Gretna Fest 2013 {and Greek Chicken Casserole}

It's finally Fall here (at least this week).  Cooler temperatures and low humidity in south Louisiana always make for happier people.  I'm ready for spending more time outside, to get ready to catch redfish and speckled trout, and for all those fall festivals.

Sunpie Barnes and the Louisiana Sunspots, Gretna Fest 2013

Fall is prime festival time here--with something (or 2 or 3 somethings) happening every weekend.  This year we spent a weekend at the Gretna Heritage Festival.  This festival is held in downtown Gretna, a suburb south of New Orleans and the birthplace of Zatarain's food company.  Gretna Fest spans almost 40 blocks--filled with carnival rides, a beer garden, two streets of food vendors, FIVE stages, and an Italian Village.

Some of the stages are right on the Mississippi River,

offering clear views of river traffic and a nice breeze coming off of the water.

There was more than a breeze--there was Tropical Storm Karen.  Who ended up not amounting to much and didn't stop people from packing their rain gear and heading out to the festival.

Sunpie Barnes & the Louisiana Sunspots brought some Zydeco in the rain.



More from SunPie Barnes.

There were many more performances by many types of artists...ZZ Top, Chicago, Earth, Wind, & Fire, as well as locals like the Treme Brass Band, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & the Wild Magnolias, and my favorite blues musician Tab Benoit.

More from Gretna Fest including Mardi Gras Indians.

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Cooler weather sure does spark a change in our activites around here.  It also marks a change in what we eat.  In the next few weeks, get ready for some more festival fun and some cool-weather food.

 

Like Greek Chicken Casserole, made for this month's Pantry Party Casserole theme @ The Law Student's Cookbook.



I based my recipe on a casserole template found in Cooking Up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from The Times-Picayune of New Orleans.  The template is titled "The Only Casserole Recipe You'll Ever Need" and offers proportions for starch, protein, vegetables, and sauce.  The specifics are up to you.

If that doesn't sound like the perfect pantry recipe, I don't know what does!

My pantry ingredients were:
Basmati rice, Kalamata olives, canned artichokes, cream of chicken soup, dried dill, dried oregano, and a few handfuls of pita chips.  I also used leftover rotisserie chicken and feta cheese.  The topping was fun.  Lemon zest and parsley gave some freshness and crushed pita chips lent crunch.

Print It

Greek Chicken Casserole
1/2 cup Basmati rice, cooked according to package directions--can be made a day ahead (about 2 cups cooked rice)
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2-3/4 cups crumbled feta cheese
heaping 1/4 cup halved Kalamata olives
2 cups diced, cooked chicken
1/2 can quartered artichokes (from a 14 oz can)

for top:
1 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 cup crushed pita chips (I used roasted garlic flavor)

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly spray an 8" x 8" baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the rice, soup, dried herbs, feta, and olives.  Fold in the chicken and artichokes.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the lemon zest, parsley, and pita chips.  Just before serving, remove the casserole from the oven and sprinkle the pita chip mixture over the top.

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