Christmas prayer

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/25/opinion/a-prayer-at-christmas.html?ref=opinion&_r=0

Ann Hood prays. It's a trend.  
Merry Christmas!  

More reckless praying

AMBATALIA: From My sister Mikaela ( had to share because I think it is so beautiful and true.


Not my sister -- This is bold praying from another art blog.  It's a reassuring message from the divine.
OK, OK ... just read it!

Fabric Art Postcards: how-to

Fabric art postcards seem so easy. Simple, yes, but making them took me a lot of thinking and working out details. I took notes on each step, so that I can make them again -- maybe for Valentine's Day. You can use any design you like. 

I took the finished cards to the post office to make sure the cards are acceptable size and weight. 

1. Cut heavy watercolor paper (Arches 140#) into 4" x 6" pieces.

Getting ready to cut watercolor paper

2. Cut background fabric into 6" x 4" pieces. I used beautiful, heavy unbleached linen.

3. Make stencil for Christmas tree and heart out of cardboard. 

4. Cut tree from off-white silk or an old lace curtain.

5. Cut heart from red cotton. Silk in this small and curved shape would be pretty, but would probably fray.

6. Glue background fabric to card. PVA glue applied in a very thin coat is best.

7. Glue tree and heart where you want them. Just a dot or two of glue in corners is enough because you're going to sew it in place.

8. Using an old needle because you're sewing through heavy paper, sew around edges of the tree, using zigzag stitch Width 3 on the Bernina machine, and Length 1 1/2. I used matching color thread.

9. Sew down the heart, using zigzag stitch Width 2 and Length .5.

10. Sew around the edges with a close stitch for linen, to prevent raveling. Zigzag stitch Width 5.5 and Length .5.

These stitches worked for me, but you can play around with other sizes. You can also use a running stitch or some other decorative stitch. 

Then turn the card over, address it on the right-hand half, and write your message on the left-hand half, just like any other postcard. Don't forget the stamp1

Take Joy! Praying without a license

My ever-more-ambiguous relationship with the Pope makes me feel I've lost my license to pray. But I love to pray, so now I'm doing it recklessly and without a license. Here's one of my favorites -- a Christmas wish, really. I discovered it in Tasha Tudor's children's Christmas book Take Joy.

Take joy!

Fra Giovanni

1513

I salute you! There is nothing I can give you which you have not; but there is much that, while I cannot give, you can take.

No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today. Take Heaven.

No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in the present moment. Take Peace.

The gloom of the world is but a shadow; behind it, yet within our reach is joy. Take Joy!

And so, at this Christmas time, I greet you, with the prayer that for you, now and forever, the day breaks and the shadows flee away.

Chili and Cornbread

Dear Teresa,
Yes, after 40 years your chili recipe is still the best! I wonder if you still make it. I remember it came from a book of recipes for diabetics. You were interested in good nutrition way before the rest of us. I made it Sunday and shared some with a neighbor whose husband always did the cooking. When he died she was reduced to take-out every day. She really appreciated your chili. So did we!

Teresa's Chili

2 pounds lean round steak (I often use less -- Sunday it was a pound of London broil. I've used hamburger too, and then it's very quick.
4 C. sliced onions
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 T. bacon bits (I use about 1/8 pound real bacon.)
4 T. chili powder
1 T. flour
1 can tomato juice (I use tomato sauce and water usually.)
1 large can tomatoes
3 bay leaves
1 t. salt
1 T. dried oregano
1 T. wine vinegar
2 t. light corn syrup (I use honey.)
2 C. red kidney beans (I usually use dried beans and cook them ahead of time, but this time I used organic canned beans, and they are good.)

Cut the meat into cubes, removing fat. Brown meat in an iron skillet. Remove and set aside. Fry the bacon, if using it. Remove when crisp and then sauté the onions until slightly brown and clear. Mix the chili powder with flour in a small bowl, and add enough tomato juice to make a paste. (If using tomato paste, add a little and then some water.) Add it to the onions. Put this in a large pan with a lid. Add meat and the can of tomatoes and remaining juice or tomato sauce. If using sauce, add some water. I added somewhere between one and two cups. Simmer 1/2 hour.

Add the rest of the ingredients, except beans.  Cover and simmer 2 hours. Add the kidney beans 15 minutes before serving.

We warm the beans and serve them on the side.

