Friday Friend recipe #353 Chipped Beef and Chicken

 

and you know all the whys and wherefores of this countdown, right? Homemade cookbook, friends contributed, Handyman said I couldn't/wouldn't do it, I'll show him, yadda yadda yadda....

...and the rest is cookbook history!

Just remember, the countdown is not all about pretty food and food design---it's about the people and the stories.

And (the most important thing) proving my husband wrong--and that I can and WILL make every recipe in this cookbook.

Which brings me to recipe #353

My mom's Chipped Beef and Chicken

Loved my mom with all my heart---but I don't think I'll be making Chipped Beef and Chicken again.

Just sayin'

I had to have the baked potato because my mom said the sauce was good with it.

It was.

I just had to show you my chipped beef--it comes in a jar and is round.  

Who the heck still buys this?

Me, I guess.

(and it is not cheap--considering)

This is my mom's 51st recipe in the cookbook countdown.

(you can check them all out here--just click)

You know how I feel about ending this cookbook countdown, right? 

It's extremely satisfying to have cooked 353 recipes--358 when I'm finished--but at the same time I feel as if I'm saying goodbye to old friends and family.  For good!

Weird, I know.

And on the other hand, what more can I say about my mom?

She's been gone (really gone) for 10 years, so it's hard to have a new story 😀 (sorry, but she would think that was funny)

I've gone from telling you about my parents living on the same street when they were growing up.

started first grade together

had their first kiss together 

first everything together!

To their old age together (altho they never really got old, they passed away in their late 70's) throughout the 50 recipes and stories of her.

One thing that was always consistent in their 50+ years together is that they had fun.

My mom more so than my dad--she was good for him.

She was the most positive, accepting, kind person I have ever known, and she drug him along for the fun--and he followed, because he was head over heels in love with her--always had been. 

I was going thru an old box of "stuff to throw away most likely" and I came across this email which I had sent to a couple of my friends.

It was dated April 17th, 2006

and the subject was: Easter Fun

On Saturday night after we had had a bbq, we played cards with my mom and dad. It was fun. We played a few games thru-out the Easter Weekend...but that was not the "fun."

My dad's neck was hurting while we were playing cards and I guess they have been using this muscle medicine similar to Ben Gay, that you spray on.

It comes in a little spray bottle.

So, my mom runs upstairs to get the spray medicine out of their suitcase.  Comes downstairs and sprays it on my dad's neck.  We continue to play cards, but my dad says, 'this medicine isn't feeling the same as it usually does.  He says it usually gets icy cold and then warms up and feels really good on his sore muscles.

He asks if the bottle might be getting old.  My mom says no, it's a brand-new bottle.

We continue to play cards and we have a nice time.

When the card game was over and we were sitting around the table chatting, Rich reaches over and grabs the bottle just to look at it---he turns it around and he and I both notice at the same time the bottle says "PAUL MITCHELL" ...and I'm wondering when Paul Mitchell hair products started making medicine.

So, we both say....mom! This is HAIRSPRAY!!!

She just grabbed the first think that looked familiar to her. 

hahahaha--and my dad was wondering why the hell it wasn't working.

We laughed so hard! 

I went to bed laughing and woke up laughing.

And then I thought---these are the genes that have passed to my children!

And that sums up my parents' marriage!

And that my friends is recipe #353!

I have 5 more to go!

I'm gonna get this done. 

I really am.

Five more!!

Friday Friend Recipe #342 and 343-my mom's chicken casserole and Mexican Lasagna

 

Making my way thru my Friday Friend Cookbook, one recipe at a time.

What is the Friday Friend cookbook? I once had about 50 of my closest friends and family (from all over the county) on an e-mail forum which I called the Friday Friends. At first, most of them didn't know each other, (they knew me) but over the past 21 years, we've answered and shared silly--and serious---questions, exchanged Secret Santa Christmas gifts, had a dieting contest in which we paid a $1 a week and that money went to a scholarship fund for a Friday Friends son's memorial scholarship, and we went on a great vacation for my 52 birthday. (plus so much more....)

AND, we contributed recipes for a cookbook.

I was looking at the cookbook the other night and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog."
The Handyman--who thinks he knows me better than I know myself (this happened to be a question on the Friday Friend forum once---does your spouse/partner know you better than you know yourself? Said, "you'll never, EVER do that."
WELL---maybe I'll show him!  Maybe I will.

Which brings me to recipes 342 and 343

My mom's

Chicken Casserole

and

Mexican Lasagna 

My mom had a well 'cheesed' rotation of recipes.

You know--that rotation of mainstay recipes you have routinely?  Well, I do believe that my mom's all contained cheese. 

One can't really go wrong with cheese tho.

These recipes are both really good. 

As I'm drawing nearer to the end of this cookbook, I am finding it hard to come up with more stories, so today instead of featuring my mom--I thought I'd make fun of my dad.

My dad:

He was a marine.

He was a policeman.

He was in charge of security for Hanford patrol (nuclear stuff--part of the Manhattan project in the 40's, etc.   Of course, he wasn't there in the 40's but rather the late 80's)

He had his own Private Detective agency as his last career move.

He ran the Bloomsday 12k one year.

He traveled the world, was a huge football fan, swimmer, Shriner, church goer, loved his family.

But one time---the one time in his life he is clueless of what he is doing--we had to document it for prosperity. 

Why would we do this? What could we possibly do with this documentation?

Well---here it is!  For the world to see.

