Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

It’s been a busy couple of weeks; I work at a college and it was graduation time so that pretty much consumed my entire life for a little while there. I did manage to cook one dinner, but I tried to find the easiest one I could, and I came across this chicken and broccoli casserole (similar to the crab and broccoli one I did a little while back, with a few small differences). This recipe came from someone named Linda Reilly.

You need: 1 lb chicken cutlets, 1 box of broccoli spears, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, 8 slices of American cheese, 1 large sliced onion, salt, pepper, and paprika.

First, line the pan with the sliced broccoli spears, and place the chicken on top, and then the onions on top of that.

Then, cover with cheese, and pour the soup over top. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika (no amount was given, so just do it to flavor).

Now it says to bake it for 30 minutes, but it doesn't say what temperature. I tried it at 350, and when I took it out the chicken wasn't cooked all the way through yet, even though I had spiced it up into cubes. So I would recommend 45 minutes to an hour.

It tasted great, with a comfort food kind of feeling to it. And it was so simple, I could definitely imagine making this again many times in the future.

We are also in the process of buying a home, which is exciting and anxiety producing all at once. The one we are looking at right now has an enormous kitchen, which would allow for all sorts of new cooking adventures.

I’ve also been having to deal with my grammy’s house being sold this past month. It is painful to think of it not being in my family anymore, not spending holidays eating shrimp cocktail in the kitchen, taking walks through the woods, or feeding deer off of the front porch. My pop pop built the house, and it felt like home the minute you walked in, even if you were a stranger.

This has been especially difficult for my mom, who has held up quite well under the pressure. A death in the family is always sure to cause conflict and tears, and she has been graceful through it all. I wish I could do more to help. But the most I can do is bake her a cake and offer her an ear when she needs it.

And maybe in my new house, I will put cushions on the dining room chairs and then immediately rip them off and throw them on the floor, a favorite activity of mine when I was a child at my grammy’s house for who knows what reason, in memory of the house. At least we have these memories. And maybe another family will get to create some of their own in that house.

Next week - biscuit calzone!

Cherry Bread

Still no spaces, ugh. For cherry bread, you need: 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt (I completely forgot to include this), 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans and walnuts), 2 eggs, 1/4 cup oil, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 cup buttermilk (I used 2 percent milk, because I had some for something else I was making), 1/4 cup cherry juice, 1/2 cup marashino cherries. First heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a loaf pan. Mix all the ingredients except for the cherries together.

Thank god for this mixer. Then you fold in the cherries, and then pour into the loaf pan.

Recently my uncle told me a story about my dad always eating all of the marashino cherries they would have in the house. My grandmother (my dad's mom, not my grammy) said she always forgot they had gotten then, and just thought they were out. When they got a new jar, my dad would eat the entire thing right away. I ate a couple right out of the jar myself while baking this. It's in my genes.

Cook for an hour, and then remove from the pan immediately, and place on rack to cool.

The loaf should then be wrapped in foil and stored in the fridge. First I had a slice, and it was delicious. A fun, different option instead of banana bread. The only thing now is that I have all this cherry juice - I had to buy a giant container when I only needed a quarter cup. Better get some vodka. Next time - chicken and broccoli casserole!

Pork Fried Rice

Blogger still isn't letting me put spaces in the blog!! I tried to adapt it as best as possible. For this one, you need: 2 eggs, lightly beaten ** 3/4 lb lean pork leg steak (i just used the other half of the ham steak I had left over from the soup) ** 1 large green pepper ** 1 large red bell pepper ** 3 scallions ** 2 tsp oil, divided (so, one 1 tsp and then another 1 tsp) ** 3 tbsp light soy sauce ** 3 cups cold cooked rice ** It actually also called for 2 tbsp dry white wine. I thought I had some at home but when I started cooking, I realized I didn't, so I just left it out. First I had to cook the rice, which believe it or not I had never done before. I had cooked rices out of bags or in the microwave, but not like this. So I just followed the directions on the package and everything turned out just fine.

After that, you heat a skillet over low flame, and then add the eggs. Cook it undisturbed until set.

This was also probably my most successful egg cooking ever. I don't usually have the patience to leave the egg alone until it is cooked through before I try flipping it. Since this was spelled out so clearly in the instructions, I really made an effort to give it time, and it completely worked. When it was all done, I shredded it and set it aside.

The directions say to cut the pork into 1/2 inch cubes, but mine were a little smaller since it was the ham steak instead of the pork leg. You are also to seed the peppers and cut them into 3/4 inch squares, and cut the scallions into 1/2 inch slices. Add one of the tablespoons of oil to the skillet and cook the pork cubes until the meat is cooked through. Remove it and set it aside, and then add the remaining oil and cook the peppers for about one minute.

Add the scallions and then cook for about 30 seconds more. You should be stirring the entire time. Stir in the soy sauce, wine (if you have it), pork, rice, and shredded egg. Toss to combine; cook and stir frequently until completely heated.

The recipe said it made 4 servings but I would say it made much more than that, and it was definitely a meal all by itself. It was delicious! Leaving out the wine didn't seem to make a difference (or maybe it tastes 10 times better with the wine, who knows). I was cautious of the soy sauce because I had high blood pressure, and soy sauce is ridiculously loaded with sodium. But I found the best option they had at the grocery store, and it wasn't too bad especially considering how many servings this made. This is a super easy recipe, healthier than it sounds, and you can stock up a few days worth of meals with it. I see this one happening many times in my future. Next time - cherry bread!