This is great with cornbread, and this is the easiest recipe I know.

Cornbread

Melt 3 T. butter in a 10" skillet in a 500° oven (yes, that hot!).
Mix together
1 C. cornmeal
1/2 C. flour
1/2 teaspoon each: salt, soda, baking powder
1/2 T. sugar

Add
one egg
1 C. buttermilk

Pour into hot iron skillet. (I tried my expensive other skillet, and it turned out badly.)  Swirl it around so the butter gets mixed in, but not completely. Bake until firm, about 10 minutes.

This makes a kind of dry cornbread, so we like to add a small can of corn to the batter.

Simple tree

I love to make art postcards because they seem fragile and insignificant, yet travel far with their beauty exposed for anyone to touch. I'd been planning to make glittery green and red cards for Christmas, but suddenly they are wrong. Instead, I love this simple design -- especially because it's a silk tree on rough linen. This one's unfinished.

Little Christmas Tree

This spray-painted twig and string of lights is my idea of a Christmas tree that could stay all year. That cardinal on top reminds me of Ohio (state bird), feeding my seasonal nostalgia. Poet Linda Pastan echoes the mood in  this morning's Writer's Almanac.

Noel

Linda Pastan

Like a single
ornament,

the red cardinal
on a pine

outside
the window

is our only
decoration,

until
the snow.

Pie crust recipe

Dear Mary,

You asked if I have a good pie crust recipe using all butter. You said you tried the one in Smitten Kitchen and found it lacking. Just OK. 

Well, they say pastry is magic and they say it's easy. I go with magic, because there are so many recipes out there, and they are almost identical. But sometimes the pie crust is better than others. I think I'm getting better at it -- finally! I chill the butter in the freezer whenever I think about it ahead of time. I stopped over-working it in the first whir of the blender. I have a baggie labeled Pie Crust; it's full of white beans that I use for weights. I watch the pie carefully and when the edges are brown enough, but I think the pie itself needs more oven time, I wrap strips of foil over the edges. Even with all that, sometimes the crust turns out better than others. Good luck!

Here's how I make pie crust:

I use this from Real Simple. Or this from Martha Stewart.

or this from Patricia Wells. (my standby. It works.)

1 to 1 1/4 C. flour/ She says all-purpose, but not unbleached.

7 T. butter, chilled and cut into small pieces 

1/8 t. salt

3 T. ice water. 

Put 1 C. flour, butter, and salt in food processor and process to resemble coarse crumbs. Add ice water and pulse only until it begins to hold together. Don't let it form a ball.  (I used to do this too long, and I think that was a mistake. I just didn't believe it would hold together until it completely held together.)Transfer to waxed paper. flatten into disk. If dough seems too sticky, sprinkle it with additional flour, incorporating 1 T. at a time. Refrigerate at least 1 hr. Roll out to 12-inch circle. do the regular stuff. It says if you build the pastry a bit higher than the height of the pan you will have less problem with shrinkage. Prick the bottom with fork tines. Chill at least 20 minutes or wrap well and chill up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Line shell loosely with heavy foil, pressing well into the edge so the pastry doesn't shrink while baking. Fill with rice , dried beans, or pie weights. 

For partially baked shell, bake just until it begins to brown around the edges and seems firm enough to stand up on its own., about 20 minutes. Remove weights and foil and bake 10 more minutes.

For fully baked shell, continue to bake 20 minutes after removing the beans and foil. Cool at least 10 minutes before filling. 

Hope

Hope
35" l x 35 1/4" w
new and used cotton, silk, rayon
machine appliquéed and quilted

A dried-up orchid petal pinned to my wall kept calling me. It had lost its beauty, but was somehow still gorgeous, so eventually I sketched it, with all its veins and dips. It turned into this piece -- part blossom, part mandala, part firebird. Hope.

Hope detail

Quilt Photography

It looks like I'm a serious photographer here. It's the tripod and the lights. No -- it's me! I am serious about taking good photos of my quilts. Shoot that quilt is my favorite how-to site. They convinced me to get the lights and tripod. (Well, I already had the tripod. The lights came from eBay.) Because of this site, I'm waiting until dark to take my photos, for true color reproduction. And I just finished a photo course via QuiltUniversity. I didn't take full advantage of the instructor, who was always available for feedback, but I did learn some basics, including how to resize and organize my images, and also the importance of reading the camera manual. (Duh, why didn't I think of that?)

