Friday, May 27, 2016

Broccoli Chicken Divan





I have a special treat this week! This blog post and recipe are from my mom! She made this really yummy chicken casserole last week, and I told her she had to share it on the Barefoot Country Cooking blog. So, without further ado here is my mom and her amazing Broccoli Chicken Divan! - Amelia Gray

Good morning! We are having fantastic Pacific Northwest weather here this spring, rainy and chilly. Therefore I am able to cook and bake still inside the house and not have to do it out in our summer kitchen. I am spending my time baking cookies and trying out new recipes. Here is one I found a couple of weeks that was a great hit and used up some of our pantry and refrigerator staples we had on hand. I have tweaked it a little to our liking and doubled it to feed all of us plus leftovers for lunches. 

This is a quick and easy chicken and broccoli recipe that everyone will love, plus an easy way to get your young children to eat broccoli. 

Ingredients


2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped
3 cups diced chicken (a store-bought rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken makes this recipe even quicker)
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Pepper 
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2/3 cup half and half
1 cup sour cream
2 cups cheese 
1/4 cup melted butter
1 roll bacon ritz crackers, ground into crumbs, or any other breadcrumbs 

Directions


Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Grease 2 8x8 pans. 

Book broccoli until tender, but not overcooked and mushy. ( My preferred way is in the pressure cooker for three minutes with a cup of water in the cooker. It keeps the minerals and vitamins in it, is quicker, and doesn't heat up the kitchen.)

Chop raw chicken and cook in a skillet. Season to taste with garlic and onion powder, and pepper. (There are two ways to do this. 1. In water, which will produce a softer and more tender chicken, making it easier to eat, if you have picky people who want that. 2. Or sauté in oil which will produce a golden brown crust on the outside of your chicken and will give you a more chewer, more flavorful result.)

Drain chicken on paper towels. 

Mix soup, milk, sour cream, 1 cup of cheese. If using leftover chicken then season with garlic and onion powder, and pepper to taste. 

Add chicken. 

Place soup mixture, divided, into the two pans. 

Add cooked broccoli, divided, and stir gently. 
Cover with cheese. 

Melt butter and mix with Ritz cracker crumbs. 

Top both pans and cook until bubbly and light brown. 

Let cool and enjoy!

Friday, May 13, 2016

10 Stress Releasing Tips

Some days you just need to take a day off. It's not easy for me trying to run a publishing company (even if it's online), take care of your large ever growing family, your house, taking classes, and keeping a blog. I personally need a break once and a while. Imagine you keep winding a clock up and up and up and up. Eventually, it is going to break, spectacularly and abhorrently. 

So here is 10 stress releasing tips, some of which I use, and some I would never consider (like number one, "avoid caffeine and nicotine," not happening).
1. Avoid Caffeine, Alcohol, and Nicotine. 
Avoid, or at least reduce your consumption of, nicotine and all drinks containing caffeine and alcohol. Caffeine, alcohol and nicotine are stimulants and so will increase your level of stress rather than reduce it. 
2. Indulge in Physical Activity 
Stressful situations increase the level of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol in your body. 
3. Get More Sleep 
A lack of sleep is a significant cause of stress. Unfortunately though, stress also interrupts our sleep as thoughts keep whirling through our heads, stopping us from relaxing enough to fall asleep. 
4. Try Relaxation Techniques 
Each day, try to relax with a stress reduction technique.  There are many tried and tested ways to reduce stress so try a few and see what works best for you. 
5. Talk to Someone 
Just talking to someone about how you feel can be helpful. Talking can work by either distracting you from your stressful thoughts or releasing some of the built-up tension by discussing it. 
6. Keep a Stress Diary 
Keeping a stress diary for a few weeks is an effective stress management tool as it will help you become more aware of the situations which cause you to become stressed. 
7. Take Control 
Stress can be triggered by a problem that may on the surface seem impossible to solve. Learning how to find solutions to your problems will help you feel more in control thereby lowering your level of stress. 
8. Manage Your Time 
At times, we all feel overburdened by our 'To Do' list and this is a common cause of stress.   Accept that you can not do everything at once and start to prioritize and diary your tasks. 
9. Learn to Say ‘No’ 
A common cause of stress is having too much to do and too little time in which to do it.  And yet in this situation, many people will still agree to take on additional responsibility.  Learning to say “No” to additional or unimportant requests will help to reduce your level of stress, and may also help you develop more self-confidence. 
10. Rest If You Are Ill 
If you are feeling unwell, do not feel that you have to carry on regardless. A short spell of rest will enable the body to recover faster. 


So till next time, Remember to take it easy cause cause very few things in life are worth killing yourself over. The sooner you learn the difference the happier you'll be!