Birthday Luncheon

Today I hosted a birthday luncheon for our friend, Kathy. There were 4 of us and we had a menu of BBQ Chicken Salad (recipe below), Rolls and cinnamon rolls(thanks, Georgenne!), and Angel Lush for dessert.(thanks Karin!)

Everything was delicious. I made some votive favors inspired by Vickie at Uncommon Artistic Endeavors. Here's a picture of mine:

Here's our table and setting:

Here's the guest of honor:

BBQ Chicken Salad

My version of this salad is based on the recipe at Kraft.

BBQ Chicken Salad

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Olive Oil
Mrs. Dash Chicken Grilling Blend
Sweet Baby Ray's Original BBQ Sauce
1 (12 ounce) bag of mixed salad greens
2 small tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 1/2 cups croutons (I used cheddar garlic croutons)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup Ranch Dressing

1. Brush chicken breasts with olive oil. Sprinkle both sides of breast with Mrs. Dash Chicken Grilling Blend. Grill chicken until done, about 10-15 minutes. Slice cooked chicken into strips. Toss the strips with enough BBQ sauce to coat.

2. Toss remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Serve topped with the warm chicken mixture.

Enjoy!
Blessings,
Lisa

Quick Cinnamon Rolls

While dinner cooked last evening, I whipped up a batch of Quick Cinnamon Rolls from http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/. They were yummy! I think next time I will add more cinnamon to the filling because I like a more cinnamony (is that a word?!) roll. I also will try some cream cheese frosting on them, too.

These rolls would be great for breakfast, too!

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Lisa

Shots from the Gardens

Clematis

A Stella D'Oro Daylily

A Butterfly visits the Enchinacea

I'm anxiously awaiting the blooming of the black eyed susans in the bed along the garage. They make such a statement. We also have some morning glory vines with buds that should bloom this week if the weather stays nice.

Blessings,

Lisa

Menu Plan Monday, July 14, 2008

Good morning!

It was interesting reading about the mom new to cooking at Laura's today. I totally agree with Laura that Taste of Home is a great place for beginning cooks and menu planners to start. I've been a subscriber for 13 years now and some of the recipes I started with from their magazines during our first years of marriage have remained our favorites.

Amazingly enough, we did stick to our menu plan last week. Here's the plan for this week:

Monday~Thursday Lunch Plans: Leftovers, Sandwiches, Fresh Fruit, Salads

Dinner Plans

Sunday~Leftover Buffet

Monday~Spiced Pork Chops, Parsley Potatoes, Green Beans

Tuesday~Grilled Lemon Basil Chicken Breasts, Rice Pilaf, Sweet Peas

Wednesday~Cheeseburgers, Homemade Fries, Corn on the Cob

Thursday~Kielbassi, Macaroni and Cheese, Baked Beans

Friday~Birthday Luncheon for a Friend: BBQ Chicken Salad, Rolls, Veggie

Pasta Salad and Angel Lush for dessert.

Dinner: Grilled Pizza and Buffalo Hot Wings (We deep fry the wings and use the butter with the sauce.)

Saturday~ We're attending a friend's wedding reception.

Have a week full of blessings,

Lisa

Altered Christmas Clipboard

The weekly challenge at Magical Holiday Home was to make an altered clipboard. I made the above version as my first attempt. I plan on adding ribbon to the tags to make the white less striking and cover the holes.

Blessings,

Lisa

Menu Plan, Thursday, July 10, 2008

We were away for a few days, so I was unable to get the menu posted on Monday. We had a nice stay at camp for 3 days/2 nights. We were able to dodge some raindrops and get out onto the lake on Monday. Tuesday was our 13th Wedding Anniversary, so we went to dinner and a movie and dh's mom and dad took the kids for the night. I'm so blessed to be married to a wonderful, kind, loving, handsome, man. He's my best friend. So here's what we've eaten and what we will be eating the rest of the week:



Sunday~BBQ Italian Chicken Breasts, Italian Potato Salad, and Fresh Fruit

Monday~Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes, Garden Ranch Pasta Salad and Watermelon

Tuesday~Our 13th Anniversary~We had dinner at Rizzo's Restaurant It was delicious! Their sauce reminds me of my Nana and Pap's sauce and the house dressing remind me of the salad they served every Sunday.

Wednesday~Beef Tips with Gravy, Mushrooms, Onions and Peppers over Noodles with Green Beans

Thursday~String Cheese Manicotti, Tossed Salad and Garlic Toast

Friday~Pizza and Wing Night

Saturday~Stuffed Cabbage Rolls and Mashed Potatoes

Hope your week was great!

Blessings,
Lisa