Classic Repeat: Ham & Noodle Casserole - Now Even Easier!

So... there is nothing worse than getting to dinner time and gathering your ingredients together only to realize you are missing something that you thought you had... right? Well I went to make this classic recipe the other night only to find that I only had 6 lasagna noodles - not enough! So we decided to do Ham & Spaghetti pasta instead. It was just as delicious and a whole lot easier. Less hassle, less cooking time - I may have a very hard time going back to the original recipe! If you want to take a look at the original go here. The picture isn't the exact recipe but it looks the same. The photo is courtesy of Shutterstock and can be found here.

HAM & NOODLE CASSEROLE


1 can Cream of Mushroom
1 c. sour cream
1 16 oz. pkg of spaghetti noodles
2 c. cheese (shredded)
2 c. cubed ham (16 oz.) (Deli ham works perfectly fine as well)
½ c. milk

Mix soup, sour cream, and milk. Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. Add soup mixture, ham, and cheese to noodles. Mix thoroughly and heat gently just until the cheese has melted.

*I like to add some onion powder, salt, and pepper to my mix to give it more flavor.

Classic Repeat: Buffalo Chicken Wing Soup

It has been long enough since I posted this that I needed to share it again, especially since the weather is so wonderfully cooling down. This smooth soup with just a bit of kickback is exactly what one needs to make these cold days even better. We love this soup and it is so easy and quick to make with such basic ingredients! The picture is courtesy of Allrecipes.com. My original post for this soup can be found here.

Classic Repeat: Oven-Fried Chicken Chimichangas

This one is a classic. When you're tired and want a quick meal that will come together super fast and still be extremely tasty - this is the one. My husband and I love these! The recipe and picture are courtesy of Campbell's Kitchen and can be found here.

OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN CHIMICHANGAS
From Campbell's Kitchen

2/3 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
2 green onions, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Fresh cilantro leaves

1.Stir the picante sauce, cumin, oregano, chicken, cheese and onions in a medium bowl.

2.Place about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla. Fold the opposite sides over the filling. Roll the tortillas up from the bottom and place them seam-side down on a baking sheet. Brush the tortilla rolls with butter.

3.Bake at 400°F. for 25 minutes or until they're golden brown. Serve with additional picante sauce. Garnish with cilantro.

Classic Repeat : Balsamic Chicken Noodle Bowl

This is one of our all time favorite meals. I gave this recipe to my mom after trying it and loving it and now she can make a HUGE bowl of this stuff and my brothers will stack their plates like it is their last meal. One of the big things I did differently this time was I actually used shredded chicken (normally we just cut the chicken into cubes). Let me tell you, it made a big difference! The shredded chicken helps absorb more of the dressing so that you don't have an oily puddle in the bottom of your pan/bowl. It made the taste a bit lighter while still leaving it FULL of flavor! YUM! And I just love how quickly this comes together. I got home from work at 5:30 and we were done eating by 6:10!

This picture and recipe are courtesy of My Kitchen Cafe and can be found here.



BALSAMIC CHICKEN NOODLE BOWL
From My Kitchen Cafe

1 pound linguine

1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
4 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
5 garlic cloves, finely minced
½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil (can substitute 1 cup fresh basil)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups shredded or cubed mozzarella cheese
½ cup feta cheese

Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until just tender according to package directions. Drain.

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. When combined, slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is completely combined.

While the pasta is boiling, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the bell pepper. Cook briefly until crisp-tender. Add the cooked chicken and cook for 1-2 more minutes, until the chicken is heated through.

When the noodles have been drained, add the hot noodles to the skillet with the red pepper and chicken and toss. Add the shredded or cubed mozzarella and toss quickly to combine before the cheese melts. Pour the dressing over the top and toss with tongs to coat all the ingredients with the dressing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Classic Repeat : Chicken with Lemon Sauce

Remember this one? I sure do and I still LOVE it! Not very hard to make and SUPER tasty. What could be better than that?


