Welcome to the Family

Cheesy Chicken and Rice – good stuff!

You just never know what is going to grab the Hedger clan’s picky palate – I just had a feeling about this dish and my instincts were right! My crew loved it and have already requested it multiple times. I have to say it falls into the category of “not much to look at!” or a “crock pot-hot mess”- but it makes up for it with good old fashioned flavor. I found this recipe on my new favorite food blog – The Southern Plate. She has replaced the pioneer woman for me – I prefer a more down home blog and this one fits the bill! Be warned….if you mosey over for a quick visit – you may end up staying awhile.

     Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Rice

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 large onion, chopped (I used a sweet yellow onion)
• 1 -8 ounce box Zatarain’s Yellow Rice Mix, cooked according to directions
• 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 – 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup (regular or fat free)
• 1 -15 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained

Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker. Scatter chopped onion over top. Spoon cream soup over top of that. Cover and cook on low 5 hours or until your chicken is super tender.  A few minutes before serving, add in cooked rice, corn, and cheese. Stir to combine. Serve hot. (I add my corn and a little juice from the can in at the beginning stage...we like a veggies well done)

It is a great meal served with green beans, salad and hot rolls.

Hedger Happenings

The job is taking its toll on my blogging – just as I suspected it would. I am happy to report that I am finally dog paddling towards shore – LOL. For a little while I was struggling to keep my head above water. The funny thing is - while I was trying to figure out how to get from A to B - life just kept moving forward. My kids seem to move at high speed these days and their mother and their mother’s van - a.k.a. “the red rolling turd” are showing wear!. Here is just a glimpse of a few of their activities.

 

Softball Season

I’m not sure when softball season actually is….it is starting to feel like a year round sport! It is a great sport to watch when it isn’t sleeting, windy, cold, or too hot. I am happy to say that the Fall season brought more nice days for cheering on the Canyon Extreme than not. Cambry continues to improve and impress us with her speed and quick reactions. She has some serious softball talent..thanks to her Dad.

Unfortunately, we did not make it through the season injury free! Cambry suffered a smashed nose during a tournament. Only slightly sidetracked by a quick trip to the minor emergency, she sent her Dad to Academy to buy her a face guard and was back playing softball three hours later. The following week, she had to have her nose “re-broken”. Dr. Cunningham…(easily my favorite doctor of all time) said that he had grown men that couldn’t handle the pain and she never even flinched. He could not stop bragging about her. She really is a tough cookie…in a tiny package.

The Canyon Extreme finished their season 10-0 and took first place in the league! Woot!

20 Years – A Piece of Cake!

On this day – 20 years ago – I married my best friend.

While it may seem like the world around us gets harder…being married to you has only gotten easier. 

Love you always!

Ready for some Football

Our second season of flag football has officially started! I just love watching this little team play together. It also means that Fall is on its way and it just happens to be my favorite season – so much to look forward too! I just hope that God grants me the wisdom to slow down and enjoy it a little. It seems like life has become a rat race of football and softball practices, rehearsals (Chesley got a dance part in 42nd Street), and lesson planning. I really could use a SNOW DAY Ü

Nothing like a little sideline coaching to go with a beautiful blue sky and perfect football weather!

School Daze

I have to admit…I might have been a tad overwhelmed this year getting ready for school. I still haven’t really caught my breath and some serious sleep is in my future or I’m going to crash and burn. I think I might actually be sleep deprived and if you know me…you know sleep is not that high on my priority list. I am so glad that the first week is behind me – whew!

The BEST part was getting to send these students off to school looking super spiffy. I hope they have a great school year full of knowledge, adventure, and fun.

p.s. the girls did the sweetest thing for me – they dressed-up the night before (in their school clothes) so that I could take pictures because we have not one minute to spare in the mornings…I am not exaggerating…not one minute! 

Blueberry Cream Scones for the Blogging Blues

Dear self, Please find something else to blog about besides food!

Signed, Bored with Blogging

I found this recipe via the blog, Tongue and Cheeky (on my sidebar under cooking blogs) It is a superbly delicious recipe that is unbelievably simple. You may never make a box mix of blueberry muffins again after trying this recipe  - it is that good and that easy!

Blueberry Cream Scones

For the Scones:
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Zest of 2 lemons (I just added a tsp. of lemon juice from the fridge)
1 1/2 c. frozen wild blueberries (or fresh blueberries)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream (at my store this was expensive so I substituted whipping cream and they still turned out great)

For the glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
Juice of 2 lemons ( I used 2 T. of prepared lemon juice)
1/4 c. heavy cream (again – I subbed whipping cream)
1/2 tsp. vanilla

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.  Add the blueberries and heavy cream and stir together gently with a fork.  You don’t want to over-mix the dough, so just stir your fork in a circle around the bowl, until the dough starts to follow it and lump together slightly.  Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead it two or three times.  Shape the dough into a large, evenly 1 1/2 to 2″ thick circle.  Slice into serving sized pieces. 

