Note:  Don’t forget about a couple of great giveaways I have going on.  One at Your Homebased Mom and one over at iLashGirls.  Be sure and enter!!

Today’s post is a followup to the Cheesy Chicken recipe I shared earlier this week.  Our favorite side dish to eat with Cheesy Chicken is rice pilaf.

Because I am not a potato eater we eat a lot of rice at our house.  I have lots of different rice pilaf recipes but I have to say that this one is our absolute favorite.  I always double the recipe because my kids love it so much.

My mother got this recipe over 40 years ago from an Armenian man who served it at a church dinner. Our family has been enjoying it ever since.

Because the recipe doubles and quadruples easily it is great for feeding a crowd.  I have used it for many different church/large group dinners.  It also reheats nicely so can be made ahead of time.  It goes well with chicken and pork and I have even served it with beef!  It’s an all around great recipe!

It is fairly simple as far as rice pilaf recipes go but you could easily dress it up with some nuts, dried fruit etc. but my kids love it plain and simple!

Rice Pilaf

1 C uncooked rice (I use a long grain)

1/2 C vermicelli (real skinny spaghetti)

1/3 cube/stick butter

1 can chicken broth adding enough water to make 2 cups

1 tsp minced onion

1 tsp salt or I prefer 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp Lawry’s seasoning salt

In a pan melt butter and brown the broken up vermicelli.  Stir often as this will burn easily.  Cook until the noodles are well browned.  Add chicken broth, onions and salt and bring to a boil.  Add rice and stir once.  Cover and simmer slowly until cooked through (15-20 minutes)

Serves four but is easily doubled

I am excited to share another fun giveaway with you.

This week’s giveaway is compliments of Karyn from Pixel Perfect Boutique. This etsy shop is full of fun ideas. Karyn designs fun & whimsical personalized invitations, announcements, cards & more for any and all special occasions! She also does custom work.

She currently has a great selection of darling Christmas cards you can personalize with your own photo. I especially like this one!

I also love the Thanksgiving printable place cards – you just download the file to your computer, add your names and print! That extra special touch for your holiday table.

I am happy to introduce Karyn and her Etsy shop to you today!

Meet Karyn….

“My name is Karyn and I am a stay at home mom to my 6 year old daughter and 3 year old son. I have worked as a graphic designer for more than 13 years. I have had a love of all things creative since I was a small child and I am always involved in some sort of craft project. Since having my children and becoming a stay at home mom, I decided to utilize my design skills and start designing invitations, announcements, cards and more! I have recently started adding matching party favors (candy bar wrappers, treat bag tags/toppers, water & bubble bottle wrappers, stickers), address labels, personalized chore charts and my most recent addition… personalized recipe cards. I also love to do custom designs based on my customers’ needs. I have many other ideas that I am working on and will also be adding to my Etsy shop in the near future.

Design has always been my passion, and I love being able to share my designs with others! My favorite saying is “Do what you love and love what you do!” and I certainly do!”

It will be no surprise that my favorite thing in Karyn’s shop is her personalized recipe cards – they are so cute. What a perfect gift for that hard to buy for person on your list. You could give them a set of cards personalized with their name that they can share their recipes on or you could have a set made with your name on them and then write your favorite recipes to share with them as a gift!!

Aren’t they cute!?

Karyn has put together a darling giveaway for all of you. Just leave a comment below – let me know who you would like the cards personalized for – you or a friend! If your number is picked you will win this….

Personalized recipe cards tied up with a kitchen towel and wooden spoon – what a great gift for yourself or a friend!!  Not only will you receive a set of printed cards but you will also get the pdf file downloaded to your computer so you can print as many as you like – yeah!

Be sure and watch for more of Karyn’s great work as I will be sharing some of it over at Your Homebased Parties soon!! Karyn is one of a select group of my preferred vendors for all your printed party needs!

So leave a comment and good luck!!

