Chicken-and-Wild Rice Casserole

Perfect for a large gathering or cut in half for a family dinner. 

1 (2.25-oz.) package sliced almonds

2 (6.2-oz.) boxes fast-cooking long-grain and wild rice mix

1/4 cup butter

4 celery ribs, chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

5 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 (10 3/4-oz.) cans cream of mushroom soup

2 (8-oz.) cans chopped water chestnuts, drained

1 (8-oz.) container sour cream

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 cups (16 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

2 cups soft, fresh breadcrumbs

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake almonds in a single layer in a shallow pan 4 to 6 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.
• 2. Prepare rice mixes according to package directions.
• 3. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add celery and onions. Sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken, next 6 ingredients, rice, and 3 cups cheese. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 15- x 10-inch baking dish or 2 (11- x 7-inch) baking dishes. Top with breadcrumbs.
• 4. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese, and top with toasted almonds. Bake 5 minutes.
• To Make Ahead: Prepare as directed in Steps 2 and 3. Cover with aluminum foil, and freeze up to 1 month. Remove from freezer, and let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Toast almonds as directed in Step 1. Bake casserole, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 55 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese and toasted almonds. Bake 5 more minutes.
• Shrimp-and-Wild Rice Casserole: Substitute 2 lb. peeled and deveined, medium-size raw shrimp (4 1/50 count) for chicken; 2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese and 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese for Cheddar cheese; and 1 cup dry white wine for milk.
• Cajun Chicken-and-Wild Rice Casserole: Omit salt and pepper. Reduce chicken to 2 1/2 cups. Prepare as directed, sautéing 1 lb. andouille sausage, chopped, and 1 green bell pepper, diced, with celery in Step 3. Stir 1 (15-oz.) can black-eyed peas, drained, and 1 tsp. Cajun seasoning into rice mixture. Proceed as directed.

This recipe had outstanding reviews. It came from Southern Living, my fav, November 2011. Enjoy! Cut this recipe in half to make 1 11x7 dish.

Creamy Shells with Broccoli and Ham

Leftover ham? Perfect for this creamy parmesan macaroni shells with broccoli. This is a recipe from when my girls were young. An amazing rich-tasting meal and so easy to prepare. This recipe is great when you have left-over ham.

1 package (1 lb) medium-size macaroni shells

1/2 lb cooked ham

1 package (10 oz.) frozen broccoli spears, thawed

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook macaroni shells in boiling, salted water according to package directions. Cut ham into thin slices. Cut broccoli into 1/2 inch pieces. Saute garlic, ham, and broccoli in butter in a large skillet until broccoli is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in heavy cream. Cook over medium heat 3 minutes. Stir in cheese. Lower heat and cook, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted. Drain shells and toss with sauce. Serves 6-8

Picture Credit My Recipes

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Collard-Artichoke-and-Mushroom Strata

A strata is essentially a cross between a bread pudding and a casserole; there are many sweet stratas but it's the savory stratas that steal our hearts. The prep work can be done the day before or let sit for an hour before baking to soak up all the goodness. This can be a main dish or served as a side dish. I'm planning on making it for Easter Brunch.

1 (12-oz.) rustic baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing baking dish

1 up chopped sweet onion (from 1 small onion)

1 (8-oz.) pkg. sliced fresh button mushrooms

6 cups chopped stemmed collard greens (from 1 [11-oz.] bunch)

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1 teaspoon black pepper, divided

2 cups coarsely chopped thawed frozen artichoke hearts (about 8 oz.)

