Italian Crescent Casserole

As I mentioned on the menu plan, I pinned this recipe three years ago and am just now giving it a try. I pinned it from Real Mom Kitchen - Keeping it Real in the Kitchen. This meal was a huge hit. A definite keeper! You can change up the meat to whatever ground meat you like, I used venison, the original used ground beef. I also changed the sauce a bit, and added a little salt. Can't wait to try it again, maybe with sausage this time.

1 8 oz can refrigerated crescent rolls
1 lb ground meat, cooked and drained
8 oz garlic tomato sauce + 2 Tbsp water or 1 cup garlic pasta sauce
salt to taste
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 1/2 cups Italian blend shredded cheese
1/4 tsp dried basil

In skillet mix together ground meat, tomato sauce, water, Italian seasoning; then add salt to taste. Heat through. Set aside. Spray 9 inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange crescent rolls in in a spoke pattern with narrow tips hanging over the edge of the pie plate.

If you are using a regular pie plate they should hang over about three inches, deep dish only about one inch. Press into bottom of pie plate and up the side.

If using a deep dish only press dough 1/3 of the way up the side of the plate. Sprinkle one cup of the cheese over the bottom of the crust.

Top with the meat mixture.

Bring tips in over the meat mix.

Tips should meet in the middle without overlapping. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and dried basil over the dish. Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!!

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Black Bean and Quinoa Casserole with Chicken

I found this yummy recipe for Quinoa Black Bean Casserole at the Spark People Recipes site. I made a couple of changes - added chicken and changed the amount of sweet potato. The original recipe called for two large sweet potatoes - I guess my large and theirs are different - I would have ended up with a sweet potato casserole rather than quinoa black bean. So after playing with it here is what I came up with:

1 cup cooked quinoa (this is about 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa cooked in 2/3 cup water)
3 cups cooked black beans or two 15 oz cans, drained and rinsed
3 cups shredded sweet potato
1 cup low fat mexican cheese blend, divided
10 oz can of white meat chicken, drained (optional)
1 Tbsp cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs
1 cup salsa (I don't recommend using the chunky kind, the casserole will be too dry)
fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350, 325 for RV or convection ovens. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray (if not adding the chicken you may be able to use a 9x9).

In large bowl combine quinoa, black beans, sweet potato, 1/2 cup of the cheese, chicken, cumin, salt and pepper.

In a small bowl beat the eggs, then stir in salsa. Add egg mix to the bean mixture. Pour all into casserole dish.

Top with remaining cheese and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

Serve and enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

I pinned this recipe about a year ago. However, when I tried going to the blog to make it, I was blocked. The pin did include the ingredients, so I used these (mostly) and did my own take on this recipe for Cheesy Jalapeno Chicken and Rice Casserole from Life with the Crust Off. Here is what I came up with:

2 cups cooked brown rice
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
4 oz can of green chilies
1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese, divided
splash of milk, about 2 Tbsp
french fried onions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, 375 for convection and RV ovens. Spray 9x13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Spread cooked rice in bottom of dish. Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces. In medium bowl mix together chicken, soup, yogurt, chilies, one cup of cheese and milk.

Pour over the rice. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, top with more cheese then with the french fried onions. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Easy Chicken Bake

Found this yummy recipe at Kraft Recipes. Made a couple of changes according to what I had and added the balsamic just because I thought is sounded good. Very simple and super yummy!

1 box stuffing mix for chicken
1 to 1.5 lb chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
balsamic vinegar
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup plain greek nonfat yogurt
1 can cut green beans
1 can cream style corn

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, 375 for RVs or convection ovens. Prepare stuffing mix according to directions on box, set aside. In medium bowl mix together chicken with a dash of balsamic vinegar. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spray casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour chicken mixture into dish.

Top with stuffing mix. Cook in oven for about 30 minutes or until chicken is done.

Serve and enjoy!

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Yummiest Chicken Pot Pie EVER!!

I found this wonderful recipe for Deep Dish Chicken Pot Pie at Kraft Recipes years ago. It was always a HUGE hit at our house, the kids and the hubby all loved it. A rarity indeed! Since it has just been John and I, I hadn't made this recipe in a LONG time. Now that I am cooking for four, I decided to pull this recipe out and dust it off. It was a hit once again!

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
1/3 cup Italian dressing
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
2 Tbsp flour
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 cups frozen vegetables, thawed
2 pie crusts for 9 in deep dish pie

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In large skillet cook chicken in Italian dressing over med heat for about two to three minutes. Add the cream cheese and continue cooking until melted, about three to five minutes.

Stir in flour. Add vegetables and broth, stir. (This time I used some corn and peas I had left in the freezer. You can also used canned vegetables.)

Simmer for about five minutes, until juice is thick and bubbly. In deep dish pie pan place one of the pie crusts. Pour in the chicken/vegie mixture.

Top with remaining pie crust, sealing the two crusts together. Cut slits in top crust. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve and enjoy!

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See Ya In The Gumbo

All My Bloggy Friends

Thursday Favorite Things

Freedom Fridays

Three Cheese Rice and Chicken

One thing I am definitely going to miss, here in Early/Brownwood, is HEB! More specifically I am going to miss the HEB brand Texas Rice. I have made several dishes using this rice and will have to find an equivalent or come up with my own spice blend to add to my rice. This is one of the yummy dishes I made using that rice. Cheesy, spicy chicken with rice!

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped chicken breast
1 jalapeno, chopped
10.7 oz box Texas Rice, Deep in the Hearty Texas flavor
3 cups water
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded habanero jack cheese
1 sm tomato, chopped

In large skillet, heat oil. Add chicken and cook till done.

