Creamy Chicken -n- Noodle Casserole Revised

I posted the original recipe HERE, but I've tweaked it over the last year or so to be a bit healthier and budget conscious. 

Creamy Chicken -n- Noodle Casserole

16 oz. egg noodles (cooked)
1 can cream of chicken soup (or use my homemade version HERE, just cut the recipe in half)
3/4 can of milk (I'm into dirtying as few dishes as possible! -- just use the can from the cream of chicken soup to measure...or about 1 cup will do fine)
1/4 c. butter
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. shredded colby-jack cheese
1 can of cooked chunk chicken (or 1/2 - 1 lb. cooked, chopped chicken -- depends on your preference)

Cook the egg noodles. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large saucepan.  Stir until the mixture is nice and creamy. Stir in the chicken and combine with the noodles.

Notes: You can put this in a baking dish and add cracker crumbles or crumbled chips as a topping and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Or you can skip that step and just add the noodles to the bowl and serve from there. *whisper* That's what I do. They don't care about the fancy-schmancy presentation. But don't tell them there's an option. *wink*

Or...you can make this mid-afternoon and then put it in a crock pot on warm to keep it warm. This is such a versatile dish! Oh so many options!

Also there are no leftovers with this meal. If I make a double batch then there might be a little bit for lunch the next day but the more I make the more they eat. I guess it's a good problem to have, eh?

XLV

If you're looking for some fun and easy muchies to go along with your Super Bowl fun, I have got you covered!  Why slave away in the kitchen when you can make a yummy spread in no time at all?  Who wants to miss those fun commercials?  (That's all I really watch...the decent ones, anyway.)

Start off by making Easy Cheesy Bean Dip in the crock pot (recipe HERE), and serve with sour cream, guacamole, chopped black olives, chopped onions, salsa, shredded cheese, and Fritos Scoops for dipping!

A crock pot of Chili (recipe HERE) will hit the spot and you can use all those yummy Bean Dip condiments to experiment in a mixture of flavors with the chili!  Mmmm yummy!

If you have another crock pot make some Crock Pot Mac & Cheese (recipe HERE).  If you don't have a crock pot then place the Mac in a greased 9x13 pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees.

Then pop a pan of Ultimate Cheddar Bay Biscuits in the oven (recipe HERE).  I know, it's not a crock pot, but they are totally worth it!

For dessert (again, if you have another crock pot!) whip up Chocolate Lava Cake (recipe HERE)!  Be sure to "serve it with ice cream to cut the sweetness" (A quote from one of my favorite movies!)!


Here are more crock pot recipes to tempt you with:

Creamy Chicken Sandwiches (HERE)
Sloppy Joes (HERE)
Pioneer Beef Stew (HERE)

Pioneer Beef Stew

*Note: This week is all topsy turvy...the three day weekend does that to a person! So...the Queen of the Castle book post will be tomorrow. I know...some of you are just so upset because the sun rises and sets on my blog posts! LOL! ; )

Here's another recipe from the Gooseberry Patch Cookbook Preview Party that I hosted last week. It was supposed to be baked in the oven but I was in a crock pot mood so in the crock pot it went!

Pioneer Beef Stew

14-1/2 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 c. water
3 T. quick-cooking tapioca, uncooked
2 tsp. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. salt (I used less than 1 tsp. salt)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1-1/2 lbs. stew beef, cubed (I used a can of our local Grabill Meats canned beef...order here.)
3 to 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed (hmm...seems I forgot to add these?)
4 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
1 onion, diced (I used 1 tsp. onion powder)

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes with juice, water, tapioca, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well; stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into a grease 3-quart casserole dish. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until beef and vegetables are tender. Serves 4 to 6.

*I cooked it in the crock pot on low for about 7 hours. The last 2 hours I cooked it with the lid slightly off to let some of the liquid evaporate. But...thinking about it now if I would have added the potatoes I probably wouldn't have to had take the lid off for a while. I guess I was just so busy that I left the potatoes out. I'm not a huge stew fan but my mom seemed to love it so I guess it wasn't that bad.

Creamy Chicken Sandwiches

I told ya'll I'd share the recipe from the other night's Gooseberry Patch Cookbook Preview Party so here goes...

Creamy Chicken Sandwiches

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
10-3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup
14-1/2 oz. can chicken broth
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Put chicken in the bottom of a slow cooker; add soup and broth. Cover and cook on low setting for 8-9 hours, until chicken is tender and mixture is thickened. If too thick, stir in a few crushed saltine crackers to thicken. Shred chicken with a fork and serve on buns. (The recipe says it makes 6 sandwiches but I could easily get 9 or more.)

