What I did with left over roast chicken

I have to say that the original roasted chicken was absolutely delicious.  Moist as could be.  And the gravy I made was also excellent, if I say so myself.  I have found that even on cruises, most things I ask for, I prefer the way I fix better.  I realize I'm not making a dish for 2,000 people so I can take my time and care more about it.  No assembly-line food in my house, unless I want it (go out to eat or go on a cruise, or something like that).

Tonight I made something with the left-over chix from yesterday, and it was really, really good.  A surprise.

First I made the rice (1 cup water, 1/2 cup rice).  I boiled the water, put the rice in, and then simmer it until the water was all used up and the rice was cooked.  I did add salt to the water.
While the rice was cooking, I mixed one can of low-sodium/fat cream of chicken soup to 3/4 of a can of Half and half.  I stirred that all together to get it ready for the rice.

And while the rice was still cooking, I took 6 slices of American cheese -- which I had in the fridge for Alan's sandwiches -- and cubed it, or cut it into small pieces and set that aside.  I put 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese (grated) into the soup mixture. 

And while the rice was cooking, I took the left over chicken which I had ripped off the carcus last night and made the pieces a bit smaller.

When the rice was finished cooking, I put it into the soup and stirred it real good, then I added the cheese and the chicken, stirring them into the soup/rice.  On top of the whole thing I sprinkled  Stove Top Stuffing Mix -- just enough to cover it.

I put it in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1/2 hour -- it was really bubbling away when I opened the oven, and the stuffing mix was really crispy.

I dished it up onto a plate, sprinkled some black pepper over it, and dug in.  I have to say, it was really yummy and the rice was cooked.

I think I finally learned how to make a rice casserole and the rice gets cooks through.  No hard kernels this time!

ttfn

Onion soup

My mom made onion soup.  She opened a package of Lipton's dried onion soup mix, and added the prescribed amount of water, and we had onion soup.  I'm not talking about that kind of onion soup.  I'm talking about the hearty onion soup that sticks to your innards, the kind they make at Panera's.   I told my husband that I was going to go over there today and get us some, but I changed my mind.

I have a really good recipe for onion soup from scratch which isn't too difficult to make.  This particular recipe serves 8 if you use onion soup ramekins, or 4-6 if you use the soup bowls that come with your dish sets.  Since we like the onion soup, I use the soup bowls, not the ramekins.

Ingredients:

4 large onions, peeled, and sliced into rings
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 C flour
4 bullion cubes
1 tablespoon Worstershire Sauce
6 cups water
Your favorite topping cheese (provolone, swiss, mozzerella, parmasan)
Italian or French bread slices

In a large, deep pan, melt the butter, add the onions and let them cook until they are transluscent.  At this point sprinkle the flour over the onion/butter mixture and stir.  Slowly add the water, stirring as you're pouring.  After the onions, flour, and butter stuff is stirred into the water, add the Worstershire sauce and the 4 bullion (beef) cubes.  Stir until the bullion is dissolved.  Turn down the heat to low and let simmer for about one hour with the lid on the pot.

Taste it before you serve it.  It might need some salt, but I haven't found that to be the case.

I've also made it using beef broth -- 6 cups.  Four large onions seems like a lot of onions, but they boil down.

Serve the soup in a bowl with a piece of Italian or French bread in the bottom.  Put some kind of cheese on the top of the bowl -- we like parmasan, but mozzerella, sliced very thin, and provolone work well. 

ttfn