At this point, you can brush the dough with a bit of cream and sprinkle sugar on it.  If you plan to glaze your scones, you won’t need to sprinkle them with anything.  Place scones on a cookie sheet and bake in an oven preheated to 350 degress for 13-15 minutes, or just until the edges begin to brown.  Spoon glaze over hot scones.  Allow to cool slightly before serving.

To make glaze: whisk together all ingredients until a smooth, slightly-runny consistency is achieved.

*** Next time I will make sure to bake mine a few minutes longer – they were done but not really browned at all – they were so soft and tender that you had to eat them with a plate and fork. During the school year, I will need something that can be eaten on the go!

*** Also – while the glaze was super yummy – I plan to try them with just the sugar for a more simplified version. I think the sugar topping will allow them to be stored longer.

Bacon Tomato Pasta and My Last Day of Freedom

Tomorrow I will be returning to the working world. I can’t believe that it has been over 8 years since I last walked into a school and walked to my own classroom. I never thought I would take off for that long. Where did the years go? Eight years is a long time in the “education world”. I have much to catch up on and many new things to learn. I hope with all my heart that I still have time to blog. I know I will make time to some extent….just not sure how much. Keep stopping by…don’t give up on me. I am sure after some adjustment time…I will be back to my regularly scheduled BLOGGING ways.

Now, I am going to share a recipe that my family may be sick of by the time this next year concludes (it is that easy and could easily suffer from recipe abuse…as in being made way too often). It is a recipe that I got from my sister-in-law, Jana. Her blog is Home on The Range and can be found on my sidebar. This is a recipe that you could alter or change to suit your family's needs. My family LOVES it and I usually make it at least once every two weeks.

Bacon Tomato Pasta

1 pkg. of bacon (cooked and crumbled)

1 large can of petite diced tomatoes

2 Tablespoons minced or diced garlic (I use the garlic already prepared in a jar)

1 pkg. of fresh grated parmesan cheese (refrigerated cheese section)

1 box of mini pasta (penne, bow tie etc – or Jana just uses regular spaghetti)

Cook bacon and reserve 3-4 tablespoons of bacon grease. Let bacon cool and then crumble and set aside. Add bacon grease and garlic to skillet and very lightly saute for a couple of minutes. Careful not to burn the garlic. Add your can of diced tomatoes and let this mixture simmer. I usually do a taste test and add a little garlic salt if needed and a generous amount of black pepper (you could use the peppered bacon too) Cook your pasta until done – I always have to cook my pasta a few more minutes than the box suggests if I am using the shaped pasta. The mini pasta says that it will be done in 7 minutes and I cook mine 9-10. It is not mushy…just a little more tender than  what they consider al dente.

Place your drained pasta in a large bowl and add your tomato sauce mixture, top with your parmesan cheese (I use almost the whole bag – but add according to your taste) and then add your crumbled bacon. Toss together and serve with garlic bread and salad. The leftovers are great too!

Thanks Jana for a wonderful recipe….even though it has done nothing for my weight loss goal!

P.S. If you are not baking your bacon...you must give it a try. I LOVE it. I just can't stand to fry bacon and suffer with a greasy stove and hot grease burns. You just line a cookie sheet with foil and bake at 350-400 for 30-40 minutes. I sometimes need to drain off a little grease and flip the bacon. Remember that when you get it good and done and you drain it on a paper towel...it should get crispy.

The Cookie Monster

My sweet days of keeping my precious little nephew are coming to an end…sadness…sadness…sadness. He has to be one of the most delightful little boys I have ever had the pleasure of being around and I am not just saying that because I am his Aunt. He is funny and entertaining and seriously never cries or fusses - (maybe because he got all of his crying out in the first two weeks that I kept him….did I mention we got off to a rocky start….lol!) He has been drug all over Canyon and Amarillo from sporting events to acting classes and then back again.  He is a champ. I will miss being his babysitter….but I’m thankful that I will always get to be Aunt Jer – if his little sister is even half as sweet as he is…then I will be the luckiest Aunt in the world.

Funny how my time as a “stay at home mom” is coming to an end…and my sister’s is just beginning. I am so lucky that I was hired to teach in Canyon (grateful beyond measure) and she is lucky to get to stay home…maybe we should go to Vegas Ü

Dear Campbell - I love you to pieces!

Photo Shoot Attempt

Cambry Goes Camping

Cambry is my child that while very social is a bit of a scaredy cat. Chance and I didn’t really give it much thought when she brought up going to summer camp….we figured that she would change her mind. She didn’t! She went for 5 days to Camp Ceta Canyon {nondenominational Christian Camp} and had an absolute blast. I am so proud of her for having the determination to do something she really wanted to do. She is already looking forward to attending Camp next year.

