The dust is settling at the Lloyd house. We had a nice visit with our son and his family. Now in two weeks our granddaughter Aimee is coming for a weekend visit. That means I will have to mix up a batch of cinnamon rolls. I try to treat them all alike, you know!
I can’t remember where today’s recipe came from, but it’s a good one. We eat a lot of chicken. If I didn’t smother it with cheese and a sauce, it would be a healthy choice!
 
Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole
1 1/2 lb. of cooked chicken, shredded or chopped and sprinkled with 2 tsp. garlic powder and the juice of one lemon
1 pkg. of lean sliced ham
1 pkg. sliced Swiss cheese, layer in a 9x13 greased baking dish starting with chicken.
 
Sauce:
1 can evaporated milk
2 tbs. butter
1 tbs. flour
1 chicken bouillion cube
1 tbs. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
 
Melt butter add flour cook until bubbly add other ingredients , cook until thickened pour over chicken mixture. Top with the following:
2 cups panko bread crumbs mixed with 1 Tablespoon melted butter, 1 tsp. onion powder, 2 tsp. basil and 1 tsp. white pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until light brown and hot and bubbly.
 
Have a great week!

What a beautiful Easter! After returning home from Easter dinner I went out and surveyed my flower garden. I dug up some dandelions and quack grass. My tulips, daffodils and Texas blue bells are blooming. It does my heart good. Our youngest son John is coming for the week, his family joining him on Friday, so that will be a treat for us. It will be fun to cook for them. I’m not too motivated in the cooking department for just the two of us. Today I am sharing one of my favorite chicken casserole recipes I’m not sure where it came from, but it’s one we enjoy.
 
Oriental Chicken Casserole:
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups celery, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen pea pods
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1-5 1/2 can chow mein noodles
1 cup salted cashews
 
Saute’ onion, celery and mushrooms until tender in butter. Add chicken broth, soup and soy sauce. Simmer 10 minutes. Add chicken, water chestnuts and pea pods. Place in buttered 9x13- inch baking dish. Top with chow mein noodles and cashews. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.
 
Have a great week!

Happy Easter!
Pa Lloyd got a majority of the raking done, along with clearing my flower beds during our warm spell. Now we are ready for April showers! So glad its done before our cool spell.
Last week my church circle was responsible for our church Wednesday evening Lent soup supper. With the soup, we served French bread with this cheese spread, the recipe shared  by one our members Faye Miller. Everyone seemed to like it and I think it would be great served along with grilled meats. I don’t know about you, but we have gotten our grill out and used it several times. Hope that you enjoy it too!

Creme Cheese Bread Spread
Two 8 oz. pkgs. softened cream cheese
1/2 cup Miracle whip salad dressing
1/2 cup milk or 1/2 and 1/2 cream
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Original Dressing Mix

Blend all together. I used my electric mixer. May add more milk for spreading consistency if needed.
Refrigerate for several hours. Really good on breads either warmed in foil or room temperature breads.
 
Options:
2 Tablespoons dried parsley
2 tsp. garlic powder or onion powder or a combination of each
 2 1/2 tsp. dill weed
 
I used the garlic powder and dill weed. Next time I will use a combination of garlic and onion.

Have a great week

Easy Bar recipe! 
Our baby Lydia slept 6 consecutive hours last night!! Remember those days? Her mommy and daddy have been sleep deprived so this is VERY good news! After receiving a grandmother book as a gift when we had our first granddaughter, I decided that I couldn’t do one and not for the others. For those of you who aren’t familiar with a grandmother books, its sort of like a baby book only this book wants pictures and narrative about the grandmother’s childhood, its sort of a history book. The trouble is I have 9 of them to do. There is a lot of writing, a place for a family tree how you met grandpa, your school days and etc. I have four done and now have decided that I should try to complete all of them. After all who knows what the future will bring at my age! So that is my spring project until the weather gets warm enough to work in the flowers! Today I am sharing a simple bar recipe for you. I actually think I received the recipe from a school my granddaughter Samantha was attending in Mankato, years ago!
 
Chocolate Peanut butter bars

Crust:
1 pkg. of a 3 pack box of graham crackers
1 cup peanut butter
2 sticks butter (no substitutes), softened
3 cups powdered sugar
 
Topping: 
3 Tbsp. butter, 3 Tbsp. brown sugar,
3 Tbsp. milk. 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 tsp. vanilla
 
In food processor fitted with a steel blade, grind graham crackers into crumbs, then add remaining ingredients and process until ball forms. Turn crust into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan, smooth with spatula until evened out. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. In medium saucepan stir together the topping ingredients over low heat until the chocolate is melted. Pour over warm crust. Chill until firm then cut into squares. Enjoy!
 
Have a great week!