Colorful Chicken Casserole

Colorful Chicken Casserole Created by chance, April 2025 to use up leftover rice, beccause I do not know how to make a small amount of rice. 3-4 cups leftover rice About 12 ounces chopped, cooked chicken ½ - 1 cup chicken broth 1 16 oz. bag mixed vegetables 1 teaspoon Fines Herbes* divided ½ teaspoon rosemary divided ½ teaspoon thyme, divided ½ teaspoon granulated onion 1 can cream of chicken soup ½ - 1 cup grated Swiss cheese Cook vegetables to gender crisp with ½ tsp Fines Herbes, ¼ tsp rosemary, ¼ tsp thyme. Drain vegetables and mix with leftover rice. Add remaining herbs (which can be adjusted to taste), chicken, broth, cream of chicken soup and Swiss cheese. Mix to combine. Refrigerate if making ahead. Bake casserole tightly covered at 350 foor about 40 minutes if baking right after mixing, or about 1 hour if baking from refrigeration. This is easy to make in the morning and pop in the oven when you are too tired to cook dinner later in the day. *Fines Heerbes is a spice blend of chervil, minced parsley flakes, chopped chives and French tarragon. Click the link for ordering info, or search Amazon.

Baked Oatmeal

This recipe has been adapted from a breakfast recipe from Scott Station Inn, WImore, Kentucky.

• 3 cups OLD FASHIONED ROLLED OATS ( do not use quick oats.)
• ½-1 cup toasted wheat germ
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• chopped nuts or raisins if desired (about 1 cup)
• ¼ cup melted butter
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 1/3 cups milk

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. While the oven preheats melt butter in 9x13 baking dish or 4-quart round casserole dish. In another bowl mix oats, wheat germ, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon (nuts or raisins). Beat eggs and milk together. Add to oatmeal mixture/ Then blend this mixture with the melted butter in the baking dish/ Bake 35-45 minutes until sides pull away from the pan and a knife comes out clean. Serve hot, with additional milk if desired.

To streamline breakfast in the morning, mix the dry ingredients in a zip-top bag and mix the milk and egg in a jar. Store wet ingredients in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, melt the butter while the oven heats, mix the wet and dry ingredients, blending into the butter in the baking dish. Bake as directed. It is ready by the time I’ve gotten through my morning routine of getting ready for the day.

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Cherry Bars for a Crowd

I saw this recipe from the Farm Stand online recently and thought it would be just the thing to serve at Sunday LIFT, our multi-generational Sunday morning Bible study. And it was a huge hit! ANd it was all done with just one recipe and one pan!

Cherry Bars for a Crowd

For the Bars:
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cans (21 oz.) cherry pie filling

For the Glaze:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons milk

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a jelly roll pan (12x17) with aluminum foil. Spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar, about 1-2 minutes. Add salt, eggs, and vanilla and almond flavorings and continue stirring until fully incorporated. Add flour and baking powder and mix until just combined. Reserve 1/3 of the dough. 
• Spread/Press remaining dough into the prepared baking pan. 
• Top with cherry pie filling. Drop remaining batter in small pieces over the cherry filling. 
• Place in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown. 
• Remove from the oven and place pan on a wire rack to cool completely. 
• Once cooled prepare the glaze. Whisk together confectioners’ sugar and milk until smooth and drizzle over the bars. Cut into 36 squares and serve.

I made the following changes, mainly because I was out of almond extract: Substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract for almond extract. Use cream and lemon juice to make the glaze.

(photo from the Farm Stand since I never remember to take pictures.)

Lemon Garlic Chicken

This has become a new favorite. It goes well with sauteed zucchini, broccoli or green peas. It can be served with small pasta or rice if you like. We just make it a one dish meal!

• 2 lbs. chicken breast cut into 1” cubes
• ½ cup butter
• 1-2 tablespoons crushed garlic
• 3 tablespoons  lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon basil
• ½ teaspoon granulated onion
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon Mrs. Dash or similar flavoring mix
• pepper to taste
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese

Melt butter. 

Stir together all other ingredients, except the Parmesan cheese, until chicken is coated. 

Add melted butter and stir.

Spread coated chicken in 13x9 pan. Bake 30-40 minutes at 300° F. 

When cooked stir in Parmesan cheese till the sauce is smooth.

