Tasty Tuesday - Chicken Salad Sandwich Filling...

 Yesterday we went berry picking so I threw together some chicken salad sandwich filling that got rave reviews. Let's see what you think. I started with 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, simmered in a small pot with just enough water to cover. I added 2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning, and 1 tsp Lawry's seasoning salt. I simmered until just tender. The house smelled heavenly!

 I chopped the chicken up after letting it cool. Save the broth the chicken left behind, it will make delicious soup. I then took 1/4 cup freeze dried celery and reconstituted it. My source is a company by the name of Shelf Reliance. They have awesome products so check them out. Anyhew...I then crumbled three slices of crisply cooked bacon, and added 1/2 cup Craisins. Don't you love Craisins?
I also added 1/2 cup minced sweet onion, 1/2 minced apple, 1/2 cup each plain yogurt and mayonnaise, 2 tsp. creamy horseradish, 1/2 tsp Lawry's, 1 1/2 tsp lemon pepper.

Stir well, but gently. Serve on any good bread. You might consider adding walnuts or pecans, chopped to the mix, but I didn't due to not knowing if anyone had allergies or not. This makes enough for 8 nicely filled sandwiches. Enjoy!
Chicken Salad Sandwich Spread
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts simmered in a small pot with 2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning, and 1 tsp Lawry's Seasoning salt, chopped
1/2 cup each, Craisins, minced sweet onion, minced apple, mayonnaise, and plain yogurt
1/4 cup Thrive celery reconstituted, or 1/2 cup minced celery
3 slices bacon, cooked til crisp, crumbled
2 tsp lemon pepper, creamy horseradish
1/2 tsp Lawry's

Richer by far....

As I jogged up to the lake this morning I just happened to find a penny and a dime, in two different spots on the road. So I'm 11 cents richer monetarily, just by going for a run.
The sky is clear over the mountains, but as the sun came up over the horizon it shown through a cluster of clouds in glorious splendor, as if to say, "He is coming!" It was one of those, "I wish I had my camera!" moments, although the photo never quite seems to match what you see with the naked eye.  A doe bounded away from my neighbor's yard as I started out, probably startled by the crazy lady in the pink visor trying to run up the hill.
I get to the top of the hill just in time to see a chipmunk circling something in the road, then he takes off with his treasure, his little tail straight up in the air as he dashes off. As I padded past the lake parking lot a covey of quail darted here and there on the road, trying to decide where to be, then all took to the air, thankfully, as a car was coming around the bend and I feared they would get hit. I turned to head back and spied a creature that looks sort of like a fox on steroids as he has very long legs, not what most foxes look like. He sat down to watch me pass, chewing on something he found under a tree.
Farther down the road I passed a man I see on occasion out walking his rottweiler. We tossed greetings at each other about the beautiful morning and then he said, "It's getting rather boring, having all this sunshine." Funny old Eeyore that he sounded like, he surely enjoys getting out each morning as he will walk at least a couple of miles.
On I trudge, only to meet up with a handsome young buck prancing across a parking lot. He and I parted ways quickly, him I'm sure, off to raid the flower beds of some unlucky home, and me to end up back at the homestead, ready to start the day.
So three miles and a run full of the good things God has placed here, I think I'm richer by far.....

Wednesday's fishing report....

 It was threatening to rain and rather dark and breezy as I cast my line into the water. I turned to wipe the power bait off my fingers and looked up to see that my bobber was gone! "Where'd my bobber go?" I asked hubby, who replied that he didn't know. All of a sudden we could see it running around in the water, "Fish On!" I shrieked and pulled in a nice little fish to my utter amazement. I hadn't even had time to find my stance! So we tried again and again and nothing. Hmmmm, where did they all go? All of a sudden my bobber disappears again, this time with a nice sized trout finding it's way into our net! 14 inches long, and over a pound in weight, he sure did make a tasty meal last night! So, we caught 4 more smaller ones last night, but there's some really big trout out there waiting to be caught. We are geared up with fresh bait, and a new pair of pliers, which got lost the other night, so stay tuned for more fishing excitement!

Speaking of flowers and Fiats......

 

It's funny how my mind meanders during Sacrament meeting as I listen to speakers share their thoughts on a subject. Today the topic was our pioneer heritage, and the sacrifices those folks made. One speaker compared their daily duties, to what he does each day, bringing up in particular the 10 minute drive he made to church in a truck sitting out in the driveway waiting to go, instead of having to groom and hitch up a team of horses to a wagon or buggy for a 45 minute ride to cover the same distance. 

