Forgotten Chicken

This is my all time favorite, number one, first choice, bestest, loveliest, most deliciousliest meal. It’s so good I had to make up adjectives for it. :)  No exaggeration, this is MY personal favorite meal.  Growing up this was the meal that I requested for every birthday, or actually any day when my mom asked my opinion on dinner.   And I’m pretty sure she was okay with it since it consists of five ingredients and takes about 5 minutes to put together.  (six if you count water.) It is certainly not fancy or exotic (and I’m aware that this isn’t the most healthy meal) but just plain good ol’ comfort food and warm yummy goodness.  I will say that if you are looking for that super-pow recipe that hits you with all its flavors and knocks your taste buds unconscious…this is not it.  I mean come on, it has five ingredients.  But if you want a big dish of simple, good home cooking then give this a try.  I personally think it is the best.

Forgotten Chicken

The ingredients:

Boneless skinless chicken breasts, minute rice, 1 pkg. onion soup mix, can of cream of chicken soup, can of cream of celery soup, water.

Mix together “cream of” soups, 1 can of water, and 2 cups of minute rice (uncooked.)  Pour into a buttered casserole dish.

Lay chicken breasts on top of rice mixture and sprinkle onion soup mix on top. Cover with tin foil. Don’t forget that important step!

(My dad hates onions so a lot of the time my mom would just mix the onion soup in with the rice.  I guess out of sight, out of mind?  Either way works.)

Here is where the name Forgotten Chicken comes in.  Once you have it in the casserole dish you can put it in the oven and forget it!  My mom would always put it in on a low temp. (around 250-275) before we left for church and when we got home three hours later it would be ready.  Or you can cook it at 350-375 (depending on your oven) for one to one and a half hours.   It is hard to mess up so if you forget it is in there don’t worry, it is probably still okay!

The rice on the outside edges should be slightly browned and crispy and the rice on the inside soft and moist.  Serve with a side salad and a nice big slice of bread and you have yourself one tasty meal.  It’s my favorite!  (in case I haven’t mentioned that enough times in this post.)

***Update*** Many people have left comments or sent emails with their concerns over the sodium or MSG in the soups used in this recipe.  I understand, I get it.  As I mentioned, as much as I LOVE this recipe, we don’t eat it every single week.  And if you don’t want to eat it at all, guess what…you don’t have too!  That is the great news.  You can decide what you do and do not want to eat in your OWN house.  For me this is a delicious, easy meal that we will enjoy once in awhile along with plenty of healthy, clean food.  Another tip:  Whole Foods has “cream of soups” that are MSG free and are a great alternative.  There are also lots of recipes out on the web for substitute “cream of soup” so find whatever works for your family and enjoy!

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Grilled Chicken & Strawberry Salad Wrap

Posted by Ree

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Would it be a cliché to say “yum” on a cooking website? If so, I’m in big,big trouble.

And furthermore: Yum.

I made this deliciously simple salad after church yesterday, and since I was ravenously ravenous, I decided to introduce some carbs into the picture and make the salad into a wrap. It was so utterly delightful, especially after the ridonkulously hot weekend of soccer, soccer, and soccer. With a little soccer thrown in. It was fresh, crunchy, with a nice combination of protein and fruit and greens…oh, and goat cheese.

Oh, and a few other things, too.

Here’s how I made it!

Throw a couple of chicken breasts into a ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to pound the thicker areas of the chicken until they’re a uniform thickness.

Then, either whip up your favorite balsamic vinaigrette yourself…or grab a dang bottle of Paul Newman’s (or whatever kind of vinaigrette you like) out of your pantry. Because sometimes life is too short to make your own vinaigrette.

Now that’s deep, Ree.

Drizzle a little dressing into the bag with the chicken…

Then seal the bag, squeeze out the air so the dressing is totally coating the chicken, and marinate it in the fridge for an hour or two.

You can use any vinaigrette you want: Raspberry vinaigrette would be lovely!

After it’s marinated, cook the chicken on a grill pan (or outside on the grill if you haven’t been at soccer games all weekend).

A couple of minutes into cooking, rotate the chicken 45 degrees so it’ll have pretty, fancy grill marks.

Do the same on the other side.

Then, when then chicken’s totally done in the middle, remove it to a board…

Slice it on a diagonal in one direction…

Then again in the other direction.

Next, grab some lovely, juicy strawberries.

Hull them, then cut the strawberries into quarters.

Keep going until you have a nice pile.

And here’s why I like quartering the strawberries: If I were to simply slice them, each slice wouldn’t wind up with much surface area. This way, you see some of the beautiful strawberry skin with each piece of strawberry.

That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.

Crumble up some goat cheese and try not to eat one of the crumbles.

Goat cheese inhabits my dreams.

Next, slice up some green onions…

Then grab a few pecans…

And chop ‘em up.

Last thing: Pour the salad greens into a big ol’ bowl.

Now you’re ready to assemble the salad, honey baby!

First, toss the greens in a little salad dressing…

Then add the strawberries…

The chicken…

The green onions…

And the goat cheese.

Mmmm. Luscious!

Now, you can toss it all around and serve it like a normal salad…

Or you can make wraps! Start with a flour tortilla. I used whole wheat.

Lay a generous amount of salad all across the middle.

You may have to “style” it a little and make sure you have even amounts of strawberries and chicken throughout.

I put a little more goat cheese across the top because goat cheese is my life.

Roll up the wrap as tightly as you can. You can also roll it like a burrito, where you tuck in the sides, but I like the purty stuff to be visible on both ends.

Use a really sharp knife to slice it in half…

Then serve it with chips and/or fruit.

Food like this makes me happy. Try it this week! And you can add in some blueberries if you have some…or even some diced mozzarella. I’ll do that next time!

