Stuffed Swiss Chicken

I tried a new recipe and the family loved it.

This called for lasagna noodles but I had shells on hand and used them.

It worked out really well.

INGREDIENTS

10 large boiled pasta shells

1 beaten egg

2 cups creams style cottage cheese

1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1/4 t. dried basil

2 T butter

2 T flour

1/2 tsp. dried mustard

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese

Paprika

Cook Shells according to package directions. Drain on paper towel.

For Filling-in a medium bow stir together egg, cottage cheese, chicken and the basil.

Grease a 2 quart rectangular baking dish, set aside.  Fill shells with chicken mixture, do not overfill.

Place the shells in the prepared pan. set aside.

For sauce-in a medium saucepan melt butter.  Stir in flour, mustard, salt and pepper.  Add milk all at once.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.  Gradually add the cheese, stirring until melted after each addition. Pour sauce over shells.

Cover and bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes.  Let stand for 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with paprika. 

After the sauce

Before the sauce and baking.
This worked out well because I baked extra chicken over the weekend and all I had to do was cut it up.  This dish worked well for after work.  It did not take long to make.



Cards

I made a wedding card for a friend who is getting married.
I wanted it to look tropical because they are getting married in Hawaii.  I used peel offs from Magenta and a Cuttlebug embossing plate to give the background texture.

Here is a bright happy card for our niece Kelli.
These are fun Paula Best Stamps.

colorful kitchen gadgets

I picked these up at Target on the clearance shelf.  They are heat resistant, mini spatulas.  They are easy to hang on to with 3 different ends.  I love the colors and they are designed by Michael Graves.

I picked these Wusthof knives up at Home Goods store.  That is a treat in itself if you haven't been there.  These knives are really nice and sharp and again I love the colors. 

Silver White Cake

Lemon Filling

INGREDIENTS

3/4 Cup sugar
3 T cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup water
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 T. butter
1/3 cup lemon juice
4 drops yellow food color

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in saucepan.  Stir in water gradually.  Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.  Boil and stir for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat; add lemon peel and butter.  Stir in lemon juice and food color; cool.  If filling is too soft, refrigerate until set. 

I had some friends over this weekend and cooked up a storm.

I really had a taste for white cake with lemon filling, so I found a recipe for it.

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour

1 2/3 cups sugar

3 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2/3 cup shortening

1/4 cups mil

1 tsp. vanilla

5 egg whites

Lemon Filling

White Mountain Frosting

1/4 cup flaked coconut

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour two 8 inch round cake pans.  Beat flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, shortening, milk and vanilla in large mixer bowl on low speed, scraping bowl constantly for 30 seconds.  Then beat on high speed scraping bowl occasionally, 2 minutes.  Add egg whites, beat on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally for two minutes.  Pour into pans.

Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, for 35 minutes.  Cool layers for 10 minutes; remove from pans.  Cool completely.  Put the lemon filling between the two cooled layers.  Frost cake with White Mountain Frosting; sprinkle with coconut.   

Cooling for 10 minutes

Out of the pans, cooling completely



White Mountain Frosting

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 T. water
2 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, corn syrup and water in saucepan.  Cover; heat to rolling boil over medium heat.  Remove cover and boil rapidly to 242 on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a firm ball that holds its shape until pressed.  As mixture boils, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Pour hot syrup very slowly in a thin stream into egg whites beating constantly on medium speed.  Add vanilla; beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. 

Silver White Cake

Mug



This great coffee cup was near my Easter basket.
My sons were out shopping and picked the best mug.
A fun design and color, a big handle and it holds just the right amount.  I Love This Mug!



It's perfect!

Happy Easter

May you have a beautiful day.
He is Risen!

originals

Stopped at the museum gift store and found these wonderful original watercolors by artist Donna Whittsitt. This is a forest in Brown County Indiana.  The artist resides in Brown County.
I could not get it all in because it is 14 inches long.  I thought it would be very interesting framed for a narrow wall.

I was taken by this guys colors and it is going to sit on an easel in the powder room bathroom. 

It's size is 3 x 6.  It feels like it is done on illustrator board. 

canal

When in Indianapolis I was impressed with how nice it is along this canal.  People were renting paddle boats, kayaks, peddle cars to drive along the sidewalk.  People were jogging, walking their dogs and eating their lunches.

This is looking toward downtown outside of the museum.
you can see a paddle boat.

Here you can see the people walking and also the kayak.  On the other side must be a park, and those partitions have names on them.

Here are the pretty trees and the statues of the mastodons.

Flowers and bushes to keep the hill intact.

A fountain in the open area.

These were paintings under the New York Street Bridge.

It's Opening Day!







The air is a little fresher and the sun is a little brighter.
It's finally here-spring can now begin.

I got this picture off the Detroit Free Press online edition.
Isn't it great?

Tigers play Boston and Verlanders on the mound.
Unfortunately we won't be there, but we will be tuned in.
Have a Fantastic Day!

art on the museum

All around on the sides of the Indiana State Museum are wall sculptures representing each county.  I have included a few and it was very enjoyable to look at. 

I am not sure if it is supposed to be a leaf or a tree.
Either way it is very pretty.

Riverboat

I believe this must be a waterfall

Lake Freeman, soybeans and poultry

This county is the poultry capitol of the world?

There are one of these for each sculpture.

a day in indy

Since it is spring break, we decided to go to Indy for the day.
The weather was perfect.
Kevin loves the Civil War also and I thought this was a particularly good picture of him.

Our destination was the Indiana State Museum and the Imax theater.
Kevin by the deer fountain that had not been filled yet.

We were sitting outside the museum resting and I took our picture.

We were walking to lunch and I noticed the weber grill .  Clever Idea.

Dad-I told him to smile.
A little crazy......

Nothing like 3-D glasses and a camo hat.
It's working for ya.

We had a fun day out.

Card

Made a card to add to my stash when I need to send one.
I used the birch tree stamp with cardinals by Northwoods.
The other cardinal is by Judith. I used watercolor pencils and glitter on the tree. 

I always like my envelopes to have a nice design.
Even the mailman can enjoy.

Patterned paper always adds to the inside of the card. 
I love that little red cardinal, but then I guess I love any little red cardinal :-D.

Book Review-Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly

I am a person who enjoys learning about the Civil War and this book read like a novel and not a history book.  It had brought up many points that I had not heard of or even considered.  That John Wilkes Booth was part of a larger conspiracy to murder President Lincoln than just 6 people.  Money was paid, Booths journal was missing that he wrote while he was in the swamps waiting to get away.  Pages had been torn out when it was found.  The bodyguard that was supposed to be sitting on the other side of the door in Fords Theater left to go to the pub and was never held accountable for this misdeed.  Of course we will never know but it was interesting reading.  I am not a fan of the Bill O'Reilly Spinfactor, but he wrote a very good novel. 

A publicist from Macmillan Publishing also forwarded the link to try the audio version. Click on the word audio to go to it and give it about 5 seconds.

Also we were down in Indianapolis and I found a good statue of Lincoln when he was a boy in Indiana.

 

I also found a historical marker that goes along with the book

I had not known that it made so many stops in Indiana.

It was interesting.

peat pot update

99% of the pots have growth.

I am very pleased.

Hope I can keep them alive....

lazy saturday (for some)

My belly is full, I think I will settle in for a little nap.

I wish she would quit taking my picture, the flash is interrupting my nap.

I will hide my face, maybe that will stop her.

Ahhhhhh, just right. (go away)

The bed is allllllll mine!

I love it when everyone is home and they play with me.

This 5 minutes has just worn me out!