Take Time to Smell the Roses

It’s a beautiful day in Mid-Mo today. The forecast is for 52 degrees and sunshine, which is always a plus in the winter months.

It amazes me that we are almost ready to dive into 2007. I remember when I was young how months and weeks seemed to drag on and on, but now it seems as though time just flies by. It was in 2004 that I graduated Mizzou and married my husband and now we are almost ready to celebrate our third year wedding anniversary.

I was telling my mother and father during the Christmas break that Charlie ( my husband) and I had said we would wait five years before having kids. That seemed so far away when we got married, but now I look at the date and that is really only two short years away.

We sometimes get caught up in our day-to-day lives and forget to “smell the roses.” My father used to say this phrase to me when I was a child and it has really stuck with me as I have grown. It seems hard to find time to sit down on the couch at night and watch a movie and relax or take time out of your weekend to teach your children a new board game or even try a recipe that you have had on your “To Do” list for months. In 2007 I’m planning on taking more time to “smell the roses."

Here is another recipe you can add to your to try recipe box. This recipe is easy and great the next day.

Mexican Chicken
by Cyndi Young - Puyear
(I won second place with this in the 2001 Illinois Products Expo Celebrity Cook-off. The basic recipe came from an old Scott County Illinois Home Extension Cookbook, but I’ve “perfected” it to fit my family’s tastes. It is an easy recipe to double.)

Whole Chicken
Chopped onion (1 or more – depending upon your taste)
1 stick butter
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of celery
1 small package Mexican Velveeta
1 bag Doritos
Shredded cheese
2 jalapenos (again, depending upon your taste)

Boil and de-bone chicken. Separate into “bite sized” pieces.

Butter a casserole dish and layer with ½ bag of Doritos. Sauté onion in remaining butter in a large skillet. Add soups and Velveeta. Simmer 5 minutes. Add peppers and chicken.

Pour over chips. Top with shredded cheese.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for about 20 – 30 minutes. Serve with remaining Doritos. This is great re-heated.