Chicken and Red Rice

When I was a kid, my mom had this recipe book that she used to cook a few things out of. (This is a big deal because my mom is a self-proclaimed non-cook). The cookbook looked like it was used every day for years because it was falling apart and bound by a rubber band. One recipe she would make from time to time that we all liked was Chicken and Red Rice. Although, I don't know that we ever really knew what that recipe tasted like because my mom was (is) a firm believer in "If we don't have it already in the fridge or cabinet, we don't need it" kind of recipe follower. I think it always tasted a little different every time she made it, which was fine because we all loved it anyway.

Flash forward to me when I first got married over ten years ago. I could kind of cook, but not really. I think the hubby and I lived off of the same 3 dishes until we got sick of seeing and eating them. So I went to my mom's house and tried to find really great recipes. They were scarce, but one I did steal was the Chicken and Red Rice recipe.

I make it at least once a month and it's just as good as it's always been. It's my ten-year-old's favorite dish. And today when I told my seven-year-old what I was making for dinner she jumped up and down, yelled yippee, and then had to go tell everyone else in the house. So yeah, it's good.

It can serve 6 if you don't want leftovers.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• Four Chicken Breasts cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 can tomatoes, mashed up

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°
2. Melt butter in a large baking dish while the oven heats
3. In a small bowl, mix flour, salt, paprika, poultry seasoning, and pepper
4. Dip chicken bites into flour mixture, coating well and place in baking dish with melted butter
5. Bake chicken bites for 25-30 minutes until browned
6. While the chicken is baking, mix all of the chopped veggies, crushed garlic, oregano, and rice in a container
7. Then, in a small saucepan, boil your chicken broth and tomatoes
8. Once the chicken is done baking, remove the pieces from the baking dish (just put them on a plate or something) and then pour your rice mixture into the baking dish, spreading it out so it evenly covers the bottom
9. Put your chicken bites back in the dish on top of the rice mixture
10. Pour your sauce pan of broth and tomatoes over the whole dish and put it back in the oven for 45 minutes.

Usually, while this is cooking, my hubby makes a big salad with all the works and I make a big pitcher of sweet tea. It's one of those meals where plates get so clean they don't look like they've even been eaten off of. That's what I call cooking success!

Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

I've been wanting to try the new Philadelphia cooking cremes since they first appeared on the shelf in the grocery store. So tonight, I put one to the test by making the Chicken Pot Pie recipe that's listed here. But, because I don't ever like sticking to a recipe, I changed some stuff up. It ended up looking like this at the end of the night:

Success!

My family inhaled it. And then made me wrap up what was left so they could have leftovers of it tomorrow. That almost never happens. We're not a family of leftovers...mostly because I've perfected the art of cooking for just 4 people.

Just out of the oven

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of chicken breast, cut into tiny, bite-sized pieces
• a spoonful of butter or margarine
• 3 cups of mixed veg, thawed and drained
• 1 container of Philadelphia Cooking Creme Italian Cheese and Herb*
• 2 deep dished pie crusts

Half Eaten

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400°
2. In a skillet, melt butter and brown the bite-sized pieces of chicken 
3. Add veg and cook through for 2-3 minutes
4. Add Cooking Creme and heat through until mixture just begins to bubble
5. Spoon into one deep dished pie crust
6. Top with the other pie crust (please read explanation below) and cut slits in the top
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.

Now, the explanation of step 6:

 The original recipe (the one linked above) says to just put the mixture in a pie tin and then cover with a crust. I don't like pot pies like that. I like my pot pies to be surrounded by crust, both top and bottom. But, when I went to the grocery store, I only got the deep dished crusts and forgot to get the roll out pie "top" that most people would use in this situation. Of course, I could of made the top from scratch, but no. So, after I put the mixture in one pie shell, I ran a knife around the rim of the second pie crust, cutting the fluted edges off and then turned the pie crust tin upside down until it (the crust) dropped out in one nice sheet. I then placed it over my mixture already on the first pie shell and thumb smashed the edges of the two crusts together. Turned out great.

Creamy and flavorful and divine

Of course, it doesn't quite cut into "pie" pieces. But so what. It's yummy no matter what.

Before the massacre.

Enjoy!

*The actual recipe called for Savory Garlic Cooking Creme. My grocery store was out of that flavor, so I got the Italian Cheese and Herb. It was yummy.

Slow Cooker Chili

I love the fall. It's my favorite time of year. The weather is gorgeous, college football is in full swing, Halloween gives me reason to eat obscene amounts of sugar, and we gain an hour of sleep when the clocks change. 

I also love fall foods. Soup. Chili. Chowder. Pumpkin Pie. Baked Apples. Stuffing. Hot Cider. How can anyone argue that these aren't the best foods?

This fall, I've decided to make use of my Slow Cooker, mostly because we are SO DAGUM BUSY! And when we get busy, it usually means we eat out a lot more, which is never good. Not just because it's unhealthy, but because it's just gross a lot of the time. Why spend $30 on food for the family if the food you get isn't excellent?

So, I've pulled out the Slow Cooker. And I've pulled out my recipes that are easiest to do in the Slow Cooker.

The first is my chili recipe, which has been adapted and shaped over the years from a very basic recipe I found on the back of a canned tomato can. (I don't remember which one.)

Ingredients:

• Ground Hamburger or Ground Turkey (Venison would work, too)
• 1 can of stewed chili flavored tomatoes (with juice)
• 1 can of whole kernel corn (with juice)
• 1 can of light red kidney beans (drained well)
• 1 can of black beans (partially drained)
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 1/2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 packet of chili seasoning
• 2 dashes of cinnamon
• 2 dashes of celery salt
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Brown meat and drain thoroughly
2. Add all ingredients to Slow Cooker
3. Cook on low for 4 hours
4. Remove bay leaf before serving
5. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and chopped green onions if desired.

I usually serve this with tostitos or cornbread. It depends on how "hands on" I want the meal to be. My children LOVE this. During cooler/cold weather, this meal makes the rotation in our house usually once every week and a half.

It's Barbeque Time

Being from the south means it is ingrained in my DNA that I love BBQ. The south is riddled with BBQ joints that serve up BBQ, squash casserole, lima beans, corn bread, mac and cheese, and every other kind of comfort food there is. And we flock to these places, especially after church.

But you know what's even better? Making a big batch of bbq that can feed your family all week long if need be. Oh, and of course, you can also take it to family functions...that is if you're willing to share.

So, here's what you need:

• 5 lb boneless pork butt shoulder
• 1 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
• 2 tsp of pepper
• 1 tsp of cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup of water

1. In a small bowl, combine all of the seasonings
2. Place your pork butt in a slow cooker
3. Rub the pork butt evenly with your seasoning
4. Pour the cup of water into the bottom of the slow cooker
5. Cook your pork butt on low heat for 8 hours
6. Shred your bbq with a fork in a large bowl.

Now, you can eat it as is. And trust me when I say it's really good like that. But usually, I'll separate the bbq into two different containers, leaving one of them as is. With the other I mix in 1 cup of Uncle Yammy's Southern Style BBQ Sauce and 1 cup of Shealy's BBQ Sauce, both of which you can find at the grocery store. This is the BBQ we eat with grilled corn on the cob and fried potatoes. 

The epitome of a southern summer meal!