This giveaway is open to US residents only and will be open until Saturday, November 21st, midnight PST.

Today’s recipe is one I got years ago from Julie, a friend from church.

She and I were taking dinner into another friend who had just had a baby.

Julie fixed Cheesy Chicken because it was our friends favorite dish. 

I made the salad and dessert.  I was also in charge of delivering the dinner.

Now for one of my finer moments….

I pulled into the new mom’s driveway, parked and got out of the car to get the food from the other side of the car where I had put it.  I opened the car door.  During the trip over the food had shifted and the casserole dish full of wonderful, hot, bubbly and cheesy chicken came crashing out of the car onto the cement driveway!

I couldn’t believe it!  I had to go to the door and tell this family that their dinner was now dripping down their driveway!  I was so embarrassed!!

They were of course very understanding, and the husband got out the hose and washed their dinner down the drain!!

I went off to the grocery store to pick up some fried chicken!

Despite that horrible experience, Cheesy Chicken has become one of our family favorites and is a dish I often take when I am asked to take dinner to someone.  I ALWAYS check before I open the car door now though!!!

Do you have a favorite dish you always take when you are asked to take dinner into someone?  I’d love for you to leave the recipe in the comment section so we can all see!  I need a few new ideas!

Our favorite side dish to serve Cheesy Chicken with is rice pilaf.  I’ll share our families favorite rice pilaf recipe on Friday!

So here’s our favorite – Cheesy Chicken!

Cheesy Chicken

8 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Sauce:

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/3 can beef broth

1/3 C Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

1/4 tsp pepper

1 Tbsp parsley flakes

Mix sauce ingredients together.

1/3 cube/stick of butter, melted

2 oz. whole cashews

1 lb. grated Monterey Jack cheese

Melt butter in 9 x 13 dish.  I used my heavy roasting pan.  Lay chicken over butter. Cover with 3/4 of sauce.

Bake 1 hour at 325.  Add rest of sauce and cashews.  Top with cheese.  Turn oven off.  Leave in oven for 5 more minutes. 

I spent the weekend at the beach and spent some more time pouring over Pioneer Woman’s new cookbook.   I love it and my list of recipes to try is even longer now!

I know our winner is going to love her new cookbook!!!

The winner is #63 – Nicole!

Congratulations Nicole!!  Thanks to all of you who entered.  I highly recommend you place this cookbook on your Christmas Wish List or just go out and buy yourself a copy today – you deserve it!!

Congratulations to #103 – Emmy

who has won the beautiful monogram pendant from Madison Reece Designs.

A special thank to Madison Reece Designs for their support of Your Homebased Mom and sponsoring this giveaway.

Melissa has so many beautiful pieces so please be sure and visit her shop for some of your holiday gift giving needs!  Support another homebased mom!

Note:  You  have until midnight tonight to join my Pioneer Woman Dinner Party.  Click here if you haven’t entered to win a Pioneer Woman Cookbook yet!!  We’re not quite to 200 entries yet but we’re getting close – you can do it!  Please!?

Today I am excited to invite you to another party – Your Homebased Party!

I have always loved a good party.  This may seem strange to some of you but I would really rather put on a party than just go to a party!

I love the challenge and process of coming up with an idea or theme and then developing it through food, decorations, games and fun!

I have hosted many parties over the years from a small intimate dinner party to a large group event of over 400 people!.  I started with my first dinner party at the age of 13!

Thanks to requests from many of you and my love for a good party I am excited to share with you today my latest venture – Your Homebased Parties!

Your Homebased Parties is a place where you can go for a party – every day!   A place for ideas and inspiration for your next party or a place where you can find me, Your Homebased Party Planner!

I am excited to share my love for planning a party with you – yes, you can have me as your Personal Party Planner.  How fun is that!!

If you have a party, big or small, coming up that you would like some help with be sure and let me know – just use my Party Form!  It may be as simple as needing some help with the menu for a dinner party or maybe you need help developing an entire plan!  I can help.

