Cheesy Chicken Thighs and Rice

This casserole is delicious!  

 Cheesy Chicken Thighs with Rice

6-8 chicken boneless chicken thighs

2 cans cheddar cheese soup

1 can cream of chicken with herbs soup

3 cups cooked rice

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon paprika

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 bunch broccoli, cut up and par boiled (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 13 or a large casserole dish.

In a large bowl, combine the soups, milk, garlic, onion powder, paprika and red pepper flakes.  Spread the cooked rice in the bottom of the pan or dish.  Top with the chicken thighs.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place the pieces of broccoli all around the chicken. Pour the soup mixture over the chicken and rice.   Work down into the rice with a fork. Top with the grated cheese.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, making sure the chicken is well cooked.

Congo Bars

 When I was 11-years-old, I went to stay with a friend who had moved from our town.  While I was there, her mother made Congo Bars.  I thought they were the most delicious thing I had ever eaten.  I didn't get the recipe then, but I remembered the name.  I recently happened onto this recipe online.  I couldn't make it fast enough.  Yes, it is the taste I remember!  They are so soft  and chewy and delicious and full of chocolate.  And they are easy to make!  This recipe is a winner!

Congo Bars

1 cup butter at room temperature

2 cups brown sugar, packed

3 large eggs at room temperature

1 Tablespoon vanilla

 1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder 

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat to 350  Line a 9x13 with parchment paper.  Spray with nonstick spray.

In your mixer beat together the butter and brown sugar for about 2 minutes.

  Add eggs, vanilla, salt, and baking powder.  Mix well to combine.  Scrape the bowl and mix again.  Add the flour and mix until just combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Put the dough into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula.  Bake until the edges are set, but the middle may seem underbaked.  About 30 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes.  Then remove from pan and let cool.

Bed Pillow Cleaner

 

Every four months, I wash our bed pillows.  Though I don't think it matters a great deal what you use to clean them, this is the recipe I used this time.  They turned out so clean and white.

Bed Pillow Cleaner

A squirt of Dawn 

Laundry detergent, your usual brand and amount

1 pod Cascade dishwasher detergent (or whatever you use)

1 cup bleach

1/2 cup Borax

Very hot water

Boil some water to add to the hot water in your washing machine.  I just did a 1/2 gallon or so.

Squirt in the Dawn and add the detergent.  Put two pillows in your machine, balanced on either side.

Add bleach and Borax.  Run the cycle with an extra rinse cycle.

Dry the pillows in the dryer.  I use the time dry setting because my feather pillow takes so long to dry.  

Berry Dump Cake

 We had friends coming over and I needed a dessert in a hurry.  This was so fast, easy and yummy.  

Berry Dump Cake

Dump the following into a 13 x 9 pan.

3 cups frozen blueberries

3 cups frozen strawberries

Sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar over top, then 2 T. lemon juice.

Top with one box of white cake mix.

Slice 3/4 cup butter and put the pats all over the top OR melt the butter and pour it over all.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Let cool slightly and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.  

Cake Mix Bars

 

Cake Mix Bars

Whisk together in a bowl:

1 white or yellow cake mix

1/2 cup oil

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

Press half of the dough into a 13x9 pan.

Melt 1/2 cup butter

Add 1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Whisk together until chips are melted and all is well blended.  Pour over crust.  Put the rest of the cake mix dough over the top in clumps.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Homemade Ice Cream

 This is our sister-in-law, Kathy's recipe.  It is much simpler than our old standard recipe.  Ken made it the other night to go on our cobbler.  It was delicious.

Homemade Ice Cream ( for a 2- quart freezer)

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup cream

4 1/2 cups milk

2 tsp. vanilla

Put all in ice cream machine and freeze.

For chocolate, add 1/2 cup cocoa powder.  

3-Berry Crumble

 I was looking for a crumble or cobbler recipe online.  On our cruise this summer, they offered a warm cobbler with ice cream almost every evening for dessert.  So I was searching and was intrigued with this one.  I tried it and we really liked it.

3- Berry Crumble

2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup frozen butter

2 egg yolks

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar 

1 cup blueberries

1 cup raspberries 

1 cup blackberries

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsps. cornstarch

2 tsps. lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 pinch cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 375

Make crumble:  Combine flour, sugar, bp, and salt in a large bowl.  Whisk together.  Grate the frozen butter.  As you grate, stop several times and mix some in with the flour mixture.  Stir in egg yolks and vanilla with a fork.  Mix with hands until forms clumps.  Add the vinegar and mix in.  Add a little more vinegar if needed to form a dough.  Let rest.

Filling:  Combine the berries in a different bowl.  Add sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, zest, and cayenne pepper.  Mix well until sugar is dissolved.

Place 1/2 crumble mixture in the bottom of a 8x8 pan or a baking dish.  Press into the bottom., making it flat.  Spread the filling on top.  Put the other half of the crumble mixture on top in clumps.  Bake for about 40-45 minutes. Let cool for about 1/2 hour. Serve with vanilla ice cream on top.