Salsa Chicken Casserole and a Bonus Recipe!

Happy Tuesday everyone! In yesterday's post I promised a couple of recipes this week. We are starting with Salsa Chicken Casserole, and I decided to add in a Marinated Veggie Salad recipe that I seem to be making a lot these days. It travels well, so it's great for pot-lucks or picnics, but it does require some advance planning, since I recommend marinating it for about 24 hours before eating.

The Marinated Veggie salad is quick and simple to put together, so the only real time you need to plan for is the marinating overnight. When I make it, I used canned veggies for the green beans, peas, and corn, but you can just as easily use the frozen or fresh variety, so long as they are cooked first.

Marinated Veggie Salad

Marinated Veggie Salad

1 can peas
1 can green beans
1 can corn
1/2 onion, diced
4 oz diced pimento
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 cup sugar (I go light on this - doesn't need as much sweetness, especially if you use sweet corn and a sweet onion, like I do)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white wine vinegar (I generally add a few extra splashes, because I like this flavor!)
Black pepper to taste (I use about 1/4 tsp)

Instructions:
Drain all veggies and mix together in a large bowl.
Over medium heat, bring olive oil, sugar, vinegar and black pepper to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and let cool. When cooled, pour over veggies. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve.



For the Salsa Chicken Casserole, there are lots of different ways to customize this and make it yours. I used a combination of white and brown rice this time. I am in the process of transitioning us to a brown rice household, but I just couldn't bring myself to throw away the last cup of white rice, so I mixed the two. This recipe easily works with either.

A combo of white and brown rice in my rice cooker. Have I mentioned that I love my rice cooker?

 Mix the salsa with the diced onion in a large bowl. The flavor of this casserole can really vary depending on what type of salsa you use. I recommend using a good medium salsa if you like a little heat. You can also use one with a smokey flavor for some extra "oomph". Stir in the cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soups. I use the low-fat, low-sodium varieties. Trust me, once you've added the cheese, you won't miss the salt and the fat!

Salsa and Onion

The salsa and onion with the cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soups mixed in.

This is a "some assembly required" casserole, but it isn't too complicated. I used my 9x13 pyrex, but if you have a deeper pan, like a lasagne pan, that works well, too, because this can really fill a 9x13.

Ready for "some assembly required"

 Start the assembly with a layer of rice. I make this in two layers, so half of the rice goes packed into the bottom of the casserole dish. Then a layer of half the chicken on top. As a note, I use poached chicken breast for this casserole. The chicken needs to be cooked prior to the casserole going together, and I prefer poaching because it is a very healthy and low-fat way to cook the chicken, and it retains a lot of the moisture. Nobody likes dry chicken. :)

Rice and layered in the bottom of the casserole dish.

 After the layer of chicken, cover with a layer of the salsa/soup mixture. I try and make sure it gets spread all the way to the sides of the pan. This keeps the chicken and rice on the sides from getting crunchy when it bakes.

Salsa, onion, and soup mixture is layered on top of the chicken.

 Then top with half the cheese. Then repeat. As you can see from the picture below, the pan does get pretty full. If you are concerned about spillage (although this has not been a problem for me so far, and I have made this about 5 times), you can put the casserole pan on top of a cookie sheet to bake.

Top with cheese, and repeat layering a second time, ending with the cheese.

 Bake about 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven, until the casserole is bubbly and covered in ooey-gooey melted cheese.

Bake to bubbly goodness...

 Then eat it. But be careful... that ooey-gooey melted cheese is ridiculously hot!

And eat!

Salsa Chicken Casserole

4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced or shredded
~2 cups of uncooked rice, cooked
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 onion, diced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded

Cook the rice according to package directions (I use a rice cooker).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix the salsa, onion, and soups into a large bowl. Set aside.

Once the rice is done, layer half the rice in the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Cover the rice with half of the chicken. Then a layer using half of the salsa mixture. Top with half of the cheese. Repeat for a second layer using the other half of the ingredients.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbly.

Swiss Miss Stitches

I apologize for being so quiet lately, but I have some exciting (for me!) news to share, and some plans for some new posts coming soon. I have some Salsa Chicken Casserole to share this week, as well as some Chicken Piccata, I have a new quilt I am working on which should be done shortly, and I have the red and white quilt out for long-arm finishing (since it is too big for my little machine). I am looking forward to sharing all of that with you.

But my exciting (for me!) news for today, is that I have finally opened my Etsy Shop. My shop is Swiss Miss Stitches and can be found at http://www.etsy.com/shop/SwissMissStitches. This shop will be where I sell my quilts, my cross stitch, bags/totes/purses, and all the other fun stuff I craft that I am always showing off on here!

