Chicken & Rice Casserole

We enjoyed this for dinner and I couldn't wait to share. Creamy cheesy goodness in a casserole. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! :)

This casserole was easy to prepare and just as delicious to eat. Most of the ingredients I used are usually ingredients I have on hand. There's a balance of vegetables, proteins, and carbs. 

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp of olive oil
• 3 Tbsp of all purpose flour
• 3 cups of water
• 4 chicken bouillon cubes
• 4 cups of chopped boneless chicken breast, cooked
• 1/4 tsp of black pepper
• 1/4 tsp of onion powder
• 2 cups of kale, fresh or frozen
• 1 cup of corn, fresh or frozen
• 1/4 cup of shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup of chopped onions
• 2 cups of minute rice
• 3 cups of thinly shredded Mexican blend cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375° degrees.

In a medium-sized pot, add the olive oil and heat just until the oil is hot. Stir in the flour until well blended. Add the three cups of water and chicken bouillon cubes and stir and cook the mixture until it boils. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Using a 13"x 9" baking pan, add the chopped boneless chicken breast. Sprinkle the chicken with the black pepper and onion powder. Add the kale, corn, carrots, chopped onions, and rice, in that order. Sprinkle the mixture with one cup of the shredded cheese. 

Pour the prepared sauce over the cheese. Add the remaining cheese to the top of the casserole, and cook for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!

Makes 6 - 8 servings.

©Rolisweets

Chocolate Dipped Butter Cookies

Butter cookies have always been one of my favorite cookies. This one is dipped in chocolate for double the treat. :)

I enjoyed this cookie dipped in chocolate, as well as plain. Both ways are equally delicious. The chocolate just makes it sweeter.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 2 sticks of butter, softened
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of melted chocolate flavored almond bark    (approximately 4 bars)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° degrees.

Lightly grease a cookie sheet and set aside.

In a small bowl, add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using a hand blender, mix together the softened butter and granulated sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and blend until smooth. 

Add the flour mixture and, using a spoon or fork, stir just until all ingredients are well blended.

Drop by rounded tablespoon fulls onto the prepared cookie sheet and place them two inches apart. (I usually measure out two tablespoons per cookie.) 

Cook the cookies for 10 - 12 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown.

Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for about 5 minutes and transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

While the cookies are cooling, prepare the chocolate flavored almond bark according to the package directions.

Dip only half of the each cookie in the melted chocolate flavored almond bark coating. Place the cookies on wax paper. Let the cookies cool just until the chocolate has hardened. 

Enjoy with a nice glass of milk or your favorite beverage!

Makes 36 cookies.

©Rolisweets

Fall Harvest Soup

One of the things that I enjoy most in the fall, is a nice hot bowl of soup. This soup is full of so many flavors that blend so well together. There's enough in here to please even the pickiest eaters in our family. My nine-year old tried to eat only the pasta and avoid the veggies. :)

Prior to chopping up the sweet potatoes, I cooked one large sweet potato in a medium pot for 20 minutes to soften it up and to make it easy to cut. When the potato is done cooking cool it off by immediately transferring it from the pot to a bowl of cold or ice water. Once it's cool, peeling and cutting it can be done with ease. 

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp of all purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp of olive oil
• 4 cups of water
• 3 cups of cubed center cut ham steak
• 4 cups of uncooked harvest pasta
• 4 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp parsley flakes
• 1/4 tsp cilantro
• 2 1/2 cups of kale (fresh or frozen) 
• 2 cups of sweet corn (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 cup of chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/4 cup of chopped green onion
• 1 cup of chopped sweet potato (1 large sweet potato)

Directions
Cook the bow tie pasta according to the package directions being careful not to overcook it. Set aside.

Heat a large pot on medium-high and add the olive oil. Let the oil get hot and then add the all-purpose flour. Stir to combine and let the sauce thicken. 

Add the 4 cups of water and heat the water until it begins to boil. Add the uncooked chopped ham steak. Add the bouillon cubes, black pepper, parsley flakes, and cilantro. Cook for 20 minutes. 

Add the kale, sweet corn, yellow bell peppers, and onions to the pot and cook for 10 more minutes. Add the chopped sweet potatoes and cook for 10 minutes and remove from the heat.

Serve the soup by adding the cooked noodles to each bowl and topping the noodles with the prepared soup. This will keep the noodles from becoming soggy or overcooked.

Enjoy!

©Rolisweets