Stir in the jalapeno and cook for an additional two minutes. Stir in the rice, setting the seasoning packet aside.

When rice begins to brown, add the water and the seasoning packet, stirring well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. When rice is done stir in cream cheese and heat until melted. Add cheddar cheese, habanero jack cheese and tomato. Stir until mixed in. Remove from heat.

Serve and enjoy!

Southwestern Crusted Shepherds Pie

I found a recipe for Mesquite Crusted Shepherds Pie at the kraft website. The store I was shopping at did not carry the Fresh Take Smokey Mesquite BBQ Cheese and Breadcrumb mix, so I substituted Fresh Takes Southwestern Three Cheese Cheese and Breadcrumb mixture.

I also only prepared half the recipe and added mushrooms. It turned out yummy!

3/4 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped mushroom
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup frozen corn
4 oz tomato sauce
1/2  6 oz pkg of fresh take southwestern three cheese mixture, mixed together (1 cup), divided
2 cups mashed potatoes

Brown meat with onions, garlic and mushrooms, draining if necessary.

Remove from heat and preheat oven to 375 degrees, 350 for RV ovens. Stir in corn, tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of breadcrumb/cheese mixture.

Pour beef mixture into bottom of 7"x11" casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup breadcrumb/cheese mixture.

Heat in oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve and enjoy!

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Slow Cooker Chicken Tator Tot Casserole

I seem to falling behind on my posts and I think it is only going to get worse the rest of this week. I've had this recipe ready to post for a week now. A yummy Nacho Chowder waiting in the wings. Coming up this week is Simple Fudge, Snowman Poop and Chicken Bacon Alfredo Pizza. Of course there is also my menu plan for the week, which I will try to have ready sometime tomorrow. With family visiting, last minute shopping and just being a little bit lazy I just keep putting the blog off. Anyway, back to today's post. This was a really yummy casserole that I made for our group this last week. I found this recipe over at The Country Cook or rather I was led to it by Jamie over at Love Bakes Good Cakes when I saw it on her menu plan for the week. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it, to me it was missing something but I have yet to figure out what that was. John and I enjoyed the leftovers for breakfast and it actually seemed better the second time around. I will have to make this again just to see if I can figure out what was missing.

32 oz bag frozen tator tots
3 slices crisp cooked bacon
1 1/2 to 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
2 cups shredded cheese, colby jack and cheddar
1 cup milk
salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder

Spray 4 qt slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.

Layer half of the tator tots into the bottom. Top with one slice of crumbled bacon and 2/3 cup of cheese.

Layer chicken on top of tator tots. Season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Top with the remaining tator tots, cheese and crumbled bacon. Season with additional onion and garlic powder if desired. Pour milk over the top.

Cook on low for about six hours. Serve and enjoy!

Oven Variation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. After you've cooked the bacon; season the chicken with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder; then cook the chicken in the grease remaining in the skillet. Layer half the tator tots into the bottom of a large casserole pan. Top with one slice of the crumbled bacon and 2/3 cup of shredded cheese. Layer chicken on top of the tots. Top with the other half of the tator tots, remaining cheese and bacon. Season with additional onion and garlic powder. Poor milk over the casserole. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until tots are browned and crispy.

Serve and enjoy!

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Buffalo Chicken Casserole

I was looking through my pins, looking for a recipe for chicken. When I go through my pinterest boards looking for something, I try to start with the oldest pin, otherwise they just get forgotten there on the bottom of the page. I pinned this recipe about seven months ago. I figured it was about time I made it. I'm very glad I did. The hubby was extremely pleased, which makes me very happy. It was not overly spicy, the sauce was creamy and oh so yummy. I see this being made often in our future! I made a couple of changes other than reducing the recipe by half (mostly) - I omitted the celery and did NOT cut the hot sauce in half although I did decrease it slightly. To see the original recipe click HERE. Here's what I came up with:

8 oz pasta, I used rotini
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 to 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into one inch cubes
3 Tbsp cornstarch
2 cups milk
dash of salt
4 Tbsp hot sauce
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In saucepan cook noodles till barely tender, about two minutes less that directions on package.

Drain and set aside. In same saucepan heat oil over medium heat.

Add carrots, onion and garlic and cook until beginning to soften, about five minutes. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink on the outside, about five to seven minutes. Whisk cornstarch into the milk and add to saucepan along with the salt. Heat over medium-high until mixture begins to bubble and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about four minutes. (Be careful not to over-thicken the sauce or when you pour it over the noodles it will just sit on top rather than pouring down into the noodles.) Remove from heat and stir in hot sauce. In small casserole dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, I used my 9" deep dish pie plate, spread the noodles in the bottom.

Pour the chicken mixture over the top of the noodles. Sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles. Bake for 30 minutes, then let stand for 10 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

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King Ranch Casserole

I LOVE King Ranch Casserole and for whatever reason I have not made it in a VERY long time. I have corrected that situation and promised myself I would not let it happen again. I used sour cream instead of cream of mushroom soup and think I will stick with that. Huge hit!!

1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, 10-12 oz, cooked and chopped
2 cups broken tortilla chips (I used doritos, a combination of ranch and spicy nacho)
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 10 3/4 oz can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Layer chips in 10x10 casserole dish. Combine tomatoes, chicken soup, sour cream and red onion.

Pour half of mixture over the chips.

Top with the chicken and half the cheese. Cover with remaining soup mixture. Bake for 20 minutes.

Top with remaining cheese and continue baking until cheese is melted.

Served with Green Beans, which I changed slightly using 1 clove minced garlic in place of garlic powder. Enjoy!

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Check out all the amazing things linked up this week!