When I was a kid, my mom made a dish called Company Chicken, only when company came. It was a casserole of chicken breasts and dried beef smothered in creamy mushroom soup (canned, thank you). It was rich and filling, and not in the least bit beautiful, but no one minded. That was before Instagram.
Her other go-to dish for guests was Cheesy Chicken Casserole: a tangled mass of angel hair pasta loaded with melted cheese. You knew it was good—and not just to us—because if Mom served buffet style, there was a pile-up of repeat guests at the front of the line. They knew: Cheesy Chicken Casserole went fast.
