Random Chicken Casserole

So, lately I haven't been taking out anything to make for dinner and we end up buying more snacks than actual dinner components at the store. My friend Kacey had her baby so my other friend Casey and I made her dinner so she didn't have to cook. So, I was going through a bunch of casserole recipes and I found a few that looked pretty good. Then I saw Paula Deen on TV today with an episode entitled "Fridge Finds." Then it occured to me that AGAIN I didn't take anything out to make for dinner. So, I got out a can of chicken (yuck! We bought a bunch at sam's and we are trying to use it up) and I made a casserole that was a mix between my sister's Broccoli Chicken Divan and Paula Deen's Chicken Bodine.

Amy's Random Chicken Casserole
1 (12 oz) package egg noodles (cooked and drained)
1 can cream of broccoli soup
1/2 cup milk
1 large can cooked cubed chicken (about a cup and a half)
1 1/2 cups broccoli cooked
1 cup (or a bit more) shredded cheese
2 tbsp. butter melted
1 cup bread crumbs

Mix milk, soup, chicken, noodles, broccoli and cheese. Place in a greased 9x13 pan. Mix melted butter and bread crumbs, sprinkle over the top. Bake for 25 minutes at 375*. Then I put it under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp the top. I don't think this was our favorite dinner ever but it was a good way to use that gross canned chicken. If I were to make this again I would just use leftover baked or grilled chicken.

Chicken Noodle Soup!

So I made my first chicken noodle soup from scratch. It was funny because I told my friend Deb about it and she asked me if I made the noodles. HA! I thought I was pretty good making my own soup instead of opening a can. Hehehe. Now that I know how easy it is I can see the point in her question. That soup was as easy as making spaghetti. So, here is my recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 or 4 carrots chopped
3 or 4 stalks of celery or celery hearts chopped
6 - 8 cups chicken broth
1 lb chicken cut into bite sized pieces
1 lb noodles (I used Kluski)
I think you are supposed to use onion too but anyone who knows me knows that I clearly wouldn't add them! ;)

Directions
put the oil in the bottom of the skillet with the veggies over medium heat. Cook until they are a bit tender, then the stock and bring to a boil and add chicken and noodles. Cook 10 minutes. Eat.
I also made cresent rolls to go with it but I cut them in half so that they would cook through. This was so easy and so comforting with all of the snow we have been having!

Alfredo - hold the fat

I really love alfredo sauce but once I looked at a full fat recipe and I have never again ordered it at a restuarant. I also looked at the fat grams etc. of traditional alfredo sauce and I nearly passed out! So I was so happy to find a cooking light version of alfredo sauce to try.
I got the recipe from Melanie's Favorite Recipes. She got it from Cooking Light.
I am going to post this on Presto Pasta Night on Ruth's wonderful blog.

I changed the recipe a little bit to suit our tastes and because I took out the cream cheese to soften and then I forgot that I did that and thought I was out of cream cheese. No problem, I used some ricotta instead. I also halved the recipe because only two people live at my house.

Chicken Radiatore Alfredo - Hold the Fat
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups 1/2% low-fat milk
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
2 tablespoons 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (I used ricotta)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups hot cooked pasta(I used Radiatore)
1 can pre-cooked canned chicken or leftover chicken breast
1/2 cup broccoli florets, cooked

Directions
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in flour. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook 6 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Add 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, cream cheese, and salt, stirring with a whisk until cheeses melt.
Meanwhile heat chicken on stove and heat broccoli in microwave if desired.
Toss sauce with hot pasta. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and chopped parsley. Garnish with black pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.

This was quick, easy, and delicious. I loved getting the alfredo flavor without all of the fat. Honestly, between the two of us we had 1/2 tablespoon of butter, less than a cup of 1/2% milk, a bit more than 1/2 a cup of parm cheese, and a tablespoon of lowfat ricotta. Seriously, no large amounts of fat anywhere. What a great way to get the yummy taste without the extra time on the treadmill.

Delicious Cresent Chicken Bundles

In my constant cruzing of food blogs I found a yummy looking recipe from Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats
It was originally from Pilsbury and won their recipe contest. It was SO good and easy. It would have been even easier if I used canned chicken but I was a good little cook and baked my own chicken.

Cresent Chicken Bundles
taken from Savory Cresent Chicken Squares

Ingredients
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed (one could easily use the canned chicken)
3 oz. softened cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)
1 tbsp butter or margarine softened
Salt and Pepper
Original recipe asked for pimento and chives but we don't eat those
1 8 oz. tube of cresent rolls
1 tbsp melted butter
3/4 cup crushed croutons (I used garlic and onion flavor which probably made up for my lack of other spices)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350*F
Mix cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Beat until smooth.
Add cooked chicken (I salted and peppered it well before baking) Mix well.
Put cresents onto cookie sheet in four rectangles. Pinch perforations to seal them closed.
Spoon 1/4 of mixture onto each rectangle.
Bring up the sides to make a bundle.



Pinch it all together at the top.
Brush with melted butter and sprinkle crushed croutons on top.
Bake at 350*F for 30 minutes.

Enjoy the deliciousness!

Chicken and Potatoes to put off my paper

So I am taking two master's classes this semester along with working full time so I have been quite busy. One of my classes is online so there are some pretty big papers to write. This week I had a 5-7 page single spaced paper to write as a midterm reflection on the class so far. I have been putting it off for as long as I could and I wrote 4 1/2 pages last night but then I was totally burned out so I stopped. I knew it wouldn't take me long to finish up today but I still really didn't want to so I put it off by cooking a big dinner and baking an apple crisp.
For dinner I made parm chicken with roasted potatoes.

Parm Chicken
Ingredients:
2 Chicken breasts
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
1/2 cup of parm cheese
1 egg slightly beaten
A big swirl of EVOO

Directions:
Mix together the breadcrumbs and parm on a plate
Butterfly the chicken breasts and put the chicken breasts between two pieces of wax paper and pound thin with a rolling pin.
Dip the chicken in egg and then into the breadcrumb mixture
Put in pan with EVOO over med-high heat
Cook for a few minutes on each side until golden brown
Enjoy the deliciousness


Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients:
4-5 red skin potatoes
a few tablespoons EVOO
Salt

Directions:
Cut up the potatoes
toss them into the EVOO
put on a tin-foil lined baking sheet
Bake at 425*F for 30 minutes, then turn and cook an additional 15-20 minutes