food traditions

a couple of months ago, i read molly wizenberg's book and was touched by the simplicity of documenting family favorite recipes and the stories behind them. why, we should all write books! of course, i have never been a witty writer, and have never been interested in being published (my cousin, mike, and i tried to co-write a book once, he was the author, i was the illustrator. i think we were about 10) but family history is something i wish was documented more often (my aunt gail is the family champion for the robinson side of the family--she's dug up so much interesting information on my dad's parents/grandparents).

so, since the purpose of this blog is to document our family history, i hope to share (and have an occasional guest blogger or seven) some of our favorite recipes and the story behind them. in that spirit i present to you, chicken poppyseed casserole:

this became a family favorite after i had our third child and our oldest was just 2 years and 9 months old. my lovely southern friend/mentor (we were living in pa at the time, so her southern charm was somewhat of a novelty) jeanette brought this meal to us since we were quarantined for the first 2 months of his life.

chicken poppyseed casserole
serves 4-6? i always double it the kids love it for leftovers

2 c. cooked cut up chicken (layer in 8x8 pan)
mix together:
one can cream of chicken soup (i make my own from ground navy beans and some chicken broth)
and one cup sour cream. spread on top of chicken

crush one sleeve of ritz type crackers (a great job for a kid with some frustration to get out)
and mix with one stick of melted butter.

sprinkle with poppyseeds (adds no real taste, but makes it look pretty)
bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
serves great with rolls and brown sugar carrots.