Quilt sleeve tutorial

The final details, like sewing the label and the hanging sleeve onto the back of the quilt, are less interesting than creating the piece itself. This woman knows her sleeves. I always follow her directions.  Before watching her, my quilt sleeves didn't have that extra "give." Made this way, the quilt will hang rather close to the wall.  It's a little harder, but better, to cut the sleeve into three pieces

Angel quilt

Angel
35" h x 36 1/2" w
new and used cottons, rayon, and silk
paint, glitter, thread
machine appliqué, collage, and quilting

Here's my Angel. A news photo of an Iraqi woman in a cemetery inspired me. I was taken with her veil and the swirls of fabric billowing among the graves. As I worked, I called the piece Grief; I was thinking sad thoughts. But eventually her wing appeared and my thoughts lifted. Then I saw the painting The Snake Dancer by Indonesian artist Hendra Gunawan (1918-1983). His vibrant curves and colors also inspired me and brought my Angel to life. 

Angel wing

Fall flowers

Mexican Sunflowers
8" x 10"

Mexican sunflowers are tall, orange knockouts with graceful leaves. They're annuals and that's about all I know. Except that I love them. Through late fall, they flourished at Gate B of Phipps Park, where I run. Some wagged on stems above my head. They're saturated color for sure. Recently I've been inspired by Penelope Gottleib's bright -- even harsh -- acrylic and ink paintings of flowers in pure color. Never mind that she sometimes includes bomber planes and other surprises among her blooms.  Following Gottleib's lead, I sat before the flowers in our yard and out at Phipps and made three flower pieces, using saturated colors. They're 8" x 10", mounted on canvas-wrapped board. 

Mexican Sunflowers at Phipps Park

Cardinal Guard

Fall flowers

Meyer lemons

I barely knew about Meyer lemons until Ed left a bag of them on our porch soon after we moved to Tallahassee. Our neighbor was rich in lemons and bluebirds, and he loved to share both. Once when I was visiting him and his wife in their backyard, he placed a tiny worm in my hand, assuring me it wasn't squishy. When I opened my palm and held it out, a bluebird swooped down from the bushes to eat the worm. A tiny rose-breasted bluebird perched on my hand!

I felt much the same amazement when I learned about Ed's precious Meyer lemons. They are much desired by cooks. When Ed died last spring I planted a Meyer lemon tree out near our shed in his honor. This season it gave us two big yellow fruits. Thanks to Ed's family, we still enjoy his lemons too. This week I mailed some to family in Ohio. "Give us recipes!" they said. So:

In general, I use Meyers  as I would any other lemon. Here's a video from a grove in California with some useful storage ideas.

I also make Meyer Lemon Marmalade. Here's the recipe -- my adjustments to an Epicurious recipe.

A friend tried Smitten Kitchen's Lemon Cake. She liked it but didn't rave.

I'm sure Mom's sponge cake is better. Follow the suggestion midway down for dousing it with lemon syrup.

Here's an LA Times piece with 100 things to do with a Meyer lemon.

S'more pie

You know how Thanksgiving makes you want chocolate? You do crave chocolate after all that orange food, don't you? Then you'll understand why I made a S'mores pie the day after turkey-- soon enough to coat-tail on the "It's a holiday so calories don't count" rule.  I used Smitten Kitchen's recipe, and the chocolate intensity didn't disappoint.

Next time I'll tweak the crust and topping,  though. Yes, I made the marshmallow topping. My cook-niece Gretchen has influenced me; she loves homemade marshmallow. What a surprise -- no egg whites involved! It's an honor to be in the secret marshmallow sorority, but next time I'm going to top this pie with lightly sweetened whipped cream instead.

And the crust -- SK's is a regulation graham cracker; next time I'm going to try butter-crunch crust. All these changes would be made to enhance the chocolate, of course.

Butter Crunch Crust from Spago Desserts

Mix in food processor just until combined:
4 T. butter
2 T. brown sugar
1/2 C. flour

Add:
1/4 C. chopped pecans
Process about 3 seconds more.

Spread on cookie sheet. Bake on center rack in 400° oven for about 10 minutes, being careful it does not burn. Remove from oven and stir it. Cool until you can touch it, then press into 8" or 9" pie pan or a 9" springform pan (This would be for cheesecake.) Refrigerate until needed.

