Summer is Officially Here!

When they declare "Yippee!  Summer is officially here!" what that  means here in Columbia SC is 100+ temps, 200+% humidity, frozen up a/c compressors, soaking wet clothing and afternoon storms that cause our (crumbling) roads to steam.  

Yep, you can actually see the steam rising. My sister can tell you first hand never, ever, walk home on a steamy road with nothing on your feet except pantyhose #burnedthecrapouttamyfeet #wontdothatagain...But, that's a whole other story! It also means we avoid using our dryers and ovens as much as possible because it just heats up the whole house. 


So, with all that in mind, let me share the ultimate summertime side dish that I got from a friend.  It's one of Ina Garten's recipes and it is the most awesome salad to have on a hot day. 

Cool, delicious fresh corn, red onion, basil. The cider vinegar is the trick.

Take it to your next cookout, block party, potluck, or just whip it up at home for a weeknight side.  Any day now, our famous Silver Queen corn will be hitting the markets and Silver Queen would reign supreme in this recipe.  When you read it, it doesn't sound all that exciting, but trust me.  It is delicious, it's cold, it requires minimal talent and minimal cooking.

Our favorite Chicken Casserole

Growing up Southern, I think a casserole can be the perfect dish...comforting, creamy and gooey, easy, complex, helpful to a friend who is ill, church covered dish, awesome to have stocked up in the freezer.  Now, my Southern-turned-Minnesotan husband doesn't always share these sentiments.  One the one hand, it was his Mama who told me "every great dish begins with a can of Cream of Mushroom."  But, on the other hand, apparently, up in the Norse Land, they put anything and everything together in a casserole dish and simply call it "Hot Dish."  Neil grew to hate the words "hot dish" as well as the concept of "hot dish."  According to him, that's all the info you got...hot dish.  No clue as to what was in there.  And, he says it all pretty much tasted the same...crappy.  At least down here we're specific enough to let you know it's chicken casserole, crab casserole, green bean casserole.

It was well into our relationship that my casserole-lovin' self was finally made aware of this hot dish disdain.  I was flabbergasted!  How can one not love a good casserole?  As the story unfolded, I began to understand.  To this day, I serve casseroles very sparingly to be sensitive to Neil's old hot dish memories.  BUT...there's one that defies this casserole conundrum of his.  My chicken-almond-rice casserole.  Yep, it's a good ol' Akre family favorite at this point.

Akre's Creamy Chicken Almond Rice Casserole

 Originally, I got this recipe from a Weight Watchers cookbook. I've been making it so long and have tweeked it over the years, including adding almonds.  It's one of the few dishes that we do repeat around here and every one of us loves it.  I made it again recently and it dawned on me that I've never told you guys about it.  At least I don't think I have! 

Chicken Almond Rice Casserole
2-3 good sized chicken breasts, cubed bite-size
1/2 tsp garlic powder (I just sprinkle it over 'til it looks right)
olive oil mixed with a coating of PAM

Low sodium Rice-a-Roni
1 Tbs butter
2 1/4 cups water

1 can reduced calorie Cream of Chicken soup
3/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 cup sliced mushrooms (if you're 'shroom people that is)
1/4 chopped almonds
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup crushed crackers, bread crumbs, etc.
1 Tbs melted butter
1/2 tsp poppy seeds 

So, here we go:  cook the Rice-a-Roni with the water & butter measurement above, according to package directions. While that's cooking, coat another skillet with PAM and a little olive oil. Season the chicken with garlic powder and saute until it loses its pinkness.  If you're using mushrooms, cook them here with the chicken.

Combine the chicken, rice, sour cream, soup, almonds and pepper in a bowl and mix well.  Spread into your casserole dish.  Melt the 1 Tbs butter and combine with crumbs & poppy seeds.  Sprinkle on top and bake at 350 for about 35 minutes. 

2-3 chicken breasts, whatever is right for you

Make them bite-sized

The San Francisco Treat!

Toasting up the rice

Mix it up, Baby!

Buttery, poppy seed topping

Sprinkle over the top

Ready for the 350 oven

Get your biggest serving spoon!

Most recently, I combined this with a simple, yet delicious side dish of honey-gingered carrots. I'd gotten these beautiful, young, tender carrots in my www.BrownBoxVeggies.com box and wanted to use them. They were so brilliantly orange & juicy little carrots.  

Aren't these beautiful?

Simmered with a little butter, honey & minced ginger

Our dinner!

Here's a warning:  when I make this casserole, the three of us can plow through almost 3/4 of it in one dinner.  I'm telling you, it's just that good.  If you don't like mushrooms, leave them out.  Can't eat nuts?  I've used water chestnuts for crunch and that works just as well as the almonds.  You can have fun with it.  I hope you'll try it and enjoy it as much as we do.

Good Church-goin' Food

Next Sunday, our church has a covered dish luncheon planned.  I have had my mind going all day trying to decide on my contribution.  It's difficult.  My Deep-South raised mind immediately goes to the "classics" like green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese, or broccoli casserole.  Even though I know there will several of these from various people of the congregation, it's hard not to want to dive into a big ol' creamy casserole.  If anyone out there is trying to pretend that they don't agree, well, all I can say is "shame on you!"

The classics are classics because everyone loves them.  Some will proclaim it from the mountain-tops, others will covertly admit their casserole love to a trusted friend, some will flat out lie and rebuke the casserole, knowing in their heart that they'd scarf one down in a heartbeat if they could do so undetected, and some (sadly) really don't actually like them.  Those poor souls with the mixed up taste buds!  My late mother-in-law Mimi once told me, "Every good Southern dish begins with a can of Cream of Mushroom."  I told her then and I'll say it now, "Rock on Mimi!"

Ok, having said all that, there's the other side of my brain that starts imagining all the different, creative, maybe even off the wall dishes that I could present to my fellow church-goers and see how adventurous they are (but not too off the wall-it's church with room temperature fried chicken you know) .  After all, we are all good Southern, enlightened and progressive people.  So, I wonder, what would they think of my tarragon/pecan/grape chicken salad in phyllo cups as a little appetizer?  Or that old crazy casserole that my Aunt Dianne used to make every now and then that had carrots and asparagus in it?  Or, what about that sour cream/bacon/green onion potato salad that my father-in-law loves?  Or, what about the brussels sprouts/candied pecan and blue cheese salad? I took that to Orangeburg for Thanksgiving one year and my Uncle John said to his wife, "Look honey, brussels sprouts!  Around here, that's like a foreign food!"

So, I'm looking for opinions and suggestions.  If you were on Death Row and you had a covered dish luncheon to go to for your last meal, what would you want to see on the table?  Ok, maybe that's a bit macabre, but you get my drift.  Speak up!