Turkey & Stuffing Pie

Hello Everyone.  I'm writing this from a cold, windy and rainy early afternoon here in southern California.  The rains arrived yesterday and it's glorious to see it coming down from the sky.  I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and you might still have some turkey leftover from the holiday meal?  If so, here's a simple, fast recipe that can use up that leftover turkey.

It's a simple stuffed turkey pie made with ingredients you may already have in your pantry.  I cheated and used a ready made pie crust and stuffing.  Here's the ingredients:

Pie crust for top and bottom

1 Pkg stove top stuffing  (add celery if you wish)

Approximately 2 cups cut up turkey or chicken

1 can cream of chicken soup*

1/3 cup milk or water

1/4 to 1/2 cup dried fried onions (or use sauteed onion)

spices of your choice; salt, pepper, garlic, herbs, etc.

7" deep dish baking pan, greased well

I started off by making the stuffing mix according to package directions.  I added approximately 1/4 to 1/3 cup more of broth/water to the stuffing mix since it needs to be moist since it will bake and can dry out. 

*You can substitute cream of chicken soup with cream of mushroom or cream or celery

Cut up the turkey pieces and place them in a bowl along with the soup mix, some milk or water, onions and herbs and spices of your choice. Mix together.

Grease the baking pan and line the bottom with the first sheet of the pie crust.  Place turkey/soup mixture in the bottom of the pan.

Next, add the stuffing on top of the turkey mixture.

My top sheet of pie pastry was too large, so I cut approximately 1" from around the edges and then carefully tucked in the edges of the pie pastry around the pan.

Here is my turkey pie before baking and before I added the leaf decorations.  Go ahead and add decorations if you wish from the leftover pie pastry.  Bake in a preheated 350F degree oven for approximately 45 minutes or until pastry becomes golden brown.

Remove pie from oven and let it sit for about 15 to 20 minutes before taking out of baking tin.  To remove, I invert the pie into a large shallow bowl, remove the baking pan, and turn it onto a serving plate.

I hope this recipe works for you.  If you don't like the ingredients, you can switch it around to your taste.  It provides a quick and easy dinner dish accompanied with a nice green salad.

I'm going to sign off now to enjoy this rain and warm up with a cup of tea!

With my best wishes,

Pat

Happy Thanksgiving Dear Readers

That special time of year has arrived again for loved ones to gather and give thanks for all the blessings and to remember and do our part for those in need.

I baked my favorite pumpkin pie recipe today as it's my son's favorite dessert.

I wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Pat

Weather, Shawls, Holidays & Lilly!

Hello my dear friends.  It's been a busy fall season for me with the usual business.  My husband and I are both retired but the business isn't retired.  It's become a bit of a joke between my husband and I as he is always telling me things will slow down and become easier.  I think he's dreaming as it's been busier than ever around here with selling property, managing property, setting up new accounts and everything else.  We've had the same bank for over 41 years - that's a long time.  And, we just completed moving our accounts to another bank.  It all came down to customer service and we are so, so happy with the move.  How I miss the old way of how things used to be.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that although my blog world consists of my knitting and other fun things, my real life is centered in the business world of things.  I know my way around the business world quite well because I have to.  But, my heart is really in my home and family.  So, at the end of the day, when my work is done, I so look forward to picking up my knitting needles and enjoying the world I love.  I don't know how I managed all those years when I had a real paying job and children to raise.  Maybe I survived because I was younger? Enough said. . .

My husband absolutely loves the water but I am more of a rain and clouds person.  We have had such a long, hot summer and fall here in southern California.  I am really looking forward to cooler temps.  I'm probably the opposite of most people as I like clouds, rain, mountains and trees; most people prefer sun, sand and water!  Keep your fingers crossed as we're suppose to get some rain on Sunday and Monday :)

In a previous post, I shared about this shawl I made.  I completed the shawl and just needed to block it but I was not happy with the size of it.  The photo above shows version #1 of this shawl.


Since I had so much yarn left over, I frogged the border and made the body of the shawl longer. I altered the design of the border.  It turned out great as you can see in version #2 above.  I just need to block it now and add the tassels (one day!)

