Week 30: Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole!

I ate my words today.

Yes, that's right.  That's my new minivan.  You know?  The one vehicle I said I wouldn't be caught dead in.  I'm now the proud owner of a 2013 Chrysler Town and Country.

Scott is still bug-eyed over what took place a few mere hours ago.  He traded-in his beloved Charger for a minivan.  I never thought I'd see the day.  The Jeep is now his and I'll be cruising around in my mom-mobile.  You really can't deny the many wonderful qualities this has to offer: DVD player, Nav, stow-and-go seats, automatic sliding doors, a back-up camera, and a heated steering wheel to name a few.  A heated steering wheel I tell you!?!?!  How can one resist that?

Okay, I'll calm down.  Because I have other news.

Our deck is finished as of yesterday.  Done!

Clearly, we need some patio furniture, a cover for our grill so we can finally put it outside, and some flowers or potted plants.  But, that's all on the agenda!  We're going to turn that lousy piece of grass in the front into a flower garden since there's steps on both sides of the deck.  I'd also like two potted plants on either ends.  But, just to have a deck is amazing!  Scott and I have sat in those sweet lounge chairs we've had since our Clawson days every night since there were enough boards on the deck to cover the length of the chair.  Now, if only I could find some time to soak up the sun during the day...

Since Scott worked most of last week to get the deck done, I was on kid duty.  No problem, considering we were experiencing fall weather in the middle of the summer.  What better time to take a trip to the botanical garden in Ann Arbor?  Nothing like packing jackets in July.

Saturday, we started with our usual Farmer's Market and muffins followed by a trip to Troy for a Build and Grow Workshop at Lowes that we've been meaning to go to for the past six months!  It was so cute!

Lunch, naps, and finally a trip to the rec center to swim for the rest of the afternoon until we grabbed a carry-out from Leo's for dinner on our way home.  Evan had his first taste of lemon chicken rice soup...not sure he loved it as much as Sean did/does.  They are so different!

Other honorable mentions from the past week would be some of the crafts I got around to making in the evenings.  In case updating Evan's baby book, working on his first birthday party, making 2 birthday slideshows for the boys out of the million pictures I took over the last year, and now planning Sean's birthday party isn't enough to keep me busy in the evening, I got around to making a Pinterest project I've wanted to make since we re-did the boy's bathroom.

I also felt motivated to make some cow letters for Sean's farm theme party we're having at Three Cedars Farm this fall.

$2 wooden letters from Michael's and a black sharpie did wonders.

One of the meals I made this week was new and something I recently pinned on Pinterest.  Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole.  I made this when the boys went to their "one school day" for the week while Scott was working on the deck.  It was a hit with everyone, but Sean.  But, then again, his eating habits have declined significantly the past six months.  He thinks chocolate cookies are an acceptable meal.  Ughh...

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 white onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded
1 cup white rice
16 ounces wild rice
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup vegetable broth
4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Garlic salt
Salt & pepper

I love that there's no cream of whatever in this!

And I totally cheated and forgot to take pictures, so I'm using the original photo from the website.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat oil, onion, celery, garlic, and carrots in a pan over medium heat for 10 minutes. Prepare wild rice and white rice according to package instructions.

Stir in chicken, rices, and a dash of salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Reduce heat to low.

In a medium pan over high heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour, vegetable broth, and a sprinkle of salt & pepper. Continue to whisk until boiling. Add 2 cups of the shredded cheddar and continue to stir until melted. Transfer chicken and rice mixture to a greased 9×13 baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over rices and top with remaining cheddar. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

This was delicious and will make a great recipe for the fall and winter!  We had tons of leftovers too that tasted just as great the second time around.  I'll definitely be making this again.  Yum!

Okay, I'm off to go program my presets and hide all kinds of things in my stow-and-go compartments.  I finally get to make use of those pins on Pinterest about things you should have in your car for kids now that I have all this space!