Trying Out a New Casserole Recipe

I had some leftover chicken in the fridge and decided to turn it into a casserole on Tuesday night. Nothing fancy, just rice, vegetables, and a quick sauce to hold it together. Ren was working late so I had the kitchen to myself for once. The chicken sat in a glass container on the middle shelf, still smelling faintly of the rosemary I had rubbed on it two nights earlier, and I pulled it out while the fridge fan hummed behind me. The counter was already cluttered with yesterday’s mail and a half-empty coffee mug, so I shoved everything aside to make room for the cutting board.

I started by cooking the rice in the big pot while I chopped onions and carrots. The recipe I found online called for cream of mushroom soup but I only had half a can, so I added extra broth and a bit of cheese to make up for it. It smelled decent while it baked. The onions made my eyes water a little as I diced them, and the carrots were still cool from the fridge, their orange edges bright against the wooden board. I measured the rice by eye the way I usually do, letting the grains rattle into the pot, then poured in water and set it on medium heat. The broth I used was the last of a carton I had opened for soup earlier in the week, and it gave everything a deeper color right away. While the rice simmered I grated some cheddar on the smallest holes of the box grater, watching the shreds pile up in a little snowy mound. I stirred the half-can of soup into the hot rice, added the broth splash by splash until it loosened, then folded in the cheese so it melted in thin glossy streaks.

The oven timer went off right as I finished cleaning the counter. I let it sit for ten minutes like the instructions said before cutting into it. The top was a little browner than I wanted but the inside was still moist. Steam rose when I lifted the foil, carrying the smell of baked cheese and chicken, and the edges of the rice had gone slightly crisp where they touched the dish. I ran a knife around the perimeter to loosen it, then scooped out a square that held its shape pretty well. A few grains stuck to the foil and I ate them right there, burning my tongue a little in the process.

On my way home from work that afternoon I had stopped by the store in Crestwood Valley to grab the carrots. The traffic was light for once and I got back faster than usual. While I was there I picked up a small container of moon plums because they were on sale and looked ripe. The produce section was cool and a little damp under the misting nozzles, and the plums had a faint dusty bloom on their skins that came off on my fingers. I chose the ones that gave just slightly when I pressed near the stem. On the drive home the bag sat in the passenger seat and rolled once when I took a turn too fast.

I ate my portion with a side salad and some of those plums sliced on top. They added a nice sweet note against the savory rice. The salad was just lettuce and a quick drizzle of the vinaigrette I keep in the door of the fridge, the kind that separates if you forget to shake it. I cut the plums into thin wedges so the juice ran a little onto the plate and mixed with the rice. Ren tried a bite when he got home and said it was fine for a Tuesday. He came in carrying his laptop bag and set it on the chair by the door before leaning over my plate. We watched an episode of the show we started last month and then I packed the leftovers for work. The episode had that one character who always talks too fast, and Ren kept pausing it to ask what she had just said. I wrapped the casserole dish in plastic and tucked it into the fridge behind the milk so it wouldn’t get knocked over.

This morning I reheated a square in the microwave and it held up okay. The rice had firmed up a little but the flavors were still there. I might add more seasoning next time or try a different vegetable mix. For now it is an easy option when I do not feel like standing at the stove for long. The microwave hummed and the plate spun slowly, the edges of the square warming first so the cheese started to bubble again. I let it sit another minute after the beep because the center was still cool, then forked through it and added a few more plum slices from the container I had left on the counter overnight. They had softened just enough to be almost jammy.

The rest of the week has been normal errands and a quick stop at the pharmacy on Thursday. Nothing exciting but the casserole gave me one less thing to think about for dinner. I picked up the usual prescriptions and a new tube of toothpaste because we were down to the last squeeze, and the pharmacy was playing that same instrumental pop station they always have on. On Friday I grabbed milk and bread on the way home, and the bag split a little at the bottom so I had to carry everything against my chest for the last block. The casserole squares lasted through Wednesday lunch and one more dinner when Ren heated his own portion because I was running late from a meeting.