Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

 

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole for a Sunday Supper

Cook's notes: Whether you're from the Midwest and grew up eating "hot dish" or never heard the word before this comfort food is delicious, filling, and a satisfying dish. My updated version has no cans of any kind in this recipe. The rice and chicken can be made the day before and can use a rotisserie chicken for easier prep. The recipe serves 6 and is an Ever Ready Special.  

Cooking tip: One cup of uncooked wild rice makes about three cups of cooked wild rice. There are multiple uses for wild rice including salads, hot dishes, soups, pancakes, muffins, breads

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked Long Grain Brown and Wild Rice Blend or Wild Rice
• Fine sea salt
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 cup diced onion or 2 leeks, white and light green parts, diced
• 1 cup each of celery, mushrooms nd mini red peppers
• Optional 1/2 cup diced water chestnuts
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1- 1/2 cups 2% milk
• 2/3 cup fat-free half and half
• 3/4 cup chicken stock, low sodium
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1- 1/2 teaspoons fresh)
• 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence, divided
• 3 cups roughly chopped cooked chicken
• 4 ounces Swiss or cheddar cheese, grated (about 1- 1/2 cups)
• 2 cups coarsely ground buttery crackers (such as Ritz or Club; about 2 sleeves)
• Cooking spray  
• 3/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions:

• Cook rice according to package directions. Rinse and return rice back to the pot, keeping it covered to keep warm.  
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the butter in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks or onions, celery, peppers and mushrooms. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add the flour to the vegetables and stir until well combined. Pour in the milk and bring to a simmer, whisking to prevent any lumps. Add in the half and half, chicken stock, wine, spices chopped chicken pieces, and cooked rice.
• Grease a 2-1/2-3 quart baking dish. Pour the chicken mixture into the dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake covered with foil for 25 minutes.
• Add crackers to a zip loc bag with 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence. Use a rolling pin to crumble. Add 1 tablespoon of melted butter and shake to combine. Set aside.
• Remove foil and sprinkle with slivered almonds and the cracker mixture over the top. Bake uncovered until the crackers turn golden brown and the mixture bubbles in the center, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
  
  
  
  
  

Beat The Heat with Sloppy Joes

 

Today was HOT HOT at the lake 96 degrees I noted at one point on the thermometer.  It was a good day for a movie and Barbie was the perfect choice. After reading all the hype I wondered if it could possibly live up to it all but trust me it did deliver in a BIG way. It's not a movie for a really young child as some major points would sail over their heads. When I asked someone (girl around 14) sitting next to me what did she think the major point of the movie was she said "empowerment" and this word nails it. One of the best reviews I have read about screenplay and director. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/18/movies/barbie-movie-review.html   

So when the heat index soars and you don't feel like cooking having a comfort food dish in the refrigerator waiting for you to heat up is a "blessing." 

Sloppy Joes-An Ever Ready Special

Cook's Notes: I've used this recipe many times for large gatherings. I have doubled sometimes tripled the recipe and then kept it warm in a crockpot. Usually, I serve Sloppy Joes with hamburger buns but out of necessity once had to use Hawaiian Sweet Roll Sub Buns as I had them on hand. I was surprised at how much I liked the taste of the buns with meat mixture. Recipe serves 6.
Cooking Tip: Use a pastry cutter to crumble cooked meat.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of hamburger (80%) or Italian Sausage
• 1 cup each of diced celery and sweet onions
• 1-2 tablespoons chili powder-start with one tablespoon and taste test along the way
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 can (undiluted) chicken gumbo soup or chicken rice soup
• 1/3 cup chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon each of Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar
• 1 can (undiluted) chunky tomatoes (basil, garlic, and oregano)
• Optional topping-sliced avocados

Directions:

• Brown hamburger, celery and onions on medium-low heat covered and occasionally using a pastry cutter to crumble meat. 
• Wipe the pan clean of grease and moisture.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on low heat uncovered for an hour.

