Trailer Park Gourmet

We tend to like food in our family that is...ummm...less than classy.  Basically, if it has cream of something soup, and/or Rotel, and/or chips of some kind, the recipe will be in my cookbook.  Don't get me wrong-I enjoy lots of food, but our family favorites tend to be of the Trailer Park Gourmet variety.  Comfort foods to the extreme!  So, I'm going to start a new feature here at Imperfect Mom, where I share recipes (yeah, real ones unlike this one!) that we enjoy around here.

Disclaimer-I do not live in a trailer park, but I have nothing personal against them, or people who live in them.  My Grandma lived in a trailer park for part of my childhood, and many happy days were spent hanging out with friends, exploring empty lots for treasures, and playing in the drainage ditch creek.

I don't have pictures, because my family doesn't know I blog, and it would be really hard to explain why I was taking pictures of soup cans and casseroles.  Besides, sometimes the best food isn't always the prettiest.

This is what we had tonight-it's my husband's favorite.  Seriously, I've made him his very own casserole dish of it before.

Chicken Tortilla Casserole (the name sounds much classier than it actually is, but it is really yummy!)

Ingredients:
2 cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can of Rotel tomatoes
1/4 cup of sour cream
1 package of precooked chicken strips
sliced mushrooms (I use about half a small can)
shredded cheddar
tortilla chips
(with these ingredients, how can this NOT be good?)

Preheat your oven to 325.  If your oven needs to be cleaned as badly as mine does, open a window.  Spray a big, old casserole dish with cooking spray.  In a mixing bowl (if you can find one that the kids haven't carried off to the sandbox yet, or your husband hasn't fed the dog in), mix together the soup, the Rotel, the sour cream (I always add a little extra), the mushrooms (if you use fresh sliced mushrooms, saute them in some butter first), and the chicken.  This works with either the frozen precooked chicken, or the refrigerated kind.  I prefer the refrigerated kind, though, because I like to chop it into smaller pieces.  I suppose you could cook your own chicken to use, but I can't understand why you would want to, because that kind of defeats the purpose of this being a quick, easy meal, but suit yourself.

Crush some tortilla chips onto the bottom of the dish to make a thin "crust".  This might be good with Fritos, but wouldn't be nearly as chic. Layer the soup mixture, shredded cheese, and chips.  I usually try to get 3 layers out of it, ending with a thin layer of chips.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until the chips on top have browned.  Let it sit for a few minutes, then spoon out portions for yourself and the kids, and then hand your husband the casserole dish and the serving spoon.  What? That's how it works around here!

Pairs well with cherry or grape Kool Aid, or Coke Zero served in the can.  (Not served in the bathroom or in jail, unless that's how you roll, but in the actually aluminum can)

Nutritional Facts:
Servings: For us, 4.  For sane people, probably 6-8.
Calories: 8,999,001 per serving
Fat Grams: 678,345
Sodium: 334, 563, 567, 001 grams
Vitamin C: eh...

The Imperfect Mom is not responsible for ruined diets, casserole induced high blood pressure, or tongues cut because you thought it would be a good idea to lick the lid of the mushroom soup can.