Foodie Friday - quick and easy dinner

Hey everyone, it's Friday! Yippee! And you know what that means, it's time for Foodie Friday with Gollum at Designs by Gollum. We're all invited for a potluck dinner. Make sure to stop by Gollum's (aka Michael's) at http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/ to see what everyone is bringing this week.

Have you ever had every good intention of having a wonderful meal on the table when your DH came home from work, only to look at the clock and realize that you've been blogging all afternoon and now have about 30 minutes to get something together? Not that I have ever done that, but just in case you ever find your self in that situation I'm going to share a really quick dinner that we love. My grandmother used to make chicken and yellow rice. I have no idea how she made it, but I'm sure her recipe was much more involved than this.
3 ingredient, one pot meal. I serve with Sister Schubert's dinner rolls, because there is no way
I could make any that are this good! Pick up a package of saffron yellow rice and 1 can of cream of chicken soup. I usually have some frozen cooked chicken on hand to use in casseroles, but you could probably substitute canned chicken. Tear it into smallish pieces.
Prepare the rice according to package directions. When it is almost done (approx 10-15 minutes, add the chicken and cream of chicken soup. I generally add 3/4 of a can, but you can add the entire can if you like.


I usually serve this with a green vegetable or a salad, but I was so busy blogging, um, reading "War and Peace" this afternoon that I forgot! This really is a comfort food to me, and I hope you like it too! Now let's run over the Gollum's place and see who brought dessert!

Outdoor Wednesday

It's Wednesday! Not only is it hump day, it's time for Outdoor Wednesday, graciously hosted by Susan at http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/ This is a fun day where we get to share our favorite outdoor spaces and pictures. If you haven't seen Susan's blog yet, you really must. She has the prettiest, most organized blog you will ever see. Make sure you check out the pictures of her roses from last summer, you will be amazed!


I found this lovely hint of spring blooming at mom's house recently. I just love these, they are
so delicate and lovely.


These are just spreading like crazy. Can't wait to see what she has in a few years.
This may not look like much right now, but this is a sure sign of spring to me . . .

These liitle green shoots are on a Rose of Sharon tree that grows next to our house. . .
When we bought this house 20 years ago, we moved in on Thanksgiving weekend. We noticed three "bushes" on the side of the house, but had no idea what they were. I was pregnant at the time, and working in the yard was the last thing on my mind. In May, our darling daughter was born and as we pulled up in the driveway after arriving home from the hospital I noticed something pink on the side of the house. Investigating further, my DH asked me to come out and look. There was the "bush" nearest Cait's window, covered in beautiful pink flowers! I had no idea what it was, but it truly seemed a sign to us. Now, every year when this tree blooms we are reminded of the joy of that day, bringing our precious daughter home for the first time.

Hope you enjoyed this little touch of spring. Now go visit Susan and see what everyone is sharing for today!

Foodie Friday - Potluck!

Welcome to the second edition of Foodie Friday, hosted by the ever gracious Gollum at http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/ We're all invited to another great potluck, I can't wait to see what everyone is going to bring this week! First off, my DH would like me to thank Gollum for hosting this weekly event. I've started cooking alot more and he really appreciates it lol. This week I'd like to share a recipe that I picked up from Rachel Ray. My husband adores corn fritters, so when I saw this I thought it would be a nice change. What are they? Ham and sweet potato fritters, on a bed of celery and parlsey.


They may not start out looking very appetizing, but stick with me . . .
These are really easy to make, and you probably have most of the ingredients in your kitchen
right now. The most time consuming part is grating the sweet potatoes. This can also be the most dangerous part (especially if you're easily distracted like I am) I thought I would spare you the pictures of my bandaged knuckles!
After mixing up all of the delicious ingredients, simply fry them up in your favorite skillet . . .
Mix up your celery and parsley with a little oil and dijon mustard, cook some lovely green beans seasoned just the way you like and . . .
Voila, dinner is served. By the way, DH LOVED them.


Ham and Sweet Potato Fritters (Everyday with Rachel Ray)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
1/2 lb ham, chopped (go ahead and cheat, use deli meat)
5 scallions, finely chopped (I substituted green onions, that's what I had on hand)
2/3 C chopped flat leaf parsley, plus 1/3 C leaves
1/3 C flour (I used a "tad" more)
salt and pepper
2 large eggs
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 C plus 2 tbsp vegetable oil
6 ribs celery thinly sliced plus 1/2 C celery leaves

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place a rack on a baking sheet and place in the oven. In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes, ham, scallions, chopped parsley and flour; season with salt and pepper to taste. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with 1 tsp mustard (reserving the other 2 tsp) Stir the egg mixture into the sweet potato mixture.
2. In a large heavy skillet, heat 2 tbsp of oil over medium high heat. Working two at a time, add 1/3 C mounds of sweet potato mixture, flattening into rounds. Lower the heat to medium and cook until golden, about 3 minutes on each side; transfer to the baking sheet to keep warm. Add 2 tbsp oil between batches.
3. In a bowl, whisk the remaining 2 tbsp oil with the reserved 2 tsp mustard. Add the parsley leaves, celery and celery leaves and toss to dress; season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with the warm fritters.

Hope you enjoy this as much as we did. Now let's go to Gollums and see what's cooking there!