It’s the Little Things

“Yep, always is—the ‘straw’ that breaks the camel’s back, the ‘last word’, the ‘last straw’—what’s with all this straw stuff anyway?–that sort of thing—it’s always the little things,” commented Jabberwocky.

No, No, No!  This isn’t a complaining post, Jabber!  Nope, this is a HAPPY POST!  These have made me HAPPY!  Oh, not in the way of rejoicing happy like Snoopy stomping his feet around doing the Snoopy dance with a big smile on his doggy face, nor in the way of swooning happy like movie stars used to do when they were overcome with happy emotions, nor even in the way that Rocky Road Ice Cream with chocolate sprinkles can make me happy.  Nope.  This is one of those, “make you smile, even if only to yourself’ happy things.

“I would like the Rocky Road Ice Cream please if it is all the same to you……” said Jabber…..

Well, can’t have it.  We are on a healthy eating routine for the duration, Jabber.  So, get back to the topic here—things that make us happy.

Last weekend, while brocanting with the Brigade (you recall them, don’t you?),

Yes, well, anyway, one brocanter pointed out these cute little pewter cabinet knobs to me—and I had to HAVE them! 

So, for the princely sum of $1 each, I bought them.  They are living in the laundry room—a room which has always made me smile (it is a happy room).  Here are the knobs photos:

Several coffee cups

Toasters with toast—several of these

Multiple teapots

Peas in a pod with tomatoes, four of these

There are many cabinet doors in my laundry room (which is one reason I like that room so much—loads of storage), so I did not have enough of these darling knobs for all the doors.  No matter, I thought.  I’ll just order some online—wow!  Was I ever shocked to see the prices.  I did find the teacups (or maybe it was the teapots, I don’t recall) online, but I did not find any of the others.  I found myself looking at $25 per knob! 

So, after some research, I located these and ordered enough to re-knob (is that a word?) the rest of the cabinets:

For $1.29 each, they were a pretty good buy—the best I could find at the time.  They don’t ‘match’, but that is the idea—they are amusing and fun to look at, like the others, but they won’t ‘scream’ at one when one walks into the room.  Just a fun detail.

And, I got to thinking about ‘thrifting’ or ‘yard sale-ing’ or whatever one wants to call what I have done to decorate my home with OPS—other people’s stuff.  There is no way I would pay $25 per knob to replace my somewhat outdated and worn plain gold cabinet knobs—but for $1 or so each, yes, it’s an affordable luxury.  The yard sale finds were new, never used.  They would go to Good Will or someplace like that had I not purchased them.  The owner had tired of having them around, not using them, and so wanted to simply dispose of them for much less than they could be purchased retail.  I find this true for most items at sales. 

Now they will add a bit of sparkle and interest to a room where I spend time, and they make me smile.

Other People’s Stuff = opportunity for you!

Magazines often feature stories about antiques and the decorators who use them.  Antiques are Other People’s Stuff!  They simply represent something of quality, once purchased new, which the owner has passed down to his/her next generation and so on or items which have been sold and are OLD and generally rare.  Quality comes into play here, of course, and I don’t pretend that everything I own has ‘quality’—everything doesn’t HAVE to. 

But, it’s a real pleasure to find someone else’s items they no longer want or use and be able to purchase the items at such a reduced price—and, yes, occasionally, one will find something of both quality and value which is OLD—an antique! 

Buying new is fun if one has the money, the ‘eye’, the time to research for quality at good prices, and especially if one wants to ‘be current.’  (That’s a nice way to say, ‘keep up with the Jones’s’.)  But I have found that good quality items which I love will stand the proverbial test of time.  They become even more interesting, and sometimes more valuable.  Mixing them with some new items very often will yield great results.

Shopping on a weekly basis at individual sales (sometimes at church sales, too) will give one time to incorporate each new treasure into one’s home, and it won’t break the bank, either.  Your home will be unique and often you will have items which could not be found at a retail store.  If you buy something you find you don’t like or can’t use, you have not invested much!  Flexibility for decorating at a very low price. 

