Category: Casseroles
Chicken Supreme
This is a recipe I posted back in 2009 when I first created chocolate castles. As I was looking through some of my old recipes which were in a file last night, I came across this one. It was such a great casserole that is so easy to prepare and had such a great flavor. The ladies at the luncheon raved about it and so I thought I would repost it. Thanks Martha Samuelson for sharing the recipe. Can’t wait to make if for a luncheon in December. Goes great with a spinach salad and a little cute side of a marinated mozzarella ball, cherry tomato and a little piece of fresh basil, sprinkled lightly with EVVO, all put on a toothpick. Makes a pretty plate for the holidays.
1 whole chicken boiled and deboned (save some broth for cooking the rice)
1 pkg of Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice, made according to directions on box but cooked in the chicken broth instead of the water the box calls for
1 can cream of chicken or cream of celery soup (I like to use the celery)
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 cup of grated cheddar cheese
1 can chopped canned pimentos with liquid
2 cans French style green beans, drained
1 can French onions for topping
Combine all ingredients except onions. Bake for 45 min at 350…remove from oven and top with the french onions and bake for another 5 min or until onions are lightly browned.
Meatless Mondays, Turnip Greens Tuesday, Weeds (oops I mean Salad) Wednesdays, Tomato Thursdays & French Fry Fridays
We are old. We now walk in the mall with the rest of the Seniors in the mornings. Because it is still too hot to walk outside, we have joined the Mall Walkers Senior Citizen Group of America. Randy said that next time we go we need to go a little later in the morning so we would be there when the stores actually open and reward ourselves with a cinnamon roll for all the steps we were getting.
After getting all settled in now and have all the boxes unpacked, we find ourselves putting on some of the weight that we had lost while we were in Italy. So we have come up with a plan. It started this past Monday with Meatless Monday when we decided that maybe we should keep up the “less meat” way of eating like we did in Italy. So we have declared Monday to be Meatless Mondays. As I thought back about the veggies I tend to cook, it seems that green beans and cabbage are usually a staple at our veggie meals. Looking through a Paula Deen cookbook, I ran across a recipe for squash casserole, which sounded delicious. I had everything for it except sour cram so I substituted Cream of Mushroom Soup. It was even better the next night when we had it for leftovers. Actually, Wednesday nights we head for El Fenix for the 2 cheese enchilada special. So We don’t really have salad Wednesdays, wait a minute. Yes we do. There is a little parsley on the plate of enchiladas so we count that as salad. We had got in the habit of making cut up tomato and mozzarella with olive oil for lunch when we were in Italy (I sill love saying or writing that, it makes us sound so suave and debonair) So we have decided that we need to keep that up instead of always driving to the closest Whataburger. Since my cholesterol had dropped 50 points from the time we left in April to the time we returned in July, I DO NOT want to hear a dr tell me it is back up to where I started. So we truly are trying to eat a little more healthy. In fact, just yesterday, I only ate one basket of chips with salsa at El Fenix. And today, having lunch with my sister-in-law at Houstons, I left half of my key lime pie to bring home to Randy. But…when Janece dropped me off at my car, I picked up the wrong bag and brought the bag that was suppose to go home with her. Being the kind person I am I had brought the other half of my pie home to Randy, but Janece ended up with that bag and I had grabbed her bag that had a whole piece of pie she had ordered to take home to her hubby. No…I didn’t know I did that. So after we share a whole piece of pie tonight we will plan on maybe easing up a little on the olive oil with tomatoes and mozzarella tomorrow for our lunch. What the heck, will cut back on the onion also, so we can have an extra piece of garlic bread to go with the bruschetta. Yes, we are a couple who thrive on eating healthy now and who are the proud owners of smart watches which count our steps as we walk to the donut shop.
Fridays we celebrate with hamburgers and french fries for all the healthy food we have endured during the week.
In case you have a veggie meal and you are in the mood for something different than green beans and carrots, try this squash casserole. It is delicious. The recipe calls for sour cream but if you have cream of mushroom soup,it works great also Either will be great.
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 medium yellow summer squash, thinly slice
1 large Vidalia Onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt & Pepper
1 sleve crackers, crushed medium to fine
4 tables butter
Heat oil and butter in little until butter is melted. Add squash and onion, salt and pepper and cook until squash and onion are tender.
Add both the Parmesan and cheddar with the sour cream, and stir until combined.
Pour into a baking dish and bake in preheated 350 oven for about 20 minutes. Remove and add crushed crackers over the top. Dot the 4 tables utter over the top and bake for about 10 minutes or until crumbs begin to turn golden.