I only have two items for sale right now, but I am very excited about these two items! Not only am I super-happy about how they turned out, but I get to cross two items off my UFO list, too! Each towel is listed for $15.00 online.

Poinsettia Huck Towel

Poinsettia Huck Towel

Fall Leaves and Pumpkin Huck Towel

Fall Leaves and Pumpkin Huck Towel detail

As Lucky As This...

As I sit here and write this post, I am so thankful that I am as lucky as this. And by this, I mean writing a blog post while looking at this:

I had the opportunity to take a short get-away with some friends. A get-away from my current work project, my quilting, my cooking and cleaning... yes, all the things I love to do. A get-away to Cannon Beach to visit with friends, taste (mostly) good wine, eat amazing food, play games, solve puzzles, take long walks on the beach, and relax.

Cannon Beach is famous for several things, one being Haystack Rock:

I apologize for the graininess of this photo... it was taken from a distance at twilight, and my camera is way too complex for me to figure out. Anyone want to give me lessons?

There are a large quantity of artist studios and boutiques that sell local art, some of which is fantastic. It also has a quilt shop here: Center Diamond Quilt Shop.

Cannon Beach also has some famous sites because the Steven Spielberg movie "The Goonies" was partly filmed here.

But we came for Stephanie Inn. My friends have made this an annual get-away, and it is quite amazing. This is my first time staying here with them. We played a lot of cards while watching the ocean, some chess, some backgammon, some jigsaw puzzles... and more cards. Stephanie Inn has a never-empty cookie jar, some amazing housekeeping staff (my bath towels were folded into elephants and turtles!), turn-down service with chocolates, a nightly happy hour, a night-cap hour, and the most amazing restaurant I have had the pleasure to enjoy.

I recommend getting a room with an ocean view. Your room probably won't have this pretty lady on the balcony, but the view is still pretty good!

Night-cap: Port and Gran Marnier... then off to play more cards!

Toasting friends - Donna and Penny.

From left to right: Penny, Donna, Me, and Gwen (my Mom!) at the night-cap hour in the library.

We went to dinner at the Inn last night, and I just have to share that really, it was incredible. Amazing. Pretty unforgettable, in fact. Our table enjoyed the following menu:

• Grilled Polenta Cakes - creamy polenta grilled golden brown, topped with braised pork, fried shallots and spiced orange gastrique
• Wild Mushroom Soup - local morel mushrooms and truffle oil
• Creamy Asparagus Soup - grilled asparagus and creme fraiche
• Wild Tiger Prawn and Clam Saute - wild tiger prawns and local clams sauteed with garlic, capers, lemon, and fresh herbs, topped with toasted bruschetta and purple radish sprouts
• Organic Green Salad - organic greens tossed with citrus honey vinaigrette, blue cheese, pickled onions, fresh pears, and 30 year aged balsamic vinegar
• Garlic Rubbed Filet Mignon - Medallions of all natural Painted Hills Angus Beef, au gratin potatoes, grilled asparagus, and red wine bordelaise
• Buttermilk Panna Cotta - creamy buttermilk custard topped with strawberry rhubarb compote, pistachios, and caramel tuile cookie.

Yup... pretty unforgettable. We got dressed up (see the picture above) and had a wonderful girls' evening out. And I just have to share this parting picture of Penny, because it is perfect.

She cleans up pretty nice, huh?

 In closing... I wish everyone gets the opportunity to be As Lucky As This.

Hawaiian Quilt

I finished the final touches on the Hawaiian Quilt last night. After many hours, lots of finger pricks that resulted in blood, and more than my fair share of cussing, the quilt is completed... and I LOVE the way it turned out.

You might remember this quilt from my manic weekend of quilting post. This back was pieced from Hawaiian fabric that a friend of mine had from back when she used to make her own hula dresses. She has been diagnosed with cancer and gave me a huge box of the fabrics because she decided that she wasn't going to be able to do hula much more. So I used the fabrics to make her a quilt.

The other side of the quilt features more of the colorful Hawaiian fabrics, but pieced into some very calming white-on-white blocks. So one side is bright and colorful, and the other is a little more soothing.

The binding was hand-stitched (hence the cussing and bloody fingers), and the quilting is a simple stitch-in-the-ditch between the white blocks. I used pure white batting of a medium loft in the quilt so it will be light weight but fluffy. This will be a birthday present for her this weekend (she turns 80 on Sunday)! So happy birthday to Beverly... I hope this Hawaiian Quilt brings you happy memories and a lot of comfort.

*Special thanks to Mike who was my quilt model.

 

One UFO down...

 I am very excited to share that I finally get to cross something off the UFO list! Last night I finally finished, and I mean COMPLETELY finished one of my projects. A friend had given me some beautiful fabric for my birthday and while I was at the quilt retreat last weekend I made a table runner out of it. I got the top done, the backing, batting, and quilting finished while I was at the retreat. And last night at Craft Night (aka "Bitch 'n Stitch") with the ladies, I did the binding. The runner is for my dresser top, and the colors of the fabric match my room perfectly, so that is great!

