SUNDAY: CHICKEN POPPYSEED CASSEROLE WITH ASPARAGUS & GARLIC BREAD

My beloved Paw Paw passed away not too long ago, and when he did, a sweet couple from our church brought us this delicious chicken casserole. The husband and I scarfed it down so fast you would think we have never eaten before in our lives!

Anyway, a dear friend of mine recently had a baby so when I was trying to think of something to bring her, that delicious casserole came to mind. Knowing how delicious it is, I went ahead and doubled the ingredients at the grocery store and made one for us at the same time (below ingredients are for one casserole).

- 4 to 6 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped (or you can do what I did and use 1 rotisserie chicken)
- 8 oz sour cream
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 stick butter
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crumbled
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Poppyseeds as desired
- Served with asparagus and garlic bread (if you don't have frozen garlic bread handy, you can use regular bread, butter, and garlic salt)

Casserole: Preheat oven to 350. Mix sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and salt & pepper with cooked chicken. Place in 9x13" baking dish and sprinkle poppyseeds on top. Crumble sleeve of crackers over top then melt butter and pour over top. If you are taking this to a friend, you can freeze as is and they can cook later for 30 mins at 350F. If you are making for yourself then, go ahead and place in oven for 30 mins at 350F. *NOTE: Also good if you add in more soup and serve over rice or you and add broccoli on the bottom.

Asparagus: Wash and dry. Lay on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Place in oven with chicken casserole for last 5-7 minutes.

Garlic bread: Either purchase frozen and cook according to package, or butter a piece of bread, sprinkle with garlic salt, and put in the oven on broil for approx. 4-5 minutes.


MONDAY: GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD & HUMMUS

You may notice that we have grilled chicken salad a lot. This week we did something a little different - honey buffalo chicken! (thanks to the in-laws for introducing us to this)

CLICK HERE for past post with other grilled chicken salad ideas.

- Boneless skinless chicken tenders/cutlets
- Frank's red hot sauce
- Honey
- Salad and desired toppings
- Pair with hummus and pita bread or pita chips

Mix Frank's and honey together to taste (some like it spicier, some like it sweeter...). Marinade chicken in sauce mixture and grill. During grilling, use a pastry brush to add additional mixture on top of chicken for more flavor. Add cooked chicken to salad and top with your favorite toppings. I would suggest blue cheese crumbles or ranch dressing to compliment the "buffalo chicken" flavor.

We had leftover pita bread that I got on sale and it needed to be used up before it went bad, so I bought some hummus to go with the chicken salad and use the pita bread pieces for dipping. We love the Supremely Spicy or Roasted Red Pepper flavors by Sabra.


TUESDAY: ITALIAN SAUSAGE WITH PEPPERS & ONIONS OVER BROWN RICE

The husband loves this dish!

- Arnone's italian sausage (I find mine at the Piggly Wiggly)
- 1 to 2 green bell peppers
- 1 large vidalia onion
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 tsp teriyaki (preferred) or soy sauce
- Garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice (Minute Rice)

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and add sausages. Cook over medium-high heat until browned (approx. 5 mins), turning links often. Reduce heat to medium-low and carefully add 1/2 cup water to skillet. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes or until cooked through.

While simmering sausage, cut your peppers and onion length-wise into thin strips. Once sausage is done, remove from pan and let rest. Wipe water out of pan carefully, then place back on hot eye and turn to medium heat. Add chopped peppers and onion to pan with butter, teriyaki sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt & pepper. Mix well and stir occasionally until peppers and onion are cooked through and soft.

While peppers and onions are cooking, prepare rice according to package and cut sausage. Once peppers are done, turn to low, and add sausage back to mixture in the pan. Serve mixture over warm rice and enjoy!


WEDNESDAY: MEXICAN SKILLET

Ever have one of those nights when you just stick a pot or skillet on the stove, dump a bunch of stuff in, and cross your fingers? Yeah, me too, and this was the result:

I call it "Mexican Skillet". I made it one night right after we got married when I really had no clue what I was doing in the kitchen and it ended up being pretty yummy, so it stays in the rotation on the menu :)

- 2 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
- 2 cups Bird's Eye frozen pepper stir fry (or you could use fresh peppers, but I choose the lazy route)
- 1 can Southwestern corn, drained
- 1 can chicken broth
- 8 oz (1/2 jar) Pace Medium chunky salsa
- 1 1/2 cup Minute white rice
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Wickles banana pepper rings, optional (but highly suggested!!)
- Jalapeno peppers, optional
- Salt & pepper to taste

Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in large skillet. Add chicken, stir fry peppers, and desired amount of banana peppers & jalapenos. Cook until chicken is done. (NOTE: The frozen peppers being thawed/cooked may cause more liquid than desired in the skillet; just drain it or soak it up with a paper towel out of the skillet. You don't have to get it all out; it will cook into the rest of it.) Add corn, broth, salsa, salt & pepper. Stir and bring to a boil. Stir in rice, remove from heat & cover for 5 minutes (NO LESS). Fluff with fork & add cheese. *NOTE: If I happen to have an extra taco seasoning packet lying around, I will sprinkle about half of that into the chicken and peppers while they are cooking for a little extra flavor.


THURSDAY & FRIDAY: ON YOUR OWN

So I've been putting off getting my wisdom teeth out for oh....10 years now, and I've finally decided to bite the bullet. The husband is on his own while I suffer through Jello and mashed potatoes for a few days...