Simply Elegant Chicken à la King

By Gail Foley

Creamed chicken dishes have been around for hundreds of years. Chicken à la King  can be traced to the 1890’s mostly in the New York/Philadelphia region. The earliest print documentation I found was (14 December 1893). Alumni of Princeton College luncheon. New York Times. It became very popular in the middle of the 20^th century especially with women’s clubs, mess halls, and board luncheons all across the United States.

The vegetables should be sparse and fine. The sauce should be thick, rich and creamy. The chicken should be delicate.

Serves 4

¼ cup finely minced onion

1/2 green pepper, finely diced
1 can (10.5 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
½ cup mayonnaise

3 oz. Neufchâtel (low-fat cream cheese)
¼ cup milk
1 can (4 oz.)  mushrooms (stems and pieces), drained
1 chicken breast, poached and shredded ½ inch, (no skin or bones)
1/2 teaspoon ground sweet paprika
1 Tbsp. Cream sherry
2 Tbsp. pimiento (canned sweet red pepper), finely diced
Hot toast points, (4 slices quartered)

Season skillet with canola oil spray.

Sauté onion and green pepper.

Stir in soup, mayo and milk. Heat to almost boiling. Stir in Neufchâtel until melted.

Stir in sherry, paprika, chicken and pimento. Heat to almost boiling.

Serve over toast points.

Notes:

Used minced onion in place of onion juice. Could also grate onion.

Used cream of chicken in place of flour, butter, salt, cream and chicken broth.

Used mayonnaise in place of egg yolks, butter and lemon juice.

Used 1 can of mushrooms in place of thinly sliced fresh mushrooms.

If using fresh mushrooms, sauté with onion and peppers.

Added Neufchâtel to make thicker, richer and creamier.

Can use red bell pepper instead of pimento, but sauté with onion and green pepper.

Recipe for the original CHICKEN A LA KING

SOURCE: The New York Times, 14 April 1980, an article by Craig Claiborne citing a circa-1900 brochure from the Brighton Beach Hotel.

“Melt two tablespoons of butter and add one-half of a green pepper shredded and one cup of mushrooms sliced thin. Stir and cook five minutes and then add two level tablespoonfuls of flour and a half teaspoonful of salt. Cook until frothy and then add one pint of cream and stir until the sauce thickens. Put this all in a double boiler, add three cups of chicken cut into pieces and let stand to get very hot. In the meantime, take a quarter of a cup of butter and beat into the yolks of three eggs, one teaspoonful of onion juice, one tablespoonful of lemon juice and one-half teaspoonful of paprika. Stir this mixture until the eggs thicken a little; add a little sherry and finally shredded pimento before serving on toast.”

http://theaesthetecooks.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/chicken-a-la-king-elsie-de-wolfe/

Peanut Blossoms

AKA Peanut Butter Blossoms, Peanut Butter Kiss Cookie, Hershey Kiss Cookie and other variations. These cookies were created by Freda Smith from Gibsonburg, Ohio in 1957. It is basically a peanut butter thumbprint cookie with a Hershey Kiss on top, instead of jam. She entered Peanut Blossoms in the 9^th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest in 1957. She didn’t win the contest, but this cookie has been a favorite ever since!

This recipe came from Hershey and has ¼ cup more peanut butter than the original. I have added to the directions from experience. I was inspired to make them today after attending the Christmas play at Arnold’s Creek Christian Church last night. They gave out bags of Christmas candy, including lots of Hershey Kisses. 

Yield: 4 dozen

1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. soda
3/4 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup shortening

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. milk

1/3 cup sugar, in small bowl

48 Hershey Kisses (Any flavor)

1.     Preheat oven to 375°F. Count out 48 chocolates. Don’t unwrap chocolates until immediately after putting cookies in oven. Then you will know how many to unwrap.

2.     Mix together flour and soda in a one quart mixing bowl. Set aside.

3.     In a large mixer bowl, cream together shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar and 1/3 cup of sugar. Blend in egg, vanilla and milk. Stir in the dry ingredients with a large wooden spoon.

