Meal Fit for a King

This is one of my favorite dishes. Chicken a la King, not to be confused in any way with King Ranch Chicken. They are totally different. This really does come together quick and it is one of the best comfort foods. It's the dinner version of biscuits and gravy.

Chicken a la King

5 biscuits

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup of milk

2 cups cubed, cooked chicken

2 tbsp. diced pimientos

Ok, here is how to get it done quick.

Preheat oven to biscuit baking temp. on biscuit package. Heat butter on low heat in large skillet. Chop celery and onion; add to skillet and turn heat to medium. Cook biscuits when oven is done preheating. While onion and celery are cooking, measure out flour and salt. Also measure out broth and milk. When onions and celery are crisp-tender, stir in flour and salt till blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken and pimientos. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 4-6 minutes (until heated through). Serve over split biscuits.

Notes: umm..umm..good

Black Bean Burritos

This is easy enough for me to make for dinner the first day of school (which means it must be fast). I think my brain stopped working at exactly 2:30pm yesterday. The first day of school went pretty well. It was my 4th first day of school (as a teacher) and the first that I wasn't nervous about. I have to admit that I miss my sophomores. Juniors and seniors are too arrogant for me. Oh well, getting juniors and seniors is supposed to be a promotion (without a pay increase), so I'll try to enjoy it.


I've been reading some older posts lately which reminded me of new year's resolutions. Most people make their's in January, but I find myself running on the August-June school year schedule, and I think of changing things every new school year. I'm declaring my new school year resolutions now (so maybe I'll stick to them).


1. I will not carry other teachers. They should learn to do their own job.
2. I will try not to be as sarcastic to students (but it's ok to be sarcastic with them right?)
3. I will set a goal to have all my kiddos pass TAKS ( I know, pretty lofty, but we'll see).
4. I will not stay late at work and still bring my work home.


Ok, so I think those are all goals more than resolutions, but I'll try. Anyway, here is the busy night recipe.

Black Bean Burritos

1 - 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup chopped onion

1-4oz can chopped green chilies

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup chopped red pepper

1 tbsp. veg. oil

3 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. salt

8 flour tortillas

1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (or cheddar)

salsa and sour cream

Place beans in a large microwave-safe bowl; mash lightly. Stir in the chilies, onions, peppers, oil, chili powder, garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt. Cover with paper towel and microwave on high 2-3 minutes, or until heated through, stirring once. Spread 1/4 cup bean mixture down teh center of each tortilla. Top each with 2 tbsp. of the cheese; roll up. Place seam side down on an ungreased microwave safe dish. Cover with a damp microwave safe paper towel. Microwave on high for 30-45 seconds or until heated through. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Notes: This is an easy dish, but I have to admit that it tastes like something is missing. If you have any suggestions, let me know. I think that I'll try less chili powder with more salt and garlic next time. That's just me. The original dish is still worth a try. Again, no meat; add any meat you like if have someone that refuses to eat vegetarian meals.

Refried Bean Soup with Pace Cornbread

I'm finally getting around to posting this delicious meal. I made it last week sometime. The soup is one of the easiest recipes I have. Just throw together a few cans, heat, and eat!! The cornbread recipe is from my mother in law and is a great side for any mexican theme dinner. I haven't been cooking much since I started working again last week. Last night was movie night with me and my husband. We made out the hide away bed on one of our couches, piled on a bunch of pillows, and watched movies all night. My husband cut up salami, summer sausage, pepper jack cheese, smoked cheddar, and mild cheddar. We ate it with crackers for dinner. It was great!! We even put an ice chest next to the couch so we didn't have to walk to the kitchen. I think we'll try to make movie night a regular ritual. Anyway, back to the recipe; the soup can have so many variations to suit your needs. I'll put some of my variations in the notes below. You have to try this on a busy weeknight!!

Refried Bean Soup

1 (~15oz) can fat free refried beans (you don't have to use fat free)

1 (15 1/4oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14 1/2oz) can chicken broth

1 can rotel

1/2 cup water

1 (4oz) can chopped green chilies

1/4 cup salsa

Optional Garnishes: tortilla chips, more salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients except for garnishes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until heated through. Serve with any garnishes you like.

Notes: I like to make the soup and add a dollop of daisy and some shredded cheddar to each bowl. The original recipe called for spicy refried beans, but my husband isn't fond of spicy foods. Therefore, I use regular refried beans and mild rotel. I just add a little cayenne pepper to my bowl to spice it up. As you may have noticed, there is no meat in this soup, but it is plenty hearty. My husband doesn't even usually notice the lack of meat. But, if you are a big meat eater, you could add cubed, cooked chicken.

Pace Cornbread Squares (sorry, no picture)

1 pkg. Jiffy Cornbread mix

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup Pace Picante Sauce

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 egg

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

In a bowl, mix all ingredients, except the cheese, very well. It will be thinner than normal cornbread batter. Pour batter into a greased 8 x 8 inch pan. Sprinkle the cheese over top and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, till center is baked. Watch so that the bottom crust doesn't overbrown.