Recently my husband bought a new car, a Fiat 500 to be exact. Cute little cupcake isn't it?! The payments aren't too bad although it does take premium gas the mileage at 46 mpg on average more than compensates for that. We have been struggling with being a one car family due to circumstances beyond our control. With my needing to be in Tooele to help with my in-laws and Kent needing to travel back and forth for the same, having one car has been a difficult situation. So we bought this little car to help. Sure, we could have purchased a used car, but with the distance and travel we do Kent wanted to be safe. Kent was worried about how we would handle the payment with Annie going on her mission in about a month, but two days after he bought the car he found out he was getting a raise, almost enough to cover the payment amount. Why we are being continually blessed in this way is beyond me, but it shows that Heavenly Father loves us much more than we understand at times. 

Now to the flowers. There are always two vases of fresh flowers on the podium in the chapel so of course what I see I think...lol... which took me to my flower beds at home that are in desperate need of tending to. I got to thinking about that, and how I seldom take the time to sit and enjoy them. Perhaps that's why we need to constantly weed and tend to our gardens, to put us where we can enjoy them once in awhile. Heavenly Father knows us better than we realize doesn't He?

Thrifty Thursday - Best Day of the Week to Shop

 From gas....

 to groceries.....

 and clothing,

or travel, there are better days of the week to make those important purchases. Here's a great article that came out recently I'm sharing in hopes you will find a good deal by following these guidelines.
Yahoo! Finance - Best Day of the week to shop
I am planning a trip with my youngest daughter so I'm going to put this to the test. Let me know if you have some success yourself.

Tasty Tuesday - Yogurt Cheese and Artisan Bread Dippers

I have been fascinated by the idea of making my own cheese, so I picked up a magazine on the subject the other day and tried my hand at an easy and very tasty soft cheese. I had some artisan bread on hand as well so I made tasty dippers to go along with this luscious and creamy cheese. A perfect way to start a party, or to snack on during a hot summer day, just add fruit or a salad as a side, along with fresh lemonade, and you will be praised for your culinary prowess. Here's how to go about making the cheese:
Yogurt Cheese
2 cups plain low fat yogurt
2 tablespoons heavy cream, (optional but improves the texture and spreadability of the cheese)
cheesecloth (can be found at your local hardware store
colander
Line the colander with the cheesecloth and clip to edges with clothespins or clips. Mix the yogurt and cream together and pour into the cheesecloth lined colander. Place the colander in/on a large bowl to catch the whey as it drains. Place in the refrigerator and allow the mixture to drain. After about 4 hours check to see how much of the whey has drained into the bowl and pour off. You can save and freeze the whey to be used in soups, gravy or bread. When whey stops draining, the yogurt cheese is ready. This will take about 48 hours. Don't worry about covering the colander. I noticed that I didn't have much whey drain off. Perhaps it was because I used non-fat yogurt, but anyhew, this still worked.
I seasoned my yogurt cheese with chopped chives, a few dashes of celery salt and some garlic powder. Wow, is that yummy! You can also make a sweet yogurt cheese for bagels and such by using vanilla flavored or fruit flavored yogurt. If you'd like to add fruit, use dried, snipped fruit and fresh will make the cheese runny.
Artisan Bread Dippers
Any good bread such as french, rye, or sourdough will do
melted butter
Old Bay Seasoning
Slice bread about a half inch thick and brush both sides with butter. Sprinkle with Old Bay Seasoning on both sides as well. Place on cookie sheet and toast under broiler until golden brown. Slice bread into strips and let cool. Serve with yogurt cheese and fresh fruit. Yummy!

Thursday Travelogue - Portland, Oregon

 Beautiful Portland, Oregon is a wonderful city full of arts, events such as the blues festival coming up tomorrow, and eating establishments galore. International taste treats from so many countries I can't list them all here at this time, but if there's something you like in the way of food, clothing or art, you will find it here.

We are staying at the Marriott Waterfront Portland, which, if we had been given and choice and known would not have been our favorite. Don't get me wrong, Marriott usually has some of the best hotels around, but we are not so impressed with our room here. The pros are the view, the bed, and furniture are nice, the concierge service, which is perfect, and the pillows, which are like sleeping on a cloud. The room is small though for the price, only one towel rack in the bathroom, and it's in the shower, no fridge or microwave, which is a must for those of us who like good food but can't eat the whole meal all at once. Having said that, our preference would have been the Marriott Residence Inn, which is incredible! The rooms are so spacious and well equipped, with a way to store and cook food if needed, a nice living room area, and I do remember the bathroom being much bigger. I do have a question though, why is it there are no exhaust fans in the bathrooms of the fancier hotels? Anyhew, we are enjoying our stay, and love being here.