One of my favorite Comfort Foods...Chicken Noodle Casserole!

I heart casseroles! I think its about the most greatest invention ever to come to the cooking/food world! There are so many endless possibilities with creating a casserole. This casserole recipe I'm about to share comes from a recipe that my Mamaw fixed many, many years ago. I still fix her recipe every Thanksgiving season. Hers was/is made with left over turkey from Thanksgiving dinner. I have adjusted it a tad bit so we can enjoy it all year long.

CHICKEN NOODLE CASSEROLE

2-3 c. of diced or shredded chicken
2 cans Cream of Chicken
1 can Cream of Celery
1c. Milk
1 pkg. Egg Noodles
9 drop biscuits (Jiffy baking mix)
*optional
1/2 c. Frozen Peas
1 can Mushroom stems and pieces
Shredded Cheese for topping on biscuits

I start out by stewing a whole chicken. Yes, there is a chicken in there! Lots of steam!! After is it finished cooking (1 hour 20 minutes) I let it cool some, and then start cutting it off the bone and discard skin too. Cut into diced pieces or shred.

Next add your cream of chicken and celery soups, and your milk. Stir them all up in your casserole dish.Add your diced chicken to the mixture now.

Now, you need to boil your egg noodles on the stove top for 7-8 minutes.After noodles are finished and tender add them to your mixture.Stir everything up. This would be the time to add those *optional favorites* like mushrooms, peas etc. to this as well.

Next comes the Jiffy Baking Mix

Use 2 cups of baking mix and 2/3rds cup of milk and mix until a rough sticky ball forms. Then drop by spoons fulls on top of your casserole spacing out evenly, forming biscuits.I then add a little shredded cheddar cheese on top on each unbaked biscuit....like this..

Now its time to sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the whole casserole. Pop this bad boy in the oven at 375/400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. (Watch your biscuits {no pun intended} so they don't get too browned on top)......And Voila! This is what you end up with.......nothing but pure comfort goodness all the way around!!

I hope you enjoy this as much as I have thru the years. It just makes me think of my childhood and the relationship I had with my Mamaw, every time I make this for my family now. This is what making lasting memories is all about!

It's not Auntie Anne's...but pretty darn close!!

Let's hear it for the ever so popular Pretzels from Auntie Anne's!! Woot Woot!! And not forget to mention their amazing dipping sauces (sweet mustard is my favorite) they offer too. Ohhh my mouth just waters when thinking of how delicious that place is!

It seems we are always hungry for those darn good soft pretzels. Yes, you can buy those frozen pretzels(Super Pretzels-I think they're called) from the grocery store; but their taste just doesn't add up when it comes down to it. Soooo, I decided to try my hand at making some homemade ones today. Given, I've never tried anything like this before, but they turned out really REALLY good! I even paired them with some Honey Mustard dipping sauce and they tasted even better I thought.

You need to make these for yourself! I don't think you will be disappointed in them at all. I will post the recipe below. Next time I might add Brown Sugar in place of the White Sugar, and see how that makes them taste.

HOMEMADE SOFT PRETZELS

1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

1 1/2 tsp. white sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. warm water

1 3/4 c. bread flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

coarse salt for sprinkling

*Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Whisk together yeast, sugar, salt, and warm water. Stir in the flour until a rough ball forms. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead with floured hands until smooth (5-8 min.). Divide dough into 6 balls. Roll each into a rope shape about 10 inches long. Shape into pretzels forms. Brush pretzels with the egg and sprinkle with salt. Bake until barely light golden. About 10 minutes.

Florida Vacation 2010

The McKenna household has been quite busy in the last couple of months! Most of you know that we took a trip to the Sunshine State for Spring Break back in March. Ohhh what a experience it was! Many firsts for us. Some good and delighful, and some we say we will never do again! HaHa

Here are a few places we went and things we saw while in Florida. One of the first days of our stay we took Rylee to the Mote Aquarium. It was rainy outside that day so it was a good day to stay indoors and do something like this. I think Rylee enjoyed it for the most part. It wasn't the best aquarium we have visited, but none the less it was decent.

