Broccoli Chicken A La King and a Ham Variation

 

Broccoli Chicken a La King


I love vintage recipes! This one comes from my youth, when the can of soup and the microwave would set the housewife free from the drudgery of the kitchen. This was the age when the woman was supposed to be Super Mom, able to work a full-time job and then come home and whip up a nutritious meal in only a few minutes. The manufacturer's ideas of what was nutritious were flexible, of course. 

The true beauty of this recipe is its flexibility. There are options on the cheese, the meat, and what you serve it on top with. What Mom did back then depended on her own energy level, but I personally would recommend either tossing a baking potato or three in the Instant Pot if you have a few extra minutes. 


Notes:

1. While I know I'll get some hate for this; I use and keep Spam and canned cooked chicken around for those days when I forgot to defrost something. These "shelf special" recipes have saved me plenty of money, since I didn't have to resort to fast food. I keep egg noodles, cans of soup, shredded cheeses, and canned meats around for just such occasions. 

2. This is an opportunity to bring up an easy to find item in thrift stores: small to medium sized ceramic and/or glass casserole dishes. I took a tracing of the inside of my air fryer and kept it in my wallet. When I found a likely candidate casserole dish, I took out the tracing and made sure the casserole would fit the tightest space in my kitchen: the air fryer. I don't mind washing small casseroles with cute little blue cornflowers. (I don't own a dishwasher.) It's fast and easy to air fry a little bit of onion, pepper, and maybe an extra bit of veggie if I wanted to. I can defrost a meat patty in the microwave in a ceramic casserole with the lid on to contain spatters, remove the lid and pop the casserole dish in the air fryer for a nice finishing crispiness. Ceramic and glass casseroles are a worthwhile addition to the efficient kitchen since they can go from microwave to air fryer to oven, depending on the recipe or need. Some even stack nicely in the fridge after the meal is done, saving on plastic storage containers and time. (Flip the lid over if there's a knob on top.) 

Sources

************************

Disclaimer: I am not a chef, nor a licensed food service professional of any kind. I'm a grandmother who loves to cook and loves efficient cooking. Anything I post has been checked out by me, but in no way do I guarantee that my suggestions will work for you. YMMV (Your mileage may vary.) Some links may give the original poster a small commission on products sold via the link. I personally am not an affiliate, nor do I earn commissions on products. The links provided are examples of what's available online. 

Lena Austin

www.fatfrogdiary.blogspot.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Doc has a Spiffy New Office!

I'll repeat this on LapBandTalk.com, but I'm guessing my bariatric surgeon, Dr. Michael Baptista, is getting more and more successful. He's moved from his partnership with another doctor and into his own spiffy new office MUCH more conveniently located for me, in Arlington right off 9A and Monument in the Brooks Rehab Building. Now, I'm not saying his former partner was a bad doctor-- not with that many awards-- but I didn't like the other doctor and that's the honest truth. I'm allowed my opinions, and my two experiences with the former partner were unpleasant. Now I feel much freer to help Dr. Baptista with his newer patients! I'm pleased to say Dr. Baptista asked me to start attending the monthly support group so I can provide cheerfulness and inspiration to a group that has recently begun to focus on negativity in his opinion. One subject he mentioned specifically I could help with was the low carb diet. Many have difficulty in going beyond what&
Read more

The Legend of No Desserts in One-der-Land

Once there was a woman named Alice who fell down a spiraling hole of guilt and shame while following an elusive White Rabbit of Beauty. She discovered a magical place called One-der-land, though at first it seemed a place of madness and horror. I'll occasionally recount (not in chronological order because this is a place of madness, after all, at least to Alice) some of her adventures. Alice landed at the bottom of the Shame Spiral in tears, her body shattered by so many years of abuse, both from within Alice herself and from others, who felt she didn't deserve anything. She wondered if she'd ever be able to get up, but she managed to heave herself erect and walk, still hoping for another glimpse of the beautiful White Rabbit. Alice had to rest often, and had trouble breathing, but the path seemed familiar somehow, as if she'd traveled upon it or at least seen it many times. Her feet swelled, her knees hurt, and upon occasion she considered just lying down at the side
Read more

Is Humiliation Part of the Treatment?

Just how much humiliation am I supposed to take? Today was a group session at the surgeon’s. You know what I learned? What an ass one of the surgeons is. That’s it. After the weigh in, in which I gained a whole half-pound, we had the usual and repetitive lecture on how important it is we shrink our livers. I was feeling pretty good about my weight, actually. I’d had a full bladder and heavy winter clothing on, but the scale said only half a pound. I could live with that. I knew also I’d had a few too many macadamia nuts over the past few days and vowed to cut them out. Finally, the surgeon appeared. He was as handsome as rumor had claimed. I had a hard time understanding his accent, since he was from South Africa. The Afrikaners I’ve known can seem to mumble a bit to our American ears. I’d had an Afrikaner teacher back in real estate school and I’d adored him, so I was prepared to like the surgeon, Dr. Cywes. How wrong I was. After introducing himself and matching faces to files, he im
Read more