something different..

SO this weekend we are down at the river and we whipped out the ol' turkey fryer and made the most unhealthy meal. We fried chicken. We fried onion rings. We fried cauliflower. We fried Zucchini. Noticing a pattern? It may have been non calorie friendly fare but it was sooooo good. Here is the thing though, our family tends to over do it when it comes to get togethers food wise. We had a ton left plus dessert (I'll tell ya'll about that in a minute). The veggies weren't so good the next day but the chicken was crusty happiness. Fried chicken is one of my very favoritest things on the planet. I have a deficiency making it though, I have to have supervision. Anyway, we brought home ALOT so I was thinking, what could I do with this? My first inclination is to make COLORFUL CHICKEN SALAD but I am the only one in my house that likes it. :( Then I remembered seeing a recipe for MEXICAN CHICKEN MANICOTTI. I made that and let me tell you, it was de-lish! Everyone liked it, the boys even asked for seconds, something totally unheard of.
The story about the desert. In this family we make this stuff called NEXT BEST THING TO ROBERT REDFORD, it is a pecan/shortbread crust, a sweetened cream cheese layer, a pudding layer and topped with whipped cream. It is a staple at get togethers. Mr absolutely adores this dessert. Aunt Deanne thought she was going to get out of making it, but he quickly corrected that notion. You know those huge roasting pans that is like double a cake pan size? She made one of those and after we all gluttoned ourselves on all the fried stuff, we had a piece. There was ALOT left of that though, too. So Sunday morning Mr wakes up first and goes outside the camper to play. He was merrily digging in the huge hole on our lot with the kids next door so Mike and I dozed and rested and enjoyed a quiet, lazy morning. Mr comes in after awhile and tells us how his day is going. He tells us that he threw some paper towels in the fire ring to restart the fire and he got Robert Redford for breakfast. He got a BIG piece and it was good he says. He was so proud of himself, Mike and I had a hard time not giggling at him. We brought everything home and Mr had another piece because he was starving and that would make his tummy feel better. After dinner, he had ANOTHER piece for dessert. There isn't that much left now.



MEXICAN CHICKEN MANICOTTI

1 8oz package manicotti shells
2 C. cubed cooked chicken
2 C. (8 oz) shredded monterey jack cheese, divided
1 1/2 C. (6oz) shredded cheddar
1 C (8oz) sour cream
1 small onion, diced, divided
1 can (7oz) chopped green chili, divided
1 can (10 3/4oz) cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 C. salsa
2/3 C milk

Cook mancotti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the chicken, 1 1/2 cups Monterrey jack cheese, cheddar cheese, sour cream, half the onion and 6 Tablespoons of the chilies. In another bowl, combine soup, salsa, milk, and remaining onion and chilies. Spread 3/4 cup in greased 13in x 9in x 2in baking dish.
Drain manicotti; stuff each with about 1/4 cup chicken mixture. Arrange over sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over shells.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle remaining Monterrey jack cheese over top. Bake additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.


NOTES: Obviously, this recipe can be adjusted for heat preference: use pepper jack cheese, hot salsa etc. I am a sissy and used Monterrey jack and cheddar marble with a mild salsa. Actually, it was a homemade salsa that my sister in law Kathy gave me that she had made. The only thing I thing I will tweek next time I make it is to use jumbo shells instead of manicotti shells, I didn't' like stuffing them. I got the recipe out of a Taste of Home magazine from 2006.