4.     Squeeze a scant teaspoon of dough into a ball in the palm of your hand. If you try to roll into a ball, the dough breaks apart. Be careful not to make balls too big or you won’t get 4 dozen. I know it is hard to resist scooping up a full spoon of dough, but you only need a ball big enough to fit the bottom of a Hershey Kiss. Frankly, from the size of the cookies in the picture, there is no way they got 4 dozen from this recipe.

5.     Roll in sugar and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Two, 10”x15” (inner dimension), cookie sheets fit in my oven. Using the four – three pattern, 25 cookies fit on a sheet.

6.     Bake for 10 minutes. Be careful when picking up cookie sheets to put in the oven, the cookies tend to roll around and may fall on the floor!

7.     Unwrap the chocolates now. You can also set up your cooling racks and do some kitchen clean-up while the cookies are baking.

8.     Remove from oven and set the cookie sheets on a firm, flat, heat-proof surface. You will be pressing on each cookie and don’t want to flip over the cookie sheet. Immediately press one Hershey kiss into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges.

9.     Remove from cookie sheet and lay on brown paper or racks to cool. When removing cookies to cooling rack, be careful not to flip over cookie. The chocolate is melting and it makes a little mess. But we can eat our mistakes!

http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/peanut-blossoms/b5de97ec-9e31-4303-8cb7-9484b5e4e86b#?st=6&term=peanut blossoms&ps=9&pi=9

http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=5191&page=12&per=10&category_id=20#

Yumasetta – an Amish classic casserole

Serves 6

I have downsized and lightened this Amish classic casserole for a healthier family meal. Use the low-fat, low-salt versions of the canned soups, if you can find them. Aldi’s sells Light and Fit versions. My family has enjoyed this classic casserole for many years.

Excerpted from: The Best of Amish Cooking, by Phyllis Pellman Good

“What Is The Amish Food Tradition In The New World?”

Many myths exist about the Amish and their food. Separated as they are from the larger world in their dress and transportation choices, they are not immune to the many food options in the grocery stores of their communities. They shop, and so they pick up packaged cereal, boxes of fruit-flavored gelatin and cans of concentrated soup. Although tuna noodle casserole and chili con carne turn up on the tables of Amish homes, and chocolate chip cookies and lunch meats are packed into the lunch boxes of Amish school children, cornmeal mush and chicken pot pie are still favorites. Because the Amish are a living group, despite their regard for tradition, their menus continue to change. Their foods are influenced by their neighbors and the recipes they find on boxes containing packaged foods or in the pages of farm magazines and local newspapers.

http://culinaryclassics.tripod.com/amishmain.html

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 medium Onion chopped (1/4 cup)

1 tsp. brown sugar

1 can (10.5 oz.) condensed tomato soup

8 oz. wide Egg noodles

1 can (10.5 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup

4 oz. sliced American cheese (not cheese food)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Lightly coat a 2 qt. glass baking dish with canola oil spray.

3. Heat an 10 inch cast iron skillet, until hot and dry. Remove from heat and lightly coat with canola oil spray. Return skillet to very low heat while dicing onion and putting water on to boil for noodles.

4. Cook egg noodles; drain. Return drained noodles to kettle and stir in cream of chicken soup.

5. Brown beef and onion in seasoned skillet, stirring to break up meat. Remove from heat. Stir in brown sugar and tomato soup.

6. Layer beef mixture in bottom of prepared baking dish. Layer cheese slices over beef mixture. Layer noodle mixture over the cheese slices.

7. Put in middle rack of oven and bake for 30 minutes.

For a traditional meal, serve with sides of green beans, pickled beets, bread and butter.

Easy Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

I have made this for quick dinners for many years. It is made just like Kraft in the box, but the real ingredients taste so much better. I make this recipe to use up bits of leftover cheeses. I have not found a cheese we didn’t like. I once made it five cheese macaroni with bits of Cream cheese, American, Colby, Jack, and Swiss. As long as it’s a variety of mostly smooth melting and less stringy melting cheeses, totaling 1 cup.

