I got 2 rotisserie chickens from Costco day before yesterday.
The first chicken was lunch for 2 days. The remainder of that chicken
(the meat) went into a King Ranch Casserole for last night. I saved
the bones, juices and skin and froze it.
Tonight is leftover King Ranch casserole with a Black Bean Salad.
Tomorrow I will strip the meat from the second chicken and make 2
large chicken pot pies (freeze one) I'll save the skin, bones and
juices and add to the first batch of bones and make a small broth that
will become a chicken soup for the day after tomorrow.
There's bound to be something to mess up my plans.

>King Ranch Casserole Recipe
>Servings 8
>Author Mike Hultquist

>Ingredients
>" 4 tablespoons butter
>" 1/4 cup all purpose flour
>" 1 medium onion chopped
>" 1 large bell pepper chopped (I used frozen chopped, mixed color sweet peppers)
>" 4 cloves garlic chopped
>" 1 tablespoon chili powder use your favorite blend, or use Tex-Mex seasonings like ancho, pasilla and/or chipotle powders (I used chipotle powder)
>" 1 teaspoon cumin
>" salt and pepper to taste
>" 1 cup water plus 1 tablespoon or so of chicken base
>" 14 ounces fire roasted tomatoes or use a can of Rotel
>" 1 cup sour cream or Mexican crema
>" 1 pound shredded chicken cooked, I used most of rotisserie chicken from Costco
>" 4 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (I used pepper jack)
>" 12 corn tortillas
>" TOPPINGS: Sliced jalapeno peppers red chili flakes, fresh chopped cilantro or parsley, extra sour cream or crema
>Instructions
>" First, Make the Roux. Start by heating the oil in a large pan over medium heat (or melt the butter if using butter). Add the flour and stir until it is incorporated. Stir constantly for 10 minutes until the roux begins to turn a light brown.
>" Add the onion and peppers. Stir. Cook them down for 5 minutes to soften. The mixture will be somewhat pasty.
>" Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
>" Stir in the seasonings - chili powder, cumin, and a bit of salt and pepper.
>" Stir in the chicken broth and fire roasted tomatoes. The mixture will thicken up slightly like a chunky sauce. Cook for 5 minutes to let the flavors develop.
>" Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream or crema and cooked shredded chicken.
>" Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
>" Layer the Casserole. Set 4 tortillas into the bottom of a square casserole dish, then add a few scoops of the chicken and vegetable mixture. Add a layer of shredded cheese.
>" Repeat with two more layers of 4 tortillas, the chicken and vegetable mixture, and a final layer of shredded cheese.
>" Bake the casserole for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melty.
>" Remove from heat and cool slightly. Garnish with your toppings and serve!
>

`BLACK BEAN SALAD
5/15/13
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
Or one can black beans and one can kidney beans
Frozen corn, equal to black beans
Chopped red pepper
Chopped green pepper
Chopped onion
Chopped, seeded, fresh tomatoes
Anaheim or Jalapeno, chopped to taste
Cilantro chopped
Garlic minced
Lime juice
Salt and pepper
Maybe a smidge of cumin

Favorite Chicken Pot Pie
2 cups diced peeled potatoes
1-3/4 cups sliced carrots
1 cup butter, cubed
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups whole milk
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
4 sheets refrigerated pie crust

Directions
Preheat oven to 425°. Place potatoes and carrots in a large saucepan;
add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, covered, 8-10
minutes or until crisp-tender; drain.
In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook
and stir until tender. Stir in flour and seasonings until blended.
Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring
constantly; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in
chicken, peas, corn and potato mixture; remove from heat.
Unroll a pie crust into each of two 9-in. pie plates; trim even with
rims. Add chicken mixture. Unroll remaining crusts; place over
filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in tops.
Bake 35-40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand 15
minutes before cutting.
Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked pies. To use, remove from
freezer 30 minutes before baking (do not thaw). Preheat oven to 425°.
Place pies on baking sheets; cover edges loosely with foil. Bake 30
minutes. Reduce oven setting to 350°; bake 70-80 minutes longer or
until crust is golden brown and a thermometer inserted in center reads
165°.

Janet US