Filling from Smitten Kitchen

7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used a bar of Lindt 70% cacao, which I pummeled with a heavy spoon before opening.)
1 C. heavy cream
1 large egg

Bring cream to a boil. (I microwaved it in a glass measuring cup -- be sure to watch carefully and take it out just as it starts to boil.) Put the chocolate in a bowl and pour the hot cream over it. Let it stand for a minute, then stir until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Whisk the egg in quickly, along with a pinch of salt.
Pour into crust. It will fill it about halfway up. Protect exposed edges of crust with strips of foil. Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes at 350°. Chocolate will still be a little shaky in the center. Cool to room temperature, about one hour. Then refrigerate (SK recommends one hour uncovered, followed by 3 hours covered, in refrigerator. It probably wouldn't hurt to eat it earlier. Before you do, top with sweetened whipped cream.

Quail Pot Pie

Sidewalk sign in front of Savannah Moon

 I should have brought one home: quail pot pie. I sometimes hear quail call when I run at Phipps Park, and I've talked to people who shoot quail. Some former cotton plantations here in North Florida and South Georgia turned into quail plantations after the Civil War. People pay money to hunt on the property. But I never tasted quail, and don't want to. (I've heard it's "better than chicken.") So I passed up the bird in the pie when I was shopping today in Thomasville, GA, a charming town 30 miles north of Tallahassee. I feel bad that I didn't think Clark might want to try it. Well, next time ...

Downtown Thomasville, GA

Butter facts

Dear Gretchen,
We talked about ingredients--how choice of  flour, sugar, butter, and eggs defines a baker. Once,  I cut info about butter from a newspaper and pasted it onto a card. As promised, here are the highlights:
1. For mixing and creaming, 65 degrees. Don't let it melt: at 68 degrees.
2. Wrap butter in foil if it's not going to be used immediately. Seal with tape.
3. Never use a microwave to soften butter because it melts, even when it appears solid.
4. Cut butter into chunks to prepare for softening. It's ready to be creamed if it takes a fingerprint when gently pressed.
5.  Cream butter with mixer's paddle blade. Don't go above medium because that will heat the butter.

That was a refresher for me too. Now, to make crust for Thanksgiving pie!

Edges of art

I've been looking at edges. At the Studio Art Quilt Associates of Florida mini-conference in New Smyrna Beach/Daytona last weekend I noticed how others finish their pieces. Here are some ways:

Zigzag satin stitch
Transitions
Barbara Watler
(best of show)

         Silk organza ribbon folded over edge

Connections 

Jennifer Pepper Bailey

Raw edge 
Solitude
Nancy Billings

Running stitches around edge several times
Untitled
Maya Schoenberger
(curator of show)

Wood trio, each a base of three boards glued together. 
One (The middle, if I remember right) has hooks
Art is glued to the wood
Fen Shui
Jo-Ann Jensen

Other finishing techniques from the Daytona show include: worsted weight acrylic yarn attached to the edge of the art with a zigzag stitch; traditional binding with satin stitch decorating the inside seam; traditional wood frame; small art pieces Velcro-ed onto a larger fabric base.

Where to get your alligator processed

Barberville, FL  on Florida Route 40. You can buy this Statue of Liberty replica here. I didn't check the price. But wouldn't she make a symbolic welcome light at the end of your driveway? OK, maybe not. They also have oranges and alligators. 

I loved taking Florida Route 40 from Ormond Beach to Ocala and I-75 on the way home from the SAQA meeting. Driving through the Ocala National Forest sounds like it would be uneventful, but along the way I passed these signs of life. Real signs from the heart of Florida:

Alligator Processing

Bear Crossing

"Woe to him who... " 

Hot Boiled Peanuts

Studio Art Quilt Associates

SAQA today and I'm energized! It's a world-wide group of art quilters. In panel discussion, formal talk, and informal exchange Florida members discussed the future (video in quilts?), identity (we are artists -- no explanation needed), and examined each others' amazing work. I'm bonded.

Double chocolate chip cookies to the rescue

Double chocolate chip cookies

I did ruin the birthday cake yesterday. It was a bubbling mass of chocolate muck because I measured the flour and sugar wrong. So I dumped it down the drain and remembered that Janice loves these cookies. Who needs cake?

