And the winner is......

The winner of the One Night's Stay at the Bed & Breakfast is CRYSTAL RAINEY of West Frankfort!

Christal left her contact number on her comment, and her entry number was chosen as the winner.

CONGRATUALTIONS, Crystal! Enjoy a wonderful night of rest, and be blessed!

An exciting B&B One Night's Stay Giveaway!

 

 

 

 

You are looking at the beautiful SUMMER'S RIVERVIEW MANSION BED and BREAKFAST in Metropolis, Illinois. For those of you who don't already know, Metropolis is located in southern Illinois, and also happens to be the home of SUPERMAN himself!

 

My husband and I have stayed here several times, and I want to share a wonderful treat with you....ONE lucky winner will have their name drawn (random draw) from the comment section in this blog.

 

The winner will receive ONE FREE NIGHT'S Stay in the room of your choice (excluding the Grand Suite) redeemable anytime in the month of March, 2013

 

*Depending on the room you choose, the offer is worth at least $105.00

 

The contest begins Sunday, Feb.10th, and will continue until 6pm (CT) on Wed. February 13th.

I will contact the winner with further details on making reservations for the room.

 

PLEASE SHARE THIS OFFER WITH YOUR FRIENDS. Only one can win, but it is drawn randomly, so the more the merrier!

 

 

 

Only a few rules will apply:

 

*You can only enter once

*You must be at least 18 to enter

*You cannot be related to me

*You must seriously plan to redeem the gift offer so someone gets to take advantage of this special. (Don't just enter to win just  to say you won and then never go!)

 

 

TO ENTER:

 

 Simply leave a comment on this blog  stating which room you would like to stay in,  after clicking on the  link and visiting the website. (you can use the anonymous button, however, you still must leave your name and either a phone number or email address or facebook address where I can reach you.

 

 Click on  this link: ://www.summersbedandbreakfast.com/index.html  then return and leave your comment of the room you would choose.
*While you're on the B&B page, check out their chapel that would be PERFECT for a wedding!

All the best to all of you.

Happy Valentine's Day from me to you!

Chicken Alfredo Farfelle

 

 

You know, I consider myself  to be a pretty busy woman. And although I've have cut down on  my activities/obligations in order to spend more time with my new granddaughter, there are some cuts I refuse to make in the kitchen, especially when they don't really save all that much time, only cutting back on flavor....such is the case with Alfredo sauce.

 I have never met a jarred version that I like. I've never even tasted one that has a similar flavor to  the homemade stove top version (and I've purchased some pricey ones hoping to prove myself wrong in hopes of saving a few minutes in the kitchen).

 

I've had my tried and true version for many years, but recently I came across THE PIONEER WOMAN'S recipe which she served over Farfelle. (I always served it with Fettuccine.)

 

It was close enough to my recipe, with only a few changes. I made it this evening, and so far, everyone has had at least two helpings, if not THREE!

 

I served it with  a Caesar Salad and garlic bread sticks (that were frozen) so, it still did not require much time in the kitchen, but WOW what a difference in taste than the jar versions on the shelf!

 

I'll skip steps and cheat on homemade spaghetti sauce during the week, and use a jar, adding some extras like fresh garlic, onion, green pepper, grape jelly, mushrooms, Italian seasoning, etc.  and cooking only for a short amount of time, and it's not bad. But there's NOTHING in a jar that compares with the homemade Alfredo sauce, and it doesn't require but a few minutes on the stove top.

 

Ingredients

• 12 ounces, weight Bowtie Pasta (farfalle)
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3/4 cups Low-sodium Chicken Broth)
• 1/2 cup Half-and-half
• 3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
• Low Sodium Chicken Broth, As Needed For Thinning
• 3/4 cups Parmesan Shavings Or Grated Parmesan
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Minced

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook until deep golden brown on both sides and done in the middle. Remove from the skillet, slice into thin strips, and set aside.

Add additional 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet, followed by the minced garlic. Stir the garlic around the pan to avoid burning, and cook for 1 minute. Pour in  broth, then let it bubble up and reduce for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Add half-and-half, cream, and extra salt and pepper, whisking constantly until it's all combined. Allow liquid to heat up and thicken for a few minutes. If it gets too thick, you may thin it with a little chicken broth.


When the sauce looks good, remove it from the heat. Add Parmesan to the pan, then throw the hot pasta right on top of it. Toss it a bit. Add the chicken and continue tossing until it's all combined. Again, if it gets too gloopy, splash in a little broth (you may return the pan to low heat if it needs it.)
Taste it, adjust seasonings, and top with minced parsley and extra Parmesan. Serve immediately!

Enjoy!

 

Spicy Tomato Bisque with Mini Grilled Pepper-Jack Sammies

Recently I came across a new soup recipe at allrecipes.com that caught my eye.

I love tomato soup, but my hubs is not a fan. My daughter-in-law loves spicy food and she was pregnant at the time and I wanted to make her something that was filling, but pretty healthy too. I thought that maybe, this particular soup recipe might be appealing to both of them since it was a bit of a change of pace from the typical, more bland flavor of your run-of-the-mill tomato soup.

