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Good morning, or afternoon.

When you’ve decided what to fix for dinner or supper, as we call it, do you think of what goes with what? They, and I don’t know who ‘they’ is, say you should make your combination of foods colorful rather  that one color as in chicken, mashed potatoes, cauliflower. If you don’t care about what color your food is that you have prepared, that’s just fine with me and whole lot of others. If you’re a busy person and don’t have time to prepare a good meal, think of something you can make ahead of time and refrigerate to be eaten in the next day or two.

I’ve put together a meal of what I think could be made the day before and a little colorful... but I didn’t plan it to be colorful!

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CHICKEN CASSEROLE
2 c. cooked chopped chicken (two whole medium)
1/2 c. chopped pecans
2 t. instant onions or 1 T. minced fresh onion
2 c. thinly sliced celery
1 c. mayo or salad dressing
2 t. lemon juice
1 c. potato chips, broken in small pieces
1/2 c. mild shredded cheddar cheese

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, pecans, onions and celery. In a small bowl, combine mayo and lemon juice. Put into a lightly greased or sprayed 1-1/2 quart casserole or 8x8 inch baking dish. Combine chips and shredded cheese, sprinkle over top. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until heated through. Makes six servings.

Note: To make ahead, refrigerate without chips and cheese on top. When ready to bake, sprinkle chips and cheese on top and bake about five minutes longer. Why the pecans? They give it a nice crunch in the mixture.

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TWENTY FOUR HOUR COLESLAW SALAD
1 small head cabbage, shredded (about four cups)
3 T. minced onion
1/2 c. diced green pepper
4 stuffed green olives, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 c. sugar

Dressing:
1/4 c. vinegar
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. celery or caraway seed
Sprinkling of pepper
1/4 c. canola or vegetable oil

Combine first five ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine dressing ingredients in small saucepan; boil for two minutes. Fold dressing into cabbage mixture. Refrigerate, covered, overnight. Stir well before serving. Makes four to five servings.

Note: If you don’t like cabbage salad, make a lettuce salad or fresh raw veggies.

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SUNSHINE MUFFINS
1 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. each, cinnamon and nutmeg
2 c. shredded carrots
1 medium apple, peeled, shredded
1/2 c. dark or golden raisins
1/2 c. chopped pecans - optional
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 c. canola or vegetable oil
2 t. vanilla

Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liner or grease muffin cups. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix with wire whisk. Stir in carrots, apples, raisins and pecans. In a medium bowl, combine last three ingredients, mix until blended, stir into flour mixture only until blended.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand on a wire rack for five minutes, remove muffins from pan. Makes 12 muffins.

Well, we have an entree, a salad and a type of bread. Let’s have an easy to make dessert.

Brownies: Use your favorite brownie recipe, probably from a box. Cool, frost with your favorite frosting and cover. Hide the pan so the brownie elf doesn’t eat them overnight. Or when you’re ready to eat them, dust with powdered sugar.

All of these recipes use the same baking temperature so they can be baked the night before or refrigerated overnight. There you go!

Thought for the Day: The whole part of getting things done is knowing what to leave undone.

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