Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

I am always looking for good, one-dish meals. I love a good casserole on cold, rainy days - which is exactly the kind of day I made this casserole on! Not only was it extremely comforting and yummy, it made enough that myself, my husband, mom and kids could eat it again the next day. Definitely a winner, definitely one I will be making again and again and again.

As a bonus, this recipe has 'freeze ahead' instructions!

Ingredients

1 (2.25-oz.) package sliced almonds
2 (6.2-oz.) boxes fast-cooking long-grain and wild rice mix
1/4 cup butter
4 celery ribs, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
5 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 (10 3/4-oz.) cans cream of mushroom soup
2 (8-oz.) cans chopped water chestnuts, drained
1 (8-oz.) container sour cream
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 cups (16 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
2 cups soft, fresh breadcrumbs
Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake almonds in a single layer in a shallow pan 4 to 6 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.
2. Prepare rice mixes according to package directions.
3. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add celery and onions. Sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken, next 6 ingredients, rice, and 3 cups cheese. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 15- x 10-inch baking dish or 2 (11- x 7-inch) baking dishes. Top with breadcrumbs.
4. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese, and top with toasted almonds. Bake 5 minutes.
To Make Ahead: Prepare as directed in Steps 2 and 3. Cover with aluminum foil, and freeze up to 1 month. Remove from freezer, and let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Toast almonds as directed in Step 1. Bake casserole, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 55 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese and toasted almonds. Bake 5 more minutes.

Pumpkin Ricotta Mousse

I picked up this recipe from a Dietician while working in Bariatrics consulting. It is so good, it's hard to believe it's so low in fat and calories. I do love it, but if I make it for the kids, I use the full sugar version as I don't think the artificial sweeteners are good for them (or anyone really for that matter!) But the recipe is delish and an excellent alternative to fatty holiday desserts!

Ingredients:
Pumpkin Ricotta Mousse is a light, creamy dessert that tastes like fall. The Chinese Five Spice adds layers of flavor, while the addition of ricotta cheese increases the protein, and makes this dessert perfect for those trying to eat healthy, and delicious enough for everyone!

1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1 cup pumpkin puree (such as Libby’s®)
2 Tbsp. sugar-free, fat-free white chocolate instant pudding mix
2 Tbsp. Splenda®
½ tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/3 cup frozen sugar-free whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

In a food processor or blender, blend ricotta and pumpkin until smooth. Add pudding mix, Splenda, Pumpkin Pie Spice, cinnamon, and 1/3 cup cool whip. Process until well-blended and smooth.

Remove from food processor, pour into medium bowl and fold in the final cup of cool-whip. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve in parfait glasses. Top with a dallop of whipped topping and a sprinkle of toasted almonds and cinnamon, if desired.

Classic Chicken Tetrazzini

I got this recipe from my Southern Living Magazine and I absolutely love it. It is a great dish to make for company as it will serve many and also a great dish to make for just your family because you are guaranteed leftovers for at least the next day. It is not difficult to make yet you make the sauce from scratch.

Ingredients

1 1/2 (8-oz.) packages vermicelli
1/2 cup butter $
1/2 cup all-purpose flour $
4 cups milk $
1/2 cup dry white wine $
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided $
4 cups diced cooked chicken
1 (6-oz.) jar sliced mushrooms, drained
3/4 cup slivered almonds $

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a Dutch oven over low heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in milk and wine; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 8 to 10 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Whisk in bouillon granules, seasoned pepper, and 1 cup Parmesan cheese.
3. Remove from heat; stir in diced cooked chicken, sliced mushrooms, and hot cooked pasta.
4. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with slivered almonds and remaining 1 cup Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until bubbly.

Butter Chicken with Spinach

This is the dish that made me love Indian food! The recipe is really good for the crock pot, although I must admit I FORGOT to buy an onion at the grocery store so I substituted w/ Onion Powder. Next time, I'll use the real deal. Also, 1 of my cans of diced tomatoes was basil and oregano flavored. I will use plain the next time. Because my 2 year old would be eating this meal, I used mild curry powder instead of hot. I did put in raw, boneless, skinless chicken breasts - and when it was finished cooking, I shredded it right in the crock pot. That made it really delicious. I only used 2 large breasts but for the amount of other ingredients, I would use 3 next time. One last alteration was that I substituted heavy cream for the full fat yogurt. My husband HATES yogurt, so I thought this would be more appealing.