Cooked, Cubed Chicken

I usually saute boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a pan to make cubed, cooked chicken to add to recipes, salads, soups, etc. But, I found that sometimes it's easier to cook it in the oven while I'm making something else. I think this will work especially well to make chicken that easily shreds for enchiladas.

boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
salt and pepper to taste
a little water

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish. Add enough water to the dish to barely cover the bottom. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper (and any herbs you like). Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through. Cut into cubes.

Rachael Ray's Vodka Cream Sauce with Pasta

I've been planning on making this recipe for a few weeks now and I finally got around to it. I really liked the pasta sauce, but my husband did not. I wished it had gotten a little thicker than it was, but I still liked the flavor. It had too much of a tomato flavor for my husband (he hates tomatoes). The recipe makes a ton, so I would cut it in half. I froze about 3 cups of leftover sauce. If you like the recipe, then the freezing directions are in the "Notes" section after the recipe.

Rachael Ray's You-Won't-Be-Single-For-Long Vodka Cream Pasta

salt and pepper to taste

12 oz. pasta, such as penne

1 tbsp. EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1 tbsp. Butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 shallots, minced

1 cup vodka

1 cup chicken broth

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

20 leaves of fresh basil, shredded or torn

Put a large pot of water over high heat for the pasta. When water boils, add salt and penne. Cook according to package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add evoo, butter, garlic, and shallots. Gently saute garlic and shallots, 3-5 minutes, to develop their sweetness. Add vodka and cook to reduce by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken broth and tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble, then reduce heat to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir cream into the vodka sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove from heat. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Serve immediately.

Notes: Shallots are usually found near the onions in the produce section of grocery stores. Walmart doesn't always have them. If you would like to freeze the sauce, leave out the basil and add when it's reheated later. I added cooked, cubed chicken to my husband's pasta because he won't usually eat meals without some type of meat. The recipe to make cooked, cubed chicken in a hurry is above.

Swedish Meatballs

Ok, so I finally created a food blog and then I don't cook for a week. My husband fried fish one night, we had fried fish sandwiches another, corn on the cob once, and a homemade pizza. As you can see, nothing much to write about that I actually cooked. Yet, finally tonight, I did cook dinner. I do want to take some time in this blog to mention the greatness of making homemade pizzas. Using pillsbury refrigerated pizza crusts in the tube make it super simple, and the best part is that you get to put whatever toppings you want on the pizza. I used the leftover 1/2 lb of pork sausage from the Meaty Cornbread Casserole over the whole pizza. My side of the pizza had black olives and slices of tomato. I made my husband's side of the pizza plain/boring with just the sausage and turkey pepperoni. I don't feel that I should actually write the recipe because I just follow the directions on the pizza crust tube. I also use pizza sauce from a jar, nothing homemade.

Tonight I made swedish meatballs. The recipe was given to us by my mother-in-law. It is really great and everyone loves them. I served them with some rice.

Swedish Meatballs

14 oz. ketchup

10 oz. grape jelly

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 lbs ground beef

2 eggs

2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 cup fine bread crumbs

Place the ketchup, jelly, and onion in a medium saucepan. Heat over low/medium heat until ketchup and grape jelly mix together. Do not boil. While the sauce is heating, place all other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix well and form 1 inch meatballs. Place each meatball in a crockpot. Pour heated sauce over the top. Cook over low heat for 1/2 day (or about 4 hours) until cooked through.

Note: 1 hour on high in a crockpot is equal to about 2 hours on low if you are in a hurry. If in a real hurry, just place the meatballs in a stockpot, pour sauce over them and cook over medium heat until meatballs are cooked through. While cooking, try not to stir the meatballs until mostly cooked through so that they don't fall apart. Meatballs can be made any size. We've even made them the size of baseballs for dinner. Great for parties too. Nobody will believe that grape jelly is the key ingredient!!

Meaty Cornbread Casserole

Fridays are usually Girls night, so I wasn't expecting to cook tonight. I had planned this recipe for tomorrow, but it had to be used tonight. My sister Lindsey came up to stay with us for the weekend, and we have a big day of fishing planned for tomorrow. This was a good meal for the three of us and we had leftovers. The recipe is from Taste of Home. Everything tastes good with country gravy!!

Meaty Cornbread Casserole

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 lb bulk pork sausage

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained

1 cup water

1 envelope brown gravy mix

1 box Jiffy corn bread mix

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 envelope country gravy mix

In a large skillet, cook beef and sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in corn, water, and brown gravy mix. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute until thickened. Spoon into a greased 8inch baking dish. Prepare corn bread batter according to package directions; stir in the pepper and garlic powder. Spread over meat mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into corn bread layer comes out clean. Meanwhile, prepare country gravy mix according to package directions; serve over casserole.

Notes: Don't be scared of using both brown and white gravy. The finished product is delicious. You can easily double this recipe. Double all ingredients, except only use 3 cans of corn. Place in a 9x13inch dish and the baking times are the same.