Herbal Husband Loved the Valentine's Dinner!

The Chicken Rice Divan looks a little messy, but it was really delicious! The Herbal Husband loved it! Here is the recipe from the Three Rivers Cookbook:

Chicken Rice Divan

2 10-oz. pkgs. frozen broccoli spears
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
6 large slices cooked chicken or 2 cups cubed chicken
salt & pepper
1 cup cooked rice

White Sauce:2 tbsp. butter or margarine
2 tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup dairy sour cream

Cook broccoli according to directions; drain. Arrange in 11-1/2" by 7-1/2" by 1-1/2" baking dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Top with chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon on cooked rice. Prepare white sauce: Melt butter, blend in flour, add milk all at once. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice; gently fold in sour cream, and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serves: 6
(I doubled the sauce recipe and you will need a larger container if you double the sauce. I also used an herbal salt along with pepper when I seasoned the chicken layer.)

Hope you enjoyed your Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day and What's for Dessert?

That's the first words out of the Herbal Husband's mouth this morning! I volunteered to cook today! What was I thinking? Maybe that we have a waffle iron that makes heart shaped waffles! Perfect for today. You can see that the fork and knife were poised to demolish those waffles! They were also protecting his food. Getting ready for dinner tonight.
There's a lot going on on that table! Here is our dinner table for tonight. I'm making Chicken Divan and rolls and what's for dessert is plain cheesecake. Yes, he likes plain jello too. Please don't make me explain. I don't have an explanation.

I gave this heart to the Herbal Husband 24 years ago and I thought it was time to give it to him again.














It has inside an angel to watch over you! It is done by my favorite folk artist, Nancy Thomas. Hope you are enjoying the day with someone you love.

St. Valentine and Tussie Mussies!

Valentine's Day in early Roman days was thought to be the start of pairing for birds so the emphasis on love and its messages. Samuel Pepys is credited with recording the first account of sending the modern paper valentine. This little booklet from Adelma Simmons and Caprilands talks of having a party and giving tussie mussies as a gift to the party goers. The tussie mussie on the left was given to a friend as a congratulatory bouquet when she became a registered architect. I usually put roses for love and grace for the pink roses, rosemary for remembrance, mint for wisdom, some sage for long life and good health, lemon balm for the pleasant company of friends and scented geranium for preference. This was made in the summer and Adelma talks about her tussie mussies being limited to what is in the greenhouse in February. Maybe surprise your significant other not tomorrow, but later in the year when spring brings up the first herbs. I'll have more about our Valentine's Day tomorrow. I'm going to postpone making the sugar cookies until next week. Another treat for the Herbal Husband! He always enjoys herbal treats any time of the year!

Blooming Through the Screen!

I was attempting to clean the other day and discovered that the Thanksgiving/Christmas cactus had bloomed again. It was probably closer to the actual time it is supposed to be in bloom. This one little leaf on the left grew through the hole of the screen and bloomed beautifully! The things that occupy my time these days! Hope they are a diversion for you as well!

Chives Do Survive!

Under all this dried stuff are my chive babies! If you want a reliable herb, plant chives (Allium schoenoprasum) ! One of the tastiest herbs and obviously one of the first to come back in the garden! It is so exciting to see plants surviving after winter's cold. We are not done with our cold and snow, but I think these little plants will do fine.

Always A Squirrel Enjoying the Birds' Food!

You can count on the gray squirrels of the world to be in our backyard when no other wildlife has appeared! This one was having a wonderful time feasting on the bird food so loving thrown by the Herbal Husband. I will have to get a picture of the Herbal Husband chasing a squirrel. It is priceless! The neighbors think we are a little nuts! More for the squirrels to eat!

It Looks Like a Science Experiment!

No, it's not a science experiment nor soil test results! Not a great picture either! It is salad dressing! I made it from the blog vinegar I made late last year and the French Country Vinaigrette dressing base from Penzeys Spices in a Greaves jam jar (minus the delicious jam or jelly or it might be a chili sauce jar) from Niagara on the Lake, Ontario, Canada. They have jellies and jams that I don't make like cherry jam, orange marmalade and mixed berries. Niagara on the Lake is very quaint. I went with a group of master gardeners a couple of years ago and did not get enough time. I need to go back for a visit with the Herbal Husband! Hope you are making homemade salad dressing or using your herbal vinegars to flavor your cooking!

Is It Me or Is This Leaning?

When the Herbal Husband and I put this arbor together several years ago, we had to put it together in our garage. It was pouring rain on the Saturday we decided to put it together. You see it was two separate arbors and two by eights or tens between for support. We have no power tools. The Herbal Husband says that we need the exercise! I remember when we got the first arbor put together, we could not move it because the ceiling was too low! The Spanish started to fly! I always know to take cover when that happens! We finally got them out of the garage and put it together. It has served us for about ten years! I think though that we will have to come up with another plan. It is slowly collapsing and it has fallen over because of too much wind! That happened a couple of years ago when the Herbal Husband was vacationing in Lima! It is always an adventure at our house.

A Rare Day in the Herb Garden!

This is a rare day in winter for the 'Burgh. It is warmish (in the 40s) and there is blue sky and the SUN IS SHINING! Not quite the January thaw. That looks like it might be next week! Enjoy the sun wherever you may be!