Moms Chicken And Rice Bake

The Chicken & Rice Bake or Casserole is one of those recipes that's sort of the epitome of Midwest cooking, church potluck dinners, or neighborhood block parties. Mom would get the casserole baking, and then whip up some vegetable dish or toss a salad.  Its one of those go to recipes when you have things to do, don't have time to be in the kitchen, but still want a hot meal.  

Although it will always evoke such memories and be one of those nostalgic dishes for me, regardless of how my taste buds evolve, the real reason I'm featuring Mom's Chicken & Rice Bake is because of the simplicity, cost and satisfaction.  
I recommend using chicken tenders for easy purchase and preparation. One caveat to this recipe is TIME.  You do need to plan for 1 1/2 hours of baking--that's the downside--it's not a quick fix, on the spot meal despite the ease of prep.

Total Cost: $8-10 / 4 Servings

Equipment:

9" x 13" Pyrex Dish, sprayed or greased

Mixing Bowl

Large Non-stick skillet, for sauteing tenders

Ingredients:

6-8 chicken tenders

Unsalted butter

Salt & Pepper

1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken

1 can Campbell's Cream of Celery

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup of long-grain rice, uncooked

2 cups of water

Instructions:

1. Wash Your Hands

2. Preheat oven 350F degrees.

3. Salt and pepper chicken.  Meat should be at room temperature.

4. Heat non-stick skillet and saute tenders lightly on both sides. Brown lightly and set aside.
(I have skipped pics of browning each tender on each side because I have demonstrated this before.)

5. Dice your onion.

6. Add onion in a large mixing bowl to soups and water.  Stir until well-combined.

7. Add rice

8. Add mixture to pyrex dish. Such a delightful color!

9. Top the mixture with sauteed chicken.

10. Bake for 1 1/2 hours at 350F degrees.

11. Steam some broccoli or add a salad.

12. Share some memories.

Spicy Jalapeño-Cheddar Rollups

Jon has made it homefrom Freshman Year, and that means I will be experimenting with all kinds of recipes, because, leftovers don't exist when Jon's in the house.

That said, I don't want to spend the entire summer in the kitchen. Upcoming blogs will focus on simple, quick, but tasty recipes for potlucks, appetizers, grilling, and picnics.  It's time to be outside!  

For starters, we'll begin with little flavor explosions: Spicy Jalapeno-Cheddar Roll-ups.

Put these little bites in a tupperware with salsa and hit the beach, pool, family reunion, or apartment-warming party that Jon will have when he returns to Iowa University for Sophomore Year!

Health Note:  Use reduced-fat on whatever you can, ie cream cheese, cheddar cheese and tortillas.  They are plenty flavorful without the additional fat and calories.  And, if you are prepping for a large party, double the recipe and tortillas.

Spicy Jalapeno-Cheddar Roll-ups

Equipment:

Mixing Bowl

Long Knife

Fork

(if you happen to have a food processor--use that in place of the mixing bowl and fork.)

Ingredients:

8-10" tortillas

1 (8oz) Reduced-Fat Cream Cheese, room-temperature and softened

1 cup Reduced-Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated

1/4-1/3 cup pickled (Nacho-type) jalapeños, chopped (depending on how hot you like it)

1/3 cup green onions, thinly sliced

1-2 tsp of jalapeño juice

1 squeeze fresh lime juice

Optionals:

1/4 cup black or green olives

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands, especially when making uncooked finger-foods.

2. Combine softened cream cheese, grated cheese, jalapeño & lime juice, and chopped jalapeños until mixed well.

3. Add in green onions.

4. Place a large spoonful of cheese mixture in the middle of a tortilla.

5. Spread to edges.  This should not be a thick layer of cheese or glop!

6. Begin rolling the tortilla into a log.

7. Trim the ends.  

8. Once you have finished rolling the mixture and tortillas.  Chill the logs for 30 minutes.

9. Slice logs into 1/2" rounds and serve with salsa (pineapple-mango, corn-jalapeño or traditional tomato salsa--it's all good)

10. Dig in & Get outside!