Poppy Seed Chicken

Image from myteenytinykitchen.com

Oh, this recipe is satisfying a pregnancy craving BIG TIME!  I was first introduced to this dish when I moved to Jackson, MS, for college, and I instantly fell in love.  It is definitely a casserole, but it is so comforting and delicious and buttery.  Oh, I can't wait til mine gets out of the oven.

Poppy Seed Chicken

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped, cooked chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
8-10 oz. of sour cream
3 teaspoons poppy seeds
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crumbled

Directions:

First: I boiled nearly 2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in water with salt and pepper until the chicken was cooked and cooled.  Then I cleaned and chopped the chicken.

Place chopped, cooked chicken in a bowl, add chicken soup, sour cream and poppy seeds.  Stir to combine.  Pour chicken mixture into the bottom of an 11x7" greased casserole dish.  In a small bowl, combine crumbled Ritz crackers and melted butter.  Pour over chicken mixture.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Serve over rice.

Adapted from Southern Living.

 

Spinach Quiche

I love spinach! Spinach dip, spinach pizza, spinach salad, creamed spinach, spinach Florentine. Ummmm. It's so good! This Spinach Quiche is a wonderful and delicious recipe that is great as a vegetarian dinner option, a side dish, or a tasty dish to bring to a brunch or party. I originally got this recipe from a friend of mine from New Orleans, Heather. Once I tasted it, I just had to have the recipe for my own use. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients
1 deep dish pastry pie shell
1 pack frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained
3/4 cup white onion, chopped
1/3 cup green onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, (optional)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tbsp Worcestershire
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
2 cups loosely packed grated cheese, Swiss or Gruyere
1/3 Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Prick pastry shell and bake 8 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees.
3. In medium sauce pan, melt butter, then saute onions and parsley. Add spinach and cook 2 minutes. Add flour, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cayenne, and Worcestershire. Mix well.
4. In a bowl combine eggs, cheese, and milk until thoroughly mixed.
5. Add spinach mixture. Mix well and pour into pastry shell and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

***This recipe is easily doubled and easily frozen!

Mexican Casserole

This recipe is SOOOOOOOO easy and is really yummy. Literally, 20 minutes! Beat that Rachael Ray! My mother-in-law Joyce made this dish for us over the Thanksgiving holiday and it was scrumptious. I made it for supper tonight because after I ate it in Mississippi, I haven't gotten it off my mind. Also, I am addicted to all things Mexican and food related!

Mexican Casserole

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground sirloin
- 1 can Rotel (I used mild)
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can chicken and rice soup
- 1/2 package of Taco seasoning mix
- 1/2 bag of tortilla chips, crushed
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place crushed tortilla chips in botton of casserole.
Brown ground meat and drain. Add Rotel and both cans of soup (don't drain anything). Add taco seasoning mix. Stir and heat through until bubbly (about 3 minutes). Pour mixture over crushed tortilla chips. Cover with cheese and bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly delicious! Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken Lasagna

Creamy Chicken Lasagna
I got this recipe from one of my close friends, Amy Louise Townsend. It is so yummy and it is one of Nora's favorite things to eat EVER.

CREAMY CHICKEN LASAGNA

Ingredients:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
6 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 cube chicken bouillon
1/4 cup hot water
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (26 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce


1. Bring large pot of slightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles for 8-10 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, & set aside.

2. Place chicken in saucepan with just enough water to cover & bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes, or until no longer pink & juices run clear. Remove from saucepan & shred. I put mine in my food processor for about 20 seconds and it's done!

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve chicken bouillon cube in 1/4 cup hot water. In a large bowl, mix the chicken with the bouillon, cream cheese, & 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

4. Spread 1/3 of spaghetti sauce in bottom of 9 inch square baking dish. Cover with chicken mixture, & top with 3 lasagna noodles; repeat. Top with remaining sauce, & sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

5. Bake for 45 minutes in preheated oven until golden and bubbling.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie

And by cheesy, I mean dairy. Not corny or silly.

Does Velveeta really qualify as cheese?

Moving on.

A good friend of ours from dental school, the one and only Lauren VanBebber (now Lauren Davis) gave me this recipe. She is from Hot Springs, AK, and is such a great cook with soooo many recipes up her sleeve. When we all lived in Baton Rouge following Hurricane Katrina, Lauren lived in the same apartment complex as Jonathan and I. The three of us, along with a few other friends, would get together weekly for a supper club. We would rotate homes, and if it was your week to host, you provided supper for everyone in the club! I loved eating at Lauren's place because she always had the most wonderful, comforting food! Here is one of our favorites:

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs. chicken, cooked and shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use reduced fat)
1 smallest package available of Velveeta cheese (not certain of the number of oz.), diced into small pieces
1 large can of Veg-all mixed vegetables (I use the Homestyle)
1 can corn, drained
2 refrigerated pie crusts
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pot, boil chicken in water with butter, salt and pepper. Once chicken is cooked, let cool and shred. Return chicken to pot along with soup, cheese, and vegetables. Mix together and stir frequently until cheese is melted and everything is combined. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place one pie crust in bottom of pie plate. Pour chicken filling on top, then cover with the second pie crust. Pinch the two crusts together. Bake in oven until pie crust is golden brown, approximately 45-60 minutes. Enjoy!

***This meal is so yummy and so comforting!