life in my empty nest

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Pinterest Success {24} Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken Lasagna

Lasagna is something I rarely make, except for company, because the recipe I use (my Mother's) is very time consuming. You need to cook the tomato sauce for quite some time, before even beginning to put the layers of the lasagna together. This recipe, that I pinned to try someday, caught my eye, because the cream based tomato sauce was not cooked in advance. And, it looked delicious too :-)

It was a little labor intensive putting it together, like any lasagna, but soon it was in the oven, bubbling away while I went for my daily walk. When I returned, my kitchen was fragrant with the scents of basil and melting cheese and I knew we were in for a treat.

We enjoyed this lasagna very much and it was a very nice departure from the usual meat lasagna. The combination of the chicken and the creamy tomato, basil sauce was very good. With a crusty loaf of bread, this was an amazing meal - no need to save this lasagna recipe for company.

Happy Wednesday!

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Tuesday, November 12, 2013

A Morning Person?

Daylight savings time has definitely thrown me for a loop this fall. I'm wondering if it is the same for you? Ever since we changed the clocks back an hour and the darkness started to come so early, I can't seem to stay awake as late as usual. Why should one hour make such a difference? I have always been a night owl; staying up to finish my book late into the night. Or it wasn't uncommon for me to load the dishwasher at midnight. The past few weeks have been different - asleep early and then resulting from that, wide awake early.

I am seeing the early morning in a different light. I wander through the house when it is so quiet and still and enjoy turning on my seasonal lighting and the small lamps.

It is a view I don't often see - the sunrise and the soft and slow lightening of the kitchen, as I make my morning cup of tea or coffee. Have I become a morning person? I'm sure there will be a gradual lessening of the early nights and I will begin to wake later as my sleep rhythms return to normal. But for now, I will enjoy the early mornings, a different view of the day and my new identity as a morning person :-)

Happy Tuesday!

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Monday, November 11, 2013

Thanksgiving Recipe Revisited - My Mother's Stuffing

This post first appeared November 2012 and I think it is timely to revisit this stuffing recipe as we all begin to prepare our Thanksgiving menus. This is a no fail, classic, white bread stuffing that your family will love. Happy Monday!

We always host Thanksgiving, and I enjoy doing it, because it is an easy meal to prepare. So much can be done ahead of time, and we are pretty traditional with the menu, so not much changes from year to year. I am convinced that one of the reasons my family likes to come to my house, is for this stuffing. It is a simple recipe for basic white bread stuffing, but there is something about it that is so delicious. The secret is to make your own bread cubes - and that it is easy too.

My husband and I have a tradition of making the stuffing together, early Thanksgiving morning. We drink coffee and watch the parades. I chop the onions, and he chops the bread and celery. I love how the house smells while the onions, celery and poultry seasoning are cooking - it smells like Thanksgiving :-)

My Mother's Stuffing (Basic White Bread Stuffing)

This will make enough for a crowd - you can stuff a 20 pound turkey, plus have a large casserole dish.

2 loaves stale white bread, chopped into small cubes

2 sticks butter

3 cups celery, chopped fine

3 cups onion, chopped fine

2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning

1 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup water (approximate)

Note: 2 days ahead of time, place slices of bread on cookie sheets and let harden. Turn frequently.

Chop bread, onions and celery. Melt butter in large pot. Sauté onions, celery, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning until soft. Add bread cubes a little at a time, along with a small amount of water. Only add enough water, so stuffing is moist.

Stuff prepared turkey and place remaining stuffing in buttered casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees before serving. Note: As I am basting my turkey, I usually put some basting liquid on the top of this extra stuffing and allow it to soak in.

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