2 cups elbow macaroni

2 quarts water

1 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour

1 cup milk

1 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (white or yellow)

Boil water and cook macaroni until tender, about 10 minutes.

Drain macaroni and return to pan.

Stir in butter until it melts.

Stir in flour.

Stir in milk over medium low heat until the sauce is thickened and just starts to bubble.

Stir in cheese until melted.

Serves 4

Light Quick & Easy Noodles Romanoff

Serves: 4-6

This is just like a Betty Crocker box mix my mother used to make in the ‘60s! It is light and creamy with just a bit of tang.

½ lb. fettuccine

2 Tbsp. EVOO (Extra virgin olive oil)

2 Tbsp. butter (optional)

¼ tsp. garlic powder

2 Tbsp. parsley flakes, crushed

½ cup grated parmesan/romano

1 cup non-fat sour cream

¼ cup skim milk

Boil noodles per package directions. Drain and return to kettle.

Gently fold in oil and butter.

Add rest of ingredients and toss lightly until well distributed.

Serve immediately.

Julia Child’s Napoleon’s Chicken

I just watched “The French Chef” on the Cooking Channel. This show is a hoot! Julia came out with a “Napoleonic sword” that looked more like a machete and started to cut up a frying chicken with it. She related the legend of the origin of the recipe for Chicken Marengo as created by Napoleon’s chef at the battle of Marengo from ingredients on hand. When she flamed the Cognac, it looked like the Fire Dept. should have been called. Whoosh!

Since this is the Italian countryside where Napoleon was trying to regain control of Italy from the Austrians, the foodstuffs available were: chicken, crayfish, olive oil, olives, bread, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, onions, wine, local herbs, and Napoleon’s own flask of Cognac. Food fit for an Emperor!

I looked all over for the recipe, but couldn’t find it. There are many versions of this recipe available, but none of them were true to what Julia made. I wrote this from notes and memory immediately after my search after watching the show.

Julia Child’s Napoleon’s Chicken

1 chicken cut into pieces for frying

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup of dry white wine

1 tablespoon of Napoleon's cognac (or Brandy)

2 medium onions, diced

2 lbs peeled, cored, seeded and diced tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic, crushed (Julia used a garlic press.)

1 tsp Italian Seasoning, c/s (This is exactly what she used from a jar!)

8 large white mushroom caps with stems

1 Tbsp. EVOO

½ cup dry white wine

More EVOO

8 rounds of ¼” thick sliced Italian bread

(Julia used a loaf of square sliced white bread, removed the crusts, and cut it in half into triangles.)

12 large shrimp, shelled and deveined

(If you can find large crawdad tails, use them!)

More EVOO

4 eggs

1 teaspoon chopped, fresh parsley

salt and freshly ground black pepper

black olives

Process:

Rinse and pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large seasoned skillet (a chicken fryer with 3” to 4” high sides) over medium high heat until hot. Add chicken and brown well on all sides.

Add white wine, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add cognac and flame. Add onions, cover and simmer another 10 minutes. Remove chicken to platter.

Remove stems from mushroom caps and dice. Reserve caps. Spoon some grease from pan. Sauté garlic and mushroom stems. Add tomatoes, white wine, and Italian seasoning stirring up all the chicken bits. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a high simmer. Return the chicken pieces to the skillet, folding into the tomato sauce. Reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for 15 – 20 minutes until chicken is no longer pink.

While the chicken is cooking, heat a saucepan over high heat with EVOO and white wine. Add the mushrooms. Toss lightly a few times until they are tender, but not soggy or overcooked. The caps should be white and retain their shape. Set aside and keep warm.

Heat a frying pan with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil (may need more) until hot, but not smoking. Lightly fry the rounds of bread until slightly browned. Set them aside on paper towels. Keep warm in oven.