Here are a few photo's of Rylee and the where-abouts of where we stayed in Ruskin, FL. Ruskin is close to the St. Petersburg/Sarasota area. A very beautiful area I might add!Another day we decided to drive over to the St. Pete area and go to The Pier. On our journey there we had to cross over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. I hadn't been to this bridge since I was around 10 years old. It wasn't as big and impressive as I remember it being back 22 years ago. Still a sight to see if you have never seen it before.Our stop at The Pier in St. Pete. A quite unique place to visit...shops and eating places on the inside. Beautiful views too!Next, was our trip to Disney World. Ohhh what a day it was for Miss Rylee! She had the time of her little life! It was a joy just to see her reactions to everything in the Magic Kingdom. Hopefully, one day we can go back and expierence everything else Disney there. We'd like to go and take Rylee to the other different parks they offer. Shhhh! I'd like to go back myself if I do say so! It's great for the whole family. A family who plays together, stays together!

And lastly, our trip to the Beach in Sarasota........and to the Manatee Viewing Center. Which was an awesome place I might add!

All in all we had a good time on our trip to Sunny Florida! It was so nice to get away from our everyday life and take a break and enjoy some much needed family time. A many of thanks go out to my Aunt Phyllis & Don for putting up with us for the whole week. It's hard to have company for more than just a few days, and likewise it's hard to be the company for more than just a few days at a time. So we certainly appreciate all it took to make it through the week! After all, that's what FAMILY is all about.

"Gertie McKenna"...aka RLM

Ohhhh my little Gertie! That's what I call my Rylee. You ask her what her name is and she replies with, "I not Rylee. I Gertie McKenna"....HaHa I hope she doesn't start Kindergarten thinking her name is Gertie! Guess that would be my fault, wouldn't it?

Rylee posing with her green snake and green whoopie cushion!

This child seems to amaze me every single day. I am baffled as to where she comes up with the things she says and knows. She is so intelligent that it is scary! I'm not just saying that because she is mine and I love her so...okay I am! But no, seriously she is so smart! I've always said from day one that this girl was going to be wayyyy smarter than Shawn and I put together. And so far, she has proven that theory correctly.

Rylee is now counting backwards from 10, counts to 10 in Spanish (thanks to Dora), wants to know what sounds letters make. She also has a little computer program that spells words and then removes a letter from the word. She has to remember that letter and then find the correct one, and replace it back in the word to spell it out. She can do this! I am just simply amazed by this! I am beginning to think she might have a photographic memory or she is starting to learn to read. Either way, it will serve her great purpose in life. She also knows she lives in Indiana, what street she lives on, and her town as well. Actually she learned that last summer. And she also knows that Gamma McKenna (Shawn's Mother) lives in Rhode Island. All this given the fact that she just turned 3 four weeks ago.

Rylee loves to sing and dance and perform! She loves, loves music....always has. One of her favorite shows on Nick is the Fresh Beat Band. She sings all of their songs and knows their dance moves too. She also is pretty smitten with Taylor Swift's music. She has her CD and wants to listen to it all the time and dance too.

Daddy might have a hand in this one...?

We had 5-7 inches of snow the other day here, and Rylee couldn't wait to get out in it and play. Needless to say, it took about 45 minutes for all three of us to get all the garb on to even make it outside!

She had so much fun out in the snow!!

Even making Snow Angels..

And sledding down the hill with Mommy...

and then with Daddy!

We even made Snow Ice Cream too! Which she loved:)

My pink little snow bunny!

As you can see, my Gertie is a pretty special little lady! Guess I have taken over the Mommy role quite well because we all like to brag about our kids, don't we? No matter what they do or how old they get, we are always so proud of them. Why? Because it's a direct reflection of us. We all want to serve a purpose in this life. The fact is that if our kiddos are intelligent, kindhearted, gracious, super-duper people, that must say something about us, right? I like to think it sure does...!

Thursday Night Randoms

I've got a bunch of just random thoughts on my mind tonight. Figured I'd share those with you:)

• It has been three weeks now since I started this "diet". I call it that because I don't know what else to call it...? A more healthy eating approach is basically what I am doing. I think I have done a pretty good job with it so far. I kind of fall off the ban-wagon on the weekends though. I have totally cut out snack foods like potato chips, cookies...all the stuff that isn't good for you. Believe it or not, I have not really craved that stuff too much. I do have my days though when I want some of that; but when there is none of that anywhere in the house the craving goes away after a little bit.

