Foggy Stacks of Chicken

The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it.
~Patrick Young

I think I jinxed it yesterday when I said our Tule fog had not arrived.  Guess what came to visit the valley big time.  You guessed it - fog!  Where was the sunshine yesterday?  Non-existent.  Blue sky?  Nope.  Grey, only grey.  Grey as far as you could see.  And, boy, did our local weather meteorologist nail it on the head when he predicted a high only in the 40's when everyone else was saying we would reach the high 50's.  Our high yesterday was a very chilly 44* - it only went up 7 degrees from our low.  And with a house that was built in 1914 that has very little wall insulation, I think the chill has settled in our house too.  Thank goodness I have lots of quilts around - lol!

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

A tree not far from our house in the fog

The above picture was taken around 11:00 yesterday morning.  Not much light when the fog decides to set down here.  Tule fog is a thick ground fog that settles in the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley areas of California's Great Central Valley. Tule fog forms during the late fall and winter (California's rainy season) after the first significant rainfall. This phenomenon is named after the tule grass wetlands (tulares) of the Central Valley. Accidents caused by the tule fog are the leading cause of weather-related casualties in California.  Tule fog is a radiation fog, which condenses when there is a high relative humidity (typically after a heavy rain), calm winds, and rapid cooling during the night.  I wonder how long it will hang around this time.

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Yesterday I accomplished my goal:  make some blocks for Block Lotto.  This months blocks are very simple to make.  The selecting and cutting out of the fabric is what is time consuming.  This month Sophie, our wonderful administrator, selected the block she calls Stacks.  These blocks are similar to the traditional block, Chinese Coins, except our stacks aren't nice and even, which means no matching seams.

Here are the four 10 1/2" blocks I made yesterday morning.  We were to use bright fabrics with white or WOW (white-on-white) fabrics.  Each colored strip measured 8" X 2 1/2" and each white piece measure 3" X 2 1/2".  Sew the pieces together, sew the strips together.  Then square up the block to the required 10 1/2" making sure that there was at least 1/2" of white on each side.  My mind really wanted to line the seams up but it was rather fun not having to worry about that for a change.

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Have you been looking for a quick but tasty chicken recipe?  I might have just what you are looking for.  Once again, thanks to allrecipes.com, I found this perfect wonderful recipe.........

Aimee's Quick Chicken

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 ounces Dijon mustard

2 ounces Honey mustard

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1/4 cup bacon bits

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)

2.  Place chicken in a lightly greased 9X13 inch baking dish.  

3.  Blend mustards and teriyaki sauce together.  Slather the mixture evenly over the chicken.  Sprinkle with bacon bits.

4.  Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle cheese on top and continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes.

Personal Notes:

1.  The original recipe called for all Dijon mustard but I like just the hint of sweet added with the Honey mustard.

2.  I sometimes use an Italian blend cheese instead of just Parmesan.

3.  Reheats well.  However, don't leave the leftovers in a Tupperware on the counter overnight like I did last time - no leftovers for me :(
 

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TODAY'S GOAL

Since I have completed all of my swap blocks and lotto blocks, I have given myself permission to finally start working on the Birdie Stitches BOM.  I can hardly wait to begin.  The pattern for this month is so cute.

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GIVEAWAYS

Young By Design is having a great giveaway.  She is giving away 8 yards of fabric and some notions.  You must enter this one by Saturday, January 8.

My friend, Staci, is celebrating reaching 300 followers and her birthday month over at The Confused Quilter.  She is giving away a luscious stack of 11 fat quarters of Essex Linen (a linen/cotton blend) in a rainbow of colors.  This giveaway closes on January 12th.

Keep Me In Quilts is having a Happy New Year Giveaway.  If you would like to try to win a brand new pair of 8" Gingher scissors then you need to enter before Monday, January 10th.

How many of you would like a chance to win 7 1/8 yards of fabric and a great full color pattern?  If you are interested then you need to enter my 300+ Follower Thank You Giveaway!  A lucky winner will be selected by random.org Sunday night with the winner posted in my Monday morning blog.

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FINAL THOUGHT

My dog, Snickerdoodle likes to leave what I call booby traps around the house.  NO! Not the nasty smelly or wet kind - lol!!  She leaves her squeaky toys in strategic locations.  These always seem to be in my walking path (which I know is her plan).  And, of course, when I least expect it, I step on one of the toys, scaring the daylights out of me.  You probably ask why I don't see them.  I use a walker that has a seat and it partially blocks my line of vision.  I am sure Snickerdoodle just waits for me to make a toy squeak and then probably is rolling around laughing at me behind my back.  Of course, then she expects you to pick up said toy and throw it for her.  Dogs are funny little creatures.

If you wonder where your child left his roller skates, try walking around the house in the dark.
~Leopold Fechtner
(or in my case, the dog toy)

Thursday - another day to be creative!!