Butter Chicken with Spinach

1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 28 oz (796 mL) can diced tomatoes
2-3 Tbsp. tomato paste
4-5 garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2-3 tsp. curry paste or powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2-3 cups roughly chopped or shredded leftover roast chicken or turkey
4 cups fresh spinach
1 cup plain full-fat yogurt, half & half, whipping cream or any combination of these (or more or less to taste)
chopped peanuts or cashews, for sprinkling on top (optional)

Put everything but the spinach and yogurt in the Crock Pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours (if you want to start with raw chicken – use skinless thighs – cook for 6-8 hours on low). When you’re ready to eat, tear in the spinach, stir until it wilts, and stir in the yogurt or cream. Serve immediately over rice. Serves 4-6

Crock Pot Spicy Beans and Turkey Sausage

I was looking for something healthy and came across this recipe.

Ingredients:
* 1lb turkey sausage (whole links or sliced)
* 1 can (16oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 can (15.5oz) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 can (15oz) black beans, rinses and drained
* 1.5 cups frozen corn
* 1.5 cups salsa
* 1 large green pepper, chopped
* 1 large onion, chopped
* .5 - 1 cup water
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 tsp ground cumin

Directions:
In a 5 qt. slow cooker, combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until meat is tender. Stir before serving.

When I make this again, I will add less water. I added the full cup and the spiciness was a little watered down. Also, I wouldn't be a wimp and use 'mild' salsa - I'd go for the spicy. We ended up sprinkling our full plates with Frank's hot sauce, which gave this dish a good kick. Overall, very healthy and full of protein! We also steamed up some brown rice and served this crock pot concoction over the rice. Delish!

Chocolate Chocolate Cake from Scratch!

Thou shalt never make a cake from a box again! It was my birthday this week, and I LOVE baking cakes, so I made myself a birthday cake. We were snowed in under 15" so I couldn't go to the grocery store to buy my usual Duncan Hines mix. I scoured the internet for a recipe encompassing all of the ingredients I already had in the house and found an AWESOME recipe for the cake and icing from Hershey's! I had Hershey cocoa in the house.

The cake turned out to be extremely moist and the icing was so chocolaty! It was worth the effort to bake this cake from scratch and I will be making this again ... and again ...

Cake Ingredients
# 2 cups sugar
# 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
# 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
# 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
# 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
# 1 teaspoon salt
# 2 eggs
# 1 cup milk
# 1/2 cup vegetable oil
# 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
# 1 cup boiling water

Cake Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

Frosting Ingredients
# 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
# 2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
# 3 cups powdered sugar
# 1/3 cup milk
# 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting Directions
Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Slow Cookin' Meatloaf

We are about to get a huge snow storm, yielding 8-16" of snow, so I figured baking a meatloaf would be a good way to ensure we had plenty of food for the weekend. We used to make cold meat loaf sandwiches with my mom's meatloaf leftovers. Delicious!

I don't have my mom's recipe (although I don't think there is much mystery to meatloaf), but I found this one for the slow cooker and it turned out to be very delicious - mostly because of the tasty topping.

Ingredients:

* 2 beaten eggs
* 3/4 c. milk
* 2/3 c. seasoned bread crumbs
* 1 tsp salt
* 2 T. grated onions
* 1/2 tsp. ground sage
* 1 1/2 lb. ground meat (I used ground beef)

Sauce
* 1/4 C. Ketchup
* 2 T. brown sugar
* 1 tsp. dry mustard
* 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients for the loaf. It may seem a little 'soupy' at first, but the bread crumbs will soak and absorb the liquid. Put loaf in Crock-Pot on low 5-6 hours (Longer is OK.) Pour sauce over meat in the last 15 minutes on high. You can also double the recipe for more people or more leftovers!