Lubys Chicken Tetrazzini

As a child, I remember shopping at North Star Mall {way before La Cantera ever even existed} with my grandmother and mother.  We always ate at Lubys cafeteria.  I remember, I always ordered the fried fish, macaroni and cheese, and green beans.  This was not my favorite meal but something I would settle for.  Fast forward to my early twenties and I began to enjoy the food.  Maybe it's not the food I enjoy, maybe its the moments I shared over the food that make it so enjoyable.  Regardless of the reason, I enjoy Lubys and get cravings for it every now and again.  Several years ago my grandmother purchased a cookbook from the cafeteria.  Granted we had not ever tried all of the offerings on the line at Lubys, we wanted recipes to our favorites.  One of the recipes I have grown to love is the chicken tetrazzini.  This is an easy dish and can easily be substituted with turkey.  Now you have discovered the core reason of my posting: Christmas day leftovers!

Ingredients: 

12 ounces spaghetti
1 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded American cheese
4 cups diced cooked chicken
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons diced pimento

Directions: 

 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti according to package directions, adding oil and salt. Drain. In large Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add soup, broth, salt and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese. Cook and stir until smooth and melted. Add spaghetti and chicken, mixing well. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. 

Remove foil and sprinkle with rest of cheese. Bake until cheese melts, then sprinkle with parsley and pimento.

Now in closing, if my mom and I ever go to North Star mall, we still eat at that same Lubys.  

Organization and Decoration

I am always loosing earrings! How many of us do this?! I would venture to say most of us do...well, I'm tired of it! Some of those were my favorite pairs of earrings.  I found this cute decoration at Pier 1 on clearance this weekend.  Once I got home, I decided it made the perfect organization piece for all of my chandelier earrings!

"Mexican Comfort Food"- Fideo Recipe

Disclaimer, this recipe is simple but takes practice.  Fideo is a finicky dish to cook because of the vermicelli.  My mom and grandmother have made it for years and do not use recipes.  This is the information I have gathered and generally use when cooking.  However, I do not use a recipe for this either, for lack of a better expression...I eyeball it.  The most important steps are 1) browning rice, 2) getting the correct amount of water in pan.  The water or chicken broth should cover the vermicelli but not drown it.  Meaning too much water and you'll end up with a gooey paste!

Fideo:
2 packages of vermicelli
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 package of ground beef
1 chicken bullion cube
1 tablespoon of butter or EVO
1 onion
1 clove of garlic or 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of chili powder
1 tsp of oregano
salt
pepper

First sweat the onions in a saute pan.  Next add the vermicelli and 1 tablespoon of butter or EVO.  Brown the vermicelli until you see a rich golden color {stir constantly, so not to burn}.  In the event you do burn the vermicelli, pour out and start over. Next add the ground beef, tomato sauce, chicken broth, garlic, chicken bullion, and all spices.  Bring this mixture to a boil, then turn down to a slow simmer.  This will cook for an additional 25 to 30 minutes.  Do not lift lid while cooking, vermicelli is like rice and needs to steam.  When I cook vermicelli and rice, I cook with a clear glass lid, so I can watch what I'm cooking.

Oh, I used chicken in the recipe with the picture instead of beef--I would not recommend this, I did not like it.  The traditional Fideo uses beef.  Fideo is usually served next to a side of re-fried beans with a flour tortilla.