The Chicken à la King recipe comes from my friend Kerry. This is the one thing he knows how to cook—but my oh my! Is it good! Really truly use Wondra flour. It has this bizarre dusty texture that doesn't clump and really does just melt away into sauces. You don't even have to mix it with water first. Wondra flour is also available in a handy shake/pour can—the kind that office sugar or Kraft parmesan cheese comes in.

Kerry's Chicken à la King

4 - 6 servings

1 6-8 oz. package of mushrooms, sliced
1 cup peas
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup Wondra flour
salt & pepper
3 squares chicken bouillon
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cups water
3 chicken breasts, browned in the broiler and cubed
1 4oz. jar pimentos

Soft white bread, toasted and cubed
(16 cubes or 3 cuts in each direction per bread slice)

Cook mushrooms and peas in butter in a big skillet or saucepan. When mushrooms are cooked, remove from heat. Using whisk, stir in salt and tons of pepper, bouillon, milk, and water. Slowly add Wondra flour, whisking the whole time. Cook on low fire until the mixture thickens and gets all delicious and bubbly. It should have a gravy-like viscosity. Stir in chicken and warm through (about 5 minutes, stirring). Right before serving, stir in pimentos. Serve over toast cubes.

Wondra Popovers (from the side of the box)

6 - 8 popovers

1 cup Wondra flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten

Heat oven to 450. Generously grease six 6-oz custard cups or 8 medium muffin cups. Stir all ingredients with fork just until smooth (do not overbeat—very important!). Fill custard cups 1/2 full, muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350. Bake 20* minutes or longer until deep golden brown. Immediately remove from cups; serve hot.

*I had to cook mine way longer than any of the recipes suggested. If they're not totally brown and tall and crusty, leave them in the oven—even if it seems like they've been in way longer & you're getting itchy. Otherwise you get these horrible dense floppy egg cakes instead of lovely popovers.

LEFTOVERS

Tear popovers into large chunks (3-4 pieces per popover). Place 1/2 of the pieces in casserole dish. Ladle Chicken à la King over them, then throw the remaining pieces on top and heat in 350 oven for about 15 minutes. Yummy!