I made these homemade buns to go with it.

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Mac & Cheese

My husband absolutely loves this recipe!  It's his first pick of any macaroni and cheese recipe that I make.  The kids are kind of partial to it, too!  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Crock Pot Mac & Cheese

16-oz. pkg. elbow macaroni, cooked
12-oz. can evaporated milk
10.5-oz. can cream of chicken soup
2 c. sharp cheddar cheese shredded
2 c. five cheese blend shredded (or mozzarella)
2 c. co-jack cheese shredded
1 - 2 sticks of butter, melted
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a slightly greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on low setting for 3 to 4 hours. Makes 12-16 servings.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

I made my Easy Peasy Chops on Sunday, but as I was gathering the ingredients I noticed I was plum out of cream of chicken soup. Didn't I just stock up on that a few months ago? Uh oh! What was I going to do? Then I remember Crystal aka Money Saving Mom had mentioned a homemade recipe a while ago. She linked over to Tammy's page where the recipe is posted. I tweaked it a bit to suit my needs (ie. non-existent poultry seasoning -- oops!). It worked great and we didn't even miss the poultry seasoning! (You can use cream of mushroom soup for the chops, too!)


Cream of Chicken Soup Base
(Makes about 3 cups which would be about 2 cans of soup.)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt (or less; taste to test)
1/4 teaspoon parsley
dash of paprika
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup flour

In medium-sized saucepan, boil chicken broth, 1/2 cup of the milk, and the seasonings for a minute or two. In a large measuring cup (I used my 2 cup) whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and stir until mixture boils and thickens.

Enjoy!

Sloppy Joes

Our busy day of the week is Wednesday. We usually have tacos or sloppy joes. They are quick and easy. Everyone likes them and I can throw them in the crock pot after lunch and they're ready for dinner. This is my own sloppy joe concoction. You may like it, you may not. Feel free to tweak it however you like!

Sloppy Joes

2 lbs. ground beef, browned and drained
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 tsp. mustard (from the fridge...not powder)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. Worchestershire sauce

In a crock pot put the beef and add the remaining ingredients. Mix together and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2.

Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken and Stuffing

This dish is super easy and great for the crock pot. It's wonderful paired with smashed potatoes. The cream can be used as a thick gravy for the potatoes.

Creamy Chicken and Stuffing

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast (halves)
2 10 3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup
1 can of milk (use one of the soup cans)
1/4 tsp. onion powder
2 packages Stove Top stuffing mix
3/4 cup water

Place chicken in the crock pot. Combine soup, milk, and onion powder; pour over the chicken. Combine stuffing and water in the same bowl (remember...no use dirtying lots of dishes!). It will seem a little dry but it will moisten up while cooking. Spoon over the chicken. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.

Enjoy!

*picture from foodandfunfromhome.com

Easy Cheesy Bean Dip

1 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 can bean dip
1 c. sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 package taco seasoning mix
1/2 lb. shredded colby-jack cheese

Mix all ingredients except the cheese. Layer in a crock pot or a casserole dish 1/2 the mixture and 1/2 the cheese; repeat. Cook on low for 4 hours or so or bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve with nacho chips, chopped tomatoes, black olives, guacamole, etc.!

Notes: Sometimes I add 1/2 pound browned, ground beef to the mixture to give it a little more protein. A lot of times when we go camping I'll take a crock pot with us and the ingredients. I'll pop it all in the crock pot after breakfast and it's ready by lunchtime!

Easy Peasy Chops

This recipe is so simple it's crazy! I got this from a friend years ago. In my opinion besides Lemony Pork Piccata, it's the only way to cook pork chops. They are nice and tender and if you trim most of the fat off of the pork chops you can use the left over juices (after cooking) for gravy!

Easy Peasy Chops

2-3 lbs. of boneless pork chops (I buy pork loin and have the meat counter slice it about 1/2 in. thick)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cans water (No need to dirty a measuring cup, right?)
6 T. worchestershire sauce
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. black pepper (depends on how much you like pepper)
a few dashes of salt

Place your chops in a 4-ish qt. crock pot. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl or mixer then pour over the chops. If there are some parts of the chops exposed just pour a bit more water over it or half way through the cooking turn them over so they don't dry out.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours. Remove the chops to a dish and cover so they can rest (that cooking process is tiring, you know?). Strain the bits out of the remaining juices and if you feel it's a bit too runny add 1 T flour to take 1/2 cup of cold water in a small bowl or tea cup. Then when it's no longer runny add it to the juices and mix in a saucepan over medium heat until it's thicker. (I usually do this a bit at a time so it's just the right thickness.)

