Three Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine

This is one of my favorites.  It might seem a little complicated, but if you do some prep work ahead of time, it's not bad.  I usually just buy a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking my own.  I also usually add extra spinach, and sometimes I skip the red bell pepper.  You can assemble it and freeze it too.

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine (from Cooking Light magazine)

• 1  teaspoon  olive oil
• Cooking spray
• 3  cups  thinly sliced mushrooms
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1  cup  chopped red bell pepper
• 3  cups  chopped fresh spinach
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh oregano
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  (16-ounce) carton 2% low-fat cottage cheese
• 4  cups  hot cooked penne (about 8 ounces uncooked tube-shaped pasta)
• 2  cups  shredded roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2  cup  2% reduced-fat milk
• 1  (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Preheat oven to 425°.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach, oregano, and black pepper; sauté 3 minutes or just until spinach wilts.

Place cottage cheese in a food processor; process until very smooth. Combine spinach mixture, cottage cheese, pasta, chicken, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, milk, and soup in a large bowl. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

[from Jaime]

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

This is from Cooking Light but I make it with whatever version I have light or full fat. I serve it over rice with a side salad... it's sooo good!

For crisper broccoli, remove it from the boiling water after three minutes.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 3  quarts water
• 1  (12-ounce) package broccoli florets
• 4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1  (12-ounce) can evaporated fat-free milk
• 1/4  cup  all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• Dash of nutmeg
• 1  cup  fat-free mayonnaise
• 1/2  cup  fat-free sour cream
• 1/4  cup  dry sherry
• 1  teaspoon  Worcestershire sauce
• 1  (10.75-ounce) can condensed 30% reduced-sodium 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Bring water to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, and cook 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Transfer broccoli to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Add chicken to boiling water; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until done. Transfer chicken to a cutting board; cool slightly. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, and add chicken to bowl with broccoli.

Combine evaporated milk, flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a saucepan, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add mayonnaise, next 4 ingredients (through soup), and 1/2 cup cheese, stirring until well combined. Add mayonnaise mixture to broccoli mixture; stir gently until combined.

Spoon mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 50 minutes or until mixture bubbles at the edges and cheese begins to brown. Remove from oven; let cool on a wire rack 5 minutes.

[from cb0527 ]

Super Deeelicious Spaghetti Casserole

I'm from the south too, but didn't discover spaghetti casserole until after I got married.  My MIL makes it and the first time I tried it i was like, "Seriously, who knew you could put spaghetti in a CASSEROLE?!  Deep fry it and sell it at the fair!"  Anyway, it's completely addictive and here's the recipe:

Super Deeelicious Spaghetti Casserole

1/2 box of cooked noodles

1 stick butter

1 chopped onion

1 8oz pkg cream cheese

1 c. Mozzarella

1 c. Cheddar

1 to 1.5 lbs hamburger

2 tbs sugar

1 large jar spaghetti sauce

cook noodles and put them in the bottom of a 9x13 dish.  Melt the butter then sautee onion and melt the cream cheese together.  Spread over the noodles.  Brown the hamburger meat.  Add the sauce and the sugar, mix and spread over the cream cheese layer.  Cover with cheeses and cook at 350 for about 30-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

This is not low fat, but when you want a splurge, this is it!

[from ChasCHAS]

Corn Casserole

Corn Casserole

You'll need 2 can yellow cream-style corn, 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1 can chopped green chiles (drained), 1/2 cup finely chopped onion, 1 cup milk, 2 large eggs lightly beaten, 1 cup yellow cornmeal, 1*1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.

Directions:

Combine first 6 ingredients.  Combine cornmeal, garlic salt, and baking soda then stir into the corn mixture.  Pour into an 11x7 dish and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until an knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

[from CB}

Carrot Souffle

Carrot Souffle

You'll need 1 lb carrots peeled & chopped, 3 large eggs lightly beaten, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup melted butter, 3 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Directions:

Bring carrots & enough water to cover to a boil.  Cook 45 mins or until very tender then drain.  Process carrots in a food processor until smooth.  Stir together carrot puree, eggs, & remaining ingredients.  Place in a 1 quart baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

[from CB}

Broccoli Casserole

Broccoli Casserole

You'll need 2 pkgs frozen chopped broccoli, 1/2 cup grated sharp cheese, 1/2 cup mayo, salt & pepper, 1 can mushroom soup, 1 egg well beaten, 1 tablespoon chopped onion (I use more), 1/2 cup crushed Ritz crackers, bacon bits

Directions:

Cook broccoli until done then drain.  Combine all ingredients (except crackers & bacon bits) then combine w/ broccoli.  Put in greased dish and bake 20 mins at 400 degrees.  Add crumbs and bacon bits on top and brown.

