As I have written before, I am fortunate to have many friends. They are all very precious to me, but there is one group that I truly cherish. Anne, Kathy and Tricia have been my friends since we started kindergarten together in Lexington. We went to school at Central Holmes Academy (now Central Holmes Christian School) and graduated from there in 1976. We went on to junior college together after we graduated. We also agreed that we just can’t say the new name, it is still CHA to us.
We have always remained friends, but in the past year, we have become a much closer knit group. We rotate and meet together every few months to have lunch and spend the day at one of our homes. I don’t know about them, but I have to rest my jaw and laugh lines for a few days after we get together.
We met at Kathy’s house in Kosciusko this past weekend. We had a delicious meal, with recipes I will share today, and a wonderful time of fellowship among four very good friends.
When we departed, Kathy gave us all a book titled To My Friend With Love. It had some beautiful poetry, Bible verses, and quotes. Today I want to share a few of my favorites.
•“A friend loveth at all times.” Proverbs 17:17
•Only a real friend will tell you when your face is dirty.
•A good friend will overlook your broken fence to admire your beautiful flowers.
•A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly; and there is no friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24
•The older the friend the better.
•It takes a long time to grow old friends.
•We are so fond of each other because our ailments are all the same.
I included this one because we find our conversations drifting to medical ailments and doctors, more often than not!
On Monday, I asked my second graders to define what they thought was the meaning of a friend.
•Friends play with you and when you hurt they help you.
•Friends play with you and when you don’t know what to do they help you.
•Friends are someone who are nice and kind and sweet.
•Friends are someone who cares about you.
•Friends are someone that you care about.
•Friends are always your buddy.
•Friends are very nice to you and they don’t let you hurt.
•Friends play with you and they come over to your house and you go over to their house.
•Friends don’t be MEAN!
(My favorite!)
The dictionary describes a friend as someone you enjoy being with and know well. I think that says it all.
This past visit we gave ourselves a name – the CHA CHA girls! My house is next for our get-together and I can’t wait.
Hope you enjoy today’s recipes. They were from Kathy’s kitchen and they were delicious. Thanks for reading
KATHY’S SALAD
½ stick butter
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1 package Ramen noodles, coarsely chopped (discard seasoning packet)
1 bag Spring salad mix
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, chopped
½ cup Craisins (dried cranberries)
Melt butter in skillet; add pecans and noodles and cook on Low heat until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool. Combine salad greens with apples and cranberries. Toss with vinaigrette before serving.
Vinaigrette:
2 ½ Tablespoon cider vinegar
2 ½ teaspoon. honey
½ teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon paprika
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon dried minced onion
½ cup vegetable oil
Mix all ingredients, except oil, in a Mason jar. Heat in microwave for 30 – 45 seconds. Add oil and shake well. Dressing can be made ahead and refrigerated until needed. When ready to serve, warm in microwave for 30 – 45 seconds and shake well. The more you shake, the thicker it becomes.
WHITE CHICKEN CHILI
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 package frozen seasoning blend
1 stick butter
2 cups reserved chicken broth
2 cans cream of chicken soup
3 cans white shoepeg corn, drained
4 cans great northern white beans, drained
1 can diced Ro-Tel
1 (4 ounces) can chopped green chilies
1 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 packkage McCormick’s white chicken chili mix
8 ounces sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper, optional
Bring chicken to boil until done; reserving broth; shred chicken. In a very large pot, melt butter and saute’ seasoning blend until heated. Add white chicken chili mix and garlic. Add soup, Ro-Tel, beans, corn, chilies, chicken, salt, pepper, and Velveeta. Turn on lowest heat; stir in sour cream. Can add additional broth, if desired. Simmer about 30 minutes. Serve with additional cheese, sour cream, and jalapenos.