(Actually I forgot, I used Progresso Italian Flavored bread crumbs instead of crackers and we loved using that. Tasted great.)
So from our healthy table to yours….you’re welcome. And Yes, the butter is healthy because…well, it just is. Just ask Paula Deen. Besides I have a cake server that has “LOVE & BUTTER” on the front. And if you can’t trust a cake server, what can you trust?
Green Chile Chicken Casserole
Tonight we took dinner to our kids. Tuesday evenings are pretty hectic in their household so it has been so neat to cook for them and have them walk in to their house to dinner.
They like chicken so I always try to think os something that will be easy to carry over there and yet something that everyone likes. Today I decided to make this casserole because it is so easy and they loved it.
1 can of mild green chile enchilada sauce (10 oz can)
2 chicken breasts cooked an diced (save some of the chicken broth that you cooked the chicken in ”
1/2 cup onion
1 oz package shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 oz package of cream cheese
3 tables butter
18 yellow corn tortillas
garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste
1 tables corn starch stirred into 1/3 cup water or chicken broth.
Oil for searing tortillas
Spray a 7×11″ baking dish with Pam.
In a skillet, melt the butter and add the diced onion. Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes or until onion is clear and tender. Add the garlic powder, salt and pepper and stir. Add half of the can of the green chile sauce to the onion mixture. Pour about 1 cup of the chicken broth into this mixture. Stir in softened cream cheese. Mixture will be thin, cook over low heat for a few minutes or until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in the corn starch mixture a little at a time stiring continually until mixture thickens. If it thickens to much, add a little more chicken broth or more green chile sauce from another can. (I always buy two cans for this reason.)
Set this aside.
In a separate skillet heat oil. Taking the corn tortillas one at a time, drop in oil for 2-3 seconds per side until all 18 have been heated in oil. Drain on paper towel.
Pour other half of remaining sauce that is in the can in the bottom of the baking dish. Layer 6 of the tortillas on the bottom. Sprinkle 1/2 of the chopped chicken over the tortillas. Sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese over this. Layer 6 more of the tortillas,now the rest of the diced chicken and another 1/3 of the cheese. Layer the remaining tortillas on top. Pour the sauce from the skillet over the entire casserole and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes or until casserole is bubbling and cheese is all melted and lightly browned around the edges.
We served this with a pot of pinto beans and Spanish rice.
Monte Cristo Casserole & Raspberry Sauce
Years ago we use to have a restaurant in Texas that had the best Monte Cristo sandwiches. It is no surprise that this breakfast casserole caught my eye in the December Taste of Home. After reading the recipe and realizing that I could make it the night before, it became the breakfast of choice for Christmas morning this year. Cannot wait to serve it with a side dish of hash browns and a fruit compote.
1 loaf French bread, cut into 20 slices
2 tables Dijon mustard
1/2 lb sliced deli ham
1/2 lb sliced Swiss cheese
1/2 lb sliced deli turkey
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 teas sugar
2 teas vanilla extract
Topping
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 teas ground cinnamon
Raspberry Sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 tables cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
Line a greased 13×9″ baking dish with half of the bread. Spread the mustard over bread. Layer with ham, cheese, then turkey and remaining bread. Dish will be full.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla. Pour over top. Place in fridge, covered overnight.
Preheat oven to 375. Remove casserole from fridge while oven heats. IN a small bowl, mix topping ingredients, sprinkle topping her the casserole. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown, about 30-40 minutes.
While casserole is baking, using a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in water, lemon juice and maple syrup until smooth.
Add raspberries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Cool slightly.
Let casserole stand 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm with sauce.
Serves about 10
Mushroom Chicken With Asparagus
This evening I was wanting to make something that I had never made before. We ended up with this really great Italian dinner. Even Peter Pumpkin sat there saying, “this is really good and I even like the asparagus”. Will wonders never cease. He is not a huge fan of mushrooms or asparagus and so for him to ask for seconds made me so proud. It was so easy and actually a great dish for serving company during the holidays. Plus…it was pretty. A dear friend of mine, Reny gave me this dish years ago and it is still one of my favorites to serve Italian food.
Ingredients:
2 tables unsalted butter
1 tables olive oil
2 chicken breast, chopped into 1″ pieces
1/2 chopped sweet white onion, diced
8 oz fresh mushrooms
1 bunch of fresh asparagus (about 10-12), trimming and using just the tips.
2 cloves garlic or 1 teas garlic powder
1-2 cups bottled Alfredo Sauce (I used Classico Extra Creamy Alfredo)
1 cup pasta water
salt and pepper to taste.