So, it’s Saturday morning and time for another adventure.  I wonder what we will find today?

Here are some more items from last week’s Brocanting adventure:

Vietri Platter—I paid $5, but this china retails for considerably more online!

I paid $2 for this Jim Shore Santa and found him on ebay for $45.

Large platter and matching bowl, CIC International, $15 for the set. 

This is a lamp which I will place in the little boys’ Cowboy Room.  For $5.  I have never seen one like it.

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Questions to ponder

So, whatcha’doin’ on a sunny Sunday afffernoon?  Yes, it is I, it is ME, it is JABBER.  Jabberwocky.  ‘member me?  Yes.  ‘course you do.  SPIT SPOT and all that…….

I have been helpin’ HER (you know her) make invitations.  For a Christmas party.  Yes, I know it’s only August, but she has a LOT of time on her hands.  As we have established elsewhere, else time, anyway, at some point we did. 

Whilst making said invitations—what do you mean, “what invitations?”  Hey, why is it that you can’t keep up when I WRITE ON THE BOG?  I mean THE BLOG?……..the invitations I wrote about a paragraph ago.  Reread if you have to, dimwit.  Then you maybe will retain it……

Okay, anyway, whilst making said invitations, I was thimkin’……I like to thimk….I came up with some questions for all you readers out there.  You ARE ‘out there’ aren’t you?  It is hard for Jabber to say, sometimes, when nobody comments nothin’ you know……..and doesn’t even so much as click “like”! If you are, then answer these for Jabber, will you?

K, I’m gonna’ type it in regular type type.  So you can read it.  If I can figure out how to get it to stop italicizing everything.  It always does it when I’m typin……….ok, here goes:

What does a stork have to do with delivering babies and who thought up THAT idea?

For that matter, why is a stork the spokesperson—or is it spokes stork—for pickles?

What does a lizard have to do with insurance?  And who thought that up?  Is he a chameleon?  Is that why he is green?  Then hows come he’s green when he’s not on the grass—why isn’t he black or somthin’ when he’s walkin’ on that bridge in the latest ‘mercial?  I thot that chameleons turned colors like their surroundings?

I know they SAY he’s a Gecko, but I don’t believe that.  ‘Cause I’ve known a Gecko or two in my life, and believe me, they aren’t so smart as to speak, and speak in British at that!  Chameleons I don’t know much about………..

And for that matter, why is it not easy being green?  He seems to do alright, has a billfold and pulls it out to pay for his and his boss’s lunch—recall? 

And where, exactly, does he keep such billfold?

And why is that somewhat strange woman

always comparing insurance rates and embarrassing the competitors in the insurance commercial?

In one, their pants are on fire.  I guess we are to assume they are “liars, liars, pants on fire!” but they don’t say so.  The guys just wind up without pants, in their under shorts.

She’s doing alright, too, having her own boat and everything……….you see that?  She also has a large HORSE-bird, depicted above—why is that?  I mean, why not a plane? It’s a BIRD!  It’s a PLANE!  No, no, IT IS A HORSE-BIRD.  There is a woman on top–Her name is Flo.  Is that short for Florence?  Or is it short for “Flossie”?

Or are we supposed to just ‘go with the Flo”?  I don’t know.

Has anybody figured out why Miss Muffet sat on a Tuffet?   See, what if she wasn’t so cutesy?  Like this:

I know what curds and whey are, but I don’t know why she sat on that particular tuffet—was it prettier than other tuffets?  And what’s with the ‘pidey who sat down aside her?  Most ‘pideys’ I know woldn’t come close to a Muffet OR a Tuffet.  Specially not THIS Miss Muffet………..she’s pretty pudgy, looks sumthin’ like the child of the HULK, what?, and has a kitty there, too……..and ‘pideys do NOT like kiddites.

And that big egg that fell off the wall—why did someone put him up there in the first place?  That seems like a stupid thing to do with an uncooked egg.  If he’d a been HARD BOILED, he would have just cracked and not broken all to pieces.  ‘Sides, if he’d been hard boiled, somebody coulda washed him off and made egg salad and enjoyed a nice lunch.