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Donna's Dill Dip

 Every summer at Delanco Camp our faithful head cook, Donna, would make Dill Dip to go along with veggies on pizza day. Thinking it was an original recipe, I asked if she would share it. Her response was page 269 in the Best of Mennonite Fellowship Meals Cook Book!

After I bought the cookbook I had access to the recipe and of course, have tweaked it here and there over the years, mainly because I don’t care for the taste of the seasoned salt that the original recipe called for.

Here is my variation of what I still call Donna’s Dill Dip.

1 cup soup cream (8 oz. container)

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon granulated onion (or dried minced onion)

1 tablespoon dried parsley

2-3 teaspoons dried dill weed

½ teaspoon granulated garlic

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon Mrs. Dash’s Salt-Free Seasoning (optional)

freshly ground pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients well and refrigerate. Serve with your choice of fresh, crisp vegetables.

This keeps well in the refrigerator.

Coleslaw

For a long timeI never made coleslaw, I had no clue on the balance of flavors and what made it good. The times I did try to make it were never quite successful.The someone asked me to make it for an event when I offered to help so I figured I had better get a good recipe! Someone gave me a recipe for a version of KFC coleslaw and it was delicious! As time went on I found that we liked it better with mostly lemon juice instead of equal parts lemon juice and vinegar. I also added onion to round out the flavor. Now when I coleslaw for an event it there is rarely anything left over!

1 head cabbage, finely chopped  ( I chop it in the food processor.)

1 carrot, shredded

1/3 cup granulated sugar

½ cup mayonnaise

½ tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

½ tsp. granulated onion

½ cup buttermilk (or ½ c milk+ 2 tbsp. powdered buttermilk.)

3 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. cider vinegar

Mix all ingredients well. Chill for several hours before serving.

The Bride Becomes a Mama

And that means a baby shower for a sweet little girl!  The menu for our afternoon tea will include family favorites, cream puffs, brown sugar pound cake and brownie bites (packaged fudge brownie mix baked in mini-muffin tins, and topped with out favorite frosting.)  The gluten-free among us will enjoy  chocolate chip-walnut blondies,  peanut butter cookies, and my version of Starbuck's lemon loaf.

This is the first time I've tried the chocolate chip blondies which are made with almond flour and I was so pleased with the results! Meaningful Eats has  a lot of good recipes if you are living gluten-free.

Seafood Bisque

This is a family favorite, served each Christmas Eve at my cousin's open house. When I asked for the recipe, I was shocked to find out it was dressed up canned soup.  It was also popular at our church's annual soup  ssale and when I asked for the recipe, I got the same story.So the search began for seafood bisque from scratch.  I am not sure where I got the basic recipe, but I did make enough changes in the seasonings to suit our family and to call this recipe my own.

Ingredients:

·       6 tablespoons butter

·       4 tablespoons chopped green onion (or minced onion since I never remember to buy the green onions!)

·       4 tablespoons minced celery

·       6 tablespoons flour

·       5 cups milk

·       3/4 teaspoon pepper

·       1 tsp. granulated onion

·       ½ tsp granulated garlic

·       ½ tsp  Old Bay seasoning

·       ½ tsp ground thyme

·       4 tablespoons tomato paste

·       2 cups (1 pint) heavy whipping cream

·       16 ounces crab meat

·       16 ounces small cooked shrimp or other seafood

·       4 tablespoon sherry (rice vinegar)

Scott added a bit of cayenne and Tabasco Sauce to his bowl of soup.

Preparation: Heat butter over medium-low heat; add green onion and celery. Saute until tender. Blend in flour; cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Slowly stir in the milk, cooking and stirring until thickened. Add seasonings, tomato paste and heavy cream. Stir in the crab, shrimp, and sherry. Bring to a simmer. Serve hot.

Serves 4 to 6.

Flourless Brownie Bites

My daughter sent me to  to Averie Cooks for a great brownie bite recipe.  Not being a huge fan of banana I was a little skeptical, but these brownie bites were delicious and took less than a half an hour start to finish. I might try them in the food processor next time since it is a little easier to work with than the blender.

The Brownie Bites were no more trouble to make than packaged gluten free brownies and taste so much better and have a bit of protein from the egg and peanut butter as well as a bit of fiber from the peanut butter and banana.

I look forward to exploring Averie Cooks for more recipes.

