Yummy Chicken Recipe--from MC

We had this a couple of nights ago, and it was great! I stole it from MC, but she made it in the crock pot, and I didn't think of it until the evening I wanted to have it...so this is my version of MC's Ranch Crockpot Chicken!



3 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg. of ranch dressing mix
1 can of cream of celery soup
1/2 can (soup can) milk
1 block of low-fat cream cheese
1 box of long grain and wild rice, cooked
salt and pepper
olive oil


Salt and pepper the chicken, then cook for about 3-4 minutes per side in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium or so heat. While the chicken is cooking, combine the ranch mix, soup, and milk in a large bowl. Remove the chicken--it will not be cooked through yet!--and set aside. Reduce heat to med-low/low, and add the soup mixture to the pan, scraping up all the bits from the pan and stirring for a second. Add the chicken back to the pan, coating in the soup mixture. Cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through.

Hmm...

So I'm not doing a very good job cooking! Monday night I cooked, Tuesday I was tired, so we had Mexican, Wednesday was my school's Chick-Fil-a night, so I was the good little teacher and got dinner there (remind me not to do that...too many parents wanting to discuss their precious children!!), and tonight we went out to celebrate a friend's birthday (that was a MONTH ago, I'm a bad friend!!). Not much cooking going on in the Vicars' household! And I'll go ahead and tell you...tomorrow night we've got a football game, so I'll be coaching the cheerleaders, and my dinner will come from the booster club. Another non-cooking night!
I apologize to all of ya'll because I'm not posting recipes, but I apologize MORE to my dear husband...poor guy!

Our Staple Veggie!

I don't know why I haven't posted this yet, because its one of the few veggies I cook that Wes really likes...and its easy too! I have never measured the ingredients, so I'll estimate the best I can!
Garlic Green Beans
1-2 pats of butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. minced garlic (best if its fresh, but I admit...I've used the jar stuff too)
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 c. milk
salt/pepper
1 bag frozen cut green beans

In a saucepan, combine the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Saute garlic in this. Stir in flour, making sure to get rid of any lumps, as it will thicken quickly. While still stiring, add milk slowly, allowing to thicken. Add salt and pepper, and stir in bag of green beans, coating all in garlic sauce. Cover, reduce heat to low/med-low, and let cook til beans are warmed through.

We're having these, along with wild rice, stuffing, and turkey breast (if it ever finishes cooking...ugh!) tonight.

Happy Labor Day everyone!

Chicken and Rice Casserole...YUM!

Sorry I haven't posted in FOREVER...I haven't cooked in forever either! School has started, I've been exhausted, so Wes went to the grocery store last time. He came home with $150+ worth of chips and dip, frozen lasagna, frozen pizza, frozen chicken pot pie, bologna, and Little Debbie cakes. Not exactly what I buy at the grocery, but it was really sweet that he went!
So last night I decided it was time for a real, home-cooked meal. I'd heard good things about Paula Deen's Chicken and Rice Casserole, so I basically made her recipe, but you know I like to change things! So here it goes...
1 rotisserie chicken, pull all the chicken off and dice
1 6 oz. box wild rice, cooked
1/2 sweet onion, sauteed in a pat or two of butter
2 cans of green beans, drained
1 small jar (4 oz.?) pimentos, drained
1 small bag diced almonds (next time I would use more, but Wes didn't like them at all...)
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 can cream of celery soup (I may try it with cream of mushroom next time for fun)
1/2 of a small container of reduced-fat sour cream
1 big spoonful of mayo
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
optional: sleeve of ritz crackers (crushed), melted butter for topping
This recipe is soooo easy...just preheat the oven to 350, cook the rice while you get the chicken ready, then put everything in a big bowl, mix it up, and put into a greased casserole dish! If you want to add the ritz crackers, cook the casserole for about 15 minutes, then sprinkle with ritz and butter, and cook for another 10 minutes or so. If you don't want the topping, just cook it for around 25 minutes.
I put it in two small casserole dishes, and froze one of them.
(Don't tell anyone...but I liked this so much that when I got home from school today, I ate some of it cold, straight out of the casserole dish!!)
YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY!

"Baked Potato" Salad

Last night, Wes and I were going out on the boat (yup, we got a boat!!), and I thought it would be fun to take a picnic dinner. So, we had ham and provoalone wraps, watermelon, and this "baked potato" salad. I tried to copy the salad from a restaurant on John's Island that has now closed, and I think I did a pretty darn good job! And, Wes ate his entire plate of it...he's branching out!!! Now, of course I didn't do a good job measuring, so you may need to tweak these amounts.

1/2 a bag of petite red potatoes, rinsed and diced into small pieces

2 T. white vinegar

1/3 c. mayo

1/3 c. sour cream (plus an extra spoonful I think :))

1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese

1 small package of already cooked bacon (the little bags near salad dressings-the 'recipe sized' pieces)

about 2 T. diced up fresh chives

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, boil the potatoes in some generously salted water for about 10-11 minutes, until just tender. While that is boiling, combine the mayo, sour cream, cheese, bacon, chives, and some salt and pepper in a small bowl. Drain the potatoes well, and while they're still hot, sprinkle with the vinegar. When the potatoes have cooled to room temperature, combine with the mayo mixture. Serve at room temperature or cold. So yummy!!

And just 'cause I know you want to see it, here are a few pictures of the boat :)

Yummy Lunch!

I just made a very yummy lunch...and easy too!

I boiled some frozen, shelled edamame (soy beans) until cooked--maybe 1/2 cup?
I also boiled some small shell pasta in salted water with some olive oil until cooked--maybe 3/4 cup
Then, in a small saucepan I melted about 1 1/2 tbsp. of butter with an equal amount of olive oil. In this, I sauteed about 2-3 cloves of garlic (chopped). I then added some parsley flakes and a pinch of salt.
I combined the edamame, noodles, and butter sauce, then grated some parmesan over it. YUM!

My Take on Paula Deen's Slow-Cooker Macaroni and Cheese!

This is basically Paula Deen's recipe, but I did change a few things around...

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (I like to use corkscrews or shells, and I use closer to 2 1/2 c.)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces
3 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
Small container sour cream
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Boil the macaroni in a large pot in plenty of water until tender, drain. Reduce heat to low/med. low, combine all other ingredients in the pot, mix well. Add the noodles and let simmer for a while (maybe 1-2 hrs?). Even better the next day!!

We're having this tonight with grilled porkchops, spinach, and grilled corn on the cob...yippee!!