One day this week, we took our lunch to the lake and ate by the shore and watched all the wildlife.  This is a manmade lake in our little city but it's so pretty; especially with all the different birds who flock to the shore.  The city will soon be hosting their Christmas tree lighting at the lake.  It makes for a beautiful site.

Speaking of Christmas, the holidays are fast approaching.  My family will be celebrating at my daughter and son-in-law's home.  She already has her menu printed and ready to go.  Isn't it lovely?   And, it's our family tradition to play monopoly until the wee hours of the morning.  Why?  Because, there's a pot of money the winner gets to take home!  I am in charge of making appetizers.  I'm thinking of doing some type of cheese puffs and maybe a meat empanada with dipping sauce.  

Ah, Lilly.  What can I say?  She is my constant companion.  I can't believe that she is 11 years young!  Poor little kitty, she has been a bit confused with the time change as her little built in clock tells her when it's time to eat.  Cats are such amazing creatures. 

That's about all that's happening around here.  Thank you for your kind comments and for visiting Lilly My Cat.  Lilly always loves to hear from you! 

With my best wishes,

Pat

Fall. . . A Time for Family and Friends and Knitting of Course!

Hello my dear friends.  I'm writing you from hot, windy, southern California.  Those Santa Ana winds are still at it and the temperature is reading 95 degree outside this afternoon and it's November!
Warning:  don't worry as there are no political statements included in my post today :)

My dear aunt made me these cute little pilgrims years and years ago.  I still put them out each year for my fall decor.  They are filled with dried beans and their little heads are made out of wooden balls.  I love them because I have such wonderful memories of my dear Aunt Allene.  She was such a talented lady and could make anything out of whatever she had.  Her crochet work is exquisite as she crocheted with thread - not yarn.  And, of course she knitted and was also excellent at embroidery.   I had three aunts and she was the most talented.  And, may I add, that she worked full time all those years and raised her family.  She was favorite aunt and so special . . .

I celebrated my birthday last week and my dear daughter took me to the Purl Soho warehouse. I don't know if you are familiar with Purl Soho, but basically to me it's like the Pottery Barn for knitting and sewing.  They're located in NYC and my daughter was just in NYC last month.  I tell my daughter, who has impeccable taste and design skills, that if she knit, she would be addicted to Purl Soho!  It was by chance that I found out that Purl Soho's warehouse was in California, about 20 miles from my house.  I received five skeins of the lucious pure alpaca yarn shown above for my birthday gift from my children.  I can hardly wait to cast on for this project.

The Purl Soho warehouse was a warehouse setting and yet, there amid the shelves, where all the items that I see via your emails/newsletters/website.  Awhile ago, I had seen these unique bulb shape pins and there they were at the warehouse beckoning to me to buy them.  Of course I had to bring them home with me!  What am I going to do with them?  Maybe just admire their shape and color!

Speaking of knitting, I really don't have a yarn stash - just a handful of miscellaneous yarn that lives in my craft closet.  But, I had one skein of King Cole Comfort Chunky that was left over from another project.  I found the perfect pattern for this yarn and I'm so pleased with this little, teeny, tiny baby sweater that I knitted.  The designer of this pattern is Danish so of course, being Danish/American, I had to knit this.  You can find the pattern link here via my Ravelry page. 

Ah, Christmas . . . that special time of year that will soon be arriving.  I think I have the majority of my shopping done.  Basically, I ordered online from Nordstrom since they have free shipping - yah!  And, if something doesn't fit, it's easy to return it.  But, I ordered the SALE items on Nordstrom.com.  I always love a bargain.  This year I ordered for the family a Fortnum and Mason Christmas hamper.  Since I had to pay 30 pounds shipping, I added on a few more items to my order.  But, after I signed into my account, they discounted almost every item!  I was so pleased because basically, it made me feel like the shipping costs were very reasonable.  I think the family will enjoy these goodies this holiday season. 

