It's Too Hot Here to Bake It Chicken Divan

 We have modified the Chicken Divan/Chicken Broccoli Casserole recipes in a way that avoids warming up the oven and our house.

Sauce:

Approximately 1 1/2 lb chicken (dark or light or a mixture; can also use canned or leftover cooked chicken)

2 cans cream of chicken soup*

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon curry powder (or more)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Broccoli, steamed

Rice, cooked

You will probably want to start cooking the rice first. If chicken isn't cooked, boil it in a pot or cook it in an Instant Pot (which works great to cook straight from frozen). When it is cooked take out the chicken and shred it. Now is a good time to steam the broccoli. Make a sauce with the chicken broth from the cooked chicken, or if you didn't cook the chicken use some chicken base and water and add the cream of chicken soup (*or alternative or a combination of both), mayonnaise and stir until smooth. Add the curry powder and add back the chicken. When it is warmed through add the lemon juice and decrease the temperature.

Layer broccoli and rice on the bottom (any order is fine) and pour sauce over it. Sprinkle cheese on top if desired and serve. If you don't mind heating up the oven and want to bake it and make it a casserole still steam the broccoli, if you aren't going to put it together immediately you may want to chill the broccoli if you don't want it too mushy. Put broccoli in the bottom of baking dish/pan and pour the sauce over the broccoli. Bake in the oven at about 350 for about 30 min. Serve over rice if desired.

*cream of chicken soup alternative (cheaper and healthier and use food storage) substitute 4 scant Tbsp of powdered milk and 2 heaping Tbsp of cornstarch (ish, measurements don't have to be super exact) with chicken soup base, any other seasonings you may choose to use and 1 1/4 cup water to substitute for each can of cream of chicken soup. I like to mix this separately with an immersion blender and then add it to make the sauce.

I remember Mom making this casserole and we always really liked it. She always baked it in the oven and I don't remember having it over rice, but it's a good thing and you can always make more sauce if you plan to put it over rice. My recollection is that Mom got the recipe from a ward or Relief Society dinner or some such event.

Chocolate Lava Cake in the Crockpot

 Makes 8 servings, Prep Time: 15 min, Cooking Time: 2-3 hours

Ingredients

1 cup dry all-purpose baking mix*

1 cup sugar, divided

3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, plus 1/3 cup, divided

½ cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla 

1 2/3 cups hot water

*we always substitute 1 cup flour, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp salt, and 1 Tbsp oil or shortening or butter (if use shortening or butter cut the fat into the dry ingredients).

Equipment:

3 ½-at slow cooker

Cooking spray

Medium-sized mixing bowl

Small mixing bowl

Mixing spoon

Potholder

Toothpick or cake tester

Directions: 

1. Spray inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray

2. In medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together the baking mix (or substitutes), ½ cup sugar, 3 Tbsp cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla.  Spoon the batter into your slow cooker and spread it out evenly.

3. In a small mixing bowl, mix the remaining ½ cup sugar, 1/3 c cocoa powder, and the hot water together. Carefully pour this mixture over the batter. Do not stir.

4. Cover you slow cooker. Cook the cake on high for 2-3 hours.

5. After 2 hours, use the potholder to remove the lid. Carefully stick a toothpick or cake tester into the center of the cake and pull it out. If the toothpick looks wet the cake needs to keep cooking. If it has some dry crumbs on it, it’s time to eat.

6. If the cake needs to cook longer, continue to test it with a toothpick every 15 min until it’s done.

7. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Top with powdered sugar and whipped cream if you wish.

This is called Gooey Chocolate Pudding Cake in the Fix-It and Forget-It Kids’ Cookbook. It is great to make before you head off to a performance and have a treat as you get home. Melissa enjoyed making it for her Activity Days treat. 

Roasted Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Salad with Garlicky Honey-Dijon Dressing

 I made this for dinner and wasn't able to find pomegranates this time of year so I used raspberries. It was delicious!

Roasted Butternut Squash & Pomegranate Salad with Garlicky Honey-Dijon Dressing

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time15 minutes

Total Time30 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

·          

·         Squash:

·         2 cups butternut squash diced

·         1 tbsp olive oil

·         Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

·         Cayenne pepper to taste

·          

·         Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette:

·         3 tbsp olive oil

·         2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

·         1 tbsp Dijon mustard

·         1 tbsp honey

·         1 clove of garlic minced

·         Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

·          

·         Salad:

·         3 cups arugula

·         2 cups spinach

·         1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

·         1/4 red onion thinly sliced

·         3 tbsp goat cheese crumbled

·         2 tbsp toasted pepitas pumpkin seeds

Instructions

1.             Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2.             Roast the butternut squash by tossing it together with the olive oil, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and cayenne pepper, to taste.

3.             Place on a rimmed baking sheet and place into the oven.

4.             Roast for 8 minutes then gently flip them over and continue to roast for another 7 minutes, or until golden brown and tender. Remove from the oven; set aside to cool.

5.             Prepare the vinaigrette while the butternut squash is roasting by combining the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, minced garlic, and sea salt & freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

6.             Whisk until well combined and creamy.

7.             Make the salad by combining the spinach and arugula in a large serving bowl.

8.             Top with the roasted squash, pomegranate seeds, red onion slices, goat cheese crumbles, and toasted pepitas. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately. Enjoy.