My dear BFF Muffy Martinidecided late this past week to do a Blog Hop. Well, she wanted to do an entry like this for a while – but that is when she posted it! Isn’t she creative? I love this idea as it is a great way to show how blogging peers can share something in common and then do a different dish.

I considered doing one of the several Junior League cookbooks I own (like Charlotte’s Junior League… maybe I will save that for another entry) but I wanted to go more direct and family-oriented. I know I am supposed to do one that people can get a hold but this is too special to not share!!

My Dad’s college roommate was a fifth-generation Texan attending W&L, and his wife and her GF’s put together this cookbook. It is called “Favorites:” Childhood Friends Still Cooking Up Fun! It is so sweet that they put this together for their circle of friends – almost 200 pages, spiral bound and hard cover. Anyway, when his roommate’s youngest decided to attend W&L three years ago, they brought this cookbook with them to present to my parents. Inside were a few of the recipes which Dad and Sam used in their farmhouse.

One of the recipes is “Sam and Jim’s Eggs Benedict a la W&L“. My Dad makes some of the best hollondaise sauce you have ever had – even Lady Bird Johnson thought so! She came to Sam and Dad’s in the late 70s to have brunch with them while in Rockbridge County. Her Secret Service agents played with my Dad’s dog, Lord Canterbury of Lexington (“Bear”) while they sat inside and visited.
[I cannot make this stuff up!!!!]

One of the recipes is my ultimate favorite – simple, unhealthy and perfect for a couple guys, a young couple or a group of people gathered together (tailgates, Super Bowl Sunday, casual dinner party… etc etc!). I used to request this for birthday parties as my birthday is in August – too hot to do a lot of anything and this dish is super easy. The recipe I want to share is below, which the Pace family shared with Dad and Sam – the Steves used to send Sam a case of Pace picante (not the salsa!)…

Sam & Jim’s Washington & Lee “Chicken in the Chips”

2 cups of cooked chicken, in bite-size pieces
1 (10 ounce) bag of original Fritos
16 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (or 8 ounces of mozz and 8 oz of pepper jack)
16 ounces sour cream (light is OK)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup Pace Picante sauce (medium)

Combine sour cream, soup and Paces to make sauce. In large casserole dish layer 1/2 chicken, 1/2 Fritos, 1/2 cheese, cover with 1/2 sauce and repeat. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes until bubbly.

Serve extra Pace on the sideboard, this goes great with a big salad or green beans!