About Bedford County, VA

Chicken Normandy is one of the family favorites, real comfort food.....It's suppose to be prepared the night before and refrigerated for the next day. I've done that once, it's just as good if you prepare and cook the same night. I don't use extra salt in cooking so you might want to add to the filling. This is a great dish to take to a party.

CHICKEN NORMANDY

Crust

2 packages of Stove Top Chicken Stuffing Mix (prepared)

Filling

3 cups of cooked, diced chicken

1 cup chopped onion (sauteed)

1 chopped celery (sauteed)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 eggs

1 cup milk

Topping

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (10.75 oz)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Prepare stuffing mix and spread 3/4 into the bottom and sides of a greased 13x9x2 baking pan. Combine chicken, onions, celery and toss in mayonnaise. Spread chicken mixture over the bottom crust and top with remaining stuffing mix. Beat the eggs and milk and pour over the top. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook, remove foil, spread top with cream of mushroom soup and bake at 325 for 40 minutes. Top with shredded cheese and bake for 10 more minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy. Substitute leftover Thanksgiving turkey for the chicken.

Annual Forest Lions Club Christmas Tree Sale

It's that time of year where we start thinking about the upcoming holidays. The Forest Lions Club's Annual Christmas Tree Sale starts on November 28, 2009. The club plans to continue the sale through December 15 or until all the trees are sold. Thanks to the support of the local community, trees sold out early last year. One hundred percent of all proceeds from the sale are returned to the community through various charitable donations. Come out and support this great organization and purchase your tree from the Forest Lions' Tree Lot.

Members of the Forest Lions Club will be selling 300 trees including 6 to 10 feet Fraser firs and a limited number of 6 to 8 foot white pines. Trees will be on sale:

Mondays through Fridays 1:00 to 8:00 PM

Saturdays 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM

Sundays 1:00 to 8:00 PM

The Forest Lions’ Tree Lot is located next to BENJAMIN'S RESTAURANT on Virginia 221 in Forest, Virginia. Volunteers are welcome! Interested in learning more about the Forest Lions Club? For more information on joining the Lions Club International call (434) 316-9110.

"I find friendship to be like wine, raw when new, ripened with

old age, the true old man's milk and restorative cordial."

Thomas Jefferson to Dr. Benjamin Rush

Poplar Forest, 1811

According to an old Italian proverb, good wine makes for good cheer, and this will be the case November 21^st at the first ever Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival. The festival will take place at Poplar Forest, Jefferson's Virginia retreat. Thomas Jefferson was a big advocate of the benefits of wine. He was pivotal in the import of wines from such countries as Italy and France.

At the festival you can enjoy, food, wine, crafts and live music! You must be 21 years old to enjoy the wine tastings, so be sure and bring your ID! You can enjoy wines from around the region! All of the wineries of the Bedford Wine trail will be there with some of their award winning wines to sample! Some of the wineries in the area, like the Savoy-Lee, actually use both red and white European and French American grapevines. It is these lovingly tended vines that produce the quality wine Virginia is becoming known for.

Located in Huddleston, the Savoy-Lee is a family run winery located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. If you have considered the life of a wine maker, you may want to check out this vineyard that is currently for sale! The beautiful surrounding area includes Smith Mountain Lake, Bedford and Roanoke! This is a turnkey operation that is already producing award winning wines. Many of the wines produced here are lovingly barrel fermented before being moved to the more modern stainless steel vats. This allows the wines to have a complexity that may be missing in some other wines.

You can sample the wines from this and other vineyards along the Bedford wine trail at the Festival. Come for a visit and if you like it then move here!! From wineries to luxury waterfront homes, call Vicki Millehan for all your real estate needs in the Smith Mountain Lake area!