2/9/12

Saturday was a special day in my sister’s life.  She was celebrating her birthday, (We won’t say which one because she is OLD)!  I can say that because she is 3 ½ years younger than I am.  All four of her kids, from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Edgerton, along with many grandkids and greats, gathered at her home for a birthday dinner. I was pleased to be invited, but I already had three things that I wanted to do that day.  I took a rain check on the dinner and stopped in later to extend my good wishes, but I did pass up my great granddaughter’s highest scoring for her JV basketball record. Wish I could have been there. Good Job, Hannah!

Some of my family arranged a nice sum of “maid service” for a Christmas present.  I saved it for last week when I was entertaining my Home Extension Club.  Since I will admit to a few frailties, there are a few household chores that I have trouble accomplishing.  I requested all of the dishes in a large china closet be washed and rearranged.  I picked this because the crystal dishes had begun to look more like pewter and I couldn’t move anything without leaving a dust ring on the shelves. After a major task is accomplished it makes you realize how badly it needed done. I also had to give up mopping on my hands and knees.  I needed to supply an evening meal for 14 ladies. I enlisted the help of three daughters to prepare a salad and dessert,  help serve the drinks and dessert and then they washed all of the dishes!  Like the old adage that “many hands make light work” was proven and it turned out to be a nice evening.  I ordinarily never have a good time at my house, but since I turned most of the responsibility over to others, we can give it a successful rating.

I saved a few hours of my gift to have the front porch windows washed.  I can do them, but if my neighbors see me out there standing on a step stool planted in the stones around the front porch, they will call the authorities to check on that stupid woman!

I have resorted to canned biscuits a few times recently and they just don’t quite measure up to from scratch ones.  I noticed this recipe from a church cook book for “cloud” biscuits.  Now shouldn’t they be light and lovely like the ones our mothers and grandmothers used to make? The comment says they are the best ones she has ever made.
                        
CLOUD BISCUITS
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup shortening
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
Sift dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add eggs and milk. Knead briefly until smooth. Roll out ¾ inch thick on a floured board. Cut with a biscuit cutter. Place rounds on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.
For those of you who do not eat “red meat”, do you need a different way to cook chicken?  This sounds interesting and should be tasty.
         
CHICKEN BREASTS SUPREME
6 chicken breasts, halved
12 bacon slices
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 ½ cups sour cream
1 package of dried beef
3 ounces cream cheese
Pepper
Cooked rice
Pepper, but do not salt chicken breasts. Wrap one slice of bacon around each half. Place  layer of dried beef, not corned beef) in bottom of a baking dish. Arrange bacon wrapped chicken on top of beef slices. Combine soup, sour cream, and creamed cheese.  Pour over chicken. Cover tightly with foil. Bake in 325 degree oven for 2 hours. When meat is tender remove foil and let brown slightly. Serve on a bed of hot rice.

If you enjoy today, it was not wasted.