Double chocolate chip cookies

Sift together:
1 3/4 C. flour
1/4 t. soda

Beat:
1 C. butter, softened

Add:
1 C. sugar
1/2 C. dark brown sugar
Beat until fluffy.

Add and mix in:
1 egg

Add:
1/3 C. cocoa
2 T. milk

Mix in dry ingredients.

Stir in
12 ounces milk chocolate chips
1 C. toasted nuts (optional)

Shape rounded teaspoons onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
Bake at 350° for 15-17 minutes.
I like them crisp. If you want them soft, bake for 12-13 minutes.

How not to bake

That's Janice's birthday cake in the oven--I think. 
I made it and it might flop. Last night I got a head start and measured out the dry ingredients. Then I thought, "Here's the flour and sugar and measuring cups -- Let's just measure some more." Brilliant time-saver. Besides, I was wishing for some biscotti. So I measured the dry ingredients for that too. You know what happened. This afternoon I blithely made the cake, and as soon as it was in the oven I saw the other pre-measured ingredients. Uh-Oh. I think I put the biscotti flour/sugar into the cake. In five minutes I'll find out. For now, it smells perfect.

Big art at High Museum

I stood right about here, loving this big art by Thornton Dial at the High Museum in Atlanta, when a guard came over and said, "We've got a whole show of his work coming. They're setting it up over there." (She gestured beyond the hall where we stood.) I love the texture and power. It gave me chills. This (I don't remember its name.) is one of several Dial pieces in the Fast Forward: Modern Moments show. We can see lots more in The Art of Thornton Dial at the High through March 3.

On my way to Ohio last week I stopped at the High, just off I-75. I'm glad I did.  Here are other striking pieces I saw:

Mark Rothko

layers of thinned oil paint

on unprimed canvas

detail

Radcliffe Bailey

acrylic, velvet and glitter 

on canvas

American Modern Pitcher

Russel Wright

Steubenville (Ohio) Pottery

(OK, OK -- I was a kid in Steubenville, which is famous for mud and pottery.)

Early voting or ...

I voted today at the Leon County Courthouse, and it was NOT early voting.  As you may be able to see from this sign that I photographed on the glass wall near the door to the Board of Elections, early voting ended here on Saturday. What we did today was vote by absentee ballot. They gave me an absentee ballot when I walked in and I went to a voting station, filled in the little circles, put it in an envelope, signed that I was the person indicated and I was only voting once. Following a lawsuit, Leon County was one of seven Florida counties open today for in-person absentee voting. Late this afternoon there was a line all along the front of the Courthouse and out to Monroe Street -- about a 45 minute wait.  There were lots of students. I am glad.

Candied nuts

Dear Gretchen,
I lost the recipe you wanted. Mom's candied walnuts were great, and I know I've got the recipe around here somewhere. But I haven't found it yet.
So I looked for a similar recipe online and I think here's a better one. The coating's not as thick as I remember Mom's was, but these are delicious and easy. I made them last night, with pecans and dark brown sugar. It was so easy and quick and so delicious. There--I've said it again! I put  1 1/2 C. pecans and 1/2 C. brown sugar into my heavy copper saucepan and cooked over medium flame for five minutes, stirring all the time.

Next time I could try plain brown sugar and toast the nuts ahead of time, but why mess with perfection?
(Dec. 2 -- I just did this -- toast pecans and use plain brown sugar -- and it's definitely down on the flavor scale. I'm sticking to dark brown sugar for this, and, to my surprise, I won't even toast the pecans. This time I think that extra layer of flavor fights with the simple sweet perfection.)

This is another recipe, probably more like Mom's. But I think Mom would choose the new recipe.

I'm in good company!

My Beach Walk is in this show.  Next Saturday I'll get to meet other quilt artists at a meeting in Daytona. I'm looking forward to exploring New Smyrna Beach too.  That's where part of the events will be. I've been told it's "old Florida" with a creative vibe.

SAQA in Florida show

Rice, savory and sweet

I grew up with white potatoes, not rice. It's taken many tries to appreciate this grain. Now my rice recipes are scattered, and I'm still not at ease enough to know which one I want. Often I settle for brown rice boiled in the bag. When I'm more energetic I cook the one I find first. So here they are, all in one place. (Yes, there's a dessert here too!)

