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!