MONDAY RECIPE POST- MAKE-AHEAD CHICKEN AND WILD RICE CASSEROLE

I had one of those annual Southern Living Recipe books years ago, and this came out of that book.  However, you can find the original here.  It says you can prepare it up to a month before and freeze.  I didn't but whenever I know I am getting company this will be on my list of make-ahead meals to put in the freezer.

Make-Ahead Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

1 (2.25 oz) package sliced almonds
2 (6.2 oz) boxes fast-cooking long-grain and wild rice mix
1/4 cup butter
4 celery ribs, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
5 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 (10-3/4 oz) cans cream of mushroom soup 
2 (8 oz) cans chopped water chestnuts, drained (I used sliced)
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 cups (16 ozs) shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
2 cups soft, fresh breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake almonds in a single layer in a shallow pan 4 to 6 inches, or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.

Prepare rice mixes according to package directions.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add celery and onions.  Saute 10 minutes or until tender.  Stir in chicken, next 6 ingredients, rice and 3 cups cheese.  Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 15 x 10 inch baking dish or 2 (11 x 7 inch) baking dishes.  Top with breadcrumbs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese, and top with toasted almonds.  Bake 5 minutes.

To make ahead: prepare as directed but do not put the remaining 1 cup of cheese on top yet or the toasted almonds.  Cover with aluminum foil and freeze up to 1 month.  Remove from freezer and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.  Toast almonds as directed.  Bake casserole, covered, at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake 55 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until thoroughly heated.  Sprinkle with 1 cup (4 ozs) shredded Cheddar cheese and toasted almonds.  Bake 5 more minutes.

I bought a package of already toasted sliced almonds that was meant to be sprinkled over salads.  It's called All Natural Almond Accents, Original Oven Roasted, Flavored Sliced almonds in a 3.5 oz. (99g) packet.  There are different flavors but I chose the plain.  

I also bought pre-cooked chicken as I was running short on time.

You can lighten the recipe by using low-fat products wherever you feel like it

I still had a few ingredients already in the pantry I wanted to use up and found 1 can of cream of mushroom and 1 can of cream of chicken soup.

As a side dish I roasted a mixture of vegetables bought from the supermarket.  They had packets of pre-cut-asparagus along with sliced mushrooms, and I also added another packet of mushrooms and sliced onions with a few sprigs of rosemary. These I placed in a shallow baking pan and drizzled with a little olive oil and sprinkled with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.  I preheated the oven to 450 degrees F. and left them in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on whether you like them crisp or tender.  There was a very subtle flavor of rosemary, very nice.

For an appetizer I bought a container of hummus and surrounded it with cubed bread for dipping, but sticks of celery and carrots would be nice also, and whatever you think of you'd like.  The bread was one of those lovely crusty loaves we got from our local supermarket. 

As a dessert I was going to serve up ice-cream and cookies, all nice and simple, but no one felt like dessert after eating this delicious meal.

I made this for company but there were leftovers for at least two more days.

MONDAY RECIPE POST POSTED ON TUESDAY - STRAWBERRY HAND PIES

This is one I originally made in 2014, and I have not done it for quite a while.  They were made for company and were very well received.  

These days I find myself looking to the freezer more and more, to make things less of a fuss when preparing meals.  Sometimes you enjoy being in the kitchen, other times you want to take things easier, especially if time is short or if you are having company and you would like to spend more time with them when cooking meals.

You can find the original recipe here.  I am always thankful to the many food blogs I come across, and I would like to thank Michelle who created A Latte Food, and for sharing this delicious recipe, as well as many others.


Strawberry Hand Pies - makes 12 hand pies

Ingredients:

For the dough - makes one 9-inch pie crust:

1/2 cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup flour

For the filling:

1 cup chopped strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of half a lemon
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 beaten egg (for egg-wash)
Extra sugar for sprinkling

Choice of toppings:

Whipping cream
Ice-Cream
Powdered sugar

With a mixer cream butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy.

Add in flour and mix just until dough comes together.  Place the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place parchment paper on a pan and set aside.

On a floured or powdered sugar surface, knead the dough a couple of times until it is a nice round ball.  Then roll the dough into a circle with a rolling pin, about a 1/4 inch thick.

Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out as many dough rounds as possible (about 5 to 6).  Place the dough rounds on sheet pan.

Form the dough back into a ball and roll out again.

Cut out 5 to 6 more rounds.  The recipe should yield 12 dough rounds, so keep repeating this step until you have 12 rounds (because of the cream cheese in the dough it will not get tough or overworked like traditional pie dough).

In a small bowl gently combine chopped strawberries, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and cornstarch.

Fill each pie round with 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling.

Take one side of the dough and pull it over the filling.  

Use a fork to crimp the edges together and poke an air hole at the top of the pie.  Do this for all of the pies.

Brush each pie with egg wash.  Sprinkle with white sugar.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the pies are golden brown.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar, top with ice cream or whipped cream and enjoy!

What did we think of this recipe?  It was another one that we enjoyed very much.  
  
As always when I make something for the first time I find myself changing a few things out of necessity.  

I changed the lemon to lime zest.  I had no lemons and wanted to use the limes I had left over.  

When mixing up the strawberry filling, I thought I had cornstarch tucked in the back of the pantry but couldn't find it, so I used 2 tablespoons of flour instead.

I didn't have a form but used a fork to press the edges together.

What I like about this hand pie, apart from the fact that it was delicious, is that it is great for portion control.  A lovely dessert without feeling that you went overboard.  

These would be easy to freeze.  Let baked pies cool, then wrap and freeze.  Thaw out overnight in fridge.  Preheat oven to 350 deg.F, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until heated through?  Be careful of filling and cool before you eat.  Best to check timing and adjust for your own oven.  Ours tends to run on the colder side, and I usually add on extra time if needed.

We wanted something light and ate a very a simple main meal beforehand; sliced roast chicken with steamed broccoli and a baked potato.  This Strawberry Hand Pie made for a lovely ending to the meal.

MONDAY RECIPE POST - FREEZER FRIENDLY CHICKEN, BROCCOLI AND RICE CASSEROLE

Today's recipe comes from The Seasoned Mom hosted by Blair.  You can look at the original recipe here.  She has lots of other recipes and she writes, "Hello I'm Blair! I believe in the power of a simple homemade meal to bring a family together.  That's why I share easy, quick-prep recipes that eliminate mealtime stress!"  A great reason to go back and read more of her recipes, and also to see what tips she has for this one.  Thank you Blair!

Freezer Friendly Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Total time: 40 minutes

Serves 4 people

Calories: 423

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked, diced (or shredded) chicken

1 cup cooked rice

2 tablespoons of chopped onion

12.6 oz. bag of frozen baby broccoli florets NOT

thawed

1 can (1.25 cups) condensed cream of chicken soup, NOT diluted.  I used Campbell's Healthy Request

3/4 cup mayonnaise (Blair used light but said any variety will work)

3 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 cup grated Italian cheese blend or substitute with grated cheese of choice

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  (180 degrees C).

Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients except for the cheese.

Transfer mixture to prepared dish and top with shredded cheese.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes (or until heated through and bubbly).

For preparing ahead:

You can assemble the casserole as instructed, cover and refrigerate (or freeze) until ready to bake.

If you are cooking for two, cut the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in a 1-quart dish for about 20 minutes.

If the link above doesn't work you can use:

https://www.theseasonedmom.com/chicken-broccoli-rice-casserole/

Thanks for looking and 

have a great week.