Mini Strawberry Trifle

  “Summer has a flavor like no other. Always fresh and simmered in sunshine” 

Orpah Winfrey 

Mini Strawberry Trifle -a fun easy summer treat

Cook's Notes: The recipe was enough for 4-6 mini trifles. If using a small container like a wine glass. there will be two cake layers with diced strawberries. Optional grating lemon zest over the top.  

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 prepared angel food cake
• 1-quart strawberries, rinsed and dried on paper towels

Strawberry Cream Cheese Whipped Cream

• 1-1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 oz. softened light cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons Lemon Curd (found in the jelly aisle) 

Cake Directions:

• Tear enough cake pieces as needed.
• Dice the strawberries and reserve some whole ones if using for garnish on top. 

Strawberry Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Directions:

• In a small bowl beat softened cream cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar, and lemon curd.
• Whip cream and fold cream cheese mixture until well blended. 
• Start with a cake layer, then add the cream cheese filling and some diced strawberries. Repeat layering one more time and top with diced strawberries. 

TikTok Cinnamon Rolls

Looking for the easiest way to make cinnamon rolls that taste homemade? Give these cinnamon rolls with heavy cream (AKA the famous “TikTok cinnamon rolls”) a try! They’re so good, no one will guess you didn’t make them from scratch.
These cinnamon rolls are rich and decadent and the simplest things ever. The recipe makes 6  large rolls since the bag I used was 6 giant rolls though there is a bag that makes 12 smaller ones. Both use the same directions. 
Cook's Notes:
The combination of the heavy cream and the brown sugar syrup creates a sticky syrup on the bottom that keeps the cinnamon rolls nice and moist. They’re like a cross between a cinnamon roll and a sticky bun! Leftovers can stay good in the fridge for up to 5-7 days, covered. But I might add in the process of reading directions I was quite dubious when I poured the cream over the rolls wondering how this could possibly work. 

Cooking Tips: 

Make sure to buy thaw and rise cinnamon rolls in the bag in the freezer section. Rhodes also makes a ready-to-bake tray of cinnamon rolls, but those are different from what I’m using in this recipe.

Cooking Tips to Try: The key to fluffy rolls will be to let them rise overnight in the fridge and then let them rise on the counter for another 1-2 hours. You’ll see how they puff up nicely and trust me it will be worth the wait!

Cover your rolls for the first 15 minutes of baking with foil so that the tops won’t dry out. Then remove the foil and let the top brown slightly to perfection.

Leftovers can stay good in the fridge for up to 5-7 days, covered.

Ingredients

• 1 (36.5-ounce) bag Rhodes Thaw, Rise and Bake Cinnamon Rolls
• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1/2 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cream cheese frosting that came with the cinnamon rolls

Directions:

• Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange all 6 of the cinnamon rolls into the prepared pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray to prevent the rolls from sticking to the wrap while rising.
• Choose your preferred thaw and rise method from the back of the Rhodes bag. My method was to put my pan on the stove with rolls covered lightly with plastic wrap at 10:00 PM and then cooked them at 8:00 am the next morning. It worked fine but the other suggested method works just fine. 
• Once the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 350 degrees 
  
  Pour the heavy cream directly over the rolls and allow it to seep into the rolls for about 5 minutes. See the photo above.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Pour this mixture directly over the rolls and use an offset spatula to spread it evenly.
• Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.

• Allow the rolls to cool for about 10 minutes before frosting with the cream cheese icing frosting that is included in the Rhodes Thaw, Rise, and Bake Cinnamon Rolls. 
  

Book Review Go West, George Catlin

Nancy Plain's non-fiction biography for young readers “Go West, George Catlin” is an inspiring testimonial to a painter, author, lawyer, and ethnographer, George Caitlin. He was an artist who specialized in painting Native Americans and recording their way of life not only in the United States but in South America and Asia as well. Plain beautifully captures Caitlin's journey west. Sentences are crisp, well-written, and informative. Her writing flows from page to page keeping the reader engaged.