Seems like a waste to Jabber.

So, k there are your questions to ponder for the rest of the week.  I ‘spect answers, too, and yes, there will be a pop quiz sometime.  If I told you when, it wouldn’t be.  A pop quiz.  What do you mean, “Why?”  ‘Cause, I’m writin’ this Bog!

An all this silliness  leads Jabber to ask, “If we are tellin’ ourselfs such gibberish (‘member, I SPEAK it!), then hows come we are ‘prised when our kids can’t figure stuff out in school?  And why are we ‘prised when people can’t figure out what’s goin’ on in the world?  You know, and make GOOD CHOICES?  Cluding our leaders?  (This does not refer to OUR “leader” who DOES make good choices.  Which is why we follow her, at least M,W,F from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.  In class.)

And that, my dear readers, is the real point of all this.  Asides, when one is helpin’ makin’ invites for a whole affernoon, one has to thimk ‘bout somthin’……

Jabberwocky

Ahem, Jabber!!  You might have warned them a bit!  Since I have the last say, not to ‘bog you down’ or anything, here is a real chart to ponder.  And, yes, this is political—but neither side or any slivers of sides is favored.  The point it:  without compromise and cooperation, we are doomed to the same end, regardless of which extreme is in charge.

So, compromise!  And Cooperate!  That goes for you, too, Jabber!  CLICK ON CHART TO ENLARGE.

 

 

 

http://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/2012/08/michael-parenti-functions-of-fascism.html

Functions of Fascism and Capitalism’s self-inflicted wounds.  (Excellent article, by the way.)

The Sound of Music

Harpeth Heights Baptist Church Dessert Theater, August 10, 11, 17 and 18 at 7 p.m. nightly.

2 p.m. Saturday Matinees.  Tickets $10.              8063 Highway 100, Nashville, TN  37221

call 646- 5050 or go to www.Harpethheights.org

Some of the “Y-Knots” attended this musical production yesterday afternoon.  It was wonderful!

Cupcake (Sharon)

Thumper (Vickie)

Vanna (striking a pose) (Judy)

Girlfriend (Patricia)

Cheerleader (Cheryl)

The star (as far as we were concerned) of the show, Maisie of Tree-Trimming Fame!  (Mary Ann—below)

Here are some more photos of this extraordinarily well-done production:

Before the show began, a photo of Vanna with Maisie.

 

 

 

 

 

  The set and ‘theater’.

 

 

 

 

Mary Ann and her real-life husband, Jan, dancing as ‘guests’ at a party in the play.  Don’t they look STUNNING!

 

 

The performers were all very amazing, excellent vocalists, beautifully done costumes (and several changes!), and the accompaniment was technically almost perfect throughout (done with equipment).  The set design quite adaptable from living room to bedroom to balcony area to church—nicely done!

Especially moving was the song, “Climb Every Mountain”, sung by Marilyn Boniol, who has the most amazing and powerful voice.  We were all wiping away tears by the time she finished.

If you are in the Nashville area and have an opportunity to go to one of these performances, you will enjoy it!

Jabberwocky’s Complaint

Jab·ber·wock·y

1. a playful imitation of language consisting of invented, meaningless words; nonsense; gibberish.

Jabber got into my computer and wrote this a while back.  I’d neglected to delete it, so might as well publish it as Jabber has been fairly helpful lately.  We all have the right to complain, once in a while, right?

Jabberwocky here.  Jabber be frustrated.  With the woman Jabber is supposed to be ‘helping’ who frankly needs a lot of help……….and pays NO attention to Jabber some days, which makes Jabber want to say, “Scrabbledegook!”  (not a nice word for Jabber to say, either!)

This has been SOME day—no, not “someday” but SOME day.  Someday is when She will pay attention, once in a while, to Jabber, but it was not today………..

