Messy Monday (a bit late)

I recently came up with a blogging plan and I talked a bit about why I struggle to blog.  Monday is suppose to be "Messy Monday" but I just didn't have time to get this post done until tonight.  I didn't want to skip it, so here it is...

I don't like to cook but I am a food network junkie :-)  Actually, our entire family loves to watch cooking shows.  We LOVE The Pioneer Woman and DVR it every Saturday.  I really don't read her blog but I LOVE the show.  

My idea behind "Messy Monday" is sharing recipes I have tried and letting you know if it's worth the mess.  You know what I mean, right?!  Cooking is messy, not everyone is going to like it (at least at my house) and then you have to clean up.  As much as I love cooking shows, they probably have helpers behind the scenes, chopping, preparing and cleaning up.  They make it look so easy and quick.  And in the case of The Pioneer Woman, her children always love her food.  I am sure in real life they have their moments but it looks so perfect on TV.  At my house, I can slave over a meal and there is pretty much a guarantee that one of my kids isn't going to like it.  I always keep PB&J on hand and they can make themselves a sandwich (after they have tried dinner) if they so choose but it is discouraging.

The person I want to please the most is my husband.  He works hard everyday and I want him to come home and enjoy a good meal, so despite not liking to cook, I really am trying and The Pioneer Woman has helped.  I've been making a lot of her recipes lately and her new cookbook is on my Christmas list!!

I recently made The Pioneer Woman's Cheese and Corn Chowder.  It is delicious and definitely worth the mess!  Actually, it's not too messy to prepare.  However, only 1 of my 3 boys will eat this soup but it's still at the top of my list because my husband and I love it!  I did make a few modifications to her recipe because peppers give my husband heart burn.  Therefore, I use less peppers and more corn.  I still throw in a little red and yellow pepper because I love them.  I encourage you to head on over to The Pioneer Woman's blog and try this great recipe!

I do most of the cooking in our house just simply because I am the one who is home.  However, my husband is SO patient with our boys in the kitchen, way more patient than I am.  He does encourage them to cook and if they decide to, he steps in and guides them along.  I am so thankful!

Is it worth the mess?

So here's the scoop, I don't like to cook.  I don't even like to be in my kitchen but I fully know that I need to be (for the sake of my precious hubby and children).  Cooking has always been a struggle for me.  I recently repainted my entire kitchen and that has helped, it's much cozier now :-)  I also realized that if I wear an apron, I feel like a "real cook", so I wear an apron.

I like watching cooking shows, Good Eats and Pioneer Woman are two of my favorites, and I really enjoy the Comfy in the Kitchen blog (I feel like Janelle is cheering me on as I cook).  Cooking shows and blogs make everything look so pretty and easy but the truth is, cooking is messy (just see picture above, my kitchen 99% of the time)!

I've tried food blogging but found that making everything look pretty is ALOT of work and just not realistic for me.  So I've decided to occasionally blog recipes, show you my messy kitchen and let you know if it's worth the mess.  Today's recipe is called Chicken Can Can.  It came from my friend Amy who got the recipe from a church cookbook.  The thing I loved about it was that there wasn't much mess, it took about 10 minutes of prep time and it was SO good (not very healthy but I went easy on the sauce when I scooped up my plate).

Chicken Can Can

1 (6-oz.) pkg. Uncle Ben's White and Wild Rice (Herb Roasted Flavor)

Extra: I also added about 1/3 cup of long-grain white rice

4 chicken breasts, boneless

1 (10-3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup

 1 (10-3/4 oz.) can cream of celery soup

1 (10-3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup

2 (10-3/4 oz.) cans milk

1/2 cup melted butter

1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese

Optional: slivered almonds (I didn't use these)

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Spread rice on the bottom of a greased baking dish. Sprinkle seasoning packet on top of rice. Lay chicken on top of rice. In a bowl, mix soups with milk. Pour over the chicken and rice. Melt butter and mix with cheese (and almonds if you use them).  Pour ingredients over chicken. Bake uncovered for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.