Happy Birthday, Jeremy

Tomorrow, November 21st is my baby boy's birthday. He'll be 23. It doesn't seem possible! Where was I and what was I doing when this happened? Parent's always say, "it was just yesterday when he was a little boy" and it's TRUE!! It was 20 years ago when he met Mickey Mouse for the first time. 20 years!! He was the sweetest, cuddliest little boy with a smile that lit up a room. Now he's a big teddy bear of a guy - and his smile still lights up a room. I'm so proud to be his Mama. I love you, my boy!!!

Must Have Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Strawberry-Pretzel Salad

2 cups coarsely crushed pretzels
3/4 cup margarine, melted
3 Tbsp + ½ cup sugar
1 pkg. (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 container (8oz) frozen Cool Whip, thawed
1 pkg. (6oz) strawberry Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
2 pkgs (10oz each) frozen sliced strawberries, thawed

Combine crushed pretzels, margarine and 3 Tbsp. sugar; mix well. Press into a 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese andremaining 1/2 cup sugar until well blended. Fold in whipped topping. Spread over cooled pretzel crust. Refrigerate until chilled.In a mixing bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add strawberries with their juice. Pour over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into squares to serve.

Serves a bunch. If Rachael AND Ashlynn are coming to dinner, better make two pans.

Date night

It's not very often that I have an actual date on a Saturday night. I was lucky tonight that one of my favorite dinner companions was free. He's always fun to spend time with. He has great stories, he's a good listener, he can talk to ANYBODY about anything - never a lull in the conversation. And he knows a lot about a lot of stuff! A change in plans doesn't faze him a bit. I had wanted to go to a favorite place for chicken fried steak. When we got there - we found it's no longer open for dinner. It's open for breakfast and lunch. Not a problem - he could name several other places that serve good chicken fried steak, plan B at the ready. I don't know how he does it, but all the girls want to spend time with him! He was bragging about picking up a sweet young college thing just last weekend and having dinner with her. He had lunch with a different college girl the month before. I don't know how he spreads all that love around without making anybody jealous. He has a knack for it - and he keeps us wanting more. I love you, Daddy!

Must haves

My list of Thanksgiving must haves (in order of importance):

• my family
• turkey
• mashed potatoes and gravy
• stuffing
• pumpkin pie with whipped cream
• strawbery pretzel salad (yes, this is a SALAD, not a dessert. If it was a dessert, it would be called strawberry pretzel dessert)
• green vegetable (I don't REALLY want a green vegetable, but you have to have one, Mom said)

What's on your Thanksgiving must haves list?

Civic Duty

I got a summons for jury duty. I don't know anybody who gets it in the mail and thinks, "Yeah!!! It's FINALLY my turn!" But we go, because it is our responsbility. I was sent in a group of 45 potential jurors for a criminal trial: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The defendant allegedly tried to run down his former girlfriend with his car. The judge asks all kinds of questions designed to eliminate anyone who would not be a fair and impartial juror. It amazes me how much detail people volunteer! Alcohol might have been involved in the incident, so the judge asks if anyone has had, or if someone in their immediate family has had a DUI. People were volunteering things like their sister-in-law's cousin's uncle's niece's best friend's ex-boyfriend had 3 DUI's in 1985. Huh?!! Then he moves on to asking if anyone has ever been arrested. Juror number 44 addresses the judge as "dude" and uses a lot of "you know what I'm saying" to announce that he's been arrested for DUI, drug possession, domestic violence, driving with a suspended license and on and on. You know what I'm saying? The judge asks if all of those charges have been cleared up. Juror number 44 scratches his head and says, "umm, I think so." Right after this, the judge gives us a 10 minute break. We are to leave our Juror numbers on our seats and sit in those same seats when we return. When we come back in ten minutes, Juror number 44 is not with us. The bailiff removes the number 44 from the seat, know one says a word about it and the elimination process continues. I'm just guessing that someone did a quick computer records check and Juror number 44 had some outstanding issues that needed to be cleared up. Ten jurors were chosen for the trial - I didn't get picked. I didn't know there would ever be an advantage to always being picked last for the team!!!

Chili weather

It's going to be under 90 degrees today!!! Brrrrrr!!! Time to make some chili! Brenda posted a beef chili recipe on her blog. Yummy!! This is my favorite "White Chili". It's not really white - the chili powder makes it red - but it uses chicken and white beans - it's the ingredients that are white. And it cooks in less than 30 minutes - my kind of cooking.

White Chili

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup cilantro
shredded Monterey Jack cheese


DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, onion and garlic in oil 4 to 5 minutes, or until onion is tender.
2. Stir in the chicken broth, green chiles, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne pepper. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Stir in the beans, and simmer for 5 more minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Garnish with shredded cheese.

Put a chunk of corn bread in the bottom of your bowl, pour the chili on top and garnish with the cheese. Yumm!