I serve this with mashed potatoes or rice. With a side veggie dish and rolls. Mmm mmm good, and easy peasy!

Creamy Chicken -n- Noodle Casserole

This recipe came from a friend many years ago. I think my family would eat it every day if I served it. Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken -n- Noodle Casserole
16 oz. egg noodles (cooked)
1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 can of milk (I'm into dirtying as few dishes as possible!)
1/4 c. butter
1/2 lb. Velveeta
1 can of cooked chunk chicken (or 1/2 - 1 lb. cooked, chopped chicken -- depends on your preference)

Cook the egg noodles. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large saucepan.  Stir until the mixture is nice and creamy. Stir in the chicken and combine with the noodles.

Notes: You can put this in a baking dish and add cracker crumbles or crumbled chips as a topping and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Or you can skip that step and just add the noodles to the bowl and serve from there. *whisper* That's what I do. They don't care about the fancy-schmancy presentation. But don't tell them there's an option. ; )

Or...you can make this mid-afternoon and then put it in a crock pot on warm to keep it warm. This is such a versatile dish! Oh so many options!

Also there are no leftovers with this meal. If I make a double batch then there might be a little bit for lunch the next day but the more I make the more they eat. I guess it's a good problem to have, eh?

Chocolate Lava Cake -- Crock-Pot Style

This recipe is just in time for Valentine's Day since I "heart" lava cake and all! It looks so pretty in little ramekins, but it takes a lot of ramekins to feed this family so we go the easier route: the good 'ol crock pot! This way I can pop it in early afternoon and it's ready after dinner. It's ooey gooey fudgey goodness is extra special paired with some ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream and a cherry on top! Enjoy!

1 package Fudge cake mix (I like Betty Crocker's best)
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 2/3 cups water
1 package Jello-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding Mix
2 cups cold milk
1 bag (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix together cake mix, eggs, oil and water. Pour into crock-pot.

Make Jello-O pudding using the milk. Pour over the cake mix in the crock-pot. Sprinkle chocolate chips all over the top of the batter.

Cook in the crock-pot on high for about 2-3 hours until the cake is still moist but doesn't jiggle.

Note: You may want to spray the sides of your crock-pot so the cake doesn't stick to it. You can also bake this in the oven 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes...again, until moist but not jiggly.

Rigatoni Casserole

This recipe does well in the crock pot or baked in the oven! Even my children who don't care for spaghetti like this recipe! Enjoy!

1 16 oz. package of rigatoni noodles, cooked
1/2 lb. Italian sausage
26 oz. can spaghetti sauce
4 oz. pepperoni (cut pepperoni in quarters)
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (canned kind is fine)

Brown sausage (drain), add sauce and pepperoni. Add cooked noodles and 1 1/2 cups cheese to meat mixture and stir. Place in a large casserole dish. Top with the remaining cheese.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Or: Crockpot on low for approx. 3-4 hours. The only thing is the cheese on top won't get bubbly and brown.

Chili

If you haven't noticed by now you'll see that I don't put chunky tomatoes, onions or (any) mushrooms in my recipes.  I told you I have semi-picky eaters to deal with here!  Onion powder, garlic powder and tomato sauce are my friends!  The family loves this chili recipe.  It's really easy and fairly inexpensive.  You can either use dry kidney beans or canned beans.

Chili

2 30 oz. cans tomato sauce (or use tomato puree from your garden tomatoes)
2 lbs. ground chuck, browned and drained
1 lbs. dry kidney beans (see Notes at the bottom)
2 T. onion powder (or 2 med. onions chopped)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or 4 cloves garlic, crushed)
5 T. chili powder
2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (Hubby likes a little kick and it clears the 'ol sinuses!)

Combine all ingredients in a large crock pot.  (I use a 6.5 quart.)  Cover; cook on low 8-10 hours  or on high 4-5 hours.

Notes: This serves our gang for dinner and enough for lunch the next day with some grilled cheese.  I like to make Jiffy corn bread mix to serve with it, too.  Also, try serving it with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and dip Fritos scoops in it.  We love it that way!!