At Your Homebased Parties, I will feature parties I have planned and helped with as well as tips, ideas, inspiration and resources for party planning.  I’d love to share your parties too.  If you have photos to share from some of your favorite parties please email me and let me know – I’d love to feature your party on Your Homebased Parties!

I want to give a great big THANK YOU to my dear friend and amazing blog designer Sherra of Standout Impressions.  Sherra took my ideas and vision and turned them into an amazing reality.  I can’t wait for you to see the new blog – it is so PRETTY!!!  Without Sherra I never could have done this – thank you dear friend!  If you or someone you know is looking for some help in starting or freshening up a blog please check out Sherra’s website!

So hurry on over right now, look around and be sure and leave me a comment and tell me what you think.  You can also check out some fun photos from my very first dinner party!!

Be sure and subscribe by email or add me to your RSS reader to receive regular updates.

Your Homebased Parties - party planning from my home to yours!

Today’s recipe is one I have had for years.  I haven’t shared it on the blog before because I figured it was a recipe everyone had.

Well, maybe everyone doesn’t have it but everyone SHOULD have it.

This recipe alone has made me a VERY popular mother with my boys and many of their friends.  This is one of my most requested recipes from my kid’s friends.

I have made batches of these and delivered them to tour buses passing through town.  Mailed them to missionaries.  I have made them, wrapped them in plastic and foil and packed them into my suitcase to deliver them to certain college students.  In other words – they are good!

They are also pretty easy to make because they use a cake mix.  The only hard part of the whole recipe is unwrapping the caramels.  The recipe calls for a bag of those individually wrapped Kraft caramels – the kind you make caramel apples out of.  But these brownies are so good that it is easy to get one of the kids to unwrap them for you with the promise of a warm, gooey caramel brownie.

If you are lucky enough to have a Walmart near your house (I’m not) you may be able to find these…

 They look just like chocolate chips but are made out of caramel.  So easy to use – no unwrapping!!! I have only seen them at the Walmart in Provo,  Utah and each time I visit I stock up!!

What better combination than chocolate and caramel – yum!!
 

So next time you want to get in good with your children’s friends – make them a batch of Caramel Brownies.  They will love you forever!!
 

Caramel Brownies

14 oz package Kraft caramels (about 50) or 1 bag of Caramel Bits

2/3 C evaporated milk, divided

1 box of German Chocolate cake mix

3/4 C butter, melted

1 C semi sweet chocolate chips

1 C chopped nuts, optional.  I don’t use.

Over medium low heat, melt 1/3 C evaporated milk and caramels in a saucepan.  Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Mix cake mix, butter, 1/3 C evaporated milk and nuts (optional).  Mix together well.  Press 1/2 of the dough into bottom of pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes.  Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and spread caramel on top of that.  Sprinkle remaining dough on top (will not completely cover)  Bake 15-18 minutes.  Can refrigerate to set caramel but we never do!  Just eat them warm!!

I grew up with a father that watched very little sports, just the occasional golf tournament.

I married a man who LOVES sports!  In fact our first date was to a football game. 

Thanks to my husband, we have raised two boys that also LOVE sports!

Having lived the last 27 years in Portland their basketball team of choice is of course the Portland Trailblazers.  My boys love the Blazers.  They have loved them through good years and through bad years. Now that they are in Utah my boys are there to cheer on their Blazers anytime they play in Utah.

While the boys were growing up we shared season tickets with several other families and the three boys would enjoy the male bonding time at Blazer games.  If you asked my boys, this is probably one of their favorite childhood memories – going to Blazer games with their dad. When they were younger Clark usually had to be carried home on his dad’s shoulder because he had fallen asleep!

Their Halloween costume of choice often was to be a Blazer fan!

Basketball season is in full swing, at least at our house.  If your boys are like my boys, they always need some good snacks and treats to help them enjoy the game more when they are watching from home.

