Easy Chicken Casserole

 

• 8 ounces elbow macaroni or small shells

• salt

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 3 tablespoons flour

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

• pepper, to taste

• 1 1/2 to 2 cups cubed cooked chicken

• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots, thawed

• 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs

• 1 to 2 teaspoons butter, melted

Preparation:

Cook macaroni in boiling salted water as package directs. Drain and set aside.

In a saucepan over medium low heat, melt butter; add flour. Cook, stirring, until flour mixture is well blended and bubbly. Gradually stir in chicken broth and cream. Stir in cheese until melted and smooth. Add pepper, to taste, along with parsley, if using. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Add the chicken and vegetables; cook for about 1 minute longer.

Combine the sauce with cooked and drained macaroni; pour into a 2-quart casserole. Toss bread crumbs with melted butter and sprinkle over the casserole. Bake at 350° for about 25 minutes, until bubbly and browned.

Serves 4 to 6.

Rhubarb Pineapple Crumble

My daughter’s co-worker sent me a huge sack of rhubarb yesterday.   As soon as I feel better I intend to make this recipe.  I am sure there will be enough rhubarb left for me to make a pie too.

Ingredients:

7 Cups fresh rhubarb, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 8-oz can crushed pineapple (drained)
1 Cup brown sugar
3 Tbs. cornstarch
2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel

(Topping)

2/3 Cup flour
1/4 Cup brown sugar
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 Tbs. chopped crystallized ginger
salt
1/3 Cup Butter/margarine

Procedure:

Drain pineapple and combine with rhubarb and brown sugar. Let stand 1 hour. Drain mixture, reserving juices and adding enough additional water to make 2/3 cup of juice. Combine juices and cornstarch in a small pan and cook over medium heat until thickened. Remove from heat and combine with rhubarb-pineapple mixture. Add lemon peel and place in a 2-quart baking dish.

In another bowl, combine topping ingredients, using a pastry blender to cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Spoon over top of fruit mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven about one hour or until light brown and bubbly. Best served with vanilla ice cream! (Serves 6-8)

Layered Pineapple-Lemon Cheesecake Pie

From Kraft Foods.  This pie is so good!

What You Need

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

1 can  (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained, divided

1 HONEY MAID Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.)

1 pkg.  (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding

1-1/3 cups cold milk

Make It

BEAT cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with whisk until well blended. Stir in COOL WHIP and half the pineapple.

SPREAD into crust.

BEAT pudding mix and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. (Mixture will be thick.) Stir in remaining pineapple. Spoon over pie. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled.

Banana Upside- down Cake

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
  
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  
• 4 bananas, sliced
  
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow or white  cake mix

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour13X9  pan. Combine butter and brown sugar, divide and spread evenly in the pan. Sprinkle pecans evenly over the brown sugar mixture, arrange banana slices evenly on top of mixture..
   
2. Prepare cake mix according to package instructions.
   
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Turn cake upside down on a cookie sheet lined with foil, gently tap bottom and carefully remove pan, replacing caramel mixture that sticks to pan.

This is so good!!

Quick Skillet Chicken Parmigiana

I love this.  It is very easy to prepare. 

• 4 boneless chicken breasts (about 1 & 1/4 lb)
• 1/3 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoons oil
• 2 cups pasta sauce (any variety, I like Ragu)
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Between sheets of plastic wrap or waxed paper, flatten each piece of chicken to 1/4 inch thickness.  In a shallow dish, mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.  In another shallow dish, beat egg.  Dip chicken into egg, then coat with bread crumb mixture.
2. In 12 inch skillet,  heat oil over medium heat.  Cook chicken in oil 10 – 15 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink in center.  Pour pasta sauce around chicken in skillet; heat until hot.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over chicken.

4 servings.  Serve the chicken over hot spaghetti and top with the sauce and more cheese if desired.

Hillbilly Pie

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 & 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups blackberries or other fresh fruit

Melt butter in a 9X13 pan.  Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Add milk and stir until well moistened.  Spread in pan.  Spoon fruit over batter.  Do not stir.  Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 45 minutes; for a glass pan at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. 
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

This recipe is really easy.  I like recipes where you can switch ingredients and use what is in season.  Frozen fruit is OK to use too. 

Best Ever Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
• Flour for dusting the pan
• 1 package (18.25 ounces) plain devil’s food or dark chocolate fudge cake mix
• 1 package (3.9 ounces) chocolate instant pudding mix
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ cup warm water
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pan aside.

2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, warm water, and oil in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 to 3 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are well distributed throughout the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.
3. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.

Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto the rack to cool completely, 20 minutes more. Or invert it onto a serving platter to slice and serve while still warm.
*Store this cake, covered in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to 1 week. Or freeze it, wrapped in foil, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cake overnight on the counter before serving.
Serves 16

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie

A new recipe from Kraft foods that I will be trying soon.

What You Need

3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 pkg.  (16 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, green beans, peas), thawed, drained
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 can  (10-3/4 oz.) reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
 

Make It

HEAT oven to 375ºF.
COMBINE first 4 ingredients in 13x9-inch baking dish.
UNROLL dough; place over chicken mixture.
BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until crust is golden brown.
NOTE:  I will use canned drained peas for this recipe. 

Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies

 

2 c. sugar
1 c. shortening
2 eggs, well beaten
3 1/2 c. flour
2 c. oatmeal
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 c. applesauce with 2 tsp. soda added
2 c. raisins
2 c.  chopped walnuts

Cream sugar and shortening; add the eggs. Add the applesauce/soda mixture and mix well. Sift together flour, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon and add. Add oatmeal, raisins and nuts last. Drop by teaspoons on greased cookie sheets and bake in  a preheated 375°F oven for about 12 minutes.

May frost with powdered sugar frosting when cool if you like.

Makes 7 dozen cookies.

Texas Sheet Cake

It had been so long since I made this cake that I was actually wondering if it was as good as I remembered.  I made it yesterday and let me tell you, it is every bit as good as I remembered.  Takes a little bit of work, but the results are well worth it!
Cake:

• 2  cups flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream ( I didn’t have any sour cream so I added 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to milk to equal 1/2 cup, also you could use white vinegar)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup water
• 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Icing:

• 6 tablespoons milk
• 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 cups confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I am really picky about this and only use pure vanilla extract)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 10X15 inch pan.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  Beat in the sour cream and eggs and set aside.
3. Melt the 1 cup butter in a saucepan over low heat.  Add the 1 cup of water and the 5 tablespoons cocoa.  Bring mixture to a boil and immediately remove from heat.  Allow to cool slightly, then stir mixture into the first mixture, mixing till well blended.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center come out clean.
5. For the icing:  In a large saucepan, combine the milk, 5 tablespoons cocoa and 1/2 cup butter.  Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.  Stir in the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla, then fold in the nuts, mixing until blended.  Spread frosting over warm cake.