Soaking and cooking dry kidney beans can be tricky.  If you don't soak and cook them well you could get ill.  Kidney beans contain a toxin.  Read more here if interested.   The day before cooking, soak the beans all day, then rinse.   Put them in a crock-pot covered in water (with a an inch or so over the top); cook on low all night (about 7 hours). Drain, then add the rest of your chili ingredients and cook on low until you're ready to eat!  Check out Mary's blog OwlHaven for how she saves money cooking with dry beans.

Turkey (or chicken) Rice Soup

Left over chicken or turkey, watch out!  You are about to be served...literally!  Are you ready for one easy peasy recipe??  Hold on to your apron because here we goooo!

Turkey Rice Soup

16 cups turkey or chicken stock *

3-4 cups chopped turkey (or chicken)

4 carrots, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups brown rice (uncooked)

1/2 cup dried parsley

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

a sprinkling of rosemary 

a sprinkling of thyme  

Combine ingredients in a very large crock pot (I use a 6.5 Qt.) and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5-6.

*If I don't have stock on hand I'll use a few cans of chicken broth and then either chicken bouillon granules (follow the directions on the jar for adequate measurement) or chicken base (usually 1 tsp. per 1 cup of hot water) to make up the difference.  Chicken base comes in a jar, is thick and creamy in texture and is cheaper per ounce than bouillon granules.  I'm not a big fan of the cubes.  All that unwrapping puts a cramp on my cooking time.  The downside is that the chicken base makes a greasier soup.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday -- How to Cook a Chicken (or Turkey)

For years when we were first married I would buy the flash frozen bags of chicken breasts from the store.  I though it was the best option for me.  It wasn't too costly and I didn't have to touch raw, slimy chicken, right?  Well it is costly compared to buying a whole chicken on sale (or on clearance if you watch the meat section) .  I think also think flash frozen is a bit on the salty side.  I've grown to not mind the slimy-ness of preparing chicken in exchange for the better flavor and saving my family a little bit of money.  How long do those flash frozen chicken breasts sit at the store, anyway?  I digress...

Buy a chicken, no...buy two or three, especially if they're on sale!  Either put them in a large electric roaster or cook them in various crock pots.  If you're choosing to roast them it'll take about 4-5 hours.  I love my Rival RO188BR 18-Quart Roaster W Bonus.  I roasted two 14 pound turkeys in it the other day and I can easily roast 3 average size chickens.  If you choose to cook it in the crock pot you can put them in at night on low, shut it off in the morning and by lunch time it'll be cool enough to handle.  Take it apart, chop it up or shred it and package it up for the freezer.  To season them just sprinkle a little ground black pepper, some onion powder (unless you like real onion...the hubster doesn't), and I add a smidge of sage, thyme (or rosemary) and a sprinkle or two of lemon juice (I leave the lemons out if it's turkey I'm cooking).  I really dislike de-yucking (as we call it) the chicken.  I'm fortunate enough to have a mom who lives with us and doesn't mind that part.  Having her to help me do that is great!  If you have little helpers around they might enjoy it as well.  We have lots of little helpers but I find they eat more than they package if they are helping!  Simply take the large breast portions out and then work on the legs, thighs and back.  And if your birdies came with giblets or liver then you can cook that up, chop it and make gravy with the juices from the cooked bird(s).   

You'll get a lot of chicken (or turkey) out of that little cooking session.  The pair of 14 pound turkeys I roasted the other day yielded enough for dinner twice (approx. 3 pounds), sandwiches for lunch three times (approx. 2 pounds), meat for a double portion of Turkey & Rice Soup (I'll post the recipe soon!), and I have 6 more 2 pound bags of meat in the freezer ready to go.  Not too shabby!  Especially since Wallyworld had them on sale for 40 cents per pound back before the holidays!  

If you don't want to buy a whole bird you can go the boneless, skinless route.  If I find boneless, skinless (or tenderloins) on sale I'll put a bunch of them in the crock pot at night.  Add just enough water to cover and then the same seasonings above.  Cook them on low, turn them off in the morning and by lunch time you'll be ready to cut up and package the meat.  (You can wait until the kiddos are taking their afternoon nap.  Just shut it off an hour or so later or put your crock pot on a "keep warm" setting.)  The only drawback to the boneless skinless is there is no good quality stock (broth) left over for soups, etc.  Yes, you get water and some juice, but it's not the same.

I try to do this about once a month when meat is on sale.  Since it's not the most enjoyable part of my kitchen time it is nice to get it over with all at once!

Now go find some little birdies and cook away!