And, as Vanna pointed out this morning, striking a pose:

Here is Vanna:

She needs to focus!  This because, first off, she spilled a lot of water on the floor during workout class,

  This is her—on the left there………

and so mopped the floor while trying to do band work and didn’t at all.  What do you mean, “why?”  I just told you—cause she was mopping the floor.

Oh, I see, it’s going to be one of THOSE posts where I have to remind you to pay attention.  PAY ATTENTION!  You’ll miss something…….

As I was writing………..

Then, Daughter  comes in as she’s crunching or scrunching or somethin’, anyway,

(That’s daughter on the right)

Daughter comes in to class and bends over her who is lying on the floor with legs and arms flaying around (she calls it exercising, funny that) and asks her to take Grandson to camp.  No, not right then.  Later.  So, sure she says and instead of doing THAT, she has TMWLH do it, but promptly forgets whether she’s supposed to pick up Grandson or not after camp.

So off she runs home, after that, and waters and feeds PLANTS, for heaven’s sake, like THEY need attention, and she realizes she has 20 minutes to take a shower and get dressed………

You still with me here?  NO?  Pay Attention!!!  Spit Spot!  (or was it Spiff-Spoff?  I got that from Mary Poppins, who was also a figment of someone’s imagination like Jabberwocky. 

There is a lot of discussion about this online, evidently, go here if you want more information   http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1909788  which seems a strange topic, but then, some of us have too much time on our hands and, as has been previously established, a very active imagination.  Be forewarned, some of the discussion is in FRENCH!  OMG!)

Which prompts a rush to go get Grandson when she can’t reach Daughter on the phone.  And, of course, she wasn’t.  Supposed to go.  Pick him up.  ‘Cause Daughter shows up right after she’s had to show her ID and tell everybody there who she was, like 9 year old Grandson couldn’t identify her, which he could, but didn’t……  that’s Grandson below…….

No, I don’t know why.  He just didn’t.  Maybe ‘cause her hair is a mess, I don’t know…..

And comes home to get ready for her hair appointment which is somewhat unique in that it’s at home and the hairdresser is Russian, very smart lady, who speaks both English and Russian very well, but I don’t know if she speaks French, but likely does, and likely several other languages—and Jabber only speaks Jabber which makes her feel a bit dumb, which she is, but I digress.  And this woman, who is a friend now, comes and does her hair but asks questions about insurance because She used to know something about it, having had to work with it, but that was eons ago and now she’s 110 and can’t recall much, which causes phone calls to yet another friend who is QUITE KNOWLEDGEABLE about insurance but can’t answer the question while talking with her on the phone and says she’ll call back, and She has to hold the phone away from her head because her hair is being colored at that moment an’ she doesn’t want to get the phone all yucky, but later has to explain to her hairdresser friend what her other friend did tell her about networks and insurance and referrals and all that gibberish, which is what Jabber speaks anyway, but which is all too complicated and besides, this sentence is going on way too long and I can’t figure out how to get it to stop italicizing.

So, (got it to stop!) then she says goodbye to her friend the hairdresser and puts some laundry in and helps make the bed and another friend comes by bringing her some thing for a Christmas tree because as we all know, she is ALWAYS doing Christmas trees and now all her friends know this and she has an entire Army of volunteers

(yeah, there they are—getting out of Jabberwocky’s van to go to a sale……)

 

searching out and seizing appropriate items for novel trees at all times of the year which she will use on one tree or another.  For THAT, she seeks my input. 

And she gives THIS friend some novel things for HER Christmas tree and they visit a bit and the friend leaves and NOBODY TELLS ME goodbye!  Come to think of it, nobody has even said ‘hello’ to me today which is why I decided to write this post for her blog and then you’ll all pay attention.  And, maybe she will FOCUS!

So, if you think you’ve had a rough day, try being the imagination of this nut case!

                Jabber

(there is that darned italic script again!)

