Category Archives: Lilypad Recipes

Recipes, roasts, and ribbits // Spices, sauces, and scales
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Southwestern Chicken Casserole (REC00010) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
October 24 2023

I was looking for a new dish to try that wasn’t too complicated, with a bit of southwestern zing to it. This one isn’t too aggressive; most of the zing comes from the salsa, so you can determine your own heat level. The time required is a little deceptive, as you can do all of the prep while the quinoa is cooking. It isn’t the most appetizing looking under the top layer, but it is pretty yummy.

Type of mealCuisineDifficulty
Dinner, Main, ChickenNorth AmericanEasy
Cooking TimeYieldRating
Prep: 15 min
Cooking: 15 min
Baking: 25 min
Total: 55 min		6-8 servings🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪
Adapted from The Teen Kitchen: Recipes We Love To Cook by Emily and Lyla Allen

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dry quinoa (when cooked, this will make 6 cups)
  • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
  • 1½ cups shredded pre-cooked rotisserie chicken
  • 15-ounce jar salsa (mild, medium or hot)
  • 2 cups frozen corn kernels
  • 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

    Topping
  • Crumbled tortilla chips
  • Sour cream

    Alternate toppings
  • Diced avocado
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Shredded iceberg lettuce

Sous-Chef Preparations

  1. Cook 2 cups of quinoa according to package directions, adding 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning. [Estimated time: 15 minutes]
  2. While the quinoa is cooking:
    1. Grease 8×11″ glass or ceramic casserole dish (preferably with a lid).
    2. Add to the casserole dish the 1½ cups shredded pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, 15-ounce jar of salsa, 2 cups frozen corn kernels, and half of the shredded cheese (1½ cups).
  3. Once the quinoa is done cooking, set aside for the desired setting time and pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
  4. Add the quinoa to the casserole dish and mix well.
  5. Add the remaining Cheddar cheese (1½ cups) evenly over the top.
  6. Put the lid on the casserole dish. If you don’t have a lid, you can tent some aluminum foil.

Main preparations

  1. Bake for 15 minutes covered (lid or foil).
  2. Uncover and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes. The cheese should be bubbly.

Variations / Notes

  • The original recipe called for two cans of black beans, drained and rinsed, but we prefer not to include them.
  • Another variation omitted the chicken to make it simply vegetarian.

Eight-layer nachos (REC00008) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸

The PolyBlog
November 26 2017

I wanted to come up with a definitive “personal” nachos recipe. After canvassing multiple people and various recipes, we considered multiple variations, but this was the winning combo for our family. Surprisingly, the hardest choice may well have been which brand and style of tortilla chips to use.

Type of mealCuisineDifficulty
Snack, Appetizer, ChickenTex MexEasy
Cooking TimeYieldRating
Prep: 10-30m
Cooking: 10-15m
Total: 20-45m		4 servings★★★★★

Ingredients

  • 2 cups boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
  • 2 tbsp taco or pico salsa seasoning
  • 1 bag Tostitos Restaurant-Style Tortilla Chips
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese.
  • 1/4 cup green onions
  • 2 bell peppers, red
  • 1 cup mild salsa
  • Possible additional sides:
    Guacamole
    Salsa
    Sour cream

Sous-Chef Preparations

  1. Dice the boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 cups).
  2. If you are using block cheese, shred the cheddar (1 cup) and the mozzarella or Monterey Jack (1 cup).
  3. Dice the green onions (1/4 cup).
  4. Slice and then dice the red bell peppers (2).
  5. Drain the mild salsa (1 cup).