• Why is that a woman can totally cut down and not lose any weight, and her husband still eats snack foods and looses 7 pounds in those three weeks?? It is not hardly fair!!

• I started Zumba classes this week too. It is the most fun I have had in a long time!! Who would of thought working out would be so fun? The first night was real rough. I think I moved and shook things that hadn't moved or shook in a long time, if not ever!! I can't wait to go back on Monday. I would like to add another day of it in there as well.

• Sunday is Shawn's birthday. I won't tell you how old the 33 yr old man will be, because he would get me!! So, I'll just leave it at that:) HeeHee I think we are going to Ireland, IN to the Chicken Place to celebrate...on Saturday night though. Just us two and the kiddo.

• Speaking of kiddo...My girl is doing beautifully with her potty training as of right now. We have not had any accidents so far this week! She even wants to manage it all on her own. Whatever happened when she turned 3 yrs old last week must have been a good thing! I am soooo ready to not have to buy pull-ups anymore. Those darn things are so expensive! And I have kept telling her she is going to have to get potty trained because she is wearing the largest size pull-up they make, and after that I'll have to go to the womens section and buy her Depends to get them to fit her!! Ha (I hope I don't have to do that!)

• Rylee is now refering to her Daddy as "Honey". We all sit at the kitchen table every night for supper, and we discuss the days activities. Rylee says to Shawn, "Soooo, how was your day, Honey? Was you busy?" BaaaHaaahaaah!! Where does this girl come up with these things...? You guessed it, from her Momma! She picks up on EVERYTHING! She is a little of me...and a little of Shawn interweaved into her unique self! Shawn and I just sit and laugh at her because she is so stinkin' funny! I don't exactly remember, but our life must of been real boring before Rylee came along. That girl is all the entertainment we need:) Bless her little heart, she is my life!

Party Time......Caillou Style!!!

Well, where has the time gone to? I can't believe that it has been three years since my little Rylee Lynnae was born. Time passes by so fast! She is such a big girl now, and I find myself missing that baby that I had "yesterday". I want her to grow up and develop into that wonderful person I know she is, and meant to be, but in some sense I want her to be that baby again. Maybe my clock is ticking again....??? HaHa  Rylee is a very unique, corky, highly intelligent, strong willed, high maintence, matter-of-fact, little girl. She is all the things my Mom said I never was as a child! From the moment Rylee was born she was ready to conquer the world. She has always been a child whom is wise beyond her years. Most people who meet her assume she is older than what she is. I think nothing of it, because that's who my Rylee is. She has met milestones way before she was expected to. She was rolling over (both ways) at 9 weeks....crawled at 4 1/2 months, pulling herself up to a standing position at 6 1/2 months....you get the idea. Always doing something unexpected! That's my Rylee! That girl is the love of my life. Sometimes she gets the best of me and I think I might like to throw her out the window, but I wouldn't trade her for nothing! She will probably never need me as much as I need her in my life:)

Rylee's favorite cartoon is PBS's Caillou. That is what she wanted her party to be all about. Needless to say, it was just a party consisting of Mommy and Daddy, Mimi, and Cruiser the kitty cat. Some people might not agree with me by not organizing a huge birthday bash for her with the whole nine yards and then some. I just don't believe in these huge "show" parties. Never have. Shawn and I want Rylee growing up being a very well rounded child. Not wanting to have the best, but being content with just the simple things in life. I don't want her expecting Mommy and Daddy to have these kinds of parties for her. Because every year kids expect their parents to go beyond and above the year before. What does that teach? Nothing, except not being content and happy with what they have. So, in our household we just do the "milestone" birthday parties. We had one for Rylee's 1st Birthday, and probably the next one will be for her 5th Birthday. Don't get me wrong, we will ALWAYS celebrate her birthday, but most years it will just be a simple one like we had today.

LETS HEAR IT FOR THE BIRTHDAY GIRL!!

She wanted a Caillou cake (strawberry flavored) from her favorite cake baker/decorator:)

...and she wanted pizza and breadsticks too

No birthday is ever complete without blowing out candles, and the Happy Birthday song..

...or a picture with your Mimi:)

...or a Caillou movie

...and a Kai-Lan doll

All in all Rylee had a fantastic day! Rylee words, "I had a great time...my special day!"