Bacon Cheddar Biscuit Squares, Cheddar Chicken Chowder, and More - The Walnut Acre Daily Saturday November 23, 2013

WORDS TO LIVE BY

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

~ Psalm 100:4-5

WORKING, LEARNING AND PLAYING TOGETHER

For this first time in a long time, we had nothing in particular planned for this Saturday. This morning Doug took trash to the landfill and then worked in the garage most of the day. I worked in the kitchen cleaning and cooking and also did a lot of laundry. Amanda folded and put away most of the laundry and cleaned the playroom and living room. 


Michael had a little wood craft kit that he wanted help putting together so Doug helped him with that. It's a little basketball hoop. There's a little ball that goes with it and a little launch to use to try to get the ball through the hoop. He was proud of it but got a little frustrated trying to get that ball to go through the hoop.

IN THE KITCHEN

I tried a couple new recipes today. The first one I made for lunch. I had a three pound pack of bacon ends and pieces and I baked them and used a pound to make Bacon Cheddar Biscuit Squares. I put the rest of the bacon in the refrigerator to use in cooking next week. 

Bacon Cheddar Biscuit Squares

3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2/3 cup oil

1 1/3 cup buttermilk

1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Combine dry ingredients. Add oil and buttermilk and stir just until mixed. Spread biscuit mix evenly in a greased 9x13 inch pan. Top with crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

We really liked this but I think next time I make it I think I'll cut the biscuit recipe in half but leave the basil, thyme, oregano and black pepper measurement as they are in this version. It took the biscuit layer so long to get ready the cheese was over baked and it really was a little too much biscuit for the topping. 

I also had a 10 lb bag of chicken leg quarters that I cooked. I used about a third of the chicken in Cheddar Chicken Chowder. I put the rest of the chicken in the refrigerator to use in cooking next week also. And there was quite a bit of broth to put in the freezer to use later as well. 

Cheddar Chicken Chowder

5 cups chicken broth

3 cups veggies ( I used potatoes, carrots, celery and frozen chopped broccoli because that is what I had on hand)

seasonings of choice (I added salt, pepper, garlic powder and minced onion)

6 tablespoons flour

5 cups milk

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a large pan cook chicken broth, veggies, and seasonings until vegetables are tender. Combine flour and 1 cup milk in a jar. Shake until blended. Add to vegetables along with remaining 4 cups of milk. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add cheese, stirring until cheese has melted. 

Enjoy!

ON MY MIND

It's been a hard couple of weeks and it was good today to feel like there was a certain sense of normalcy. Things will never be the same - I miss my Mamma and often think I need to call her and tell her something and then remember I can't - but I know she's healed and happy and I know she would want us to continue to build these day to day memories and bonds with each other until we can see her again. 

OUT AND ABOUT

Doug took Austin to meet the rest of the boy scouts this morning at 6:30. They were headed to Washington D.C. for the day. He got back this evening around 9:00. He had a good day and wants to go back soon. They went to the National Museum of Natural History and the  National Air and Space Museum. I thought he would be exhausted by the time he got home but he was still going strong. 

I took Amanda to Walmart this afternoon to get some things she wanted. She found some shoes she really liked and also a nice sweatshirt. The most exciting things I got were milk and dishwasher soap. And a tin of Altoids (curiously strong peppermints), those are pretty good. 

TODAY'S QUOTE

A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song. ~ Chinese Proverb

~ Linking Here ~
Monday - A Marvelous Mess, Tuesday - Titus 2sday, One Project at a Time, Wednesday - Cast Party Wednesday