Chicken Poppy Seed Casserole

I'm Back! The AC is working, and I am feeling nice and cool. I also read a really cool article on how to photograph food... gave me some pointers, maybe my pictures will get a little better. No promises though.

When I was little mom used to make this casserole a lot. I am sure I hated it at one point in time. But finally broke down and tried it and liked it. Just like the snickers bar. (SHOCKING I KNOW!)

Anyway, as I am thinking about getting ready to move, I was going through mom's recipe box copying things that I like so I can have them with me. I saw this one, and I have been craving it ever since. Then I was browsing the food blogs I read, and I saw someone made this too! I am pretty sure it was the same recipe, but I can't remember which one I saw it on, so I can't double check.

This comes from mom's recipe box

[Printable Recipe]


Ingredients:

1 Can cream of chicken soup

1 8oz can sour cream

4-5 chicken breasts (I used 4 but they were HUGE!)

poppy seeds

1 Sleeve Ritz crackers

1 stick butter

Directions:

Cook chicken and dice them. Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with the diced chicken.

Cooked and diced chicken


mix the soup and sour cream together and spread over the chicken.

Smother with mixture


sprinkle with poppy seeds ( Note: 1/2 the casserole has poppy seeds sparingly for Matt's belly)

yummy poppy seeds


Bake 350 for 20 mins until bubbly.

After 20 mins, crush a sleeve of ritz and mix with 1 stick melted butter.

Mixing Ritz and butter


Sprinkle over the casserole and bake for 5 more mins.

The finished product


It tasted just like my mom used to make it. Matt liked it so that is good. I will be making it again but with 1/2 the pan without poppy seeds. They aren't good for Matt's belly. The blog that I saw made with without poppy seeds and said it was yummy. I am sure it would be fine without. It was quite a hit here...I took my serving and went back to clean up and it was almost gone!
easy peasy

I promise I will come back

I was going to post on my way to NYC, but I was sitting by the window and being on the computer was making me car sick, so I let Matt play on the computer and I tried to sleep... I really just whined about being bored for 4 hours :-D Sometimes I am a toddler. I guess that is why my boyfriend loves me.  So I was all ready to sit on the aisle and write my super yummy posts on the way home, sans car sickness, but as it turns out our bus' air conditioning broke on such a wonderful 90 degree day. So, I attempted to turn on my computer and work, but I got it on, checked my emails, and my legs were sweating, and I swear the computer was going slower too. It was just too hot. So I turned off dear old laptop and slept and sweat for 4 hours. OY! Only to call my momma and tell her I was showering off the grossness from the bus ride and coming home. To which she laughs and says we have no AC at the house! WOOOOOO. It is going to be 90 tomorrow. If the part doesn't come in tomorrow, and we still don't have AC I will be spending the evening at Panera, writing blog posts and a paper for class. Feel free to stop and distract me. It is moments when I am writing a paper for my class that I miss my college roommates, they were the best way to procrastinate ever! I'd write a paragraph, then lay on Carol's bed for 20 mins talking about everything not my paper, only to go back to it, and leave it again over and over. Haha it is a wonder I graduated :-D (jk mom and dad, I studied really hard and did all my work WAYYYYY in advance :-D ). I did all my best work when everyone went to bed and it was just me and the drunk people walking home outside my window at 2am.  Anyway. Sorry I haven't been posting. More is coming this week. :-D

Want to see NYC? Radio City Music Hall- We didn't see a show, but we did see annoying Giants and Jets fans lined up a day before the draft.

Empire State Building from top of the Rockefeller CenterThe really bright part to the right is Time Square...where the ColdStone has a bouncerFrom M & M world...droool.

UPDATE: I can insert a link! WOO

I figured it out... it is called using the help button. DUH. Anyway, I went back and linked to The Crepes of Wrath in my truffle post. I feel like there was another post that I wanted to link to something but I couldn't figure out how, but I am tired, and I can't find it. So if there really is another post and you know of it leave me a comment and I will add the link. If not, I made it up. I do that sometimes, it is the Pam in me. :-\

And because I hate posts without pics....

I Heart D.C.


Not food related, but pretty. I can't wait til I love closer to D.C. and the cherry blossoms. :-D

How to make boxed brownies better

YUMM-O


I have 2 dinners that I made this week that need posting, but I doubt I get them up here this week. I have a million things to do tomorrow after work, and I leave Wednesday after work to go to New York City :-D Matt and I are going to celebrate 3 years of him putting up with me together. I am very excited, and we get to see his mom, which is always nice. I <3 her :-D.

Anyway, enough mushy, I had to make baked items for The Bee's bake sale this Saturday. Since I won't be there to work it, I said I would bake. I made a double batch of funfetti cookies, and 2 batches of brownies. I decided that they needed to be special brownies, but I am tired and have other things to do, so I didn't have time to be too fancy. I did spice them up a little.

The first batch I melted marshmallow fluff, dotted it around the brownie batter in the pan and swirled with a knife. Be careful when microwaving marshmallow fluff. Just like marshmallows, they puff up. Short spurts worked best.

Marshmallow


The other batch got lines of melted peanut butter swirled into it.
Peanut Butter


They bake just the same as if it was just the batter, but smell twice as good. My house smells amazing right now.

PB on left, Marshmallow on right


Next time you want to spruce up your brownies, toss in some PB or marshmallows.

Another tip- to cut clean brownies:

Make sure they are cool, and use a plastic knife. It works much better,less brownies stick to the knife. Though I heart when brownies stick to it, it is like a little treat for the cutter (ME) :-D

We are taking the Bolt Bus to NYC, it offers WiFi and Outlets to plug in, so maybe I will get a blog post in this week...or maybe I will nap...no promises.

Just get ready, Mexican Lasagna and Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole to come soon. :-D

Cake Truffles

The problem with making yummy treats for parties when you have a baking blog is that you have to post it right away; or you get facebook wall posts nagging for it. ;) I joke Jax! I <3 you. Thanks for giving me 4 or so hours of tiny baby time.

[Printable Recipe]

Cake Truffles


I made these reallllly yummy cake truffles. I saw the recipe at The Creapes of Wrath

I changed it a little bit, but it is the same basic idea.

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake) (I used cake tops from a couple cakes I made and half of the cake from Austin's Ice cream cake)
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup Nutella

18 oz. milk or dark chocolate (I used chocolate almond bark)

Sprinkles or whatever you want for decoration

Directions:

I paired the chocolate cake with the peanut butter and the yellow cakes with the nutella

- Put cake in bowl and crumble

Chocolate cake


Yellow Cake


- Add PB or Nutella and mix well.

mixed with peanut butter


Mixed with Nutella


- Form into balls and place on wax paper lined cookie sheet.



- Place in freezer ( I left in for about an hour or so)

- Melt chocolate and dip cake balls into the chocolate ( I used little tongs, the fork and tooth picks didn't work)



- Decorate the way you wish

- Let cool in freezer

These were so yummy. The chocolate/PB ones were very rich but very good.

My only complaint is that the yellow/nutella ones didn't hold together well and got my chocolate a little but it wasn't so bad. Maybe next time I will use more nutella.

I will be making these again. Every time I make a cake and level it I will freeze the tops and when I have enough cake I will make them again.

There you go Jax.