3 cups cooked spaghetti (I used angel hair pasta)
1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese, shredded
Fresh chopped parsley (opt)
Heat oil and butter in a large skillet. Add chopped onion and raw chicken pieces and fry until chicken is almost done. Add the cleaned mushrooms to skillet along with the asparagus tips. Add garlic and salt and pepper to mixture. Stir, cooking over medium heat until chicken is well cooked and mushrooms, onions and asparagus is beginning to get tender. Add the Alfredo sauce. Turn down heat to low and continue to cook while you cook the pasta. When pasta is done, and before draining, add 1 cup of the pasta water to the chicken mixture. Lightly grease a a baking dish with oil or butter. Place the cooked pasta in the baking dish and pour the chicken Alfredo mixture over the pasta. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the mixture and bake in preheated 350 oven for about 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is beginning to bubble. Serve with garlic bread and salad.
Dinner Party Menu
Friday evening we had two couples over for dinner. When it was time to plan the menu, I thought about a couple of recipes which I had not made in quite a while and decided to bring them out of retirement. So as Randy barbecued chicken breast (which btw, he has totally perfected and is so good) and thighs, I made corn casserole and rice pilaf. One of the other ladies said she would bring the salad, which is one of those things that I do not make well. Maybe its because it is healthier than what I usually make, but for whatever the reason, salads are my least favorite thing to make. It surprised me to discover that neither couple had even experienced either of these recipes before, but they loved them. Then it dawned on me that they were not from the South, so had not grown up going to Southern Baptist potluck dinners. Both of these recipes were staples at the church gatherings and graced every table at Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas. So…here you go! Your welcome!
Corn Casserole
1 box of Jiffy Cornbread mix
1 stick (1/2 cup) of unsalted butter
1 can (drained) whole kernel corn
1 can cream style corn
1 (8 oz) sour cream
*optional 1 small can diced green chiles
Spray with Pam or grease a 11×7 (or medium size pyrex baking) dish. Preheat oven to 350. Melt Butter and pour into mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until well combined. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake uncovered in preheated oven for about 40 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges and middle is almost firm to the touch. Remove from oven and serve hot.
Rice Pilaf
1 can French Onion Soup
1 can Beef Broth
1 cup water
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
2 cups rice
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a medium size baking dish that has a close fitting lid or Smaller Dutch oven. Melt the butter in the dish in oven. When butter is melted, pour the water, and both cans of soup into the melted butter. add the 2 cups of rice and the almonds and stir to combine. Bake covered in the over for about 40-45 minutes or until rice is done. Stir and serve hot.
Old Fashion Chicken Pot Pie (Minus the Peas)
One of the most dear to my heart comfort foods is chicken pot pie. But, because one cannot ever find it without peas, I am forced to make my own. Actually, it is such a great dish to make. For some reason, it makes me feel like autumn is in the air, even though it is over 100. It brings back memories of sitting by a fireplace while the pot pie is in the oven and the apple crisp is sitting over on the counter waiting to bring about a wonderful closure to our meal. Yesterday I could not wait any longer. Chicken pot pie was on the menu. I didn’t care if there was no fire in the fireplace, or that the thermostat was turned down to 64 so the oven could be on. Because we had had the kids over for dinner on Sunday evening for barbecued chicken and hash brown casserole, there was still some of the potatoes left over so I began to think, “hum, the hash brown casserole could be used in my pot pie and give it a wonderful cheesy flavor. And flavor it did have. The pie was absolutely wonderful and we ate unit there would have been no room for apple crisp (ok, not for a couple of hours anyway, but we had pumpkin cookies and cherry pie so didn’t need to make anything else). The only thing I will change when I make it again is that I will homemake the biscuits to place on the top. Last night I used canned biscuits because I was in a hurry to get to game night at a girlfriends house. But it was still really really good.
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cups finely chopped chicken
1 cup chicken broth
1 can Campbells cream of chicken with herbs (not ever store has this but if you can find it, get it, it is a great addition) I find it at Walmart
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2/3 cup finely chopped celery
2/3 cup finely chopped carrots
1 cup of finely chopped cooked potato
(If Randy would not have been here, I would have added 1 cup of sliced mushrooms and cooked them along with the onion, celery, chicken mixture)
1/2 teas poultry seasoning
1/2 teas thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Biscuits to cover the top of casserole
To a medium size saucepan, place carrots and potato in a little water to cook for about 3-4 minutes after bringing to a boil. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet (If you use an iron skillet, you could actually complete the baking in the skillet and would not need to pour mixture into a different baking dish), melt the butter and add the chopped chicken, onion and celery. Sprinkle with salt and pepper until veggies are tender and chicken is done. Add the can of cream of chicken to the mixture. Stir. Slowly add the chicken broth (you might not need to add the full cup, so after adding about 1/2 cup, stir and add to thin mixture until it is still creamy, but not to runny) to this mixture along with the poultry seasoning and thyme. Stir in the drained carrots and potatoes. (Yes, if you are a pea lover, you can add those also, but be are and drain them well before adding.) Stir until mixture is well combined. If leaving in iron skillet, you an top with enough biscuits to cover the top and bake at 350 until mixture is bubbly and biscuits are done. (I cut each biscuit in 4th’s, but I think if I did use canned biscuits in the future, I would slice them in half horizontally making each biscuit into two. That way the biscuit isn’t so think on top.