Here’s the handy dandy printable.

Recipe

Grilled Chicken & Strawberry Salad Wrap

Prep Time:

 15 Minutes

 

Cook Time:

 10 Minutes

 

Difficulty:

 Easy

 

Servings:

 8

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Ingredients

• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1/2 cup Bottled Balsamic Vinaigrette
• 1 whole Package (12 Ounces) Mixed Salad Greens
• 12 whole Medium Strawberries, Hulled And Quartered
• 4 whole Green Onions Sliced (white And Light Green Parts)
• 1/4 cup Pecans, Chopped
• 4 ounces, weight Goat Cheese Crumbled
• 6 whole Large Whole Wheat Tortillas

Preparation Instructions

Place the chicken breasts in a large plastic storage bag. Seal the bag, leaving a small opening, then use a rolling pin to pound the breasts until they're a uniform thickness. Pour in half the balsamic vinaigrette, then seal the bag and marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.

After the chicken has marinated, grill it until it's done in the middle, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Dice up the chicken when it's cool enough to handle.

Add the salad greens to a large bowl. Add half of the remaining dressing and toss it to coat the greens. Add more if it needs it. Add the strawberries, chicken, green onions, and pecans. Toss it gently a few times until it's all combined. Top with crumbled goat cheese and toss a couple of times.

Place an equal amount of salad down the middle of each tortilla. Roll up, then slice in half.

Serve wraps with chips and extra strawberries.

Loaded Broccoli Cheese and Bacon Soup

One Year Ago: Spaghetti Pie {My Family’s Favorite Dinner}
Two Years Ago: English Muffin Bread
Three Years Ago: My Favorite Sugar Cookies

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Loaded Broccoli Cheese and Bacon Soup

YIELD: SERVES 8

You could easily use turkey bacon here especially since the bacon grease is drained before proceeding with the recipe. Alternately, if you like to live life on the edge, you can use the bacon grease for the base of the white sauce and omit the butter (just make sure you have at least 3 tablespoons, otherwise, supplement with butter). This soup is definitely on the thicker side of things; if you want a thinner soup, consider decreasing the broccoli by half (only using 2 cups or so) or adding additional broth at the beginning or the end.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup peeled and chopped carrots, diced small
• 1 cup chopped celery, diced small
• 3 cups peeled and chopped potatoes, diced small
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 4-5 cups broccoli crowns, diced small (about 2 heads of broccoli)
• 4-6 slices bacon, chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 16 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried mustard

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large saucepan, combine the chicken broth, carrots, celery, potatoes and onion. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are starting to get tender.
2. Add the chopped broccoli. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes. The pan is going to be very full of vegetables and it might seem like it isn't "soupy" enough since the vegetables overpower the broth but I promise it will all work out when you add the cheese mixture.
3. In a separate medium saucepan, saute the bacon until golden and crisp. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain the grease and wipe out the saucepan.
4. Melt the butter (in the same saucepan you cooked the bacon in) over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes until golden, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook until the mixture is bubbling and is slightly thickened, 5-7 minutes.
5. Stir in the cheddar cheese one handful at a time, adding another handful after the cheese that has been added has melted. Stir in the salt, pepper and dry mustard.
6. Slowly stir the cheese sauce into the hot broth and vegetables, whisking to combine well. Stir in the reserved bacon and add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. If you want the soup a bit thinner, stir in a little extra broth or milk a bit at a time until you get the consistency you are looking for.

Ruth's Chris Steak House Barbecued Shrimp-recipe

Ingredients

1	lb. Shrimp 16-20 count
1	oz. vol canola oil
1	tbs. + 5 tsp green onions, chopped
2	oz. volume dry white wine
1	tsp. fresh chopped garlic
4	tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1	tsp. Tabasco sauce
½	tsp. cayenne pepper
½	tsp. paprika
8	oz. weight Butter, salted

Directions

1.Wash shrimp under water and then peel the shells and discard. Deveined the shrimp with a paring knife and then wash under water. Repeat until all shrimp are done, place on a sheet tray and place in the refrigerator. 2.Place a large cast iron skillet on a burner and heat over high heat. Add oil and cook shrimp until they are just done, you may have to do these in batches if you do not have large skillet. Remove shrimp and set aside. 3.Add green onions and cook for 1 minute. 4.Add white wine and reduce the volume by half. (Any good dry white wine will work.) 5.When the wine is reduced by half; measure and add the chopped garlic, Worcestershire, Tabasco, Cayenne Pepper and Paprika. Shake the pan well. Cook for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low. 6.Cut butter into small chunks with the knife and slowly add into pan, shaking fast to melt butter. Continue to add butter until it all added and shake until butter is melted. Add shrimp back to pan and toss well to coat shrimp with butter and to heat the shrimp. Place 5 shrimp on small serving plates with a deep edge and ladle barbecued butter over the top over the shrimp. Repeat with the other shrimp and sprinkle each plate with 1 tsp. of chopped green onions, serve right away.

Crock Pot Orange Chicken

I have been searching like crazy for a delicious orange chicken recipe. After many tries, and many fails, I have FINALLY found an orange chicken recipe that will knock your socks off! The best part is that it is cooked in your crock pot!

Ingredients:

4 or 5 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 cup Orange Marmalade

1 cup of BBQ Sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s)

3 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce

Directions:

Place your chicken in the crock pot.

Mix the marmalade, BBQ sauce, and soy sauce together.

Pour over the chicken and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours

When it is done cooking, shred the chicken.

Serve over cooked rice.

(I added some red pepper flakes the on the adult plates for a hot kick)

Read more at http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/07/crock-pot-orange-chicken.html#OTgcXqBVAZZqLI3s.99