Comfort food and wake-up cats

So last night at our house, it was Poppyseed Chicken night. All you Methodists will probably stop reading now, because this is a frequently seen recipe at just about any church gathering or potluck. I think it is nearly impossible to be a member of a United Methodist church for any length of time without eating this at least once and/or making a batch for anyone who's sick or having a family emergency.

It's easy. It freezes well. It's not expensive. It is comfort food. There is just about nothing not to love about Poppyseed Chicken, and it is also a huge favorite with my kids and their friends. If I make a batch, they will all but lick the casserole dish.

So here it is, and I suspect this will be seeing us through quite a few evenings as I work on being a features editor by day and an author in the early morning hours.

Boil a pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders. Chop or shred. Meanwhile, mix a cup of sour cream with a can of cream of chicken soup and 1-2 tsp. of poppyseeds. Mix in cooked chicken. Crush about a sleeve or so of Ritz crackers and mix this with about 2-3 Tbsp. of melted butter. Sprinkle over the chicken mixture, which has been poured into a casserole dish.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Or don't bake, cover with foil and freeze to thaw and bake later.

My kids love this so much that the oldest Dear Son once ate some before it was baked. And pronounced it delicious. I told him it is much better when it has cooked!

So after a plate of this and some green beans, I konked out before 9 p.m. Only to be awakened by our cat Honey. She wants me to succeed in writing so to get me up and going at 5 a.m., she bit me. That's some love. Either that or she wanted cat food.