Longest Yard Sale Day Two

“AN, so………we got up early to hit the sales up on Signal Mountain, right?  And there were lots of ‘em—some individual and some more of those big tent city sales…”

Yes, Jabber, we all did.  But first we ate breakfast at our motel and then we headed out, up up up the mountain (which did not make the girls very happy, their tummies were giving them fits), but Jabberwocky was fine.  We stopped at many sales and once got into a subdivision from which we almost did not get out.  It was very crowded, with sales at every house.

Some of the ‘tent cities’ were set up like small, old villages, complete with buildings and country stores.  Here are some shots:

 

No, he was not for sale—but a real stuffed Bobcat, I think!

Around mid-afternoon,

This kept calling our names…….

“Yeah, an’ guess who ate a funnel cake?” said Jabber..

“You ate some, too!” declared Jabberwocky. Well, yes, of course I did! Nothing like fried dough covered in powdered sugar to give one a boost!

More scrap metal animals!

It was then that Jabberwocky spotted Jesus and the Poodle:

When I told Jenny that Jabber had spotted them together, she began to laugh, saying, “You don’t hear those two words together very often, Mom, ‘Jesus’ and ‘poodle.’” 

Which is when Jessica walked up and said, “No, NO!  That is NOT Jesus and a Poodle!  That is Jesus with a monkey!”  Which made us laugh even harder.  How often are THOSE two words used in a sentence? 

Upon close inspection, we realized it was the “Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil” statue behind Jesus.  And, so, yes, there was Jesus with a monkey statue behind him.

And, no, we did not purchase either statue.

It was then that we saw the Man with his Pet Goat, Brownie.

Very nice man with a very nice goat.  On a leash.  He allowed as how he had been bringing Brownie to these sales for quite a while.  (No, I did not ask what Brownie was shopping for.)  Brownie is a milk goat and Mr. Man makes goat cheese from Brownie’s milk.  Brownie didn’t seem to mind having her picture taken or being petted.  Very nice goat, as I said.

Mr. Man stated that he had several goats, but Brownie was his pet goat.  Another person asked if he raised the goats to eat, wherein Jenny said, “OH NO! Don’t say that in front of Brownie!”

Mr. Man said that, no, these goats were milk goats and too boney to eat!  I think Brownie smiled a little bit when he said that, but not knowing goats very well, I couldn’t say for sure.

After we had eaten lunch, we took a side road to a Barn Sale advertised as ‘HUGE”, “Don’t Miss This One!”, “This Way, It’s Just a bit Further”, “You’re Almost There” and suchlike signs…….

Yes, was, indeed, a Barn.

And, in the barn…….

Animals!  Some for sale, some not.  It WAS A BARN!

Sale!

Not being in the ‘market’ for birds, I didn’t inquire—but this guy was HUGE!  And beautiful.  And, yes, it smelled like a barn.

A Conestoga Wagon…….

This is a bird with a huge tail, evidently in jail? and a criminal?—and he’s WANTED!  Imagine!!

Puppies!  Yes, they were for sale, too…..

By this time, we were ready to continue on, which we did for a while.  We went to another ‘tent city’ sale in a field.  It was here that Jenny saw the Iguana.  On a ladies’ shoulder.  And, yes, it was alive:

Not phased by it all,  Jessica remarked, “Well, if we are going to have wine, we need some Special LONGEST YARD SALE WINE GLASSES FOR US!”  And Jenny marched into the very next tent and motioned for us to come in.  There they were!!  And so, yes, we bought them.  They will only be used for our annual Longest Yard Sale Trip!

Left is for Jenny, center is for Jessica, and right is MOI! Jabberwocky!  How cute are these????

After this purchase, I sad, “Well!  What I need are some little decorative spoons!”  And two tents down, guess what I found?  Yes, indeedy, 17 little decorative spoons at a bargain price!  So, of course, I bought them all.

And, finally, Jenny said, “The only thing we have not seen is a Kayak, which is what Larry wanted.”

Guess what happened then?  No, not a Kayak, a Canoe!

And THEN THE KAYAK!!

Happy with how the day had gone, we drove back to our motel for a nap before dinner!