Add the shrimp to the hot oil and fry until they just curl up, about 1-2 minutes. Set them aside on paper towels. Keep warm in oven.

Heat another saucepan over high heat with EVOO at least an inch deep. Poach the eggs one at a time in the hot oil for a minute or so, lightly stirring with large spoon to keep egg together. Remove with a slotted spoon and set on paper towel to drain.

Putting it all together:

Set chicken pieces on serving platter. Spoon the tomato sauce over the chicken pieces and garnish with black olives.

Place the eight croutons around the chicken. Place an egg on every other crouton and garnish with parsley. Place 3 shrimp on each of the other 4 croutons.

Julia Child’s Spinach Turnover

I watched “The French Chef” again, and again her recipes are NOT to be found written on the web, but you can watch the videos. A great visual was watching her squeeze the spinach by hand. She went to Provence for the assembly segment with her great friend, Simone Beck (Simcha). So, from my notes and memory, I wrote this out immediately after watching the show. This would make a great hors d’oeuvres.

Julia Child’s Spinach Turnover

The French Chef - “The Spinach Twins”

Pastry for 2 - 9” crusts, (unbleached pastry flour)

9 oz. fresh spinach, washed (Yield 2 cups blanched, drained- squeezed dry, chopped)

4 oz. fresh white small mushrooms, quartered

½ cup diced (3/8”) ham

1 Tbsp. butter

Sauce Bouillée:

1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)

¼ cup butter

½ cup flour

1 2/3 cup hot milk

1 egg

Salt & pepper to taste

Pinch of nutmeg

2 eggs, 1 separated

1 tsp. water

For Cream Sauce:

Remaining Sauce Bouillée

½ cup or more cream or milk

Salt & pepper to taste

1/3 cup shredded Gruyère cheese

Wash spinach well and plunge into a large kettle of boiling water for about 2 minutes, then immediately shock it in cold water. Drain well, squeeze dry and chop. Reserve 2 cups in the kettle.

Wipe mushrooms with clean damp rag. Quarter mushrooms and sauté with diced ham in 1 Tbsp. butter, set aside. 

In a heavy bottomed 2 qt. sauce pan, ("We don't like soggy bottoms in pastry or scorched bottoms in sauces." ), sauté onion over low heat in 1/4 cup butter until translucent. Put half the onion in the kettle with the spinach.

For Sauce Bouillée:

Add the flour to the remaining onion and cook the roux over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Whisk in the hot milk a little at a time. This sauce is going to be THICK, like paste. Take the pan off the heat and beat in an egg.  Salt and pepper to taste and add a pinch of nutmeg. ("You don't ever want someone to taste something and say, 'Oh: nutmeg.'") Put about a ½ cup of the sauce in with the spinach.

For Cream Sauce:

Stir ½ cup or more of milk or cream into remaining Sauce Bouillée until it is thinned to a sauce consistency. ("I'm using cream but I suppose you can use milk if you're on one of those hideous diets.") Simmer slowly, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to finish cooking the flour. Remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cheese, to let it melt and keep a skin from forming. Set aside. When ready to serve, warm it over low heat and stir in the cheese.

To assemble the pastry:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Roll the dough into a 10” by 15” rectangle, ¼” thick. Trim the edges so that it is even and square, saving cut scraps. Lay the dough 2/3 over parchment or wax paper, to simplify rolling over the top. Paint the pastry with egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp. of water.

Spread half the spinach mixture on the lower 1/3 of the pastry that is NOT on the paper, keeping a 1/2” edge bare for sealing. Place mushrooms and ham on top. Spread remaining spinach over ham and mushrooms.

Grabbing the paper, fold the pastry up and over. Seal the edges with fingers, then press with tines of fork.

Place on greased baking sheet. Cut pastry scraps into strips. Paint turnover with an egg glaze of 1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. water. Decorate with strips, laying them on a diagonal. Trim edges that hang over. Glaze again. Press cross hatch designs all over with a fork.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until nicely browned and crisp.

