Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

What’s not to like about 

white-meat-chicken ~ 

smothered in melted cheddar ~

resting on a bed of creamy rice and vegetables?

 

I did a great job of hiding the chicken.  😉  It's cheesy delicious!

 

 

 

Hail to the “one-dish” meal!

 

Fresh Green Beans Cooked to Death with Bacon

I know the trendy sophisticated way is to barely cook green beans so that they have some crunch to them while maintaining their brilliant green emerald-like color.  That’s not my way for an old-fashioned down-home side dish of garden fresh green beans in my kitchen...

I grew up in Louisville ~ I learned to cook fresh green beans the Southern way ~ slow-cooked to death, usually with bacon drippings, a ham hock or bacon like this recipe.  We all know the saying, “bacon makes everything better!”  Pour a little chicken broth in with the seasonings, for a perfect side dish.

Braised Green Beans

Growing up, Mom always made green beans with a little ham, bacon, or new potatoes; in any combination ~ or just plain bacon grease.  I still like them prepared any of those ways, but this new version makes me happy too!

The green beans are braised in chicken broth that’s doctored up with garlic cloves and thyme.  Add a drizzle of olive oil and a little salt and pepper, and enjoy this dish that is a Martha Stewart recipe. 

In my way of thinking, you can never have enough fresh green beans in the summer time ~ I hope you try this quick braise!

Braised Green Beans

Ingredients:

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

5 peeled cloves garlic

1 pound trimmed green beans

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

Extra-virgin olive oil

Lemon slices

Method:

In a large skillet, bring broth and garlic cloves to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Add green beans and thyme and cover.

Cook until desired amount of tenderness.

Season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Serve with lemon slices.

Delicious!!!  I wonder how this would be with a sprinkling of shredded nutty, salty Parmesan over the top?

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind Of Cooking.  She has unique tips on Tuesdays and yummy recipes every Friday!

Savory Hamburger Pie

Seriously, doesn’t hamburger pie sound just a bit strange?  It sounds like a "concoction" that was served in my high school lunchroom. 

But, I’m crazy about hamburgers and since this includes mashed potatoes for Bill, I felt compelled to make hamburger pie the other night.  It was a chilly day and this proved to be a good “stick-to-your-ribs” meal.

I’m sure there are a lot of versions of this “meal-in-one” dish and I’m guessing it resembles Shepherd’s Pie.  I used very lean ground beef and added mushrooms to the mix.  This recipe is from my “vintage” Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.  It’s a tasty, easy, hearty dish that I thought was really good and Bill thought was really great!

Savory Hamburger Pie

Adapted

Ingredients:

4 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

Milk

Salt, to taste

2 tablespoons butter

1½ pounds lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

8 ounces fresh mushrooms

3 cups frozen green beans, thawed

1 (10-ounce) can condensed tomato soup

Salt and seasoned pepper, to taste

1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add potatoes to a pot of boiling salted water and cook until fork tender.

Drain and mash.

Add enough milk to make them fluffy; add butter, season to taste with salt and set aside.

In a large skillet, sauté ground beef, onion and garlic until meat is browned.

Add mushrooms and cook until tender.

Drain fat.

Stir in green beans, soup and mushrooms; season with salt and pepper. 

Simmer for 2 minutes until mushrooms are tender.

Pour into a greased 2-quart casserole.

Spoon mashed potatoes over the beef mixture.

Sprinkle cheese over all.

Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and cheese begins to brown.

Makes 6 servings.

ENJOY!!!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and delicious easy recipes!

Easy Wild and Brown Rice Medley

If you like rice...

this is a versatile recipe as you can add any vegetable you like and any amount.

I always thought wild rice was a member of the rice family, but it isn’t at all.  It belongs to the group of grasses that is native to North America.  However, it is just like rice as it is grown in shallow waters, particularly around the fresh water lakes of the Great Lakes.  Most of the wild rice we eat today is cultivated and not harvested from growing wild. 

Wild rice has a nutty flavor and a rice-like shape and it is perfect for pilaf, salads and soups.  Actually, it is even delicious in muffins and makes a crusty crunch when added to home-made breads.  Wild rice is the healthiest of the rice family, having less calories but more protein and vitamins than wild rice. 

Brown rice, being a whole grain, has more fiber and more carbohydrates. It is the least processed rice, kernels from only which the hulls have been removed.  It requires a longer cooking time, usually around 45 minutes.  

Brown rice

This rice dish is high on flavor with the addition green beans, carrots, sweet peppers and almonds.  It is delicious and I hope you give it a try!

 




Wild and Brown Rice Medley

Ingredients:

1 package (6.7 ounces) mushroom-flavored brown and wild 

rice mix

4 green onions, chopped

1 cup cut fresh green beans, ½” pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms

2 medium carrots, shredded

¼ cup chopped sweet bell pepper

¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted 
                                                               
Method:

In large saucepan, cook rice mix according to directions, omitting butter.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté onion and green beans in oil for 2 minutes.  Add mushrooms, carrots and pepper.

Saute 3-5 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender.

Add vegetables and almonds to cooked rice.

Stir until blended.

Place mixture into serving bowl.

8 servings.

ENJOY!!!

Roasted Green Beans & Shallots

Not only can Kathy, Matt’s girlfriend, make gorgeous flower arrangements (Nov. 28 post), she's a great cook also!

She prepared this delicious dish for our Thanksgiving dinner and it was an instant hit so I just had to make it myself. 

You know how green beans always make an appearance on the holiday table with the ubiquitous mushroom soup and onion rings?  Although being tasty, it is a creamy rich dish, high in calories.  Well, this recipe is an up-graded green bean recipe taking them to a higher level.  Roasting the green beans and shallots with a little olive oil, pine nuts and salt and pepper is an excellent way to amplify their flavor without adding a lot of extra calories. 

After tasting it, this dish is now my favorite way to prepare green beans!  It’s amazing how the ingredients all come together, rendering it absolutely delicious.  The oven roasting makes it extra flavorful and is an amazing alternative to a casserole or steaming the green beans.   Roasting the shallots gives it a caramelized flavor and the pine nuts top it off in a grand delicious way.

Thanks, Kathy, it's an excellent side dish!

Roasted Green Beans & Shallots

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds fresh green beans

2 large shallots, sliced thinly

2 tablespoons olive oil

Pine nuts (as many as you wish….Kathy uses ¼ cup toasted, so do I)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place green beans, shallots, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well.  Spread evenly on baking sheet (use two if necessary).  Bake for 15 minutes.

Stir beans, return to oven for 15 additional minutes.  Check on them and see how they look.  Roast them longer if you like.

Put pine nuts in small pan and toast on medium heat for a few minutes.  Watch carefully because they will brown quickly.  Toast evenly.

Transfer green beans to a serving dish and spread toasted pine nuts on top.

ENJOY!!!