Here we are, ready to go dine:

So, we all ventured over the busy street, up a hill, and ate at Logan’s.  This was ‘cause, of course, we had to ‘break in’ our new glasses!  So, we walked.

We all had a marvelous time, with lots of unique adventures!  I highly recommend you plan to go next year.  We will!

Longest Yard Sale 2012

“It was the best of times—I’m not going to be a lil’ Dickens here and say it was the worst of times, ‘cause it wasn’t—it was the BESTEST of times!” said Jabberwocky who had gone with us (of course—just try to leave a Jabberwocky at home when you are going on an adventure!)

“An’ we saw all kinds of things—stuff for sale and puppies for sale and birds and a pet goat an’ a Iguana,  an’ we bought some stuff an’……” she pauses, out of breath, “we laughed until we cried and then we laughed some more.”

Okay, Jabber, my turn to say what we did:

My two girls and I set off for our second annual Longest Yard Sale trip on Friday morning, cooler stashed with drinks, wine, and ice, cash in the wallets, plenty of snacks and eager for our adventure.  The Longest Yard Sale runs from Michigan all the way to Alabama, over 600 miles, but of course, we were only going part way, in Tennessee.  When we arrived in Crossville, the heavens let loose with a big rain, so of course, we stopped to eat lunch first.  Jessica (left), Jenny below.

This guy wanted us for lunch, so we stopped there.

Fortified and ready to roll on as the rain ceased, we were off to our first stop—a huge field set up with lots of vendor tents.  Here are photos:

 

Animals made out of scrap metal—horses and a flock of ‘flingos’!

Jessica is amazed at the various sculptures!

 

                                                       AND……….

 

How about this for a grill?  “Is it ok to grill steak on a bull grill?” asked Jabber.

That is a question I can’t answer.

Angry birds and pigs!

More photos of unique items for sale:

“What are those things?” Jabber inquired about the above dress……. deer heads or goat heads or something like that, 3 dimensional, sewn into the garment—I’ve never seen anything like it.

Fishing gear below……….

After much deliberation,  Jessica purchased old license plates because, as we all know, they are so CUTE for wall décor!

On for more sights—fields of creatures made from scrap metal at several tent city sales:

Every creation was so cute!

 

 

Finally, exhausted, damp, sweaty (it was very hot and humid), and a bit dirty from tramping around in the fields, we headed to our hotel.  We decided to go eat at Sticky Fingers, downtown Chattanooga, which is where we ate last year.  It was deliciouso!  BBQ ribs!  We had some wine back at the hotel and went to bed early…………….for tomorrow was Saturday and another day of sailing ahead of us….

(to be continued)

Announcement!

If you are looking for a fun afternoon or evening, consider going to Harpeth Heights Dessert Theater on August 10, 11, 17, or 18.  They will be performing THE SOUND OF MUSIC at 7 p.m., with matinees on August 11 and 18 at 2 p.m.

This is a large church which has many very talented members donating their time and talents for this performance.  We attended a dinner theater there a while back and thoroughly enjoyed the evening.  And may I also add, we were quite impressed with their talents.  Many performers are professionals in the music industry.   And, our own “Maisie” will be one of the performers!

Mary Ann, aka “Maisie”

The tickets are $10 and you may order them by going to www.HarpethHeights.org or by calling     615 646 5050.

 

Chicken Croquettes

Jabberwocky was hungry, but all she could find in the fridge was some leftover chicken from a previously enjoyed roast chicken.  In truth, the leftover chicken meat had been wrapped, labeled and frozen.  It was now defrosting in the fridge. 

Somehow that didn’t sound so appetizing to Jabberwocky.

So, as she is often wont to do, Jabber asked me, “What’s for dinner?  TMWLH**, Dog and I, in particular, are hungry!  And, NO! (she stomped her foot here), we do not want leftover chicken pieces!  We already ate most of that chicken a while back.  We want something DELICIOUS and gourmet!  ‘Cept Dog who will eat anything.”

