Creamy Vegetable Chicken Casserole

Creamy Vegetable Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:
-1 package ( 16 oz) frozen mixed veggies. I used the 1/2 mixed vegetables and 1/2 broccoli cut up.
-1 can of cream of mushroom soup
-1 (8 oz) garden vegetable cream cheese
-croutons
-shredded cheese
-cooked chicken breasts ( I used two)

Prepare vegetables according to directions. Drain and place in bowl.
Stir in soup, cream cheese, shredded chicken, and shredded cheese to taste.

transfer to a baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese, and top with croutons. The croutons were rather crunchy. For small kids I bet you can even use ritz crackers.

I altered the recipe a bit. You can leave the cheese and chicken out to make it vegetarian.

Bake uncovered at 375 for 25 minutes or until bubbly

Honey Peanut Butter Cookies

Haven't tried these yet, but it looks like something that would be great to do with a kiddo!

1 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. honey (or more to taste)
1 egg
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
(optional) a scant T. of flour to bind (wheat or gluten-free)
(optional) sugar for rolling (granulated or other dry sweetener; I used date sugar)


1) Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with baking parchment, or spray with cooking spray.
2) Cream everything together till well blended. Take teaspoons-full of dough and roll into balls. Roll each ball in sugar then place on the prepared baking sheet. (I made tiny cookies and filled the sheet quite full -- they don't spread while baking.)
3) Once the sheet is full, press each cookie flat with the tines of a fork.
4) Bake for about 10 minutes till firm. Let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then cool completely on a rack.

Variation: PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY THUMBPRINT COOKIES
Instead of rolling each cookie in sugar, once on the baking sheet, create a small "well" in each cookie by pressing the dough ball down with your thumb. Fill each well with a tiny spoonful of fruit jam, and bake as directed above. I tried this with strawberry jam and it was delish. I think it would be even better with seedless blackberry jam.

Shepherd's Pie

This was brought to us this week - so good!

Shepherd's Pie
1 pound of hamburger meat
2 cups (sometimes I put a little more) frozen mixed vegetables. 
1 Family Size Au Gratin (Scalloped) Potatoes (Betty Crocker)
1 can Cream of Potato or Cream of Broccoli Soup
1 Package McCormick Brown Gravy Mix
 Directions: 
-Brown the meat and drain it
-Make the gravy (the directions are just the package and 1 cup of water). 
-Thaw the vegetables in a colander with hot water
-Put the vegetables in the gravy and let them soak a bit, and then put the meat in and mix it together
-Make the Au Gratin potatoes stove top according to the directions (Betty Crocker has stove top directions on the side – the back is to bake them in the oven) and add a can of either Cream of Potato or Cream of Broccoli Soup. 
-Put the vegetables, meat and gravy in the bottom of a dish and then top them with the Au Gratin Potatoes. 
-Bake @ 325 for about 15 minutes.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I made these cookies this evening and they were SO yummy! This is a recipe from the back of a craisins bag.

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 6-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips ( i did half white chocolate chips and 1/1 mini choc chips. I think I also added more than 2/3 c. Is more chocolate ever a problem?!)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Sherry Garlic Shrimp

This dish reminds me a lot of shrimp scampi, with a great kick from the garlic and sherry. I love it! This is another jewel from Darcy. This recipe serves about 4.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons dry sherry
2-3 large cloves of garlic, crushed (I mince them.)
1/2 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme, crumbled (I just use the regular dried thyme.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon red pepper (be accurate here if you want your kids to eat this, not that I'd know...)
2 lemons, cut in eighths
4 parsley sprigs

1. Preheat over to 400 degrees.
2. Arrange shrimp in a single layer, slightly apart in a shallow baking dish.
3. Combine olive oil, sherry, garlic, thyme, salt, and red pepper.
4. Pour over shrimp.
5. Bake for 4 minutes, turn shrimp over and bake and additional 4-6 minutes. Shrimp will be ready when pink, firm, and barely opaque.

Serve with pan juices. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley sprigs.

And sit back and get oohs and ahhs from your husband!

Sesame Chicken

I'm posting this recipe as it's one I'm very fond of...and it is easy and delicious! Note that this recipe serves 2, but it is easily doubled and tripled. We love eating this over rice, but it's incredibly versitle. (Great leftover in a salad, according to the original recipe.) The source for this recipe is Darcy.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1/8 cup sesame seeds
1/8 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoons brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 large garlic clove, crushed (I just mince mine)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 teaspoon fresh, grated

1. Cut chicken into 1" cubes.
2. Combine all the ingredients, marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 4 hours.
3. Pour into a baking pan in a single layer.
4. Broil 10 minutes, turn the pieces over, broil and additional 5 minutes.