Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole

   
Hi everybody :)

Everyone, I'm sure, has their favorite chicken and rice dish that was inherited from a grandmother, mom, or aunt. But you can never have too many, so with that in mind, I bring you Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole.

This is a really simple recipe. It can also be prepared 1 day ahead, loosely covered and refrigerated until ready to bake. It can be cooked in individual baking dishes, and will make a great welcoming home gift for family or friends.

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole from:  CREATIVE COOK'S KITCHEN COOKBOOK

You Will Need

FOR THE CASSEROLE
1 can (10 ounces) cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 cups cooked white rice
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green or red bell pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

FOR THE TOPPING
1 sheet (1/2 package) frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
1 egg white, lightly beaten

SPECIAL AIDS
2-inch leaf-shaped cookie cutter rolling pin
SERVES 4

MAKING THE CASSEROLE
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine soup, milk and mayonnaise. In another bowl, combine rice, chicken, peas, onion and bell pepper.

2. Stir soup mixture into chicken mixture. Add half the Cheddar. Spoon into casserole. Sprinkle with remaining Cheddar. Bake until top is golden, about 25 minutes.

MAKING THE TOPPING
1. On a floured surface, roll pastry to 1/8-inch thickness.
2. Using a cookie cutter, mark cutouts in pastry and cut out with knife.
3. With a small paring knife, press along pastry edges and down center of each cutout to make "veins." Arrange cutouts on an ungreased baking sheet; brush tops with egg white.

4. Place pastry cutouts in oven during last 15 minutes of casserole baking time. Bake cutouts until golden brown.
5. Remove cutouts from baking sheet and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Remove casserole from oven.
6. Arrange baked pastry cutouts on top of casserole. Serve immediately.

Kitchen Tips
To save time, place unbaked cutouts directly on casserole during the last 15 minutes of baking time.

Festive Touch
Use special cookie cutters for the pastry topping to echo a particular holiday.

To Spice It Up
Add some heat to this recipe by substituting 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapenos for the Cheddar.

What I Think:
It was very good. I was surprise that there was no seasoning in the dish itself (but the chicken was seasoned, I used a roastisire chicken breast). I did sprinkled a little Mrs. Dash Onion and Herb Seasoning on top of the pastry leaves after the egg white. So THIS is going in my repeat file.

ENJOY! Come again...

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Freezing Lemons: How To

Freezing Lemons: How To

Hi everybody :)

Did you know that you can freeze lemons? It's very simply and easy. I'll show you how.  Freezing whole lemons is not a good idea because their juice sacs will burst. But freezing the juice and the zest is a great idea! You can store it in mini cups or containers to fit your needs, according to your recipes. This works well with limes also. It stays fresh for up to 6 months; so you can have that great lemony taste when they're out of season :)

Freezing Lemons: How To

What you need:

Supplies

Microplane Zester  (I use my Edgeware )
Lemons, cleaned
Mini Cups or Containers (I got mine from the Dollar Store)
Freezer Bags

Zesting the Lemon

 

 

When zesting the lemon, take care NOT to get any of the white part, you only want the yellow peel.

Zest on Grater

Lemon Zest

After zesting the lemon, rolled it on the counter top to soften it or microwave it for about 5 seconds to help release the juice. Cut lemon in half and squeeze it into container. Remove any seeds, top with lid and wrap container in plastic wrap to ensure lid stays on. Place in zip-lock bags, date, and label. Store in freezer.

Lemon Juice

Lemon Zest in Freezer Bag

Lemon Juice in Freezer Bag

 

Tip: After the juice has frozen, unmold and place in freezer bags to reuse mini containers.


So the next time you're at the store, and lemons just happen to be on sale, don't be afraid to stack-up :)

ENJOY! Come again....

Banana Oatmeal Cookies: 4 Ways

Banana Oatmeal Cookies: 4 Ways

Hi everybody : )

A few weeks ago, I won this lovely Quaker Oatmeal Gift package from Baker Street. It had these Banana Nut Bread Bars chock–full of almonds that was sooooo good I was craving more. So when I saw these cookies on Pinterest, I was hoping I can recreate those delicious bars.

Then I decided to try out some different flavors... so here we go.

From Baking Bites
Banana Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter, very soft
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup mashed banana (1 small/medium)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars. Beat in egg and banana, followed by the vanilla extract. Gradually, on low speed or by hand, add in the flour mixture. Stir in the oats (either whole rolled oats or “quick cooking”) and chocolate chips.

 
Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 11-14 minutes at 350F, until set and lightly browned.
Let cookies cool for about 5 minutes on the pan before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes 2 dozen cookies.

What I Did:
I doubled this recipe, divided the dough into 4 parts and added  1/4 cup of the add-ins as follow: 
1/4 cup almonds - 1st. part
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips - 2nd. part
1/4 cup butterscotch chip - 3rd. part
1/4 cup mixed walnut, coconut, and craisins - 4th. part


I used my medium OXO Good Grips Cookie Scoop, pressed them down a little and baked them for about 14 minutes. Tip: Wet hands with water before pressing; dough is sticky. I also sprinkled extra almond on top of the almond ones before baking.

What I Think:
These were DELICIOUS!! I'm soooo glad I tried this recipe, so there will be a repeat! You can really taste the banana in these. I'm going BANANAS over these cookies!!! BTW, the cookies tasted BETTER than the Quaker Oatmeal Banana Bread Bars... sorry, Quaker...I still love you :)

ENJOY! Come again....

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This Week Cravings: Mom's Crazy Cooking