**TMWLH = The Man Who Lives Here

No problem, Jabberwocky!  Just so happens that I looked up a recipe on line for Chicken Croquettes.  I’ll make that for dinner.

“Chicken Croquettes? I am a ‘croquette’!” declared Jabberwocky.

I think you mean you are a ‘coquette’, not a ‘croquette’ I replied.  The definition of a coquette is a woman who endeavors without sincere affection to gain the attention and admiration of men

“Oh, whatever.  Just make dinner, will you?”

I know you just can’t wait, can you, to read the recipe?  Um hum, well, then here it is:

Ingredients:

5 Tablespoons butter divided

3 Tablespoons flour

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken

1 1/4 cups fine dry bread crumbs, divided

3 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley or 1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes

1/4 teaspoon salt*

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

*go light on the salt in this recipe—remember that if you are using chicken which has been previously seasoned, salt will already be present.

This is what I did:

Use a food processor to finely grind the chicken pieces.  I removed any skin remaining on the chicken first—and Dog really enjoyed that!

There she is lapping up any remains from the bowl.

I had no bread crumbs, so I ground up some slices of fairly dry bread (“Around here, there is ALWAYS some ‘fairly dry’ bread,” added Jabberwocky—seriously, I had a couple of pieces of regular bread in the freezer, so I defrosted them and then ‘nuked’ them on high for maybe 30 seconds, just enough to make them ‘dry’).  I ground up bread into crumbs in the food processor.  Two slices of bread yielded the 1 cup of bread crumbs I needed to mix with the chicken.  (I ground up a bit more dry bread for the final preparation of the dish.)

Measure 2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken and set aside. (I firmly packed it into the measuring cup and had just the right amount, how lucky is that?)

In a medium saucepan, melt 3 Tablespoons butter over medium heat.  Add flour and cook, stirring (I used a whisk) for 1 to 2 minutes without browning.  Gradually whisk in milk and broth; cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened.  Remove from the heat and let cool 5 to 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, 1 cup bread crumbs, parsley, salt and eggs.  Mix well and pour in the sauce, blend well.  Cover and chill for about 2 hours.

“The waiting is the hardest part!” said Jabberwocky who was sitting around just watching me do all the work!

(Okay, that’s actually when I fed Dog the leftovers—she, too, had been hanging around, sniffing in the air—it smelled pretty good and she lapped up the pieces of chicken skin pretty fast.)

Two hours passed and it was time to do the final assembly.  Preheat oven to 350 and take the bowl out of the fridge.  Combine the Parmesan cheese and remaining 1/4 cup bread crumbs in a shallow dish.  Shape chicken croquettes mixture into 2 1/2 inch balls, then roll to form oval shapes—makes about 8 croquettes.  Roll shaped croquettes in bread crumb mixture and arrange in a greased 13X9X2 inch baking dish.  Melt remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter and drizzle over chicken croquettes.  Bake 30 minutes until golden brown.  They look like this going into the oven:

After 30 minutes, they were not browned, so I turned on the broiler and watched them carefully until they did.  This is what they look like coming out of the oven:

I had baked a couple of the twice-baked potatoes I keep on hand in a separate pan along with the croquettes.  To make a sauce, I used about 2 Tablespoons of grease (bacon grease—yep, I keep some of that around as well, but you could also use butter) and about 2-3 Tablespoons of flour to make a roux.  To this, whisk in some milk and chicken broth and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Whisk and cook until thickened.  Now you have a lovely sauce to put over top of your croquettes or on your potatoes.

For a vegetable, Brussels Sprouts, cooked in the microwave.

And this is what dinner looked like:

I plated up the leftovers, covered with plastic wrap, and they will be a second meal for us.

And Jabberwocky was happy.  TMWLH was happy.  DOG was happy.  And so was I.  And we lived happily ever after.

Until the next time to make dinner.  I’ve got to go check the freezer………………

(for the original recipe, go here:  http://southernfood.about.com/od/ovenfriedchickenrecipes/r/bl30222f.htm)