Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Chicken Divinity (aka Chicken Divan)

So I didn't share this at recipe club but I just HAD to post it in case anyone found it appealing....i'm addicted to it right now and I make it almost every week! I couldn't find my family's recipe so I used / altered this recipe from Jenny Stice and it is so yummy....we call it Chicken Divinity :)  and I'm so thrilled I can sneak cream of chicken soup into a recipe that my husband actually likes! (he doesn't care for cream of chicken but the curry powder adds enough flavor that he really likes it too!)




Chicken Divinity

2-3 thawed chicken tenderloin strips
1 clove garlic minced, lemon pepper, salt (optional for cooking chicken)
1 lb brocolli (or 1/2 package frozen)
1/2 cup mayo
1 can cream of chicken
1 T lemon juice
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 T butter melted
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4-6 cups cooked rice (have it on the side or bake it with the casserole)

Preheat the oven for 350 degrees.  Cook the broccolli and rice (esp. convenient if you have a rice cooker with steamer). Cook the chicken in minced garlic, lemon pepper and salt then cut up in small pieces.  Grease 11x14 baking dish.  Mix the mayo, cr. chicken, lemon juice, and curry powder together to make the sauce.  Layer the chicken and broccoli in the bottom of the pan and then pour the sauce evenly over the top.  Mix the melted butter and bread crumbs together and sprinkle on top.  Bake at 350 for 30 min. then add the cheese and bake until melted.  Serve over rice.

If you like the rice in the casserole like I do, just put a very thin layer of the sauce on the greased pan followed by the cooked rice (so the rice doesn't dry out) and then layer everything else on top as normal)......so good!

Enjoy!
~DeAnna Thomas

"Corn Salsa"

Hey I wanted to apologize for taking so long to get my recipes up....I finally found the newsletter that had the blog information on it and so here is my recipe for last time...it's super easy corn salsa that is really yummy as a chip dip or even tastes great in a taco/wrap ....get creative!  It's the italian dressing that really makes the dip so experiment with other ingredients you like too (like I did with onion and jalapeno....or pinto beans instead of black-eyed peas).....ENJOY!


Corn Salsa



1 can diced tomatoes drained or 1-2 tomatoes diced
1 can white corn drained (yellow corn works fine)
1 can black-eyed peas (drained and rinsed)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1/2 bushel of cilantro (leaves minced)
2 avocados
Good Seasons Italian All Natural Mix (follow the instructions to make the dressing)

(optional: 1/2 small yellow or white onion diced
  2 jalapenos seeded and diced for that extra punch of flavor)


Stir all ingredients together and then mix in the italian dressing.  (Tastes better if you let it sit in the fridge for 30 min. to 1 hour to soak up the dressing flavor.)

~DeAnna Thomas

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

This is a perfect recipe to keep on hand for when jalapenos go on sale or if you or someone you know is harvesting jalapenos and has lots extra.  It's much healthier and easier than the deep-fried ones but still SO delicious.....

Baked Jalapeno Poppers
 30-45 min prep, 30 min. baking


INGREDIENTS:
12 jalapeno peppers, about 2 1/2-inches long
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese (we've also used pepperjack)
3 ounces cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne or regular pepper (or mix of both)
2 large eggs
2/3 cup breadcrumbs (italian or original)
1/2 teaspoon salt 

PREPARATION:
        Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly oil bak­ing sheet and set aside. Cut peppers in half lengthwise; scrape out and discard seeds. 
        In a small bowl, mix together the Cheddar, cream cheese, garlic powder and pepper; fill each pepper half with some of mixture. (TIP**This is easiest if you put the filling in a bag and snip the corner so you can squeeze filling in to the peppers like frosting...then lightly press it into the pepper).
        In one bowl, lightly beat eggs until combined and frothy. In another bowl, stir together breadcrumbs and salt (or just salt each pepper before putting in the oven). Roll each filled pepper in egg, then breadcrumbs (I've found it works better if you use tongs to dip popper in egg then use a spoon to sprinkle breadcrumbs on both sides of the popper over a plate...then you don't get chunky breadcrumb egg mess).
 
        Place on a baking sheet. Bake until tender and browned, for about 30 minutes. Serve warm, with sour cream for dipping.

The only thing that is time consuming is the deseeding of the jalapenos so if you just do that the night before it really makes the whole process much faster and easier!

Hope you enjoy them!  We have shared them with a few couples in the ward and they have all loved them ....and don't forget to dip them in sour cream because that really just tops it off!

~DeAnna Thomas