Caitlin was a self-taught artist who had a dream and an all-consuming mission to paint the West and the people that made up the West so they would never be forgotten. He was the first great painter to travel beyond the Mississippi to record the lives of Native Americans through his paintings. This biography follows the hardships that stood in his way, the dangers of travel in the 1830s, and the barriers that often existed—and still do—between different cultures. The heart-wrenching facts stand glaring on the page about how whites made treaties and broke them when they wanted more land. Indians were losing the bitter fight to keep their homeland. 

Stunning reproductions of Catlin's work are interspersed within the text. By the decade's end, Caitlin came out of the wilderness with more than 500 portraits, scenes, and landscapes and accumulated an astonishing collection of Indian artifacts. The second part of his dream was to share his gallery with the world. His collection was exhibited in major American cities, and in 1839 he crossed the Atlantic to display his Indian Gallery in London and eventually Paris and Brussels as well. While touring with his Gallery, he fell so deeply into debt that he lost almost the entire collection. His compulsion to continue was so strong he repainted many of his pictures in his lost collection, using old sketches to guide him. He believed that his Indian Gallery was a national treasure, worthy of preservation by the United States government. Though he did not live to see his wish fulfilled, the original Indian Gallery came to the Smithsonian seven years after his death in 1872.

What a treasure this book is and a recommended resource that should be included in libraries and classrooms. The back of the book includes a helpful glossary. Suggested fiction and non-fiction books on the different Native American groups Catlin painted as well as museums to visit and view his work first hand are available to the reader.

ALL ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Nancy Plain is a four-time Spur Award winner from the Western Writers of America. Nancy’s biography of the cowboy artist, “Charlie Russell, Sagebrush and Paintbrush,” won a Spur Award for “Best Western Juvenile Nonfiction,” from the Western Writers of America in 2008. She has also received the following recognition: YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist, the National Outdoor Book Award, Booklist Editors’ Choice, the Nebraska Book Award, the Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History, the Will Rogers Medallion Award, the Carter G. Woodson Honor award, and First Place in Children’s Nonfiction from the National Federation of Press Women. Nancy has written ten histories and biographies for young people. She has written widely on American history topics, including biographies of the Cowboy Artist Charlie Russell, Chief Joseph, and The Nez Perce War, the pioneer photographer Solomon Butcher, and the bird artist John James Audubon. Visit Nancy at NancyPlain.com.

On A Summer Salad Roll

Cook's Notes: 

I did find it necessary to raid Peter's garden for some of the salad ingredients. 

Strawberry Arugula Salad with a Balsamic Vinaigrette

Cook's notes: A loaded salad bursting with healthy summer goodness. The salad ingredients are listed-you decide how many servings are needed. The dressing is enough for 4 salads.
Salad Ingredients:

• Mixed greens
• Fresh basil
• Red onion rings
• Diced strawberries
• Crumbled goat cheese
• Roasted and salted sunflower seeds or toasted pecans
• Radishes halved or cucumbers

Balsamic Vinaigrette Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons good quality dark balsamic vinegar or Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3-4 teaspoons of pure maple syrup
• Fine grain sea salt to taste
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

• Mix all salad ingredients in a large bowl plate to serve.
• Place dressing ingredients in a blender, and mix well. Drizzle over salad.

Check out this link below for these salad recipes https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2019/06/on-summer-salad-roll.html

Go Greek

Melon Salad

Spinach Quinoa Salad with Roasted Grapes

https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2014/03/part-two-vegetarian-options-for-spring.html

Strawberry Broccoli Salad with  Creamy Poppyseed Dressing
https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2022/04/strawberry-broccoli-salad-with-creamy.html

7 Layer Salads Makeover

https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2014/09/in-news-and-7-layer-salads-get-makeover.html

Cheesy Potatoes-An Ever Ready Special

Widely associated with funerals, cheesy potatoes aka funeral potatoes are a potato-based dish in casserole form—the ultimate comfort food—usually served hot at potlucks. It's a widespread tradition to serve them at gatherings held after funerals, hence the name.