When I asked Clark what a good Blazer watching treat would be the first thing he mentioned was Buffalo Chicken Wings.

Today’s recipe is a little twist on chicken wings – it’s a dip.  Buffalo Chicken Dip.  It has a nice kick to it and gives you the same flavor and tastes as actual chicken wings and is a little less messy to eat.  I cut down on the amount of hot sauce as we’re not huge “heat” fans around here.  I served it with the Frito Scoop chips and it was yummy!  Lots of cheesy goodness and chicken.

 Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 C of  shredded or diced chicken

1 cup ranch dressing

3/4 cup red hot sauce  (I used Frank’s Red Hot Wing sauce)

1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Frito corn chips, Scoops

Mix cream cheese, ranch dressing and red hot sauce together.  Add in shredded chicken.  Place mixture in a pie pan that has been sprayed with Pam.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for another 10-15 minutes until nice and hot and bubbly.

Serve with Fritos.

Of course you need a sweet treat too!  I mixed up a batch of Rip City Popcorn (Rip City is a Blazer expression).  It’s just white chocolate popcorn with some red and black licorice added in to match the Blazer team colors!
 

Some other great game watching treats are:

Steak Bites

Salsa Verde Carnitas

Pita Chips

Pizza Hut Pan Pizza

For more information and updates on the Blazers and their schedule be sure and check out Blazer’s Edge – a site by Blazer fans, for Blazer fans and my boys favorite Blazer website!

Enjoy and Go Blazers!!

I am excited to introduce you to another wonderful Etsy shop.  Throughout November and into December I will be featuring and sharing with you various Homebased Business’.

This week I want to introduce you to Melissa of Madison Reece Designs.

Melissa makes beautiful silver jewelry.  I am so excited to share Melissa’s beautiful work with you.  She has generously offered one of her amazing pieces for a giveaway here at Your Homebased Mom!

But first, let me introduce Melissa to you!

“My name is Melissa, I am stay at home mom to two daughters ages 11 & 4.  I reside in Ohio, my company is named MadisonReeceDesigns which is both of my daughters middle names put together.  I have always been a artsy/crafty person, I grew up with it, my mom was always making or decorating something.
 
I started making jewelry almost 3 years ago, and I have been evolving ever since.  I like to work with different mediums, my shop is ever changing.  My current fascination is PMC (fine silver), I have been working with this clay for about 6 months now and I love the endless possibilities it has to offer.  
  
I have just purchased my first Kiln and I am excited to continue working with PMC, and further my art with enameling and metalsmithing.”

Melissa is generously offering this beautiful piece as a giveaway.

Isn’t it beautiful?  A perfect gift for yourself or someone on your holiday list.  Of course it will be personalized with the letter of your choice.

The pendant measures right under 1″ and hangs from a silver ball necklace that is available in 16″, 18″ or 20″.   The value is $34.00

You will find in silver clay designs that they are not perfect, they are meant to look very rustic and far from perfect. They have fine lines or marks in them that add character. Your design will not look exactly like this one, there are no two alike.

What a beautiful and unique gift to give!

Please pay Melissa’s etsy shop a visit and maybe get a jump on some of your holiday shopping! 

To enter the giveaway just leave a comment below.

Giveaway will be open until Nov. 13th, at midnight PST.  Thanks and good luck!!

Congratulations to #89 Cathy Barnes

who has won the darling magnet board from Moore Magnets.

A special thank to Moore Magnets for their support  of Your Homebased Mom and sponsoring this giveaway.  Please be sure to take advantage of the coupon offer to all Homebased Mom readers -you still have a few days to take advantage of the 15% off coupon.  Just go to Moore Magnet’s website and enter YOURHOMEBASEDOM in the coupon code to receive the discount.

So many darling styles and fabrics to choose from – a perfect way to start or finish your holiday shopping!!