Dust on the mirror, Royal snoring and other worldly tales

It's quite late for dinner but this Friday, today, was interrupted by a huge nap, a 5 hour nap.  I really don't sleep well every night so on my weekends off I take these lustfully long naps.  I didn't start dinner until 7:30. 

One of my goals before the Professor came into my life was to cook more, bake more and eat out less.  Nothing tastes better then good food out of the oven or hot off the stove.  Professor growing up in a different culture really has been challenging for me.  He doesn't like "white" foods.  All I can say is the best foods are white...mayo, sour cream, cream cheese, cottage cheese and on and on.  One of my favorite dishes is hamburger stroganoff and you guessed it, the Caribbean Prince hates it.  He will not eat sea food unless it once was festooned by scales.  Beef upsets his stomach and pork will NOT pass his lips.  What is a wife to do?  I get tired of chicken, I do.  This recipe I wrote down a long time ago in my personal notebook.  Tonight I made it.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice

1 1/3 cup water
¾ cup uncooked long grain white rice
2 cups frozen/fresh vegetables
½ teaspoon onion powder
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
½ cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
1-10¾ oz cream of chicken soup

Stir soup, water, rice, veggies & onion powder in a 12"x8" shallow baking dish.  Top with chicken. Season chicken as desired.  Cover.  Bake @375° for 45 minutes or until done.  Top with cheese.

Because I am my mother's daughter, I didn't follow the directions exactly.  I used a Mexican Cheese mix that I had in the frig and I mixed it in with the rice.  I used the par-boiled rice we have here at home.  I didn't cover the pan and I think that the chicken breasts were a bit too thick because I baked it an hour.  But it was good, especially the rice and His Royal Self enjoyed the rice too!

The chili I made earlier in the week was pretty good.  I had never used dried kidney beans before, always the canned ones.  Next time I will cook them for about an hour after I have soaked them overnight because the beans were just a little this side of soft, but it gave the chili a nice texture too.  So my fine followers, I am learning the art of cooking.  I am enjoying it even though I don't think my dear husband is the ideal person to appreciate my creations.

This weekend I want to do some baking, sweet breads and cookies and a cake to take to work on Monday to celebrate Bodacious Bev's birthday.

The Professor and I went to Hy-Vee this morning to get a few things for the stew I want to cook in my crock-pot tomorrow.  We ran by Dollar General to get his body wash, NOT SOAP, body wash to use on his very tender, soft and sensitive Royal skin.  We then went to a couple of places to try to find his organic hair dye.  Did you know henna dyes the hair, I didn't.  No we didn't find any.  We just had a discussion about celebrities trying to retain their youthful appearance through modern plastic surgery.  I guess he doesn't draw the parallels between his celebrity (he has 3 fans on this blog) and lets say Michael Jackson!

Okay, I got off track...we stopped at the Thrift Shop and really didn't purchase much, just 2 books.  I did see a couple of different pairs of sandals I would have liked.  Both looked like they had never been worn.  But with $3.00 in my purse I figured I didn't need them like I "needed" the books which are pictured above.

I did get candles some time ago for the black metal candle holder I found for $2.99 at Price Chopper.  I paid more for the candles at Hobby Lobby half price then for the holder but they look nice.   

Yes they look rather pretty without the flash too!  I love farting around with the settings on the Professor's,  my camera!  Oh yes, I have a mirror laying on the top of the entertainment center which really reflects light and shows off my dust nicely!

Nothing on the stitchy front except for enjoying other stitcher's blogs.  My favorite is the Spinster Stitcher blog.  http://spinsterstitcher.blogspot.com/  She has a list of her favorite stitching blogs and I have been working through visiting them.  I encourage you to visit Coni's blog, she is a hoot!

Well fellow blog adventurers, I am going to close for now and go climb into bed with His Royal Highness.  I know you are jealous because I married well, not many get the opportunity to sleep next to a Prince and listen to his Royal snoring each night.  So I will leave all of you with the most sincere hopes that may all your desires come true and may your life be blessed up to your buttons!  God Bless Us Everyone!