Slide it onto a board to cut diagonally and serve with the warmed Cream Sauce.

This can be made ahead of time, without glazing, and refrigerated. Glaze just before baking. If baking cold, it will need a little more baking time.

Pot of Gold

Serves 4-6

This recipe is my long time favorite from Girl Scout camp. My family loves it too. I’m not sure which company created this recipe. It was either Campbell’s, Bisquick or Kraft. My research found versions of this recipe still floating around, but not the original. The original was made with water instead of milk and used Bisquick and water for the dough (we were camping). Use yellow sharp cheddar instead of white and you will have big fluffy dumplings leaking golden cheese in tomato soup.

1 large (26 oz.) or 3 small (10.5 oz.) cans condensed tomato soup

2 cups 1% milk (or water)

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

Dash salt

1/2 cup of milk

2 Tbsp. canola oil

4 oz. extra sharp yellow cheddar cheese, cut into 8 cubes

Put soup in large kettle with lid. Slowly whisk in milk. Bring just to boil and immediately turn heat down to simmer. Don’t let it boil or milk curdles!

In medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Combine milk and oil in a cup. With a fork, vigorously stir milk mixture into flour mixture.

Grease hands and scoop up about 1/8 of dough. Set the cheese cube in the middle and wrap the sides up and around it, sealing the cheese inside the dough. Drop gently on top of simmering soup. Repeat until all cheese and dough is used.

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Edinborough Date Bars

It seems like Grandma Petrie made these once when I was very young. I make these most every Christmas since I began baking in my teens. I find my mixer bowl is not large enough, so I make half the oat mixture at a time. Do the bottoms first, then the tops. Or use a very large bowl and a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar. I thought I was making too much, but they are all gone by Christmas!

Yield: 4 dozen

5 cups  (20 oz.) Chopped dates
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ cups Water
1 cup Chopped walnuts
3 ½ cups Sifted flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 ½ cups Butter
2 cups Brown sugar
3 cups Rolled oats

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease two 13”x 9” pans.

Cook dates with sugar and water. Cool and stir in nuts.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in flour mixture. Fold in oats.

Press ½ of oat mixture in bottom of pans. Spread date mixture over oats. Sprinkle rest of oat mixture over dates and pat lightly in place.

Bake 25 minutes or until just browned. Cool. Cut into bars while still warm.

“STOP AND GO” COOKIES

There was a discussion and search for this recipe on the recipe groups several years ago. I subsequently found the original recipe. These are very festive, tasty, nutritious and easy to make. I have included the original recipe from Quaker Oats. They are a thumbprint cookie with oats. I have made chocolate cookies by adding cocoa to the recipe. You can fit about 18 cookies on a 11” x 15” cookie sheet.

1 cup shortening, soft
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg beaten
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 ½ cups Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
Red and green candied cherries

Beat shortening until creamy; gradually beat in sugars. Blend in egg and vanilla.

Sift together flour, soda, salt and cinnamon; stir into creamed mixture. Blend in oats.

Shape dough into small balls and place on greased cookie sheets.

Make a hollow in each ball; place half a red or green candied cherry in each hollow.

Bake in preheated moderate oven (375°F.) 10 to 12 minutes.

Makes 4 dozen.

From: ALL-TIME ANYTIME RECIPES, The Quaker Oats Company, Chicago, IL; 1972; pg. 12

Grandma Petrie’s Currant Cake

This is another of Grandma’s famous recipes. We begged her to make it throughout the year, but she would always make it for Christmas. I am still not proficient with this recipe. It takes quite a pastry maker to roll out pie crust to fit a cookie sheet! Currants can be stretched with chopped apple.

Pastry for 3 pie crusts
3 (11 oz.) boxes Currants
¾ cup Sugar
1 tsp. Lemon juice
1 tsp. Lemon peel
2 Tbsp. Cornstarch

Put currants, sugar, lemon peel and lemon juice in water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in a little bit of water and stir into the currants until thickened. Remove from heat and cool.