It's the perfect length for the dresser, fitting right in front of the mirror.

The quilting is very simple - stitch in the ditch for the border, and basic channel quilting in the center.

This is my first hand-stitched binding.

Thank you for letting me share!

Manic Weekend of Quilting!

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a safe and delicious Cinco de Mayo. I wanted to share with you the wonderful weekend that I had. I was given the opportunity to join the North End Quilters at their annual retreat in Orting, WA. This was my first time at this retreat, and it was amazing! The facility is really quite awesome - you have to check it out! http://www.thewildrosequiltshop.com/ The retreat facility has a six foot table and outlets for each person, cutting tables, color-corrected lights and natural skylights, a full kitchen, five bedrooms with two twin beds each, ironing stations, and my favorite part: a quilt shop down below, just in case you run out of fabric, thread, batting, ideas...

And the little town of Orting was very cool, too! It is nestled at the base of Mt. Rainier, and you just can't ask for a better view!

So armed with my six foot table, my trusty Janome, my rotary cutter, and several projects, I spent the weekend quilting like a maniac. None of these are 100% finished, as they still need backing, batting, quilting and binding, but the tops are on. So not quite ready to be crossed off the UFO (Unfinished Objects) list, but getting closer! I apologize for the low resolution photos, but these were taken with my phone.

Runner for my dresser - needs the binding finished.

Hawaiian quilt - this needs batting, backing, quilting and binding.

Red and White quilt - this needs batting, backing, quilting and binding.

I will share more when they are finalized. I hope you all had as much fun as I did this weekend!

Chicken Paprikash - a little on the lighter side

Back in ancient times, also known as the early days of Mike and my relationship, Mike did the majority of the cooking. This mostly went very well for me, as Mike is a great cook, but back in those days he was not known for eating the wide variety of food that he does now. So when I was craving some variety in the meal plan I would occasionally step up and cook something. And even back in those days I  liked to experiment in the kitchen. Yes, there is a point to this brief family history. Please be patient and try to keep up.

So one day I found a recipe for Chicken Paprikash in a Cooking Light magazine. This was a completely new recipe for me, and I am pretty sure it was a dish I had never tasted before, homemade or in a restaurant. I was pretty excited about the new recipe and I made it for dinner. It was pretty good. Not great, but pretty good. Mike ate all of his, which I took to be a pretty good sign. So I asked how he liked it. The response: 'It's not bad, but my Mom's is better'. Yup. You heard correctly. Needless to say, I was marginally annoyed. Well, slightly more than marginally, but I am not one to hold a grudge. For long.

So I didn't bother to make the recipe again. Some things you just can't compete with. And eventually the memory slipped to the back of my brain and got put in cold storage. Until one day, over a year later, when we went to Mike's Mom's house for dinner... where she served Chicken Paprikash. And you know what? His Mom's was better. WAY better. This could be due to the pound of butter she used (slight exaggeration), but whatever the reason, her's was definitely better. And amazingly, this didn't bother me at all. In fact, I might just ask her to make it again one of these days!

In any case, the recipe I am sharing today is NOT her recipe. It is also NOT the Cooking Light version. This is adapted from a recipe that I found on www.allrecipes.com. I changed it quite a bit to make it slightly healthier. The reason that I am happy to make this version is that it is NOTHING like Mike's Mom's version, and therefore cannot be compared (and subsequently deemed 'not as good'). So I hope you enjoy this lighter version of Chicken Paprikash.

Chopped onion, because I put onion in everything.

Onion and garlic sauteed with the butter and spices. Yup... all that red stuff is paprika!

Added the water and started cooking.

One hour later...

This is the mixture from the sour cream (I used light), reserved juices from the can of tomatoes, and the flour.

Stirred in the sour cream mixture and the tomatoes, and voila!

Delicious Chicken Paprikash served over noodles.

Chicken Paprikash

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

2 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
3 Tbsp Paprika
2 lbs Chicken, cut into pieces
1 Cup Water
1 (14.5 oz) Can Diced Tomatoes

2 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
1 (8 oz) Container light or fat-free Sour Cream

Directions

Heat butter in a dutch oven (or you could use a LARGE skillet) over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes and paprika. Stir together and saute until onion is translucent. Add chicken pieces and pour water over all. Cook over medium heat for 1 hour, adding more water if necessary.

Stir in tomatoes, reserving liquid. Stir liquid into a medium bowl with flour and sour cream; mix until well blended, then slowly add mixture to chicken, stirring constantly. Cook until mixture is thick.

Serve with pasta or rice.