chicken tetrazzini

This recipe is turning into a complete indulgent favorite for us. I got the recipe from my friend Sallie when she brought it over after Meg was born. This is total comfort food and I won't pretend it's healthy! (Even if you sprinkle peas in it, which I recommend.) I make one batch, divide it into two 8x8 pans, and freeze one for later or give it away.

3-6 chicken breasts, already cooked and cubed (I roast mine 30 mins. at 350)
1/2 stick butter
1 large can mushrooms, drained
1 T. parsley flakes
2 cans cream of chicken (or cream of mushroom)
8 oz. container of sour cream
salt & pepper
1 lb. box of spaghetti
parmesan cheese

1. Cook chicken and cut into bite sized pieces.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet, add mushrooms, saute about 10 mins.
3. Add parsley and chicken. Cover and let sit for 10 mins. (I often skip this step.)
4. Add cream of chicken/mushroom soup and sour cream.
5. Meanwhile, be cooking the spaghetti (break into smaller pieces first!).
6. Mix in cooked and drained spaghetti into the chicken mixture, then place in buttered casserole dish, and top with parmesan.
7. Bake at 300 for 15 mins. or until heated through (longer if it was frozen).

chicken noodle soup

The three of us have been feeling under the weather all week, and yesterday we got a wonderful surprise - some friends showed up with warm, homemade chicken noodle soup and bread! It was the most thoughtful gesture since I didn't feel like cooking and the delicious soup made me feel better immediately. I am overwhelmed! Thank you, Ted and Joyce!

fall festival

Tonight we went to a fall festival held at our church with games, ponies, and lots of kids in costumes. Meg dressed up as a bumblebee and to our surprise she didn't mind wearing the get-up. This was our first "Halloween"-type outing with her so it was just as fun for us!

after the wedding

We just finished watching this movie - it is heavy duty but I would highly recommend it. I am not usually into deep drama but it provides a lot of food for thought. [Thanks for the rec, Jeanette!]

presidential parents

Click on this link for a very interesting and semi-funny article on past and future presidents and their imperfect parents. These guys seemed to have a drive to excel in spite of the failings of their moms and dads! This is my favorite line: "...in this era of parental perfectionism, studying the unusual ones [parents] can lend hope to parents that our children, too, can rise above our foibles and failings."

bedhead

We haven't figured out a way to tame Meg's hair (pulls out all bows and clips) and it is especially exciting first thing in the morning.

farmers' market

We walked to the farmers' market on Park this morning - about a mile away. The weather was so nice we didn't even break a sweat! Everybody brings their dogs so Meg was loving it. There were tons of beautiful pumpkins that they were giving away for free so we chucked a nice big one under the stroller and rolled it home. Sad to say this is our first Halloween/fall decoration of the year!