At the Ferguson house, life is busy! With our four-year-old now playing soccer and the tee ball season on the horizon, I don’t foresee us slowing down anytime soon. My husband, Keith, and I take turns cooking – praise the Lord! – and there are several staple dishes we always go back to for an easy meal.
Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole was introduced to me by the late Mildred Fondren. On nights I spent late at the paper, Miss Mildred would call my office and tell me to stop by her house on the way home for a bite to eat. Poppy Seed Chicken soon became one of my favorites. Of course, anything Mildred Fondren whipped up in her kitchen could win a cooking contest.
Miss Mildred’s Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
3 chicken breasts, boiled and chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 ounces sour cream
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Sleeve and a half of Ritz Crackers
½ stick of salted butter
Mix the chicken, soup, sour cream, and poppy seeds. Pour into a nine by 13 casserole. Crush Ritz crackers and pour over top of casserole. Slice butter in thin pats and dot over the top of the crackers. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Another quick and easy chicken dish was created by my mother, Dot Sexton, to mimic the popular chicken spaghetti recipe. For those of you who have made chicken spaghetti, it is pretty time consuming, but Momma made a cheater’s version that is better than the real thing.
Cheater Chicken Spaghetti
3-4 chicken breasts
1 store-bought jar spaghetti sauce or marinara (I use garden vegetable)
1 pound Velvetta cheese, cubed
1 stick butter
½ box vermicelli pasta, cooked
In a nine by 13 casserole dish, pour hot vermicelli pasta over stick of butter. Chop cooked chicken breasts. Mix chicken, spaghetti sauce, and cubed Velvetta Cheese. Pour over top of pasta. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
When I cook, I make a mess. Seriously, I use every dish in the house, and leave the kitchen in a state of emergency. Thankfully, the cook doesn’t clean. Bless Keith’s heart.
When I found this recipe for One Pan Salmon and Shrimp, I knew it would be the messy cook’s dream meal. But it is also delicious and easy and ready within 15 minutes.
One Pan Salmon and Shrimp
4 - 4 ounce salmon steaks (I use frozen wild salmon, thawed)
1 pound medium or large shrimp, cleaned, peeled, and deveined (I also use frozen raw shrimp, thawed)
Asparagus, cleaned and trimmed
1 lemon
Lemon pepper
½ stick butter
On a cookie sheet, place salmon and asparagus. Sprinkle with lemon pepper and the juice from half a lemon. Slice butter into thin pats and dot across the top of the salmon and asparagus. Cook at 450 degrees for five to six minutes. Remove pan from oven, place shrimp around the edges of the pan, dot with the remainder of the butter and the juice of half a lemon and sprinkle with lemon pepper. Cook at 450 degrees for another five or six minutes.
I’m sure I am not the only one who is always looking for something new to do with chicken breasts. A couple of years ago, I came across a recipe for Cheddar Ranch Chicken on Pinterest, and it has become a favorite of my family.
Cheddar Ranch Chicken
4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 packet of ranch dressing mix
Panko bread crumbs
Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish. Mix mayonnaise, cheese, and ranch dressing mix. Spread mixture across the top of the chicken. Sprinkle Panko bread crumbs over the top and bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees until chicken is cooked through.