Roll out bottom pastry and fit into a high sided (3/4”) 10” x 15” cookie sheet. Dust with flour and spread on the currant filling.

Roll out the top pastry and prick with fork. Moisten edges of pastry in cookie sheet and lay on the top pastry. Pinch edges together.

Bake at 425° for 10 to 15 minutes. Lower heat to 375° and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Let cool and cut into 2” squares.

Grandma Petrie's Scottish Shortbread

My Grandma brought this recipe with her from Scotland in 1929. She passed away in 2004, but we still make this recipe every Christmas.

2 cups sugar
2 lb. butter, room temperature
8 cups flour, sifted twice

Preheat oven to 300°F.

In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar with your hands.

Add flour and mix together with your hands.

Divide into two balls of dough.

Put each in a 9"x13" pan. Pat out evenly. Prick top with fork about every inch.

Bake for one hour.

Let cool on racks for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting into 1" squares or bars.

Cool completely, then store in tins lined with wax paper.

For very light and fluffy, melt in your mouth, shortbread, divide recipe in half and cream butter and sugar in mixer. Use twice sifted confectioner's sugar, measured before sifting. Gently stir in flour with wooden spoon. Never over mix or it will toughen.

I prefer to use unbleached white flour. Grandma has also used 1 cup of rice flour to 3 cups of white flour. She also used 1 cup of farina (Cream of Wheat) to 3 cups of white flour.

A half recipe will also fill two 8" round cake pans.

Add a teaspoon of almond extract for a mysterious and delicious difference.

Sugar can also be sprinkled lightly over top before baking.

Chicken Viola

I found this recipe at Daily Recipes. I am always intrigued when I hear that a recipe has been in a family for generations. The ingredients are inexpensive and usually on hand. But when I went to make this recipe, I saw some problems right off. There were no real measurements, just a bag of this and a can of that. Then I saw how much chicken they were putting in one 9” x 13” dish with all those other ingredients and I thought maybe it would all work out if we were making two 9” x 13” dishes!

Using experience and trial and error, I came up with proportions that made a truly delicious and deluxe casserole. First, I poached the chicken breasts instead of boiling. Boiling tends to make breast meat tough. Poaching results in more tender meat. Then I used fresh steamed broccoli spears, a deluxe alternative to frozen broccoli. Next, I added some milk to the soup to make the casserole a little moister. I used a whole pound of cheese, but you could probably get by with less. Finally, I used Panko for the topping resulting in a casserole special enough for a Ladies Luncheon. Thanks to Ashly and Sandy!

8 oz. egg noodles
1 lb. (2 – 3) boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can (4 oz.) mushrooms, drained
1 bunch (2 - 3 heads) fresh broccoli
2 cans (10.5 oz.) condensed cream of celery soup
1 cup milk
4 cups (16 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Coat a 9” x 13” glass baking dish with canola oil spray.

Boil noodles until almost done and drain. Spread noodles in bottom of prepared dish.

While noodles are cooking, trim the chicken breasts and poach: Place them in a 6 cup saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer for 7 minutes. Turn off heat, cover and let set for 7 minutes. Drain and fill with cold water to handle. Shred over noodles.

Sprinkle the mushrooms over the chicken.

While chicken is cooking, trim and steam broccoli spears. (See previous recipe for Steamed Broccoli.

Arrange broccoli spears over chicken and mushrooms.

In large mixing bowl, whisk together soup and milk. Stir in cheese and spread over broccoli.

Put margarine in 1 quart microwaveable bowl. Cover with wax paper. Heat on defrost for one minute. Stir. Pour Panko crumbs over melted butter. Toss lightly with fork to mix. Sprinkle crumbs over casserole.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until heated through.

Serves 8.

Adapted from Chicken Viola 

Posted by: Sandy U. sandyu42@XXXXXXXX at Daily Recipes
Date: 4/6/2006 2:42 PM
Source: http://online-cookbook.com - ashly 
Comments: Came from generations in my family.