Gluten Free Lemon Bars

This recipe is fan update to the original lemon bar recipe from my orange Betty Crocker cookbook, (circa 1979).  It was a simple substitution of gluten free flours for the all purpose wheat flour.  These are not sugar free in any way, but I can only give up so much...


Gluten Free Lemon Bars

Begin the lemon bars preheating oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl mix: (I used food processor)
40g coconut flour +100g GF flour containing xanthum gum 
(or  1 cup high quality gluten free flour containing xanthm gum. )
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup confectioners sugar
until it holds together. Press mixture into an 8x8 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

While the cookie base is baking beat
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Pour over hot crust. Bake about 25 minutes longer or just until no imprint remains when touched lightly in center. Cool, cut in squares and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

My Mom's Peach Cobbler

I grew up in a farm family. My father and grandfather farmed several hundred acres of peach and apple orchards.  My mom made peach everything... from frozen peach mouse to peach barbecue sauce and peach muffins (my personal favorite!) But the one thing that showed up most often was peach cobbler.  Here is my mom's recipe, as published in The Richwood Cookbook, one of those small-town, spiral-bound cookbooks containing some of the best recipes ever!

Peach Cobbler
5 cups peaches
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons instant tapioca (usually found with the pudding and Jello at the store)
2 1/2 cups biscuit mix
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons oil or melted butter
1 egg and milk to measure 1/2 cup

In a sauce pan, bring peaches,  1 c. sugar anad tapioca to a boil.  Pour into a 9" square pan.
In a bowl, combine biscuit mix, 3 tablespoons of sugar, oil and egg-milk mixture and mix until blended.  Top the hot fruit with 9 large spoonfuls of batter.  Bake at 375 degrees F.  for about 20 minutes until biscuit are golden brown and fruit is bubbly.

Note:  The 5 cups peaches, 1 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons of tapioca can be prepared and frozen for winter use.  To use, remove from freezer to thaw. When thawed, proceed as directed above.

Recipe courtesy of Pat Young.

Brown Sugar Pound Cake

This is an old family favorite (from the days we didn't care how much butter and sugar a recipe contained)  my mother used to make for bake sales.  She would bake it in loaf pans and have one to take to the sale and one to keep at home.   Because of the amount of butter and sugar, I now reserve it for special occasions or to take to church events or dinners since it serves easily.  It needs no frosting!

Bround Sugar Pound Cake

• 1 ½ cups butter
• 1 pound brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  
Grease and flour two 9x5” loaf pans or one Bundt pan. 
Mix dry ingredients together in a small bowl.
Mix bilk and vanilla together in a measuring cup.
In the mixing bowl cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until the mixture is smooth.  Blend in about 1/3 of the flour mixture at a time, alternating with the milk/vanilla mixture.  Begin and end with flour.  This helps to preserve the air bubbles you have just carefully beaten into your butter and eggs and helps to make a cake with a more  delicate texture.  
Spoon into prepared pan(s) and bake four about 1 hour.  Bundt pans sometimes take a bit longer.  The edges should be well-browned and a toothpick should come out clean when testing the cake.  
Cool cake in pans for about 15 minutes.  Turn out onto a rack or cake plate and allow to cool completely before cutting.  

This is a good make-ahead cake, because it always seems to taste better the day after it’s baked!

Four Ingredient Nutella Cookies

I still don't get how nut butter and eggs make cookies that taste like they were made with wheat flour, but I am glad that the combination works!  I found a recipe for Nutella cookies here, but I was afraid they would be too sweet, so here is my interpretation of the recipe.  Never one to make just a few cookies, I also doubled the amount of nut butter and adjusted the eggs to make 5 1/2 dozen cookies.  It is always good to have something gluten-free and chocolate in the freezer!

• 1 1/2 cups Nutella
• 1/2 cup Sun Butter
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Beat the first three ingredients till smooth and silky.  This will take some work,  I used my Kitchen Aid.  (Gluten free has not yet healed the arthritic fingers!)
Stir in the nuts. 
Drop by teaspoonsful (smallest sized Pamapered Chef cookie scoop) onto parchment lined cookie tray.  Place no more than 12 per tray since the spread.
Bake 9-11 minutes at 350 degrees F.  If you bake two or more trays at one time, switch their position in the oven part way through the baking time.
Cool on wire racks, Remove from parchment when they are cool.