BUT 

Conventional wisdom holds that nobody really knows who created this dish. The Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is given credit for serving funeral potatoes at luncheons, and the dish turned into a phenomenon.
Despite the fact that the Mormons have a pretty strong claim to funeral potatoes, you will find versions of the dish in just about every region of the country. Of course, they’re not always called Funeral Potatoes (see hash brown casserole, cheesy hash browns, cheesy potatoes, party potatoes). Take Cracker Barrel’s Hash Brown Casserole, for example, it's pretty much a version of funeral potatoes without the potato chips.

Cheesy Potatoes with Cornflake Topping

An Ever-Ready Special

Cook's Notes: I am not a fan of canned creamed soups (high in sodium and other preservatives) but it's one of the traditional ingredients in this casserole so I set out to create my own recipe based on several other recipes. The recipe makes a full 9 x 13 pan and lucky we had company to help us out. It was the perfect side dish for a grilled salmon meal. I used potatoes O'Brien for more texture but could use hash browns.   

Casserole Ingredients:

• 3/4 bag of frozen Potatoes O'Brien (32 oz.) thawed 
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 1 cup sweet onions, diced
• 1 cup red pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1-1/2 cups chicken broth, low sodium  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon each of parsley flakes, thyme, and Elote seasoning 
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup sour cream 

Topping Ingredients: 

• 3 cups crushed cornflakes
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

 Casserole Directions:

• One hour before making the dish, thaw out 3/4 of the bag of potatoes on a cookie sheet.
• Lightly grease a 13 x 9 pan or 2-1/2 quart-sized pan and preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• In a large fry pan with high sides saute onions and peppers in butter for about 4 minutes until softened.
• Whisk in flour and blend, then whisk in milk and broth. 
• Add in spices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened adding in cheese until melted.
• Stir in thawed potatoes, fold in sour cream, and place in a baking pan.

 Topping Directions:

• Crush cornflakes in a small baggie and then mix with melted butter. 
• Sprinkle topping evenly over the casserole and bake for 30-35 minutes until bubbling around the edges. 
  

This potato dish was served with grilled salmon, corn, and ice cream served in a waffle (edible) bowl. I did cheat a bit on the sauce for the salmon. I brushed on Kung Pao sauce over the salmon to give it more of an Asian flair when grilling. The sauce also works well with chicken. 

National Ice Cream Day July 19 2023

 

"Ice Cream" or "I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream" is a popular song, first published in 1927 with words & music by Howard Johnson, Billy Moll, and Robert King. After initial success as a late 1920's novelty song, the tune became a traditional jazz standard, while the lyrics refrain "I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream" has remained a part of popular culture even without the rest of the song.

Ice cream lovers will surely be super excited for this weekend—National Ice Cream Day on Sunday, July 16 (or should we say Sundae). In fact, July is technically National Ice Cream Month. And we can now select from seemingly endless flavor choices – Baskin Robbins famous for offering 31 flavors now has created more than 1,400. Vanilla remains the favorite, at least when consumers buy ice cream by the pail instead of the pint, according to 84.51°, a retail data tracking firm. Next favorites: chocolate and Neapolitan. On the rise: Birthday cake-flavored ice cream.

Check out this link below for some ice cream deals 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2023/07/14/national-ice-cream-day-2023-deals/70407567007/

or check out  the Ever Ready site for some great ice cream recipes which include the Mexican Ice Cream Pie photo above

https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2019/07/i-scream-you-scream-we-all-scream-for.html

or try some ice cream sandwich ideas with sprinkles on Ever Ready

https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2019/06/sundae-funday.html

or check out this link below for some delicious homemade ice cream toppings

https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2022/07/national-ice-cream-day.html
 

 

Adding Summer Sizzle

 Adding some sizzle to your summer cooking with foil packet cooking.

