Just waking up in the morning gotta thank God
I dont know but today seems kinda odd
No barking from the dogs, no smog
And momma cooked a breakfast with no hog


....ahem..I mean, today was a good day for me and my Scout. She did wake up at 4:30 in the morning because she had pooped and then couldn't go back to sleep after I changed her (I wish that would quit happening). But then she went back to sleep at 7:00 and so did I and we both got up at 10:00 nice and refreshed. We played until she tuckered out at around 1:30 in the afternoon and she slept until 4:00! That was very convenient for me because the kitchen was a wreck and I needed to make some dinner preparations for the company we had over later on. I made a chicken casserole, like my mom always made when we had leftover roasted chicken to use up:

1 bag Pepperidge Farm Herbed Stuffing (one of the only brands of stuffing mix you can find that does not have MSG)
1/2 roasted chicken, de-boned and pulled into small bite-size pieces
1 cup frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained well
1 can Campbell's Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup (one of the only cream soups that does not contain MSG)
1 soup can full of skim milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9" x 13" glass baking dish w/ cooking spray or grease lightly with olive oil. Prepare the stuffing mix as directed on package and spread a layer over the bottom of the baking dish, pressing it up onto the sides with a spoon. This forms the crust. Spread the chicken evenly on top of the stuffing. Then, spread the chopped broccoli evenly over the chicken. Spread the rest of the stuffing on top. Mix the condensed soup with one can of milk and pour evenly over the entire casserole. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 to 45 minutes (or 45 minutes to an hour if the casserole had been refrigerated prior to baking). Cut into 8 servings. This dish is really yummy served with cranberry sauce and corn on the side. An 8th of the casserole is 9 points, in case any of you WW peeps were wondering.

After I whipped up the casserole, I put it in the fridge for later and made a salad. I cleaned up my mess in the kitchen and straightened up around the house.

Scout finally woke up and we played some more and I got dressed. I popped the casserole in the oven around 4:15. Company arrived at 5:30. DH's ex-coworker and his wife and baby came over so DH could work on some computer stuff for him. I have gotten to hang out with his wife several times before and I think she is super nice. Their little boy is almost exactly the same age as Scout, so we all had fun playing in the floor and chasing our mobile little creatures. Scout was so content the whole time and seemed to have tons of fun.

After company left, Scout got her nightly bath and went right to bed. Aaahh.

I have found that I really enjoy entertaining and it's been refreshing to cook more often lately.

Oh yeah, and I almost forgot the icing on the cake: I found the missing piece to my bluetooth earpiece. I thought I had lost it, but after putting Scout to bed, I cozied up in my favorite hoodie and stuck my hand in the pocket. Lo and behold, there it was. I thought it was gone for good. Without it, my bluetooth earpiece is not functional. I had gotten so used to using it because Scout always tries to grab my phone when I am holding it to my ear, so it was a big inconvenience not to have that luxury anymore.

Here are a few pics of Scout from this morning. I don't know why I didn't think to get the camera out when she was having fun with her little playmate.

Aawwww....mommy lets Scout play with plastic packing material (supervised, of course)



Good thing our dog doesn't mind being used as a jungle gym.





Scout entertained herself for about a half hour by pulling a bunch of books and CD's off the shelf. She was playing so intently and having a grand time.

Labels: food, pics of scout, playing, recipes