Chicken and Rice

My mom's Chicken and Rice growing up was one of the best comfort food there is...that's what I was going for in looking for a recipe.  I found this one from Campbell's and thought it sounded right.  It was good, but wasn't exactly what I was expecting.  The rice turned out a tad on the dry side and though the chicken turned out pretty flavorful, it just wasn't IT.  I will be asking my mom for her recipe and this time, I won't lose it.

One Dish Chicken & Rice Bake
Recipe courtesy of Campbell's Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup  (I used 98% Fat Free)
• 1 c water
• 3/4 c uncooked regular long-grain white rice
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

• Stir the soup, water, rice, paprika & black pepper in a 2-quart shallow baking dish.  Top with the chicken.  Season with additional paprika & black pepper.  Cover with foil.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through & the rice is tender.

Chicken, Broccoli & Cheese Casserole

I am convinced there is no good or flattering way to photograph a casserole!

My husband has made this recipe several times in the past for dinner. It's easy, quick and very tasty. My mom made something similar to this when I was growing up, Chicken Divan, and I always looked forward to whenever she made it.

I made a few tweaks to the recipe, as I was out of mayo and I like it a little "saucier" and with more curry flavor...and of course, most dishes in this house have garlic added, regardless if the recipe calls for it or not.

Chicken, Broccoli & Cheese Casserole
Recipe adapted from Cooks.com

Ingredients

• 2 c. chicken, cooked and cut up
• 10 oz. fresh broccoli florets
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 can milk
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder
• 2 minced cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp. black pepper
  
• 8 oz. sharp cheese, grated

Directions

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Put broccoli on bottom of casserole dish; put cut up chicken over broccoli.
• Put next 6 ingredients plus 5 ounces of cheese in bowl, spoon & spread over chicken.
• Sprinkle remaining cheese over casserole. Heat until hot & bubbly, around 1/2 hour.
• Place under broiler until golden on top.

My 100th blog post!!!!

Happy 100th Post to me! It snuck up on me....I would have made a special meal had I realized it!! I still made a fabulous dinner, comforting, delicious and more importantly easy!!!

I found this recipe on Angie's wonderful blog, Telly's Tasty Tidbits...it's a great blog that you should definitely check out!

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole
Recipe courtesy of Angie at Telly's Tasty Tidbits

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness (I used thin sliced and also cubed it)
1 can Cream of Celery or Chicken Soup (I used Cream of Chicken)

8 oz. Sour Cream (I used light)

1 package Stove-Top Chicken and Herb stuffing, prepared

(I added large fresh mushroom pieces, shredded cheddar cheese to the soup/sour cream mixture and sprinkled more on top)

Directions

- Preheat oven to 350 and spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray

- Place chicken in bottom of prepared dish

- In a bowl mix soup and sour cream and top on chicken (I added cheese here)
(I added large diced fresh mushrooms with the chicken)

- Top with prepared Stuffing mixture

- Bake in 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is done and casserole is bubbling and golden!

Layered Enchilada Casserole

I've had this recipe "starred" in my Google Reader for a long time now and I decided today was the day....I had ground turkey in the freezer and all the ingredients on hand, since we just went to the grocery store yesterday. This was easy, and had a LOT of flavor...I was worried that the turkey and sauce wouldn't fully absorb the spices and flavors, but I was wrong! It had a lot of flavor and I'll definitely be making it again!

I did make a little adjustment, as I didn't fully read the recipe and only had 12 corn tortillas instead of 16....I slightly staggered 4 tortillas into 3 layers, so it worked well regardless! There were some parts of the bottom that weren't fully covered by a tortilla, but no one would have been any wiser!

Check out Ally's blog here at Culinary Infatuation, it's great!!

Layered Enchilada Casserole
Recipe courtesy of Ally at Culinary Infatuation

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb. ground turkey
• 1 can refried beans (I used fat-free)
  
• 1 Tbs. canola oil (I used vegetable oil)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper (I omitted)
  
• 2 garlic cloves minced (I, of course, used 5)
  
• 1 Tbs. fresh chopped parsley
• 3 8 oz. cans no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 2 Tbs. Chili powder divided
• 2 Tbs. Cumin divided
• 2 tsp. smoked Paprika divided (the original recipe says divided, however, I didn't see where to use the 2 parts, so I put it all in the sauce mixture)
  
• 2 tsp. dried Oregano
• Pinch of sugar
• a few shakes of cayenne powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 18 corn tortillas
• 2 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used 2% Mexican blend)

Directions:

Heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat and add ground turkey. Add 1 Tbs. of chili powder, 1 Tbs. cumin, a tsp. of oregano and salt and pepper. Cook until evenly browned. Drain in a colander and set aside.

Wipe out skillet with paper towels and add oil. Put skillet over medium heat and saute onions and pepper. When onion becomes translucent add garlic and parsley. Cook another minute. Add tomato sauce and the rest of the spices and sugar. Let simmer about 5 minutes.

Transfer ground turkey to a mixing bowl and add refried beans and about 1/4-1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce. Mix well.

In a 9x13 casserole dish layer 6 tortillas on the bottom, cover with sauce, then meat-bean mixture, then cheese.

