Author: QuiltLady

HOT CHICKEN SALAD

I found the original recipe in a Taste of Home Booklet, but severely modified it to what I had on hand.  We loved it modified so will probably never try the original.  Hubs had three bowls!!

serves 8-10
HOT CHICKEN SALAD
4 cups cubed cooked chicken 1 Costco rotisserie chicken torn into pieces
2 celery ribs sliced 4 celery ribs, chopped
2-8 ounce cans sliced water chestnuts, drained (I only had one can and it was great)
1 can cream of chicken soup 1 can green enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise 3/4 cup REGULAR mayonnaise (do NOT use lowfat)*
1 1/2 cups sour cream 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons lemon juice Juice of 1 lemon (it was a large lemon – closer to 1/4 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs 1/2 cup Panko crumbs
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used finely grated SHARP cheddar) 
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted, 1/2 cup Almond Accents honey roasted sliced almonds**

  • In a large bowl combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, enchilada sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper until well blended.
  • Add chicken pieces, celery, water chestnuts, almonds and onions until well combined.
  • Turn into a greased casserole.
  • Top with bread crumbs and then cheese.
  • Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes or until heated through.

NOTES:
*I cut this in half for continuity because the enchilada sauce was much thinner than the cream of chicken soup
**from the produce section – a salad topper

DOWN SOUTH CHICKEN & RICE

DOWN SOUTH CHICKEN & RICE
2 large chicken breasts**
1/2 pound smoked sausage, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 quart homemade chicken broth
1 KNORR tomato bouillon
salt & pepper to taste
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
2 cups long grain rice

  • Melt 2 tablespoons butter in dutch oven over medium high heat.
  • Add onion and celery, sauteing until tender.
  • Add sausage and saute until onion and sausage brown.
  • In a small skillet add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and when melted saute chicken pieces until cooked through.  Add to dutch oven.
  • In a saucepan bring the broth to a simmer and add the bouillon cube and seasonings, cooking until well blended.  Add to the dutch oven.
  • Add the rice and simmer slowly for 30 minutes without peeking for 30 minutes.
  • Serve with a salad and corn bread.

**The easy cheat and flavorful too is to substitute rotisserie chicken pieces which also eliminates the need to saute the chicken.

I’M DROWNING IN RED TAPE!

MY BLOOD PRESSURE IS SKY HIGH DEALING WITH THE VA!

Let me share with you the “LOGIC” of the employees at the Veteran’s Administration.  Here’s how the conversation went:

Me:  Hi, I’m trying to track down a missing travel check from August 3rd.
Pandgit: Did you just move here?
Me: No, we moved here in April and changed our address then with eligibility.
Pandjit:  You didn’t change it with the Treasury? You should have changed it with them immediately.
Me:  No, a gentleman from your office did when I searched for the first missing check.
Pandjit:  Well it can take Treasury several months to change the address and we sent the check to your old address.
Me: Why would you send it there since I highlighted on the form what the new address was when the request was turned into your office?
Pandjit:  I can’t speak for others, but we follow procedures here. You should have changed your address with Treasury.
Me:  How do I contact Treasury for our upcoming move.
Pandjit:  “You” don’t, we do.
Me:  Then why was there a problem after we registered with eligibility in April?
Pandjit:  You should have changed it with us also.
Me:  But you’re next to eligibility and when we registered with them they said we were all done.
Pandjit:  Yes, we’re next to them, but we operate separately.
Me: But you’re both VA?
Pandjit: So?

So my point is – WHY THE HELL DO YOU HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS WITH THE SAME ENTITY MULTIPLE TIMES?  AND IF I CANNOT CONTACT TREASURY DIRECTLY WHY DID SHE TELL ME ORIGINALLY THAT I SHOULD HAVE CHANGED IT WITH THEM?