces sweet orange marmalade or apricot pineapple jam
8 ounces whole cranberry sauce (canned is okay, but I prefer fresh)*
FRESH cranberries, for garnish
sliced oranges, for garnish

  • Preheat oven to 375°.
  • Pat pork roast dry.
  • Rub with avocado oil.
  • Season to taste with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper on all sides.
  • Sear each side over high heat for 2 minutes per side.
Place in roasting pan.
  • While searing the pork, start your sauce.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together 1/2 cup orange juice, apple cider vinegar, apricot pineapple jam or orange marmalade, and cranberry sauce.
  • Pour sauce over the pork.
  • 
Roast for 60-80 minutes (140°-145° in the most central part of the pork), basting every 20 minutes with the sauce mixture.
  • Remove from oven and place pork on a foil tented plate to cool/rest for 10 minutes.
  • While pork is resting, add remaining 1/4 cup orange juice to the juices left over from cooking to a saucepan.
  • Bring sauce to a boil and then reduce to a simmer while pork rests.
Slice and serve pork, drizzled with more sauce and garnished with orange slices and fresh cranberries.
  • Enjoy!

NOTES: * I always make a HUGE batch of homemade cranberry sauce over the holidays so I have some in the freezer. Cranberries are hard to come by the rest of the year.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 50 of 2018

GOOD MORNING sweet friends!  It’s really early here – I absolutely HATE early morning appointments ESPECIALLY on a Monday and when it’s rainy and foggy on top of that. But, it was all that was available in December that worked with the schedule.  At least we’re getting an early start 😀

I hope you had a great week/weekend.  Ours was extremely cold and wet, but productive.  We also managed to get the DVR cleaned out and watch some football too.

Be sure to link up with
Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday
and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING

RAIN, COLD and MORE RAIN and COLD!  BUT, I’m loving it.  Slowly, but surely I’m getting more cold weather gear together – that’s the hard part about moving from where it was hot and humid to here.  We’re supposed to be in the mid 40’s ALL week and WET!  Our lows are dipping into the 20’s and 30’s at night.

I’m wearing Levi’s with my pink turtleneck and gray hoodie with warm socks and boots 😀

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE – SAME OLD, SAME OLD Green Tea, banana and yogurt

CRAFTS / PROJECTS – I finally finished the Christmas present for my friend and neighbor and it now resides on her front porch so I can show you the finished project.  It’s a reversible scarecrow and snowman.  I saw one in an antique store that was all beat up and crudely done plus they wanted a small fortune for it so hubby built one for me and I painted and decorated it. Hubby was nice enough to build me one too!

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY – I really LOVE Christmas, but HATE crowds.  So I sat down yesterday and made up my menu through the first week of January so that the next time I go grocery shopping I should be able to get EVERYTHING I need other than the obvious perishables and meat that comes from the butcher.  At least any other stops will be a quick trip through the express line.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA – I really love how the clouds were hugging the mountain tops lately.

INSPIRATION

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS /  APPOINTMENTS

  • LAUNDRY… All caught up
  • LIVING AREAS… vacuuming
  • KITCHEN… empty the dishwasher, clean the pantry
  • YARD… lots of rain, so nothing
  • BLOG… getting caught up on BLOGMAS, ELF on the SHELF, recipes
  • PROJECTS… baking for the Giving Plates
  • APPOINTMENTS… nothing til 2019 after hubby’s dental appointment this morning
  • TO DO… still have 3 gifts to do that I’m a bit stumped on, menu updating, recipe development

I’M READING – I just started Marie Force’s Fatal Invasion (book 13 of this series) – I’ve been reading her since she first started writing and love her characters and series. ANNABELLE UPDATES FROM LAST WEEK – AnnaBelle has been busy this week getting into trouble AND keeping her friends entertained.  