That about wraps it up as to what's been happening here at Lilly My Cat.  Monday morning I'm suppose to report for jury duty at 7:45 AM.  I've been called before for jury duty; once for superior court and once for federal court and both times I was excused.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and as always, I appreciate your taking your precious time to visit Lilly My Cat.

With my best wishes,

Pat

Linking with:

Yarn Along . . . 

Frontier Dreams . . . 

The Winds of Change

It's a sunny, very warm Wednesday morning here in southern California. And, the Santa Ana winds are blowing gusty.  The election is over and a decision has been made.  I stayed up last night until 1:30AM while texting my sister-in-law in Michigan where it was 4:30AM!

 

A lot of people are very happy and a lot of people of very sad.  But, America has voted and we have a new president.  I don't want to "ruffle any feathers" discussing politics but it was amazing to see America's democracy still works.

I say this because I feel I had been fed pure propoganda all these months.  I come from a family that on one side were staunch republicans and one side were staunch democrats.  And, I have voted both party lines throughout all these years.  And, I love labor unions!  But, I really feel there has been a "dumbing down of Americans".  I say this because if you work hard, save your money, invest your money or do anything out of the "norm", you have a hard time fitting into the mold that has been made these past few years.  And the tax laws are totally unfair to those who make money.  People need to wake up and learn how to understand their federal tax return.  That is why these past few years I sided with the Republican platform; to keep more of my hard earning money.  

But, there was a quote from one of the candidates from years ago that kept popping up and I felt totally disconnected...it was something like not staying home to bake cookies and have teas. It made me feel that my chosen path to be a wife, homemaker and stay at home mom was not meaningful.

I may be wrong, but I really feel it came down to the little guy and small town America who made this change.  On the west coast, where they are all blue states, you will find something interesting.  Washington state is blue because of Seattle, Oregon is blue because of Portland, and California is blue because of San Francisco and Los Angeles.  If you look outside these areas in each of these states, you will find that there are huge red areas.  The same thing throughout the US; red areas.  These are agricultural, small town, mom and pop towns.  

I do feel bad for Hillary; I hope that she can find her niche for her causes.  I was thankful that both candidates gave gracious speeches and I hope that our great nation of America can continue to work as it was set up to work.

Again, please do not be upset with my post today as I just wanted to share some of my thoughts.

My best to you,

Pat 

Keeping the Home Fires Burning

Hello my dear friends.  I've been away from my blog for awhile and time has slipped by so fast.  It's been a bit busy around here at Lilly My Cat.  My little grandson was here for a week and it was a joy to take care of him and take him to and back from school as his parents went to NYC for a business meeting.  How I remember those wonderful days.

 Two weeks ago my husband had surgery for a torn rotator cuff.  He's been doing well although it's a very painful and long recovery.  Tomorrow he will see his doctor for the post op follow up and we are hoping that all is well.  In the meantime, we have had occasion to go down to the beach and enjoy dinner and the sunset.

Sometimes, I feel that my knitting has taken over my life!  Haha...not really but I'm lucky that I found this hobby that keeps me grounded.  Have I told you that I love, absolutely LOVE Ravelry?  There are so many resources online.  Above is a little baby set I knitted as a gift for a dear blog friend.  This was the yarn I had received from my Little Woollie Yarn Club from Australia.

Pictured above is my Bois Blanc Island Quill Shawl which I recently completed.....but wait....I didn't like the size of it and I had lots of yarn left over.  So, after frogging the border, it's back on my needles again.  Maybe I'm old school, but to me a shawl should be something to wrap around your body but today's shawls are designed to go around your neck for a stylish look.  (yes you are correct, I'm not a fashionista by any means)  But, if you lived in year round warm southern California and still suffer from hot flashes, you wouldn't want anything wrapped around your neck either!

I made my little granddaughter a fun little tiered jacket awhile back and I had one skein of yarn left over.  I found this pattern on Ravelry and it's the perfect pattern for a one skein baby sweater.  I named it the Little Danish Sweater since the designer is from Denmark and I'm half Danish!  It will be a gift for someone someday.

