Another Snow Day

My blog postings are getting scarcer and more far between.  Somedays it seems like I am spinning in circles trying to keep up with the world. Then, luckily, another Snow Day hits! The forecast was for up to two inches per HOUR starting at 5 a.m. and ending at 10 a.m. Well, we may not have gotten two inches per hour, but it is after 1 pm and it is still snowing. I guess it is not technically a snow day anymore since a back hoe just went down my street, clearing the way for the following snow plow - but I am not stepping outdoors! Here is the view from my bedroom window this morning to my neighbor Peggy's house which is just across the driveway:

And here is the view from my front porch. Keep in mind that the stray green flower pot in the lower right is eight inches tall:

Since I am home with an unscheduled day for myself, I am planning a special snow day lunch!

Atop my floral ottoman, I have used a simple white placemat with rick-rack trim. This placemat and matching napkin are part of a set of four that I found in a dresser drawer from my grandmothers. There are just a few placemat and napkin sets, but lots of card table sized linens, some decorated for card parties. There is also a lot of unhemmed linen and incomplete needle work projects that I might get to someday. 

The milk glass snack set originally belonged to my mother. She had given it to me at some point. After remodeling my kitchen, I was having trouble finding it in the mess of packed boxes, all marked kitchen miscellanous. I stopped at my dad's one day and found it on top of a box in his garage. If you received a snack set as a bridal shower gift, you are as old as I am!

Here is a fresh from the oven "leftover" Crescent Chicken Bundle. I was planning to host a brunch meeting for my 4-H Board Members on Monday, since there was no school due to President's Day. Unfortunately we were coated in ice that day and we had to cancel. The bundles, which were ready to pop in the oven, went to the freezer instead. I will add the very easy recipe at the end.

 The perfect accompaniment for the chicken is a tea cup full of shrimp bisque! So special and just for me!

Here is the muffin baking in preparation for the brunch that never was:

Don't be too impressed. I found some "Mayberry Mixes" in my grocery store for only $1.00 per bag. Add 1/2 cup milk, stir and bake! Voila! Blueberry, Cinnamin Toast, Peach Cobbler, and Chocolate Chips muffins! I baked them in nifty muffin tins that I found in the same Goodwill Box as my snack set. I believe they might have been my grandmothers, since I do not remember my mother ever using them. They are smaller than regular muffin tins, but larger than a mini muffin size. I am IN LOVE with them!

I invited my son and his girlfriend to lunch to help with the perishable goodies. Here we have egg salad tea sandwiches and turkey rollups. The lunch meat turkey is spread with a mixture of cream cheese, sour cream and some dried cranberries. Roll up, wrap tightly in saran wrap and chill over night. Cut in 2 inch sections and dip end in chopped parsley.

Here is a partially set table for the brunch buffet. Plans had included a delicious sausage quiche (which my co-workers enjoyed the next day), juice and hot cocoa. Under the foil is this Nantucket Cranberry Tart.

The tart was pretty popular at work, too. I had to make a second one for our make-up meeting. I was able to thaw and bake the crescents and added some pulled pork sandwiches and coleslaw to turn it into a supper. We will pull the muffins from the freezer on Saturday so my Sunday School class can enjoy them this weekend. We did sample just a few.

 

Recipe for Crescent Chicken Bundles:

Beat 8 oz softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon dill, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until smooth. Add 4 cups chopped cooked chicken, 1/2 cup finely diced celery and 1/2 cup sliced green onion. Open 3 (I used 4/5) tubes of refrigerator crescent rolls. You will get 4 rectangles from each tube by pressing the triangles together.  Spoon 1/3 cup of filling in the middle of each rectangle. Bring edges up and pinch to seal. Melt 1/4 cup butter and brush on tops. Using either seasoned bread crumbs or I like to run some packaged stuffing mix through the food processor, sprinkle on top of bundles. Can be frozen on a greased cookie sheet at this point. When frozen - put in a zip lock freezer bag for future use. Bake thawed or fresh made bundles on a greased baking sheet for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden brown.

These make a great gift for a new mom. She can pop one or two in the oven for a quick and tasty lunch.

So happy to be linking to the other AMAZING tablescapes at Between Naps on the Porch with our dear hostess, Susan. Please visit these special sites at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-create-beautiful-table-settings.html

The Big Snow

I am down to only three days per week at work (bright side - more grandchildren time!). This worked out well at the beginning of this week. We have had all sorts of weather warnings. I did not have to make the decision as to whether I should try to travel or not. Here is what it looked like from my front door this morning:

I went out with my ruler and found a smooth spot with no drifts. We were at 6 1/2 inches. As I write this, my window is being pelted with icey rain. And tomorrow I am supposed to go back to work.

In the meantime, I would like to thank TCM for the showing of The Thin Man today!

I turned on the TV while I was making this delicious soup that was a gift from my son's girlfriend. It was so pretty, I hated to empty the jar!

I started by browning some ground beef:

Next I added 2 cans of diced tomatoes and the contents of the jar. I also threw in a bag of frozen corn.

Looks pretty good already - bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.

I just happen to have a basket full of hot chocolate mixes and teas, perfect for a snow day!

Now it is time to add the alphabet pasta that came with the jar:

Then cover and simmer again.

Do you like my pot? It was my gramma's.

MMMMMM - doesn't it look delicious?  There is plenty left for tomorrow - hopefully another snow day!

Everyone - please drive carefully and be safe and warm!