Life got in my way (stupid life!) and has pushed me back to a week and a half since my last recipe post. On the plus side, if I didn't feel motivated to get this recipe posted, I probably would have fed my family take out every night this week. So thanks, Internet, for your undue pressure.
This week I bring you a classic chicken casserole. I've been making this since the nineties. Good stuff, people. Good stuff.
THE INGREDIENTS:
About two tablespoons of olive oil, about 1/4 cup of wine (red or white, doesn't matter), 1 cup diced onion, 1 lb sliced mushrooms, 1 cup of celery diced, 1 box of Long Grain & Wild Rice (like Rice-a-Roni type stuff), deboned store-bought roasted chicken, 2 cups steamed broccoli, *one cup of diced apple*, 1 can Cream of Chicken and 1 can Cream of Celery soups, 8 oz tub of sour cream, a bag of shredded sharp cheddar, salt and pepper to taste.
NOTE *someone ate my eff'ing apple, so I left it out.* Back in the day, I would use water chestnuts in this recipe. But I know that Carlie would not touch it with a 10-foot-fork if I used water chestnuts, so I was going to give the apple a try. If you make this, throw in the diced apple and let me know if it is fabulous.
This recipe requires some serious multitasking. If you do the steps in order, you'll be looking at 25 minutes of prep time plus 30 minutes of baking time.
Step One: Cook your Long Grain and Wild Rice according to the directions. This should take about 25 minutes to cook, which gives you enough time to have everything else ready to go.
While the rice is cooking...
Step Two: Steam your broccoli and sautee your mushrooms in olive oil and a splash of wine. I used merlot because it's what I was drinking. Mmmmmmm, Merlot.
When the mushrooms are cooked, add in your onion and celery. Cook until tender. Don't forget that the broccoli is steaming. Turn it off when the broccoli is tender, NOT MUSHY. Remember, the broccoli is going to continue cooking in the oven, so don't over cook it.
Preheat oven to 350.
Step Three: Combine in a bowl your deboned chicken, two cans of soup, tub of sour cream, half of your bag of shredded cheddar and *diced apple* if you happen to still have an apple that someone didn't find hidden in the crisper and eat.
Stir. Then stir some more. Then give it another stir.
Then add your sauteed mushrooms/onions/celery and your steamed broccoli. Add black pepper to taste (I do not add salt because when you are using canned soup, you're getting enough sodium IMHO. Decide on the plate if you need more salt.) Commence again with the stirring. Stir stir stir. It should be mixing better now that you've added the hot ingredients to the straight-from-the-can soup.
Finally, add your cooked Wild Rice. With all the stirring, your broccoli should have kind of fallen apart by now. In a good way.
Dump it into a casserole dish. Top with the other half bag of cheddar.
Heat uncovered for about 30 minutes. That's it!
When you remove it from the oven, let it stand for a few minutes. Then dig in.
How easy was that?
THE VERDICT:
Shana - I loved it. It's simple and, plus, LOST IS ON TONIGHT, so I love everything.
Tim - Excellent. (But it should be noted, he poured hot sauce on his after half a bowl.)
Carlie - I don't eat broccoli. But that smells good. (She ate a salami sandwich. L O S E R)
Step Five: Thinly slice your scallions and divide evenly on plated chicken and cabbage mixture. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, add pepper to taste, and serve. 
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