If you are not using an iron skillet, pour into a greased 9×9 baking dish, top with biscuits or corn bread stuffing and bake until bubbly and biscuits are thoroughly cooked.
This pot pie reminded me so much of Thanksgiving that I think next time i make it, I am going to top it with corn bread dressing. The sauce in the pie using the cream of chicken with herbs was outstanding.
Creamy Chicken Alfredo Casserole
I am ready to get back in the kitchen and begin posting again. This summer we have been gone for over a month to California and Texas, where we experienced the birth of a precious new grandson, Collin Howard. New birth seems to bring on a sense of hope and realizing the many blessings which are given to us. It has been a struggle, for some reason, this summer to get in the mood to not only cook, but to post recipes. Maybe because I still prefer to bake desserts instead of meals. But, this is the new me….after watching Food Channel, Triple D and now, I’ll Have What Phil is Having (on PBS), food has again drawn my attention to trying new recipes. When I received my new Paula Deen magazine last month, I began to look through all my old PD magazines and found this one, which I had every intention of trying when I saw it, but it got pushed to the background behind settling for burgers & fries and pizza. So, here we go and I think you are going to like this one, ALOT! Thanks Paula for always drawing me back into Cookingville! You truly do inspire me beyond cookies, cakes and pies.
1 (6 oz) pkg fresh baby spinach, chopped
1/3 cup refrigerated pesto sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
12 oz uncooked penne pasta, cooked according to directions
2 1/2 cups choppe rotisserie chicken
4 oz pre-shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup)
2 tables thinly sliced fresh basil
1/4 teas paprika
Preheat oven to 375. Toss together spinach and pesto in a medium bowl.
Stir together Alfredo sauce and chicken broth in another bowl. Spread 1/3 of Alfredo mixture (about 1/2 cup) into a lightly greased 11×7″ baking dish. Top with half of spinach mixture.
Stir together cooked pasta, chicken and remaining Alfredo mixture, spoon, half of chicken mixture over spinach mixture. Repeat layers once with remaining spinach mixture and chicken mixture.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 min.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese.
Return to oven and bake until hot and bubbly; about 5 min. Top with basil and paprika.
Serves 4
Thanksgiving Sides
Since we will have two sets of our kids here for Thanksgiving, I thought I would ask each of them what dish would they want that says, “Thanksgiving” to them. I won’t do that again. Some of the reply’s were fried chicken tenders, mac & cheese, Coke Salad and stuffed jalapeños. Since macaroni and cheese was requested, I began to look for a good recipe and find it I did…In Cook’s Country magazine. So instead of just having a box of Kraft mac & cheese, I think I will treat them to a special dish of gourmet mac! Maybe it will make them want to come back again soon.
8 oz (2 cups) elbow macaroni
salt and pepper
8 oz mild cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
2 teas cornstarch
4 tables unsalted butter
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 tables all purpose flour
2 teas dry mustard
1/8 teas cayenne pepper
2 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk (slightly beaten)
2 teas Worcestershire sauce
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)
Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat to 375
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large saucepan. Add macaroni and 1 teas salt and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Toss milk cheddar with cornstarch in a bowl and set aside.
In now empty saucepan, melt 1 tables butter over medium low heat. Add panko crumbs and stir, cooking until golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer to bowl and reserve.
Return saucepan to heat and melt remaining 3 tables butter. Add onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 3 mins.
Stir in flour, mustard, 1/2 teas salt, 3/4 teas pepper and cayenne and cook stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Whisk in water and cream and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Remove cream sauce from heat and whisk in mid cheddar-cornstarch mixture until melted. Whisk in eggs, yolk, Worcestershire. Stir in precooked macaroni. Transfer macaroni mixture to 8″ square baking dish. Sprinkle with sharp cheddar cheese, then panko crumbs. Bake until well browned and set, 20-25 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes. Serve warm.
Chocolate Castles 