M: Aurorae Yoga Discount and Poppy Seed Chicken!

Thanks so much to everyone for your sweet comments on my previous yoga and Aurorae mat post! We have such awesome readers =)

So, how fantabulous is this? The incredibly nice people at Aurorae have extended a 15% discount on all of their products to Itzy's Kitchen readers! The offer is good through December 31, 2010 and all you need to do is enter the coupon code Aurorae9 when you checkout. Just visit Auroraeyoga.com and follow the checkout process from there! Let us know if you have any questions on the offer =)

Have you ever been to a cooking class? I haven't yet, but definitely plan on it after going to this super cool wine tasting class this past Wednesday at my favorite kitchen shop of all time, Coastal Cupboard. They also host a myriad of cooking classes =)



This place is so adorable and they carry so many local products - local coffees/teas/handmade ornaments. Along with the normal bigger name products as well - Cuisinart/Le Creuset/Emile Henry. Shout out to Adam, the store manager, with whom we had some great conversation =) What a nice guy! PART of my favorite section - the baking section =)



Anyway, we had a blast at this wine tasting class. I actually think miss Erica is going to one of their cooking classes around Christmas time =)



So they usually hold their classes after work hours, which is so cool because you're literally the only people in the shop! Anyway, we tasted some amazing wines and learned how to judge wines based on look, nose, and taste. So much fun if you're a wine lover!



Let me tell you, if you're a Pinot Noir or Riesling person, I had two incredible ones! Those are my favorite wines - I tend to have more of a delicate palate and can't do the super intense wines, like Shiraz or Chardonnay. This Sass Pinot Noir is the BEST North American pinot I've had! Usually my faves are Italian. And, the Mosel River Riesling is so nice - not on the super sweet scale of rieslings, just perfect.



We had so much fun! And, the best part is they open the store to their classes afterward so you can shop around and buy =) Anyway, if you're ever in the Charleston area, you must stop by Coastal Cupboard or plan to take one of their classes - such an awesome experience!

Before I go, I need to also share my mother-in-law's poppy seed chicken casserole recipe. I am pretty southern, I won't lie. I grew up eating casserole dish after casserole dish, and I LOVE them! This one is no exception, and it is so easy to make!



Seriously, try this stuff out. It is creamy and so good with the Ritz cracker and poppy seed topping. This is definitely a southern dish =) I would think that maybe adding some English peas or mushrooms would be tasty too. I've seen many other versions of the casserole, but of course I'm partial to this one since my sweet mother-in-law gave it to me!



I usually just serve the casserole with brown rice and it's a meal!



Ingredients:
4-6 chicken breasts (I used 3 VERY large ones and it turned out great)
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. sour cream (I used fat free, which normally I go with Light, but for the casserole, you really can't tell)
salt and pepper
1 stack of Ritz crackers
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2 TB. poppy seeds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil chicken breasts until cooked through (I cut mine up just so the cooking is a bit quicker - I also think you could just get a rotisserie chicken from your grocer and use that as well).

Let chicken cool (I put in the fridge to cut the time as well - I know I'm a stinker!) and cut up into chunks. Mix the chicken with sour cream and cream of chicken soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well!

Spoon your mixture into a baking dish as evenly as you can. Crumble up your Ritz crackers and mix with the butter and poppy seeds. Spread the cracker on top of the chicken mixture.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. I serve mine with brown rice =)

Enjoy!!