Get Real Chicken Divan

Here is another great classic chicken and broccoli dish. This one is French and is perfect for a ladies luncheon or dinner. I just love it when I find some history or first person accounts of the origin of a dish. I had made various versions on my own for years, but have altered my recipe to be more true to the flavor of the original. Following is the original version I found at the Recipe Link. After that I listed my Get Real recipe.

BTW, you may wonder at all the recipes I post using boneless, skinless chicken breasts? They are a great value – low in fat, quick to cook, versatile and tasty. I just stocked up on them at $1.58 per pound. Be sure to buy the store or butcher package. IQF is a waste. They are soaked in water and poorly cut. Many years ago, some friends of mine actually did a market study at home comparing whole chicken breasts, boneless, skinless breasts and whole chickens. For the amount of waste from skin and bones, boneless and skinless is the real value. Of course, I always need some skin and bones to make soups and broths.

----------

"Levesia, here is the original recipe from Divan Parisien, where I loved to dine in the late 1940s. A great restaurant, and you actually ate at tables drawn up to small sofas (or divans!)"

CHICKEN DIVAN

1 five-pound fowl (stewing chicken)** see note

Water

2 tsp. salt

2 cups medium white sauce

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 cup hollandaise sauce

1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped

3 Tbsp. sherry

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 large bunch broccoli

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (preferably fresh-grated)

(1) Place whole fowl on a rack in a kettle. Add about five cups boiling water and salt; bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until tender (about three hours). Cool in broth, then remove from broth, remove skin and slice the meat.

(2) While fowl is cooking, make white sauce and stir in nutmeg. Make hollandaise. Combine hollandaise, white sauce, Worcestershire sauce and sherry, then combine thoroughly with the whipped cream.

(3) Cook broccoli, drain and arrange on deep serving platter, sprinkle lightly with some of the cheese. Arrange sliced chicken on top, pour the sauce over all and sprinkle generously with the remaining cheese.

(4) Broil about 5 inches below hot broiler flame until lightly browned and bubbly.

***Note: this recipe came from a French restaurant kitchen, which assumed you know how to make white sauce AND hollandaise. These recipes can be found in any basic cookbook (like Joy of Cooking) or if you need recipes from these, ISO to me or TKL Cooking Club. This recipe was my claim to fame as a hostess for more than 30 years and I still make it occasionally. I use any larger chicken parts available in the supermarket, as fowl is very seldom found, nowadays, and simmer it much less time -- keep testing to see when it is tender--beginning at 30 minutes.

SERVES FOUR. NOT for dieters!!! Bon appetit!

Cooking Club at Recipelink.com

http://www.recipelink.com/msgid/0032143

From: Beege 11-12-1998

-------------

Get Real Chicken Divan

Serves: 8

1 large bunch broccoli (2 to 4 heads) (20 oz.)

1 to 1 ¼ lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (2 to 3)

2 cans (10.5 oz.) condensed Cream of Chicken soup

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp. lemon juice

3 Tbsp. sherry

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9” x 13” glass baking dish with canola oil spray.

Wash and trim broccoli into spears and steam. (See recipe for Steamed Broccoli.)

Arrange broccoli spears in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with ¼ cup of grated Parmesan.

Heat iron skillet, until hot and dry. Remove from heat and lightly coat with vegetable oil spray. Return to very low heat while slicing chicken.

Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise, butterfly style. Separate pieces. Sauté chicken over medium high heat until lightly browned. Layer sautéed chicken over broccoli.

In 1 ½ quart mixing bowl, whisk together soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice, sherry, Worcestershire sauce and nutmeg. Pour sauce over all and sprinkle with remaining grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Serve with a crusty French bread, a tossed salad and a nice white wine.

Get Real Broccoli Ritz Casserole

This dish has become another perennial and classic American favorite. And yes, even my son that won’t eat cooked broccoli, loves this one!

