Hurry. Up.

I have to wait until the sun comes up to take a nice photo. I took this yesterday. :)

Eileen

Hurry! ;-)

The sun isn't hurrying out today. We are shrouded in tule fog this morning but it will burn off in a few hours.

Worth the wait, really!

Eileen.

Two boxes? To quote Beau "Not fair!"

LOL You guys are cracking me up.

Note to self: Don't post you got package until you're ready to post pics.

My "swap" items came in two parcels. The first arrival last Friday was a HUGE box from Red Envelope which I opened in greedy anticipation, of course. :) It is the gorgeous personalized casserole below. Also in the box was the enclosure card but no signature! Hmm.

The mystery was solved yesterday when the second box came.

Cathy/Mustangs went way over the top with a wonderful winter white theme with a lovely casserole, super fine icing sugar so I can make fondant (like Annie!), and a large personalized insulated tumbler which I will very much enjoy when it's broiling hot here this summer. She also wrote a clever poem:

~Winter in Florida Makes Great Gifts For Eileen~

All I know is winter in Florida where it's usually hot
So I'll follow AnnT's suggestion and give it a shot.
Walking on the beach with a *Turvis Tumbler in hand
Letting the waves hit my feet and bury my toes in the sand.
You wanted to try fondant, Annie said it's easy just roll out the dough
If you don't want to make fondant with the sugar, play like it's snow!
I don't know how your winter garden grows in Modesto
Mine is overflowing so I harvest the basil and make pesto.
Here's a recipe for chicken pesto pasta, it's really delish
And you can use your new winter white casserole dish
Your swap partner-Cathy/Mustangs

*The Turvis Tumbler factory is close by so it's a staple item in most homes; we have them in all shapes and sizes. They are very well insulated.

And she included this yummy recipe to break in my new casserole dish, which I absolutely love. It's huge and a very pretty shape and has my name on it! Languishing in my bookcase is Cook's Illustrated's "Cover & Bake" cookbook which I have never used. Now I have a reason to crack it and get cooking.

Pesto Chicken Penne Casserole

Ingredients:

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (16 ounce) box penne pasta
6 cups cubed cooked chicken
4 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce
1 (15 ounce) jar pesto sauce
1 1/2 cups milk

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil in a small bowl until evenly moistened; set aside.

2. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the penne, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.

3. Meanwhile, combine the chicken in a bowl with the Italian cheese blend, spinach, tomatoes, alfredo sauce, pesto sauce, and milk. Stir in the pasta once done, and scoop into the prepared baking dish. Top with the bread crumb mixture.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly and golden brown on top, 40 to 45 minutes.

There is also a copy of her local newspaper.

I've always known that Cathy is the best housekeeper in the nation, a fabulous cook and hostess, and a drop dead gorgeous cheerleader, but she surprised me with her poetic gift.

What a great way to end my long week. Thank you so very much, Cathy.

This post was edited by barnmom on Mon, Feb 11, 13 at 12:19

Eileen, You are VERY kind and your swap report is really fantastic...I'm humbled! I do hope you can use everything, I know it's hard to get swaps right with virtual partners.

I was assured that both boxes would arrive the same day, even paid extra to coordinate the delivery dates; so much for that.

Thank you,
Cathy

Wow, Eileen (and Cathy!) - that is one amazing swap! I love the Winter White theme. The casserole is to die for.

Sue

Wow, that's really cool! Love everything. That casserole is gorgeous. Was just looking at Colleen's lemon curd recipe calling for superfine sugar. Great haul Eileen and wonderful picking Cathy. Just love the poem too.

LOVE IT ALL! What a great swap!! Love the poem, Cathy! Eileen, I love the casserole pot and I'd like to try that penne casserole you posted! Great job, Cathy! Eileen...enjoy!

What a great gift. I love the casserole dish. You will be able to use it for so many things.

And Cathy, I didn't know that you were a poet. Well done.

Ann

*thud*

*thud*

*thud*

I second Jessys *thud*! What a beautiful casserole dish! Great job Cathy!I love it all.

Eileen, Enjoy yoru winter themed gift! I love my Tervis Thermos.

Wowza. I love that casserole pot. What a wonderful idea for a swap. Love the tumbler. I have one that is similar and it is perfect for iced tea. The ice cubes don't melt so fast and the glass doesn't sweat. Also, you can pour hot tea over the ice cubes and the tumbler won't crack. I use it all year.

Let us hear how your fondant experiment works out!

Clever poem, Cathy. Hmm, Florida to California. Do you two even know what winter is?

Just in case anyone uses the pesto pasta recipe, I think the pesto as stated is too much. Perhaps only a cup or less.

Thanks for reinforcing my selection of items for Eileen.

Pam, I was thinking since Eileen is in Northern CA, there might be some elements of winter. Like the saying goes, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”

This post was edited by mustangs on Sun, Feb 10, 13 at 12:14

Eileen, you are so lucky!!! I love all the swap items that you got.

Cathy, you have so many talents! not only did you picked the perfect gifts but you wrote the poem too. Well done!

Silvia

We do have winter in NorCal. It gets cold but rarely below freezing and only at night. No snow here. I have to drive into the hills a hour away for snow. And no lovely white sand beaches, either. I have to drive the other direction to Carmel for that experience. And when the summer heat gets to me I can head for San Francisco which is 90 minutes west.

I am thinking of a winging a simple jasmine rice or a rice medley, onions, and colorful bell pepper (I have red, yellow, green and orange) casserole with some cheese and herbs from my pots. I have these things on hand and I don't plan to shop this weekend. I also have celery and shallots. I'll add a bit of bechamel to hold it together. Sound okay?

No fondant this weekend. I'll save that for when Alice visits. That will be fun to do together. I may have to hide my new tumbler from her. ;)

Eileen

What a great swap box, I love that casserole. Smart idea to have the company deliver, I didn't think of that, had Amazon ship tome and then I had to pay postage.

Fondant is easy, really, I'll be watching to see what you do with that sugar.

Annie

Cathy. I love that you quoted Samuel Clemens :)

What a cool idea for a personalized casserole! Fondant sugar looks like such fun! Eileen, I hope you will try and post your fondant sheet creations.

Wow...perfect. That casserole is a great idea, Cathy (filing for future wedding gift).

Very nice box, Eileen. Can't wait to see what you do with that sugar.

I broke in my new casserole dish this morning with some plain Jane cookery. I made a rice casserole. Pretty tasty for winging it with what I have on hand. The fresh rosemary made it sing.

(Smaller pic. That's better!)

Eileen

This post was edited by barnmom on Mon, Feb 11, 13 at 11:53

Geez, the photos are huge. There must be a way to make smaller Photobucket pics. Off to explore...

That rice dish looks yummy! How nice of you to break it in and share. I didn't see the dish in person so I didn't realize it was so large but I hope you can find a use for it.

Super swap gift! I love the casserole and you can't beat a Turvis Tumbler when it's hot and humid. The sugar will be fun to play with.

Great job Cathy!

Nancy

Large is great! I have several small casseroles but nothing large. I love it. :)

E

That is a fantastic swap package! Love that casserole and everything else, Cathy!

That is a cool casserole dish! Love the personalization feature. I am sure we will all be eagerly awaiting documentation of your fondant experiments! Enjoy!