Main preparations

  1. In a skillet, brown the diced chicken (2 cups, boneless, skinless) with the taco or pico salsa seasoning (2 tbsp). Note: This will reduce later cooking times.
  2. Using a large baking dish, do a complete Layer #1 with half of the Tostitos Restaurant-style Tortilla Chips (1/2 bag).
  3. Add Layer #2 with all of the shredded cheddar cheese (1 cup).
  4. Add Layer #3 with all of the already-cooked diced chicken (2 cups).
  5. Add Layer #4 with all of the diced green onions (1/4 cup).
  6. Add Layer #5 with all of the sliced and diced bell peppers (2).
  7. Add Layer #6 with the rest of the tortilla chips (1/2 bag).
  8. Add Layer #7 with all of the shredded mozzarella cheese (1 cup).
  9. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, uncovered. Note: If you did not pre-cook the chicken, you will need to increase the cooking time here to ensure the chicken is fully cooked.
  10. Add Layer #8 of the drained salsa (1 cup) as garnish.
  11. Serve with sides of guacamole, sour cream and regular salsa, as desired.

Extremely Rich Chocolate Cake (REC00004) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸

The PolyBlog
November 6 2016

I snagged the base for this recipe from a “Taste of Home Fall Baking – Fresh from the Oven” cookbook. My first attempt at a proper cake, part of a goal for myself.

Type of mealCuisineDifficulty
Dessert, Side, CakeBakingEasy to Normal
Cooking TimeYieldRating
Prep: 40m
Baking: 40m
Cooling: 40m
Total: 2h		12 servings★★★★★

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 package devil’s food cake mix
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 package instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tbsp chocolate syrup
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting

  • 1 lb / 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
  • 6 tbsp boiling water
  • 6 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1.5 cups butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup confectioner’s / icing sugar

Main preparations

Cake

  1. In a large bowl, combine the devil’s food cake mix (1 package), sour cream (1 cup), instant chocolate fudge pudding mix (1 package), eggs (4 large), canola oil (1/3 cup), water (1/4 cup), buttermilk (1/4 cup), chocolate syrup (2 tbsp) and vanilla extract (2 tsp).
  2. Use an electric mixer to beat the mixture on low for 30 seconds and then on medium for another 2 minutes. The goal is to have them well-mixed.
  3. Grease and flour two 8-inch baking pans and pour the mixture evenly into the two pans. Note that you are making two the exact same size so that you can stack them later.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Test to see if the two cakes are done with a toothpick by inserting it in the cake; the cakes are done when the toothpick comes out clean. (While the cake is baking, you can start on the frosting below.)
  5. When done, remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pans, and then remove the cakes from the pans onto wire racks to cool completely (30 more minutes).

Frosting

  1. While the cake is baking and cooling, melt the chopped semi-sweet chocolate (2 lb / 1 kg) slowly in a microwave, 30 seconds at a time on low to medium, stirring until smooth. Let the chocolate cool for 20-30 minutes.
  2. While the chocolate is cooling, heat water (6 tbsp) to boiling and then, in a small bowl, dissolve the cocoa powder (6 tbsp).
  3. In a medium- to large-sized bowl, beat the softened butter (1.5 cups) and confectioner’s / icing sugar (1/2 cup) together. It should become almost fluffy, but don’t worry too much, as you are now going to add the melted chocolate. Beat the two mixtures until it is well-combined, and then add in the cocoa mixture and beat some more. If it starts adhering to the sides of the bowl, use a small spatula spoon to scrape it off and add it back into the mixture.

Combining the Cakes

  1. At this point, you should have two plain cakes resting on the wire racks and a bowl of frosting.
  2. Place one cake on a serving platter (whatever you want the cake to sit on for now as it will be difficult to move later).
  3. Use about 40% of the frosting to cover the top of it. This frosting will serve as the “middle” layer, and can be as thick or as thin as you want. Don’t worry about the sides at this point.
  4. Place the second cake on top of it, carefully, and then add frosting to the top and all around the sides, completely covering the cake.

Variations/Notes

  • I loved the outcome, but it was extremely rich, and there was way too much. It estimates 12 servings, but those are good-sized servings. I’d recommend halving the recipe and using smaller 4-inch cake pans if you have them (or use the 8″, it will just be a shorter cake).
  • In addition, you might reduce the frosting by a third whether you reduce/half the overall recipe or not. There was way too much frosting, and it is extremely rich.
  • For the chocolate, it suggested using small chunks and chopping them up. I found it easier to just use two cups of small chocolate wafers/chips, and just melting those.