I underestimated how delicious it would be. It was a huge hit with everyone at my house. My hubs actually commented on the great flavor, adding that he normally doesn't care for tomato soup.  My daughter-in-law normally adds jalapenos to everything I make because it's usually not spicy enough for her, but she didn't add a thing!

When I make tomato soup, I like a good grilled cheese sandwich on the side for dipping. I only had a package of party rye slices on hand, and some pepper-jack cheese, so I chose to try to grill them...another big hit! I also added a simple salad to round out the meal.

This is a simple lunch/supper that is so much better than plain ole canned soup but with some time-saving help from some cans.

Try it yourself and let me know what you thought.

For 4 servings YOU WILL NEED:


1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 cup milk
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves (optional)

In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the tomato puree, red pepper flakes, black pepper, basil, and sugar. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the cubed cream cheese and milk and stir till heated through.

VIOLA! A delicious, quick soup to satisfy even your picky eaters!

For the grilled sandwiches:

1 loaf of party rye bread
butter (for buttering both sides of each side--DO NOT use that nasty margarine!!!)
pepper-jack cheese ( slices cut to fit inside 2 slices of bread)

Grill sandwiches in med. skillet till brown on both sides and cheese is melted.  Set on warm plate. Make A BUNCH!

Dip in soup.  ENJOY!

And while you're at it, ENJOY a pic of my precious granddaughter, LIA ROSE MURPHY, 2 weeks old.

Fruit Salsa

My friend and co-worker Tracy shared this recipe with me, after I ate two helpings at a party she hosted recently. Very refreshing--and pretty healthy, too.
It is called a "salsa", but really it is just a finely chopped fruit salad.

YOU WILL NEED:
1 lg. red apple
1 lg. green apple
5 kiwis
1 lb. fresh strawberries
1 small cup mandarin oranges (drained)
2-3 T. Apricot jelly
1 T. Brown sugar
1 T. white sugar

Cut up all fruit in tiny pieces (or put in food processor like photo above)
Serve with cinnamon tortilla chips or graham crackers.

The Ronald, The Big Mac and Me

I wanted to brag about my brush with greatness.



This is a photo from a few years ago of me with fellow community volunteer Jamie, with none other than Ronald McDonald himself!



I was asked to be a judge of our local kiddie and Pet Parade which was sponsored by our local McDonald's and they brought in The Ronald to be the parade Marshal.



I really didn't realize how great Ronald was with the children. He performed magic tricks, was very generous with the many photos ops and answered any questions while keeping that famous Ronald smile of his the entire time. The kids were in awe of him.



This icon has been around since the sixties (so have I!) and continues to wow those he comes in contact with (me...not so much, anymore).



Our local McDonald's Owners, John and Mary Moreland are extremely generous to our community- always giving back and helping meet needs and putting smiles on faces of children and adults alike. The McDonald's corporation are also involved in helping with the needs of children -going above and beyond helping busy mothers feed their hungry kids- pronto!



And besides getting a quick meal when you need it- I have found that in my travels across several states, McD's are the cleanest and the most well run fast food restaurants of any chain across the nation.



Having said all that, I will give you my version of their famous BIG MAC which is THE most popular burger in America- making its debut back in the sixties. (Their burger, not mine)









1 sesame seed hamburger bun

Half of an additional bun

1'4 lb. ground beef

1 T. Kraft Thousand Island dressing

1 tsp. finely diced onion

1/2 cup chopped lettuce

1 slice American cheese

2-3 dill pickle slices



With serrated knife, cut the top off the extra bun, leaving about a 3/4 " thick slice. This will be the middle of your sandwich.

Place 3 bun halves on hot griddle or pan, face down. Toast to a light brown. Keep pan warm but set buns aside.



Divide beef in half and press into two patties, slightly larger than the bun.



Cook patties in pan over med. heat 3 minutes each side (or until no longer pink in center). Salt lightly.



Build burger in this order:

Bottom bun

1/2 of dressing

1/2 of onion

1/2 of lettuce

cheese

patty

middle bun

remainder of dressing

"" of onion

"" of lettuce

Pickle slices

patty

top bun.



Makes 1 burger.

Strawberry Vanilla Trifle

Recently a good friend's son graduated high school, and I made this simple, yet elegant trifle for the after party. The dish was empty before the party was over. It is simple to prepare. (I doubled this recipe as this was a very large trifle dish) https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4160455060127&set=a.4157003933851.2160814.1546586519&type=1&theater#!/media/set/?set=a.4157003933851.2160814.1546586519&type=1

Mix together: 1 small package vanilla INSTANT pudding mix 1 cup milk 1 8oz. container sour cream Then: Whip 2 cups HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM till stiff peaks form (for best results, chill your bowl and beaters) and add a little sugar, to taste. *You could add Cool WHip instead, but real whipped cream can't be matched, in my opinion. Fold into pudding mixture. In trifle dish, layer: Cubed angel food cake (can also use pound cake, or vanilla cake) Pudding mixture Layer of sliced strawberries repeat. Top with berries (and more whipped cream, if desired).

Enjoy!