I love this kind of weather this time of year when it really should be hot and muggy. Since it’s cold and rainy, I’m making a new recipe tonight – black beans, white rice with sausage. I don’t have a recipe really, so it’s going to be a “little bit of this and a lot of that” kind of creation. If it works out, you’ll see a picture and a recipe. If you DON’T see a picture, then don’t ask because we probably had pizza instead.

This is one of Lance’s favorite recipes – it’s very quick and a great comfort casserole recipe. We call it CREAMY CHICKEN!

• 2 c. shredded chicken
• 1 can cream of mushroom
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers (or club crackers)
• 1 cube of butter (you are crazy if you’re not using KERRYGOLD BUTTER)

If I am lazy, I will buy 2-3 rotisserie chickens during the weekly grocery outing. I pull all the meat off the bird and save it in a resealable bag or plastic box in the fridge as soon as I get home. I never cube anything – I prefer a hand shred on chicken. Do what you like best … it’s all about you! If I have time, I bake chicken breasts and thighs (bone in and skin on) on parchment paper on a big baking sheet. I season the chicken heavily with Lawry’s salt, pepper (I like lemon pepper), a little poultry seasoning and garlic powder. Make sure you season both sides of the chicken – skin and bone side. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes – be careful not to overbake, you are still going to cook the chicken if you use in a casserole or other recipe. I have found the rotisserie chicken to be the most flavorful for use in casseroles – always cooking bone-in and skin on provides so much flavor and moistness to your chicken for casseroles.

Put the shredded chicken, can of cream of mushroom soup and sour cream in a mixing bowl and combine thoroughly. I will be honest in that I have never used low-fat or low-sodium soup and I don’t like low-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt in cooking. If I am going to cook, I’m going to like it. If I am cutting calories I avoid casseroles like this because WHY RUIN A MASTERPIECE?! Spray a 8 x 8 casserole with Pam and pour in the chicken goodness. In a ziplock bag crush a full sleeve of Ritz crackers. If you don’t use Ritz, use Club Crackers or some kind of “buttery” cracker because saltines are too salty and just not as good in this recipe. Pour the crushed crackers all over the chicken mixture. Melt the cube of butter (now that does not mean one “little” pat of butter – I mean the whole CUBE of butter). Drizzle the butter over all of the crackers equally – don’t stir it, don’t touch it, don’t mess with it and put it in the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until the top is golden and bubbling.

Lance and I are creatures of habit – so we love this casserole served with cooked baby green peas with mushrooms. Serve with hot rolls and more KERRYGOLD BUTTER. If I have company and serve this, I always do a butter leaf lettuce salad with mandarin oranges, almonds, green onions with poppyseed dressing.

I hope you enjoy this perfect day for comfort food.