Chicken and rice casserole

Josh really loved this one.  I have to post it.  It was simple and delish.

3 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 Tbs. fresh minced garlic
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
3 cups (already cooked) white rice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Cheese sauce:
4 Tbs. butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

*Heat oil in a skillet on stove.  Saute onion, celery, and carrots for about 10 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.  Stir in chicken, rice, salt, pepper and garlic salt.  Reduce heat to low.  Prepare cheese sauce by melting butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in flour, salt, pepper and chicken broth.  Whisk continuously until thick and nearly bubbling.  Stir in cheese until melted.  Put rice mixture in a casserole dish and pour cheese sauce over it.  Stir to combine.  You can sprinkle some more cheese on top.  Bake for 30 minutes on 350.  My friend found this recipe on picky-palate.com

Sliders

I remember eating sliders when we lived in the midwest, and I remember that they were good. I found a recipe that claims to be a knock-off of white castle sliders. I don't really remember what sliders taste like, so I can't tell you if they are, but let me tell you this... these burgers were dang good!
Josh even had them for dinner the next day as left overs. They are really fun to make because you make them on a cookie sheet in the oven instead of on a grill.

This treasure was found on favfamilyrecipes.com.

1 1/2 pounds hamburger
1 onion, finely chopped
1 package Lipton onion soup mix
1 tablespoon peanut butter (yes, peanut butter.. trust me)
1/2 cup milk
Sara Lee Classic Dinner Rolls (or the really soft small-sized dinner rolls from the bakery), sliced in half
Cheese slices (you can use Kraft Singles or sliced Velveeta cheese.. we used Velveeta)

In a large bowl mix (with your hands or a spoon) the hamburger, Lipton onion soup mix, peanut butter, and milk. Spread the meat mixture on a cookie sheet with a lip. Use a cup or rolling pin to roll over the meat to smooth it out.

Put it in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. The meat will shrink. Take it out of the oven and put the diced onions all around the edges to flavor the meat. Place back in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Take it out of the oven. If you want onions on your sliders then spoon them onto the meat from the sides. Add your cheese slices. Put it back in the oven for 7-10 minutes (until cheese is melted). Then add the tops of your rolls (the bottom part of the rolls will just sit on the counter) and place back in the oven for about 5 more minutes.Take it out of the oven. Slice the meat with a pizza cutter and pick up the slider/top bun with a spatula and set it on the bottom bun.

Cucumber Sandwich

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cucumber-Sandwiches-III/Detail.aspx

This is the best one I can find.
Enjoy!

I'm looking for a really good cucumber finger-sandwich recipe, do you any?

My Favorite Lentil Soup

Here is a recipe for my favorite lentil soup. I make this all of the time because I usually have all of the ingredients on hand. It originally came from Giada De Laurentiis, but I altered it to my liking. Don’t tell mom and dad, but I think it’s better than the one we used to have at home.

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

6 slices of chopped turkey bacon

1 Chopped medium onion

2 chopped carrots

2 chopped celery stalks

2 minced garlic cloves

Freshly ground black pepper

14 1/2 oz can of diced tomatoes

16 oz of lentils

11 cups low sodium chicken broth (or use bouillon cubes)

A bunch of dried thyme

2/3 cup of small pasta (macaroni works great)

Shredded fresh parmesan

Pour 2 Tablespoons of olive oil into a large pot. Turn on medium heat over stove and cook bacon. Once bacon is cooked, add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Season with pepper. Pour lentils and diced tomatoes into pot and stir to coat lentils in vegetables and tomatoes. Stir occasionally and let mixture simmer for 8 minutes. Add chicken broth and put about a Tablespoon of dried Thyme into the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes. Add the pasta and cook until pasta is done (usually about 8 minutes). Salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with shredded fresh parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with warm corn bread. Yum.

Intention

This blog is intended to be a place where we sisters can pool our creativity and benefit from each other. Whenever we have a good recipe, a craft we did, a house keeping tip, or anything on our mind-we post it here. This blog will be a fun project to help us keep in touch.