Of course, I can’t not fiddle with a recipe and I have printed the Nabisco original recipe, a modified recipe and my own Get Real recipe. By Get Real, here I use real cheese, not Velveeta and not processed cheese food. I also reduced the margarine by 25%.

RITZ® Broccoli Casserole
http://www.nabisco.com/recipes/recipeprinterfriendly.aspx?recipe_id=56398

Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 55 min
Makes: 12 servings, 1/2 cup each


3 pkg. (10 oz. each) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, drained
3/4 lb. (12 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut up
36 RITZ Crackers, coarsely crushed, divided
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Mix broccoli, VELVEETA and half of the crushed crackers until well blended.
SPOON into 2-quart baking dish. Mix remaining crushed crackers and butter; sprinkle over broccoli mixture.
BAKE 45 minutes or until heated through.

BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER CASSEROLE
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1650,150187-225202,00.html

1 1/2 lbs. broccoli and cauliflower
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c. milk
1 c. shredded American or Colby cheese
1/2 c. butter
1 c. crushed Ritz crackers

Steam vegetables until tender and place in casserole. Mix milk and cream of mushroom soup together; pour over vegetables. Sprinkle shredded Colby cheese over top. Mix cracker crumbs and butter until crumbly and sprinkle over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour until bubbly. Serves 8.

Get Real Broccoli Ritz Casserole

1 large bunch of broccoli (2 - 4 heads), cut in spears
1 can (10.5 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
½ cup milk
12 slices American cheese (not processed cheese food)
6 Tbsp. margarine
1 stack of Ritz® crackers (36)

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Coat 12” x 8” glass baking dish with canola or olive oil spray.
Steam broccoli until just tender.
Arrange broccoli spears in baking dish.
In 6 cup microwaveable bowl, whisk together soup and milk. Heat on high for 2 minutes. Slide 4 slices of cheese into soup. Microwave on high one minute. Stir. Repeat twice more until all the slices are melted.
Pour over broccoli.
Put margarine in 1 quart microwaveable bowl. Cover with wax paper. Heat on defrost for one minute. Stir.
Put stack of crackers in heavy one gallon zip-lock bag. Crush with rolling pin or wooden mallet.
Pour crushed crackers over melted butter. Toss lightly with fork to mix.
Sprinkle cracker crumbs over casserole.
Bake 30 minutes until bubbly. Do not let brown.

Serves 10 to 12

Substitutions: Any combination of cole crops will work – broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and/or Brussels sprouts. 1 ½ lbs (24 oz.) frozen vegetables can be substituted, just be sure to thaw and drain them well. Baking time will be a little longer because they are cold. There are many store brands of Ritz crackers available. I usually use them for significant cost savings.

Additions: Some steamed onions, celery and/or carrots are nice additions. Cut them as you see fit.

Shrimp, Grapefruit and Avocado Salad

My mother first made this in the 60’s from a recipe in a ladies magazine. This recipe started my lifelong love affair with shrimp and avocados. The original recipe is long lost. This is my recollection.

Grapefruit are $1 each at WM right now. A 24 oz. jar of segments is $2.98. I will use smaller shrimp to be more economical. When they were on sale earlier this year, I put some in the freezer for $3.98 per lb.

1 (32 oz.) jar peeled grapefruit segments (or 2 lg. grapefruit peeled and sectioned)

2 perfectly ripe avocados, peeled and sliced (5 - 6 slices per person)

4 large lettuce leaves

12 oz. large shrimp, peeled, deveined and steamed (5 - 6 per person)

1 (8 oz.) bottle Kraft Catalina Dressing

1. Pour the grapefruit and juice into a good sized bowl. Add the avocado slices and toss gently.
2. Arrange the lettuce on four salad plates.
3. Alternate the grapefruit segments and avocado slices in a spoke pattern on the lettuce leaves.
4. Pile the shrimp in the middle of the spokes.
5. Drizzle with Catalina dressing.
6. Serve immediately.

Serves: 4