Kielbasa- Sweet Potato Foil Packets

Cook's Notes: The recipe serves two but ingredients can easily be increased. Adapted from Food Network July/August 2018
Ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
• 1 tablespoons. olive oil
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/2 lb. fully cooked kielbasa, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 cup red onions, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 2/3 cup dried apricots or 1-1/2 cups apples, diced

Directions:

• In a large bowl mix herbs, juice, and olive oil.
• Add in kielbasa, sweet potato chunks, celery, apples, or apricots. Divide the mixture into two servings.
• Tear off 2 sheets about 24 inches. Place the meat mixture in the middle, fold the edges to the center, and seal.
• Grill packets for about 22 minutes and rotate occasionally so they don't burn. Open packets carefully to serve.

Some other foil packet dinners from Ever Ready you might want to try

Foil packet with Shrimp, Zucchini and Corn
http://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2016/05/fire-up-grill_26.html


Hoisin Glazed Salmon in Foil Packets
http://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2018/02/hoisin-glazed-salmon-with-veggies-in.html

Shrimp Scampi Dinner
http://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2017/08/weekend-round-up_6.html

Summer Veggie Packet
http://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2017/08/weekend-round-up_6.html

The Versatility of Strawberries

The Versatility of Strawberries

When paired with complementary flavors, strawberries add color and a bit of sweetness to salads, act as a natural sweetener to desserts, and gives texture to breads. Don't let the season pass you by. 

Five flavors that compliment strawberries in a tasty way.

Balsamic Vinegar: Recipes incorporating both balsamic vinegar and strawberries abound, and they don’t meet up exclusively in salads either. Combine strawberries with a little sugar and pepper as a side dish when an abundance of extra-sweet berries has come in. Basically, the vinegar (especially when nuanced with a little black pepper), steps into the background, making the strawberries even sweeter. Strawberries and balsamic vinegar also mix well in toasted breads, flatbread, scones, and more. And let’s not forget desserts a role strawberries were born for.
Rosemary: Introduce the smoky flavor of rosemary, and strawberries take on a new, unique spirit, giving cooks lots of ways to use them up. A rosemary sprig makes homemade strawberry iced tea, jams, and ice cream more three-dimensional.
Basil: A basil chiffonade blends well with salads, adding surprising flavor when paired with balsamic strawberries and candied almonds.
Spinach: Sliced strawberries blend well with spinach, red onions, feta and walnuts. But spinach and strawberries shouldn’t always be laid out on a plate. Blending spinach with strawberries, yogurt, and bananas, creates one of the highest nutrient-per-calorie smoothies one can make.
Chocolate: Put a little Nutella or chocolate sauce on a plate with the strawberries and watch it all disappear.

Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar

This is a unique, gourmet way to serve this fantastic summer fruit! The balsamic vinegar enhances the berries' beautiful color and flavor. Great served with a simple pound cake, over vanilla ice cream, or simply by themselves as shown in the above photo. The pepper really works to enhance flavor and gives the fruit a little zing. Chocolate balsamic paired with strawberries is amazing.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. fresh strawberries, hulled and diced
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar
  
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Directions: 

• Place strawberries in a bowl. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over strawberries, sprinkle with sugar, and stir gently to combine. Cover, and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour but not more than 4 hours. Just before serving, grind pepper over berries and place in small glassware.  

Roasted Strawberry Parfaits 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh strawberries, quartered
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup granola
• mint for garnish, optional

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, combine strawberries and sugar. Spread out strawberries on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar.
• Roast in oven 12 minutes or until the strawberries start to release their juices but are still a little firm. Carefully pour the roasted strawberries and their juice into a bowl and set aside.
• Mix yogurt and honey in a medium bowl and stir until combined.
• Assemble in 8-ounce glasses or parfait cups by adding a layer of yogurt to the bottom of the glass or cup.
• Next add a few spoonfuls of the strawberries on top of the yogurt and then add a spoonful of granola on top of the strawberries. Repeat layers until serving glasses are full. Top the parfaits with a spoonful of strawberries and a sprinkle of granola. Place a sprig of mint for garnish, optional.

Warm Roasted Strawberries
Cook's notes: Follow the roasting directions from the posting above serve the warm roasted strawberries over ice cream. Try the roasted strawberries over blackberry ice cream. It's amazing!