It was in the summer of 2007, Phoenix, Arizona and we were getting things set up for my son's wedding reception. We were all busy with odd jobs--we, as in the whole family--many hands make light work and all that. But it left my dad with not so much to do. 

So, he leaned against the wall--or thought he did-- to visit and oversee the job.

Unbeknownst to my dad, (but not to anyone else) he had leaned against a water fountain (or drinking fountain, or even bubbler if you're from Wisconsin) and turn it on.  His butt was hitting the press button each time he leaned back against it.

And because we are a kind and loving family, never to humiliate or make a joke out of someone's misfortune, we (his kids and grandkids) would all walk by and ask him a question in a low voice, so he'd have to lean forward to answer.  Then he'd lean back, and the water would come back on.

My mom was taking pictures the whole time and the rest of us would ask him a question and then laugh and laugh.

He had no idea what was going on.

I'm not sure he ever knew.

But now--you do!

Below is a picture of me and my dad in better times.

As in, me not teasing him.

But you know---if you do the crime, you pay the fine. Or do the time. (??)

It's fitting I think, as his whole career was based on a life of crime. 

Just in the good way 😄

So, friends, My friends!  These are recipes 342 and 343

out of 361 (I'm 99% sure I have all the math down pat now) (it would have helped if I had gone in a linier progression instead of jumping all over the place)

2023 will be the year!!

Will it really tho?

(I'm slow going) (soooo  slow)

323 and 324 Friday friend countdown

 

Making my way thru my Friday Friend Cookbook, one recipe at a time.

What is the Friday Friend cookbook? I once had about 50 of my closest friends and family (from all over the county) on an e-mail forum which I called the Friday Friends. At first, most of them didn't know each other, (they knew me) but over the past 21 years, we've answered and shared silly--and serious---questions, exchanged Secret Santa Christmas gifts, had a dieting contest in which we paid a $1 a week and that money went to a scholarship fund for a Friday Friends son's memorial scholarship, and we went on a great vacation for my 52 birthday. (plus so much more....)

AND, we contributed recipes for a cookbook.

I was looking at the cookbook the other night and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog."
The Handyman--who thinks he knows me better than I know myself (this happened to be a question on the Friday Friend forum once---does your spouse/partner know you better than you know yourself? Said, "you'll never, EVER do that."
WELL---maybe I'll show him!  Maybe I will.

Which brings me to these... recipes #323 and #324

My Mom's Long Island Iced Tea and Honey Mustard Chicken

This is what we do when we're waiting for dinner (Honey Mustard Chicken) to bake--we drink Long Island Iced Tea and play cards.

And we do it no matter what is cooking.  In the winter, we play at the dining room table, in the summer on the patio table.

I don't know if I've said this before, but, my family (mom's side) were huge card players and my mom jokes about being conceived while her parents played cribbage.

We have no way of knowing if this is true or not as her parents are deceased. As is she.

No one to corroborate the story. 

BUT I do know that I remember staying at their (my grandparents) house and waking up to the sound of cards being shuffled--because they played cribbage every morning at breakfast.  So, she has a persuasive argument.

I once, tried playing cribbage every morning with the Mayor (handyman, husband, honey--I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO CALL HIM. ANYMORE!)

Anyway, it didn't work well because he was still working, and we ran out of morning time.

It defeats the purpose of fun, when you are yelling up the stairs every morning--get down here we have to play cribbage now!!

The Handyman and I play cards together a lot.

But none of our kids were conceived while doing so.

In my family, this game is called Nertz.  But if you are in the Friday Friend Cookbook editor's family (remember Barbara Brown originally typed these all up) it is called Bolshevik. 

There are a few slight differences, but none that matter.

Playing cards passes the time, while waiting for meals.

And imbibing a bit is okay too!

There is a lot of alcohol involved in Long Island Iced teas.

So much alcohol!

And the funny thing is, my mom never drank when I was little.

She would order orange juice so people would thing she was having a drink--because back in the day, people could not let you get by without a drink in your hand.  (It seemed un-hospitable or something.  different times--what can I say?) So, she was an orange juice drinker.

Then, in the middle of my high school years, something happened, and she discovered 'slow gin' and 'peach schnapps' and drank things called 'slow screws' and 'fuzzy navels'.

She still was never a huge drinker, and it was rare to see her overindulge, but there are a couple of times I remember, and those were funny.

Maybe not as funny as this time?

I came across these photos when I was searching for a story about my mom.

She was always one for a celebration!  Not sure if this was for the Fourth of July

Memorial Day

President's Day

Flag Day

Labor Day

Veterans Day

or

OR

Their hockey team was "The Tri-City Americans" and they did sell 50/50 tickets with their friends during intermission, and they might have had a little too much fun.  And they might have dressed up in costume?  Who knows.

And now there is no one to ask.

The thing is--- I now have this 'costume' in my dresser drawer.

I've never known what to do with it exactly. When or where to wear it.

I wish I could ask my mom. 

**WAIT A MINUTE!  Look, my mom has her "orange juice" glass front and center.  It's like she's mocking me.

Hmmmm---did I fall for the old "I don't drink I'm just having orange juice" line all my life??

😁

My mom has 48 recipes in the Cookbook Countdown so far,

only a couple more of hers to go (because you know I'm doing a slow roll to the finish line) and you can check them out here. (click here)

These are recipes #323 and 324.

I have 26 more to make to complete the cookbook countdown--anc counting the 8 I have in drafts--you'll only be seeing 34 more posts from me.

Probably only 24, as I double up sometimes.

But as Rich (the mayor, handyman, husband) reminded me tonight--until the next time you count them.

Have a good night!