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

BREAKFAST

LUNCH

DINNER

DESSERT

MONDAY – FRIDAY

GREEN TEA,

BANANA & YOGURT

CHICKEN or TUNA SALAD

MONDAY

BUFFALO CHICKEN MAC & CHEESE NESTS

TUESDAY

WINTER PORK ROAST & DUCHESS POTATO CASSEROLE

WEDNESDAY

CHICKEN CONTINENTAL

THURSDAY

BBQ CHICKEN MAC & CHEESE BITES

FRIDAY

R.E.D. recipe experiment dinner

SATURDAY

C.O.R.N. clean out refrigerator night

SUNDAY

C.O.R.N. clean out refrigerator night

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

BLOGMAS 2018 – DAY 10 – HANDMADE OR ???

Please note that I have changed from inlinkz to Mr. Linky because inlinkz is being a HUGE pain!!!!!! So do you make your gifts or buy the? Honestly these days some things just can’t be made time or money wise, at least not efficiently. But, when possible I make gifts just to let others know I was thinking of them and cared enough to do it myself.  I especially love when I can make a little something to surprise a friend with, especially emphasizing the word surprise.Over the years I have made everything, and I do mean everything at one time or another to create a handmade Christmas. I’ve made rolls and rolls of butcher paper into wrapping paper, cut grocery bags into handmade tags, made enough fudge, candies and cookies to feed a small country, as well as jams, jellies, soup mixes and Snowman soup!

My award winning jams were requested one year at the Church Christmas Boutique and I ended up selling them every year for another 10 years before we moved.  Now I make just enough as gifts for neighbors and family.  I started making Snowman Soup about 20 years ago for the girl scouts and it was a HUGE seller at our gift wrap days and later for the Church Boutique.

For the things I didn’t make myself, I at least bought from local crafters.
As for receiving, I love ANYTHING handmade.  I’m a BIG believer that it’s the thought that counts and that caring action ALWAYS touches my heart though I’m partial to cotton crocheted dishcloths, my brothers photographs, my mom’s quilted totes and ANYTHING food.

 

BLOGMAS 2018 -DAY 9 – WINTER WONDERLAND PICTURES

This was 2014 and one of my favorite picture years.  Plus a few NEW pictures.

The Festival of Lights is now 25 years old and a great way to kick off the holiday season. It’s ALL Volunteer and NON-Profit.  It began as a fundraiser sponsored by the Rotary Club to help get the city out of debt and then took on a life of its own and now helps with scholarships and special projects. The festival runs every night from Thanksgiving to New Years.  So if you have company in town for Thanksgiving it’s a great jump start to your holidays.  You can drive your own car or take a horse drawn carriage ride through the displays.  They have also coordinated a local radio station to listen to as you view the displays.  The night we went through the fog was moving in early so a few of the pictures look a bit “smoky”.

As of this year they have the world’s tallest (41 feet, 16,000 pounds with  working jaw) nutcracker built by a local company, 500,00 lights, 90 animated displays, 3D displays, horse drawn carriage rides through the displays and a Holiday Village with Santa, hot cider with a bake sale and a synchronized light show in the courtyard.  The displays depict fairy tales, the military, patriotism, the local logging industry, local vineyards, local fishing and the traditional Christmas songs and scenes.  People come from all over to see it. Unfortunately for locals, it doesn’t change much, but is still fun every few years.

Three of my favorite munchkins from next door were coincidentally there the same night we were so had to snap a few pictures of the discussions with Santa. They have grown SOOOOOOOO much!
Even the lights with errors turned out cute.  It was difficult to get great pictures or continuous pictures of the animated scenes since there were so many cars behind us.
This snowman is on a corner in our neighborhood hugging a light standard.
And these pictures were from 2013 – the year of the “white” one 😀
Hubby made this for me to wake up to in the back yard before the snow got too bad.
The house across the street usually looks horrible, but NOT when it’s under a blanket of snow.
Unfortunately, being in a cul-de-sac, delivery tracks leave MANY tire tracks at this time of year to mar the beautiful snow cover.
Even Rudolph was shivering! But not this year as he was donated to charity last year 😀
The first day after he storm was absolutely gorgeous though!
The duck pond behind the neighborhood was truly a work of art.
Obviously we hadn’t gone anywhere – no tire tracks!
The fish ladder was like glass with the cold and ice.