Casserole forray
Oct. 6th, 2008 08:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cherydactylI don't usually think casserole when I make dinner. I have this image of casseroles being bad things; or at least unhealthy things, like Swedish meatballs, made with canned mushroom soup. Which, actually, I loved as a kid, but, c'mon, it's not exactly healthy.
OTOH, I had a mess of "salsa chicken" left from Saturday's birthday party for S. Salsa chicken is a recipe I got from one of the crock pot cooking feeds I follow; I think it may have been![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif)
365crockpot. Essentially it is chicken stewed in salsa. I made it as the basis for assemble-your-own tacos/burritos/quesedillas for the 9-12 year old kids at the party we had for S's birthday party on Saturday. After several hours of stewing two packages of chicken with a cup of corn, a can of black beans, and about a cup of mild salsa, I just had to stir to shred the chicken. Easy as pie. Only I made too much, about twice what we needed for the party.
So in brainstorming for an easy meal for tonight,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
illyaa and S both thought a Mexican casserole using the leftover salsa chicken was the way to go. I cooked some rice in veggie broth, layered more corn and black beans under salsa chicken, sprinkled some garlic, onion, and ancho chile powder over that, and put a little salsa over the mixture. I would have put some crushed tortilla on top of that if I'd had some chips. Then I heated it through in a 350-degree oven, about 20-25 minutes. I intended the dish to be served with shredded cheddar on top and sour cream on the side for those like S who are dairy-obsessed.
Around 4pm when we usually have after school snack/early dinner around my house, I served S a scoop of casserole, with a generous sprinkling of cheese on top, and put the sour cream out for her to add if desired. She tried it and immediately declared the casserole an immense success. "No, mom, I didn't say I like this casserole. I *love* this casserole!!" She never even opened the sour cream. This is a ringing endorsement from her if I ever had one.illyaa also liked the casserole, though he added hot sauce, and I have to say it's not bad.
So, I guess I have officially added casseroles to my repertoire.
OTOH, I had a mess of "salsa chicken" left from Saturday's birthday party for S. Salsa chicken is a recipe I got from one of the crock pot cooking feeds I follow; I think it may have been
365crockpot. Essentially it is chicken stewed in salsa. I made it as the basis for assemble-your-own tacos/burritos/quesedillas for the 9-12 year old kids at the party we had for S's birthday party on Saturday. After several hours of stewing two packages of chicken with a cup of corn, a can of black beans, and about a cup of mild salsa, I just had to stir to shred the chicken. Easy as pie. Only I made too much, about twice what we needed for the party.So in brainstorming for an easy meal for tonight,
illyaa and S both thought a Mexican casserole using the leftover salsa chicken was the way to go. I cooked some rice in veggie broth, layered more corn and black beans under salsa chicken, sprinkled some garlic, onion, and ancho chile powder over that, and put a little salsa over the mixture. I would have put some crushed tortilla on top of that if I'd had some chips. Then I heated it through in a 350-degree oven, about 20-25 minutes. I intended the dish to be served with shredded cheddar on top and sour cream on the side for those like S who are dairy-obsessed.Around 4pm when we usually have after school snack/early dinner around my house, I served S a scoop of casserole, with a generous sprinkling of cheese on top, and put the sour cream out for her to add if desired. She tried it and immediately declared the casserole an immense success. "No, mom, I didn't say I like this casserole. I *love* this casserole!!" She never even opened the sour cream. This is a ringing endorsement from her if I ever had one.
illyaa also liked the casserole, though he added hot sauce, and I have to say it's not bad.So, I guess I have officially added casseroles to my repertoire.