With all this knitting and using my brain cells, I do find time to enjoy a glass now and then of my favorite red wine.  Don't you just love this glass "Knit One, Sip Two".  How great is that?  My dear sister-in-law, Lynda (who is an excellent knitter, quilter, needlework artist) gave me this glass.

We've had rain today and this evening down here in parched southern California.  Some much needed rain with more supposedly on the way.  Lilly has found her warm, winter bed to snuggle in. Although, it's beyond me how she fits her body into this tiny, little bed!

I hope all of you are going well.  Please feel free to say hello if you wish to leave a comment.  Until next time,

Wishing you all the best,

Pat

Linking with:

Handmade Monday . . . 

A Norwegian Birthday Party

Greetings  my dear blog friends.  I hope your week has been going well.  My week started off attending a birthday party on Monday for my dear friend Laila.  Laila is the cultural director for my local lodge of Daughters of Norway.

Gerd from our lodge hosted the party for Laila.  She had her house all decked out with the Norwegian flag along with our American flag.

The table(s) were set beautifully in anticipation of the guests arriving.  I love the Norwegian napkins as they add a special touch to the setting.

Laila was seated at this special table setting since it was her day to celebrate.  All who attended brought a dish to share for the potluck luncheon.  It was so nice to be together with friends and enjoy our afternoon.

Before the birthday cake was cut, we (all) sang this Norwegian birthday song.  It's a good thing that we have quite a few members from Norway whose first language is Norwegian!  Our lodge is planning on having Norwegian lessons for us other members.  It should be a fun adventure.

Ta Dah!  The special marzipan birthday cake.  It was layer cake filled with whipped cream and marzipan; heavenly.

And, to add to the festivities, Astrid, one of our dear members made this kransekake cake.  Someone had already nibbled a piece from the top!

Laila enjoyed opening her gifts.  Her favorite color is turquoise hence the wrappings.

And, here's the birthday girl opening her gifts.  Isn't that plant beautiful?  It was one of her gifts, too.

This is one of the gifts Laila received.  It's a handmade art card featuring hardanger embroidery.  This type of embroidery is very traditional in the Scandinavian countries.  It employs counted thread and drawn thread, usually white thread on white even weave fabric.   This lovely piece was made by Bonnie, one of our members.  Bonnie is so talented in this type of needlework. 

Maybe some of you are wondering about Daughters of Norway?  I'd love to share a few things about this group...

1.  The mission of the group is to unite into a sisterhood those who wish to preserve their Norwegian* heritage.

2.  The organization was started in 1905 with the first three lodges being in Washington state.  There were a lot of Norwegians who immigrated to western Washington at the end of the 19th century/beginning of the 20th century as there was waterways and they were experts in this field.

3.  In those early days, the lodge meetings were held speaking Norwegian.  It's quite fascinating to see how things changed as the years went by.  Today, we have many Norwegian/Americans whose grandparents immigrated from Norway.

4.  The Daughters of Norway are a vibrant and growing organization with over 1,600 members nationwide.  New members are joining monthly and lodges are continuing to be formed.

5.  If you are interested in learning about a lodge in your area, please check out their list of lodges. 

*As you may already know, I'm not Norwegian but Danish.  Lucky for me, the Daughters of Norway embrace all with Scandinavian heritage.  

As I think back about this organization, I find it quite fascinating that well over 100 years later, this group that began back in 1905 is still flourishing.  I'm also a member of the Danish Sisterhood of America.   The lodge closest to where I live meets about 60 miles away so I have not been able to attend since moving to California.  The Danish Sisterhood has similar beginnings at the end of the 19th century.  And, they too are still growing and thriving; getting new members every month.

I hope you have enjoyed this little glimpse into my Scandinavian clubs.  I grew up in a Danish farming community and after getting married, I moved to a "new" area where there were no immigrant families.  I missed my Danish heritage.  When I moved to western Washington about 20 years ago, I found these two organizations and they have brought back so many wonderful memories for me as well as increasing my knowing of my Scandinavian heritage.

Thank you for visiting today and I wish you all the best!

With my best wishes,

Pat

Linking with:

Amy's Five on Friday . . .