Home Cooked Comfort Food - Chicken A' La King

Sometimes you have to look to your past for inspiration.  Last night I made a yummy roast chicken, but then ended up running DD down to CT for a UofH game for her birthday.  We were originally supposed to go and then yesterday was yet another miserable weather day in the Northeast so we weren't going to go, thus I stuck in the chicken; then it looked like it was clearing, so I left DH and DS to eat it.  We were supposed to meet my father at the game, but the driving was so bad, I ended up calling him and telling him not to come up. Instead DD and I had dinner at Ruby Tuesday (BTW thank you Ruby Tuesday for a surprise dessert - how did you ever know that it was her birthday?  Could it have been the tiara she wore?), and then headed over to the game.  Anyway, that all meant that we had roasted chicken left over to use for tonight's dinner.  For whatever reason, both DH and I had the same thought - Chicken A' La King.  It was somewhat funny that DS thought that Chicken A' La King had to be some fancy food since it had such a fancy name.  I told him that no, Chicken A' La King was a housewife's friend because it is cost effective and a great way to use leftovers.  Here is the recipe that we used, but remember that it is a recipe that is supposed to help you clean the fridge out so don't be afraid to add all sorts of things.  I particularly remember the Lima Beans in this, but you will find them missing from my recipe, and I would have added peas but DH hates peas.

Chicken A' La King

9 T cornstarch

9 T butter

1 1/2 tsp pepper

2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 c water

1 can cream of chicken soup

4-5 c diced cooked chicken

1/2 - 1 c carrots diced and cooked

1/2 - 1 c corn (canned or cooked if they were frozen)

1 can green beans, drained

1 cup milk

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in cornstarch until mixed.  Add pepper. Mixture will thicken. Stir constantly. Dissolve chicken bouillon in 2 c water. Pour into butter mixture.  Continue to cook and stir until thickened again.  Add cream of chicken soup and milk (you can add more or less milk depending on the consistency that you would like).  Be sure to get out all of the lumps.  Add chicken and vegetables.  Stir to mix.  Heat until everything is warm.  Serve over toast.

I'm telling you that this recipe was sooooooo sinfully yummy.  DS loved it, and I can't seem to stop myself from sneaking little spoonfuls of my husband's since he's not back from his meeting yet.  Somethings from your childhood are meant to left there (yes, I'm speaking of those Lima Beans) and others are meant to be brought back and enjoyed.  I hope you take the time to enjoy this childhood favorite.

PS.  Here is the newly 16 year old celebrating at last nights UofH girls basketball game with the mascot, Howie.

Recipe for Salisbury Steak

What do you do when you don't have the right ingredients for a recipe? You improvise.  Sometimes your efforts aren't so good, and sometimes you are pleasantly surprised.  Here is the surprise that I got the other day.  It was yummy.  It is great with mashed potatoes and some fresh green beans.

Salisbury Steak

1 onion diced
8 oz mushrooms sliced
1 can condensed mushroom soup
2 lbs ground beef
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 egg
1 T flour
1/4 cup ketchup
1 cup water
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 dash Gravy Master

Saute mushrooms and onions until softened.    While sauteing, combine 1/3 cup soup with beef, crumbs, eggs.  Shape into six to eight oval patties.  Remove mushrooms and onions when done and put aside.  In same pan, brown beef patties.  While browning, mix remaining ingredients.  Make sure gravy is smooth.  After patties are browned on both sides, add gravy mix to pan.  Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes or until cooked as desired.  Stir occasionally during cooking process.

Sometimes not having what you need causes you to be a little more ingenious.

Simple Dutch Oven Cooking Recipe (oven friendly too)

My son is a master Dutch Oven cooker. In fact my entire family loves Dutch Oven and outdoor cooking in general. This week DD and I had a Girl Scout activity in which we went letterboxing and then returned to the house to cook on the fire. Because of time constraits, I had to find a quick Dutch Oven recipe (not as easy as it may seem - many take several hours not including fire starting). DH mentioned Chicken Parmesean. So we had for dinner: chicken parmesean, salad, and bread. For dessert, we had cherry cobbler and a pineapple upside-down cake.

If you are interested in the chicken parmesean, here is the reciped and the beauty of it. You start with pre-cooked and breaded chicken cutlets. You can buy them in the freezer section. I think we bought Tyson, but I'm sure there are other manufacturers. This alone saves a ton of prep time. Line the bottom of the Dutch Oven with tin foil (you will appreciate this during clean up). Add a layer of sauce, just to prevent sticking. Put in the cutlets. Put a little more sauce on each one. Sprinkle mozzerella on top. Cook with 10-12 charcoal briquetts on the bottom and 6 or so on the top for about 20 minutes. When chicken is warm and cheese is melted, dinner is ready enjoy.