[from CB]

Delicious Chicken Casserole:

The first is from allrecipes.com and is called

Delicious Chicken Casserole:

You'll need 4-6 chicken breasts, 2 stalks celery, salt & pepper, 1 cup cooked rice, 6 ounces sour cream, 2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup, 1/4 teaspoon celery salt, 1/8 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 cups crushed Ritz crackers, 1/2 cup melted butter.

Directions:

Boil chicken, celery, salt and pepper (to taste), and enough water to cover.  Cover, reduce heat, & simmer 35 mins.  Drain but save 1 cup of the liquid broth first.  Cut or shred chicken into bite sized pieces.

Stir together sour cream, soup, broth, celery salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt & pepper to taste.  Mix in cooked rice and chicken.  Place in 9x13 casserole.  In a ziploc bag shake together crushed crackers and melted butter then sprinkle on top of casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

[from CB}

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

This was favorite meal as a kid, and it's always been a big hit when I serve it too.   It sounds like a Mexican casserole, but once it's finished, it really just tastes like cheesy chicken yumminess.  It doesn't have Mexican spices, so it might be good for picky little eaters. I haven't tried it with E yet.  

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

  

2-3 lbs cooked, chopped chiken

1 cup chicken broth

8 oz. sour cream

10 flour tortillas (small size)          

2 cans cream of chicken soup

¼ cup chopped onion

4 cups cheddar cheese

-Combine chicken, onion, soup, and broth in a pot.

-Add salt and pepper.

-Cook until boiling.

-Remove from heat, and add sour cream.

-Fill tortillas with mixture from pot, sprinkle with cheese.  Roll up and place in a 9 x 13 baking dish (cover bottom with filled and rolled tortillas).

-Pour remaining mixture over rolled tortillas.

-Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

-Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

-Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

[from Amanda]

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

Here's my mom's enchilda casserole recipe that we LOVE.  Oh how I wish DH like Mexican food so I could cook this at home.

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS
1.5 lbs ground beef
1/2 medium onion (diced)
1 green bell pepper (diced)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can mild enchilada sauce
1/2 can diced rotel tomatoes
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
Corn tortillas

DIRECTIONS:
1.  Brown meat, onions, bell peppers and drain
2.  Add canned ingredients and cook until bubbles
3.  Line bottom of 9x12" dish with tortillas (torn into quarters)
4.  Pour 1/2 mixture over tortillas
5. Layer tortillas and mixture until gone
6.  Top with grated cheese
7.  Cook 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees

**I recently discovered this could be made even easier my layering the bottom with premade taquitos and then adding all the rest on top.  Not quite as good but good enough if time calls for the change. You don't have to brown the meat and you wouldn't need to have all the layers.

[from Becca]

Pumpkin Soup

No specific recipe, but something that I LOVE to do for Halloween (or any fall themed event) is to serve soup or stew in a hallowed out pumpkin.  I get pie pumpkins and hallow them out (save the flesh to make something later).  I cook whatever stew or soup I like and then fill each pumpkin with the stew and bake for 20 mins or so to soften the remaining flesh.  It turns out very cute!


[from Tracy]

Baked Apples with Cranberries

Baked Apples with Cranberries (exciting name huh?)

Partially core apples (however many you want), leaving the bottom intact (so it creates a bowl).  Peel the top half of the apple.  Fill each apple with dried cranberries (I actually used frozen and it came out fine), top with a spoonful of brown sugar and 1/2 tsp of butter.  Then sprinkle with cinnamon.  Bake at 375* for 35-45 minutes (till apples are tender). 

[from Becca]

Apple Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Apple Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

2 halves roasted butternut squash

2 cups apple juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp curry powder

1 can white beans

Salt and ground black pepper

Scoop flesh out of butternut squash with a spoon. In a medium sauce pan, combine apple juice, flesh of butternut squash, white beans, curry powder, salt and pepper. Set pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour soup in a blender and puree until smooth. Ladle into bowls.

Good autumn soup!

[from Amy]

Halloween Dinner

This has absolutely nothing to do with Halloween, except it was tradition growing up.  Each year for Halloween dinner my mom made the same thing (since it was easy and we were busy getting ready).  We eat hot dogs, pineapple, and mac n cheese.