8 large eggs

2 cups half-and-half

1 (5.2-oz.) container garlic-and-herb spreadable cheese (such as Boursin)

8 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded (about 2 cups), divided

Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange bread pieces in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Turn off oven; let bread stand in oven until crisp and dry on the outside and chewy on the inside, 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium. Add onion and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add collards and ½ teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until collards are wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in artichoke hearts; cover and cook 3 minutes. Uncover; let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl until lightly beaten. Add half-and-half, spreadable cheese, 1 cup of the Swiss cheese, and remaining ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Whisk until well blended. Add toasted bread and collard mixture; toss well to combine. Spoon into a 13- x 9-inch baking dish greased with butter. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 cup Swiss cheese. Cover with aluminum foil; chill at least 7 hours or up to 12 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Let the casserole stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Uncover; bake until cheese is browned in spots and filling is set, about 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

A Southern Living Recipe By Ann Taylor Pittman

Photo CREDIT: GREG DUPREE; FOOD STYLING: TORIE COX; PROP STYLING: GINNY BRANCH

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Corn Pudding

Family favorite. Creamy sweet corn casserole is perfect for all special occasions. It will be your most requested item to make.  It took me years to find the perfect recipe for Corn Pudding.  Simple & few ingredients. Recipe is published in Filled With Love Cookbook created by my daughter's class.

1 (10 oz.) can cream corn

1 (10 oz.) can whole kernel corn - drain

2 eggs

1 (8 0z.) sour cream

1 stick melted butter

1/3 c. sugar

1 box Jiffy corn bread mix

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into greased casserole. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Picture and similar recipe from Southern Living

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Sweet Potato Casserole

 

Sweet Potato Casserole, the best. No marshmallows here. A nutty crumb topping over creamy mashed sweet potatoes. This just may become your new holiday favorite.

Filling:

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for buttering the baking dish

3 to 4 large sweet potatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled and cubed

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs

Topping:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup chopped pecans

For the sweet potatoes: Add 1 3/4 pounds peeled and cubed sweet potatoes to a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and cool. Mash the sweet potatoes.

For the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish.

Whisk together the butter, mashed sweet potatoes, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and eggs in a large bowl. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.

For the topping: Combine the flour, brown sugar, butter and salt in a medium bowl until moist and the mixture clumps together. Stir in the pecans. Spread the mixture over the top of the sweet potatoes in an even layer. Bake until mostly set in the center and golden on top, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

A Food Network Recipe found HERE

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Creamy Kale and Pasta Bake

 

A comforting dish filled with creamy cheese-baked pasta will convince kids and adults to fall in love with this leafy green. Easy to make. Serve as a main meal or as a hearty side dish alongside a protein. Tip buy pre-chopped, pre-washed bagged kale and pre-shredded cheese to save prep time.

4 quarts water

¼ cup plus 1 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt, divided

1 (16-oz.) package chopped fresh kale

4 cups whole milk

6 tablespoons cold salted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup chopped yellow onion (from 1 onion)

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 (8-oz.) package preshredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 2 cups)

1 teaspoon hot sauce (such as Tabasco)

½ teaspoon black pepper

8 ounces uncooked medium-size shell pasta, cooked according to package directions

½ cup panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Bring 4 quarts water and ¼ cup of the salt to a boil in a Dutch oven over high. Add chopped kale; cook until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Cool 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place milk in a 1-quart glass measuring cup. Cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on HIGH 3 minutes.

Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium. Add onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 6 minutes. Add flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Whisk in hot milk. Increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a low boil, whisking often. Cook, whisking often, until thickened, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in cheese, hot sauce, pepper, and remaining 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Roughly chop kale. Fold kale and cooked pasta into cheese sauce. Pour into a greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish.

Stir together panko and 1 tablespoon olive oil; sprinkle over pasta mixture. Broil until panko is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

A Southern Living Recipe Here

By Robby Melvin

Tenderize hardy greens like kale by blanching them in a large stockpot of boiling water. Cook the kale in salted water until tender, and then drain the kale and pat dry with paper towels.

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Monterey Spaghetti

Spaghetti casserole mixed with sour cream, Parmesan cheese, and Monterey Jack cheese, and chopped spinach. Sure to be a favorite.

 4 ounces spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces

1 large egg

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 can (2.8 ounces) french-fried onions, divided

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat egg. Add sour cream, Parmesan cheese and garlic powder.

Drain spaghetti; add to egg mixture with Monterey Jack cheese, spinach and half of the onions. Pour into a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated though. Top with remaining onions; return to the oven for 5 minutes or until onions are golden brown.

Recipe Credit Taste of Home

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