Repeat the process ending with tortillas, sauce and more cheese. Cover and cook for 25 minutes, uncovering the last 10 minutes.

Another casserole

Fall is here and it's time for some old fashioned comfort foods...soups, stews, casseroles. So the other day, I found this recipe from Amber at Amber's Delectable Delights and made it for dinner. It turned out delicious, however, I thought that some chopped raw broccoli and garlic would have cooked to be more tender in the oven, but they turned out semi-raw still....totally my fault. I should have steamed the broccoli and sauteed the garlic prior to adding. I will make this again, it was quick and easy and delicious....we had it that night and the next night we ate the leftovers.
Chicken Alfredo Bake

Ingredients
8 oz pasta, cooked and drained - *I used mini piccolini
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup mushrooms *omitted because I didn't have mushrooms
1.5 cups chicken, cooked and shredded or diced
1 jar alfredo sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tbs. butter *omitted this

Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Coat the bottom of the two small or one medium baking dish with a thin layer of alfredo sauce. In a medium bowl, mix the pasta, broccoli, mushrooms, chicken, garlic and alfredo sauce until combined. Place mixture into baking dish and top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cut the butter into small pieces and scatter on top of the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbly.

Cheesy "Casserioli*"

*made up word courtesy of Clara at iheartfoodforthought*

This casserole is courtesy of iheartfoodforthought's wonderful cooking blog. As soon as I saw her pictures, I knew I had to make this!! I have never been a fan of Alfredo sauce, especially any from a jar...but as Clara says in her post, this will make you a scratch-made Alfredo convert! I sooooo wish you could smell the wonderful aroma of this homemade sauce, then when it was cooking away in the oven, you could have floated away on a cloud of garlicky-saucey goodness...

Oh, and it was super easy as well!! Be sure to add this to your must-make list, and Clara's blog to your favorites! :)

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs pre-packaged 4-cheese ravioli, cooked &drained
2 cups frozen broccoli florets, defrosted
1-1/2 cups pre-cooked chicken strips, diced
alfredo sauce (recipe follows) - you could substitute jar sauce here, but....don't. Just don't.
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup mozzarella cheese, divided
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp butter

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

Coat the bottom of a 9×13 glass baking dish with a thin layer of alfredo sauce. In a medium bowl, gently fold the ravioli, broccoli, chicken, garlic, alfredo sauce, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese until combined.

Place mixture into baking dish & top with 1/2 cup mozzarella & parmesan cheese. (I probably used more...)

Cut the butter into small pieces & scatter on top of the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is hot & bubbly. Set to broil for additional 5 minutes if you want it more toasty, which I do recommend!

Alfredo Sauce
Recipe from RecipeZaar

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 garlic clove, minced
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon white pepper (I used black, tasted fine)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Add the garlic, cream, white pepper & bring mixture to a simmer. Stir often. Add the parmesan cheese & simmer sauce for 8-10 minutes or until sauce has thickened & is smooth.

When sauce has thickened add the mozzarella cheese & stir until smooth. STIR FREQUENTLY.

Chicken Divan

This is one of my favorite recipes that my mom would make for me when I lived at home. It is simple and satisfying anytime and the leftovers are equally as delicious. You can make it and freeze it as well, just double the regular cooking time.








2 or 3 chicken breasts (boiled and shredded)
2 boxes or 1 large bag of frozen Broccoli florets - cooked as directed
1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup of Mayo
1/2 tsp. of Curry Powder
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Mix soup, mayo and Curry powder.

Place the broccoli in a layer on the bottom of a 9x13 glass pan. (These pictures show a tinfoil disposable pan, since I was making these for a friend who just had a baby).





















Top with the shredded cooked chicken.















Pour the soup mixture evenly over the top.
















Then sprinkle the top with cheddar cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Yum Yum - Taco Bake

This recipe is courtesy of a fellow Detroit Knottie - Lindsay. She shared this during one of our recipe swap posts and everyone raved about it!! I have made this before and today, I'm making it again...mmmmm mmmmmm. Another great part of this recipe is that you can substitute low fat ingredients and obtain the same great flavor, no one would be the wiser.

Here is the recipe:

TACO BAKE

1 lb. ground round (or ground chicken, turkey or whatever you'd like)
1 package taco seasoning
15 oz. can tomato sauce
8 oz. seashell pasta
8 oz package cream cheese (softened in microwave)
1/2 c. sour cream
8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese - I use a taco blend cheese mix or whatever shredded cheese I have on hand.

Brown ground beef, drain. Add taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, cook pasta according to directions. Drain. Mix softened cream cheese and sour cream in separate bowl.

Spray bottom of 9 x 13 pan with Pam. Put pasta in bottom of pan. Spread cream cheese mixture over pasta. (My trick for evenly disbursing this mixture is to spoon it into a zip lock bag and cut a bottom corner out and "pipe" it around over the noodles) Spoon ground beef mixture over this. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes. Cool about 15 - 20 minutes before serving.

I typically serve this with some "taco" condiments on the side, so my fiancee' and I can customize it how we like...I like mine with a little extra medium taco sauce on top, black olives and extra sour cream. You can use shredded lettuce, onion, jalepenos, or whatever floats your boat!

Oh yeah, and the leftovers are delicious!!! And that's coming from someone who isn't a leftover fan.