  

Latest Obsession: Buttermilk Biscuits

 I have never been a biscuit fan. I am not a huge fan of jellies or jams or any of the things that go with the likes of biscuits…not counting gravy….love love love cream gravy! Sad news for my thighs and rear region – I think I discovered the problem….canned biscuits! Now, there is nothing wrong with canned biscuits. They have served me well in the last 19 years of my married life, but I decided not long ago that I needed a good homemade biscuit recipe in my arsenal of “go-to” recipes. I played around with several and finally settled on the recipe below. I love the way it fluffs up and seems almost cakey…without losing its biscuity qualities. {I love inventing words like biscuity}!

One subject that will always inevitably be mentioned anytime Nano’s (Chance’s sweet grandmother) name comes up – are her delicious home baked biscuits. She had such a knack for creating yummy memorable foods. I just can’t help but want to be like her. I know that not long after I married Chance I tried to make her biscuits and failed miserably! I should have kept trying because they truly are a cinch to make and ohhhh so yummy! I am including in this post a picture of Nano’s recipe that has been scaled down for two people. It is in her own handwriting and is a treasure for sure.

Jerilynn’s Buttermilk Biscuits

2 C. flour

1 T. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 to 3 T. sugar (to taste – I like a sweeter biscuit)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 stick unsalted butter (cubed and cold)

3/4 C. buttermilk

*** Mix dry ingredients – cut in butter with pastry blender or with your fork/fingers until crumbly. Add buttermilk and mix until smooth and sticky. Roll out to about 3/4 to an inch thick and cut with biscuit cutter or knife (I just roll out into a rectangle and then cut with a knife…square biscuits are really cool looking plus you don’t have to re roll your dough. The less you handle your dough the more tender your biscuits. Place them close together (they rise higher when placed close together on the baking sheet) Bake at 450 for approx. 10 minutes. Brush with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.

 

Uncle Jeremy’s Favorite Cookie

otherwise known as the easiest cookie on the planet! My little brother LOVES these cookies. It must be for their simplistic peanut buttery goodness because it is most certainly not because they are a culinary challenge. Chance’s grandmother, Nano, also used to make this cookie and I think it tasted even better when she made it.

Cap’n Crunch Cookies

1 c. white Karo
1 c. sugar
1 c. peanut butter
5 c. regular Cap'n Crunch cereal

Heat Karo and sugar for 30 seconds or until bubbly.

Then add peanut butter, mix well, and pour over 5 cups of cereal. I just heat my mixture in a big pan and then add my cereal. Drop by spoonfuls on heavy foil. (it actually called for wax paper…but I have had them stick to it) This recipe makes a ton of these drop cookies. You could easily half the recipe.  I think I love this recipe because it is so reminiscent of the peanut butter balls my elementary school used to serve rolled in powdered sugar…yum – Bivins peanut butter balls…ohhh the memories!

P.S. to someone who lives in NEW YORK…I will make you a big batch of these next time you come home….unless you can’t wait….then you can use the above recipe….to make your own….love you!

The Hedger Family Vacation 2010

Hair Today…Gone Tomorrow

Lately, the Hedger house has been all about the hair. Really…when is it not! Sadly, even our dog has to get haircuts (the small price we pay for requiring that our pets not have shedding hair). I barely remember what it was like when it wasn’t a huge pain trying to get everyone’s hair groomed. It can be a scheduling nightmare at best. I dread messing with it so we are often a little on the shaggy side around here. Recently we agreed (Chance says that he never agreed and somehow we misinterpreted some sort of head nod) to let Chesley color her hair. It was to be a subtle change from light brown to darker brown with some reddish/plum highlights. You know where this story is going – don’t you!!! Granted it was not at all what we expected (although we suspect that someone got EXACTLY what they wanted) and it really took some getting used to (little longer for ________ – insert Dad’s name here). But, it has really grown on us and we can say now that we like her hair a little darker than the normal shade – it is already fading some too!  The main thing is that she was happy with it and in the end that is all that matters. I will be rethinking any future dye jobs though….it was a learning experience for sure.

Now, not long after the “hair coloring debacle of 2010” occurred – Cutter decided to give his hair a little trim in front. Pretty sure he regretted it the minute he did it and sadly he had a hard time “fessing up” to the act. Try convincing a 7 year old that there is no use lying about the crime  - the chunk of hair missing from his head was an exact match to the chunk of hair scattered on the bathroom floor…PITIFUL! We managed the best we could and really rocked the Donald Trump comb-over. Finally, he got his hair cut today…..really cut….if he were a lamb we would use the word shorn! He loves it – Dad loves it – so it’s all good!