Thursday, December 21, 2006

12.21.06


Happy happy birthday to my sweet, selfless, sexy, smart husband, David. I am SO thankful everyday for you. :)

Can you believe Christmas is only 4 days away??
I am finished with shopping, wrapping, and planning.
I just have a little bit more baking to do.
Getting ready for Christmas houseguests, yesterday I made two lasagnas, two king ranch chicken casseroles, 3 batches of Chex Mix, and the Creme Brulee French Toast that we had for breakfast this morning.
THAT was yummy. It would be a perfect Christmas morning breakfast! (I prepared it last night, then just put it in the oven this morning.)
Oh...and substituting Promised Land egg nog in place of the 1/2 & 1/2 is just heavenly. And I would recommend baking it longer than it calls for. Watch it and take it out when the top is brown. Otherwise it's really mushy.

David and I are going out tonight to a romantic "kissy" dinner, as Noah calls it. He'll be spending the night with Grandma so we can stay out late. He can't WAIT because they are going to have popcorn, hot chocolate, and watch "A Christmas Story." He wants no part in the kissy dinner. :) (He celebrated with Daddy at breakfast.)

I just signed up for and received my first newsletter from the website Scrapbook Goddess. Wow, what a jam packed wonderful email!! (and they are having a 30% off of everything sale right now!) You can sign up at the website to receive the newsletter.

Here's something fun! You can call 1-800-972-6242 to listen to a pre-recorded message from Santa. It's free and it changes every day. :) **Note: this number is really busy and in some areas it doesn't work. Sorry!

ETA: Here is my King Ranch Chicken recipe, by request from Diane in the comments! :)

Jennifer’s King Ranch Chicken

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 med. Chopped onion
1 small chopped green pepper
1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 Tbsp. oil
8-10 corn tortillas
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 to 1 c. milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and chiles (drain 1/2 of the liquid off)
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add the oil to a large saucepan or pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic and saute’ until onions are soft.Add the chicken breasts to the pan with the onions and garlic and saute’ about 7 minutes on each side or until well-browned. Sprinkle each side of the chicken with salt, pepper and a little chili powder as you turn them over. Remove chicken from the pan, shred the meat on a cutting board, and put the meat into a bowl; set aside. KEEP the other contents of the pan set aside, also. Add a little bit more oil to the pan and saute' the tortillas in oil, just about 10 seconds on each side. Drain on a paper towel. (You just want them SOFT, not greasy. ) In a rectangular baking dish sprayed with cooking spray, layer the tortillas to cover the bottom of the pan. Add chicken on top of the tortillas. Blend remaining ingredients (except cheese) in a large bowl with the onions and garlic, stirring well. Pour over the chicken in the baking dish. Top with cheese and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Serves 6-8.

Everyone have a stress-free, Christmas countdown!
- Jennifer

The best gifts to give:

To your friend, loyalty;
To your enemy, forgiveness;
To your boss, service;
To a child, a good example;
To your parents, gratitude and devotion;
To your mate, love and faithfulness;
To all men and women, charity.

- Oren Arnold

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas, Jennifer! Have a wonderful kissy dinner with David and I know Noah will have fun with Grandma. And as Santa says in Christmas Story - "You'll shoot your eye out, kid. Ho Ho Ho."
Cathy

Anonymous said...

hope you guys have a wonderful evening out on your "kissy" date.

just thought i'd also let you know that santa's number is not working or at least not working for a lot of people. we tried several times the last few days and it was busy, tonight it told me the call was not allowed in my area.

meg

Cupcake said...

Merry Christmas Jennifer!
I'm enjoying your blog and all the eye candy!
Happy Birthday to your husband. My son's birthday is tomorrow but we are celebrating tonight.
Have a blessed Christmas.

Kerry McKibbins said...

Love your blog Jen. So glad I found it.

Anonymous said...

You inspired me to make King Ranch chicken casserole for dinner last night (after Googling the recipe!) It was good, but would you share your recipe? I love all your recipes and I'm sure this one is awesome. Thanks Jennifer!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Jennifer! I'll be making your version for New Years...can't wait. Have a blessed Christmas!

Kim said...

Hope David had a wonderful birthday and you had a fun "kissy" dinner. Merry Christmas!

Anonymous said...

Jennifer, my dh's birthday is also December 21. Funny...

Happy birthday David!