Parmesan Chicken and Rice Casserole... Plus Dessert!

On the first blog of Christmas, Holly gave to me... a chance to share a rec-i-pe!! This is one of my favorites and my husband loves it too. It calls for just 3 Tbsp of heavy whipping cream though, and it's kind of hard to use the rest. The answer: shortcakes for dessert!!

Parmesan and Chicken Rice Casserole

(Recipe Adapted from Cooking Light March 2008)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 (3-1/2 oz) bags boil-in-bag rice (white or brown)

1/3 cup white wine (whatever you have left in the fridge, not required if you drank it all!)

approx 1 lb chicken (I use chicken breast tenders, any chicken will work though)

thyme for sprinkling (I use dried thyme leaves, but fresh or ground work too)

2 cups chicken broth (Kitchen Basics unsalted chicken broth is delish!)

3 Tbsp heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (never actually measured this, I just sprinkle it on top)

Preheat oven to 450F. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Saute garlic approximately 30 seconds. Remove rice from bags and add to pan, saute 30 seconds. Stir in wine and cook until almost all liquid evaporates. Spread rice mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray. Arrange chicken in a single layer over rice and sprinkle with thyme. Mix together broth and cream and pour oven chicken and rice mixture. (Don't worry, it's not too much liquid!) Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, sprinkle with cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is done and cheese is browned.

Dig in!!

Now, to take of the rest of that whipping cream (assuming you bought a half pint like I did)...

Shortcakes (with fruit)

(A recipe loosely based on several recipes from The Joy of Cooking)

1-3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 (heaping) Tbsp sugar

6 Tbsp butter or shortening (I always use butter-flavored Crisco, best of both worlds!)

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream (this is basically EXACTLY what you'll have leftover)

berries of choice with some sugar

whip cream or cool whip to top

Leave the oven set to 450F. Stir dry ingredients together in large bowl. Cut shortening in using a pastry cutter or two knives (but seriously, you should get a pastry cutter, so much easier). Make a well in the center and add cream. Stir just until the dough comes away from the edge of the bowl, turn onto a floured surface and knead gently and quickly 8 - 10 times. Roll out to approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness and cut biscuit with a biscuit cutter. (I don't have a biscuit cutter, I almost always use a glass. Or a heart-shaped cookie cutter.) Place shortcakes on ungreased cookie sheet and bake until lightly browned, 8 - 10 minutes.

Tonight we had some raspberries in the house, so that's what I topped the shortcakes with. Obviously, sugared strawberries are the classic choice, but any berries work well. I mixed a handful of raspberries with about a teaspoon of sugar, put those inside a split shortcake (still warm!), and topped with whip cream... my husband says it tasted great!!

Merry Christmas! Thanks so much for inviting me to your blog, Holly!!