Coconut Brown Rice

from Saveur

This is simple and delicious, especially with Indian or Thai dishes. To make it simpler, just use coconut milk for all or part of the liquid andcook brown or white rice the way it says on the box. Add a piece of peeled ginger if you have it.

1. Using the back of a large knife, pound the ginger until it becomes bruised and somewhat stringy and releases some of is juice. This will take a few good whacks.

1  1" piece peeled fresh ginger
1 cup brown jasmine rice
3⁄4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
Cilantro sprigs for garnish

2. Rinse the rice in a strainer under cold running water for 30 seconds. Transfer the rice to a 1 1⁄2-quart saucepan and add the coconut milk, 3⁄4 cup cold water, and the salt.

3. Add the ginger to the pan and stir well to combine with the rice, making sure that the ginger is as fully submerged in the rice as possible. Place the pan over high heat and bring the liquid to a boil while stirring with a large spoon to prevent the rice at the bottom of the pan from scorching or burning. (Don't worry if the liquid thickens considerably as it comes to a boil; that's a result of the combining of the fats in the coconut milk with the starch in the rice.)

4. Allow the rice to boil for 15 seconds, while continuing to stir. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the liquid is completely absorbed and rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Remove the pot from heat; allow the rice to continue to steam, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and garnish with sprigs of cilantro.

SERVES 2

Judy's Spanish Rice

Judy married Lou, from a Spanish family. I remember they had Christmas lights strung in the back yard for their wedding celebration. Eventually they divorced, but the recipe survived.

Sauté a couple of tablespoons olive oil and five cloves of garlic, chopped.

Toss in 1 green pepper and 1 red pepper, chopped. Cook a couple of minutes.

Add 1 pound shrimp or cut-up snapper or chicken and 1 1/2 C. rice.

Add about 3 cups water or water/white wine/chicken broth mixed, a pinch of crushed saffron, and salt to taste (I use 1 1/2 t.). Put the lid on and simmer about 15 minutes, until rice is cooked. Check to make sure the chicken is cooked through. It will be if your pieces are bite-sized.

This is so good.

Mamma Pappas' Rice Pudding (Rizogalo)

This is from the Columbus Dispatch recipe exchange from a long time ago.

1 quart milk

1/2 C. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 T cornstarch

1 egg yolk, beaten

1 T. butter

cinnamon

Cook rice in 1 C. boiling water 10 minutes or until water is absorbed. Add milk. Return to a boil, cooking gently over reduced heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add sugar and vanilla.

Dissolve cornstarch in 1 tsp. water (I use more). Add to rice mixture. Cook 10 minutes; remove from heat.

Add 1 C. of hot rice mixture to egg yolk & stir. Pour that back into the pan and stir it all. Add butter. Cook until mixture coats a wooden spoon. Sometimes I add finely grated lemon peel at this point. Before serving, sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bright Yellow Cashew Rice

*Not everyone loves turmeric

Sauté in butter 2 medium onions, chopped. Stir in 1 C. uncooked brown rice andfry a few more minutes. Sprinkle in 1 t. ground turmeric* and stir so it doesn't burn.

Add 2 C. water 7 and1 t. salt.

Bring slowly to a boil, then simmer about 35 minutes, or until rice is done.

Toss in 1/2 C. chopped cashews and 4 or 5 chopped scallions just before serving.

Garnish with orange slices.

Baked Chicken and Rice

from Cooking for Engineers

I discovered this in the cooking for the sick ministry at Good Shepherd. I made dinner for a family of four. The father was finishing up cancer treatment. I asked what was his favorite dish, and they said chicken and rice. My mom used to make a casserole with leftover chicken; hers had cream of chicken soup, and I think she used noodles instead of rice. You can add any vegetable; I like broccoli or spinach. (This might be how I discovered Cooking for Engineers. He has other great basic recipes, and I love his charts.) Here's the chart; the link explains it fully.

Oven Baked Chicken and Rice (serves 6)

Preheat oven to 375&176;F (190°C)
1 cup (195 g) rice	cook	cook	stir in	stir in	combine	place	sprinkle	bake 375°F (190°C) 1 hour
1 Tbs. (14 g) butter
1 medium onion	dice
1 clove garlic	mince
1 medium zucchini	cut
10-3/4 oz. (305 g) can cream of mushroom	whisk
2-1/2 cup (590 mL) water
4 lb. (1.8 kg) chicken parts
1 teaspoon (2.8 g) garlic powder