For the hot dogs:
Slice them length-wise so they can open like a bun.  Then stuff the middle with crushed pineapple.  Bake until hot dogs are hot and pineapple is browned on top.  So yummy!

My mom always made elbow noodles with cheez-wiz, which looking back is pretty disgusting.  For my quick version, I just use boxed mac n cheese.

[from Jamie]

Witch Pancakes

SUPPLIES

• Cupcakes (and all that it takes to make them)
• Sugar ice cream cones (the pointy ones)
• String licorice
• Candy corn
• Frosting
• Food coloring if desired
• Scissors (for you)

ACTIVITY

1. Have your child help you bake cupcakes. This is where the math learning comes in.
2. After cupcakes have cooled, frost them. You are making a witch, so I dye it green.
3. Cut string licorice into pieces of hair. I use red licorice becauseno one in my house likes black.
4. Let your child put hair on the witch.
5. Put her pointy hat on.
6. Add her candy corn nose.
7. Eat her!

PEANUT BUTTER PUMPKINS

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter
• 12 oz jar of peanut butter
• 16 oz powdered sugar--sifted
• Red and yellow food coloring
• Green icing

Supplies:

• Large bowl
• Wooden spoon (but I used beaters, and wish I had just used my Bosche mixer)\
• Toothpick
• Sifter

Method:

1. Melt butter
2. Pour butter in large bowl
3. Add several drops of food coloring to make orange. 2 drops of red and 3 drops of yellow will make orange, but I had to do that several times before everything was truly orange. 
4. Add peanut butter.
5. Add powdered sugar (sifted).
6. Mix until a dough like consistency is reached.
7. Shape dough into small balls. 
8. Make ridges using a toothpick. Don't scratch them in. Just press the toothpick into the balls.
9. Add a small amount of green icing on the top of each pumpkin for a stem.

~Valerie

Jack-O-Lantern Pancakes

My husband made these pancakes for us, and I just had to share them. The kids loved eating them. 

First, you make some pancake batter. Put a small amount in one bowl (for the green) and the rest in another bowl. Dye the small amount green and the large amount orange.

Heat a skillet.

Put the green of the pumpkin on first. Do the eyes, the stem, and the mouth. My husband used a fork and drizzled it on there.

~Valerie

Val's Sunsugar Salsa

And THIS one is the one I love! I think I realized I haven't really loved recipes because I don't really love salsa. I made this one up and LOVE it. But it isn't spicy at all. It also uses a cherry-like tomato called a Sunsugar. This is an amazingly delicious little tomato I highly recommend you grow. Literally everyone I know who I have try it starts growing it themselves.

Sunsugar Salsa

Sunsugars (I don't know how many)
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
2 green onions (or other onions if you want)
3-5 garlic cloves (we went for 5)
some garlic salt
some sugar

LaDene's Fresh Salsa

LaDene's Fresh Salsa

3-4 chopped tomatoes (10 Roma)
1-2 green onions
2 cans chopped green chilies (6 fresh chilies or 3 garden salsa peppers)
1 T Cider Vinegar
1 T oil
1/2 tsp garlic salt
2 garlic cloves chopped
little sugar
little regular salt 

[from Valerie]

Christine's Salsa

I LOVE my salsa!  I am snobby now and won't eat jarred salsa.

I don't have a recipe but here is what I put in:

tomatoes

cilantro

green onions

serrano pepper

canned jalapeno peppers

lemon

salt, pepper, onion salt, garlic salt

tomato sauce if needed

I use 1/2 - 1 serrano pepper.  They are super spicy and I am usually making salsa for people that don't like spicy.

I use just 1-2 of the canned jalapenos.  Then I pour a little bit of the juice from the can in.

If I use about 3-4 large tomatoes I use one bunch of cilantro and green onions.

Sometimes I chop it and sometimes I blend it.  Depending on how lazy I feel.

I spice to taste.

Christine

Zesty Fresh Salsa

Zesty Fresh Salsa

 Cucumber

Onion

Tomatoes

Green pepper

garlic

cilantro

fat free Zesty Italian salad dressing (Zesty makes all the difference)

salt & pepper

[from Jenny]

Amy's Black Bean Salsa

Amy's Black Bean Salsa

16 oz can black beans

16 oz frozen corn

2 avocados, diced (add right before serving)

1 sweet Vidalia onion, diced (1/2?)

3 large tomatoes, diced

2 limes, juiced, or lime juice

2 T red wine vinegar

1 T olive oil

¼ c cilantro

1 t salt

Pepper to taste

[from Jenny]