CHICKEN WITH LEMON SAUCE
from Delectable Dining

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup all purpose flour, divided
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 teaspoons salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, divided
2 eggs
5 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups apple juice
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Flatten chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. In a shallow bowl, combine 3/4 cup flour, Parmesan cheese, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. In another bowl, beat the eggs. Dip chicken into eggs and coat with flour mixture. In a large skillet, cook chicken in 2 tablespoons butter and oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Remove and keep warm. In a small bowl, combine the remaining flour, salt and pepper; stir in broth until smooth. Add apple juice to the skillet, stirring to loosen any browned bits. Stir broth mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Stir in lemon juice; cook for 1 minute. Add parsley and remaining butter; cook and stir until butter is melted. Serve over chicken with noodles.

Classic Repeat : Taco Rice Bowl

We LOVE this one! So good and you don't even HAVE to have Doritoes to make it. Crush up some tortilla chips and mix in the salsa! YUM!

http://shaylaskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/02/super-simple-taco-rice-bowl.html

Classic Repeat: Crockpot Creamy Southwestern Chicken Nachos

If you missed this recipe before ADD IT TO YOUR ARSENAL!!!! It is so easy to make and SOOO tasty! Add some olives, onions, and guacamole on top and I can eat WAY more than I should!

http://shaylaskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/05/crockpot-creamy-southwestern-chicken.html

Classic Repeat : General Tso's Chicken

I have been missing in action! I have still been cooking but without the internet it is really hard to blog! We had this again a few nights ago and it was SOOO good. I think it was better than I have ever made it before because I followed the "heat" directions to a T! Only use 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and a FEW red pepper flakes and it is perfect!

GENERAL TSO’S CHICKEN

1 Lb. chicken breasts (cut into 1" pieces)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. "lite" soy sauce
1/4 c. unsweetened pineapple juice
1/4 c. white distilled vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. cornstarch, mixed with 3 Tbsp. water
4 green onions, sliced

Dredge chicken in flour and fry in oil over medium heat (in a wok or a skillet) until golden brown and crispy. Drain excess oil. Sprinkle cayenne over the chicken and keep warm on low heat. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine sauce ingredients (sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, and ginger) and heat gently. When sauce is smooth and sugar has dissolved, SLOWLY add cornstarch mixture and stir constantly until sauce has thickened to desired thickness. Pour sauce in the wok and stir to coat chicken. Stir in green onion and hot red pepper flakes (optional). Remove from heat and serve

*I cut some of the chicken into small strips too for variety. I used regular soy sauce at just under ¼ cup, sprinkled minced garlic in, and used ½ tsp. ground ginger.

Classic Repeat : Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

This is a quick and delicious recipe that we love around our house. (And I am told it is a favorite at my brother-in-law's household too!) And I like to believe that it is better for you than most fettucine alfredos because it isn't made with heavy cream. I made a few changes to the recipe this time for extra flavor so instead of just posting the link I am going to post the entire recipe again. The picture is courtesy of Campbell's Kitchen.

CHICKEN & BROCCOLI ALFREDO

8 oz. uncooked linguine or spaghetti
1 c fresh or frozen broccoli florets
2 T butter or margarine
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 c milk
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 t pepper
½ t salt
1 tsp fresh minced garlic
juice of half a lemon

Prepare linguine according to package directions. Add broccoli for last four minutes of cooking time; drain. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink, stirring often. Add soup, milk, cheese, pepper, salt, garlic, lemon juice and linguine mixture; heat through, stirring occasionally. Serve with additional cheese. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Classic Repeat: Hot Dog Casserole

This one is not healthy by any means. But if you wanted to make it better then you could spend the extra money to buy fat free hot dogs and low fat cheese. This one was a HUGE hit in my house growing up and it is a sure-fire kid pleaser! Jake and I like to mix some hot sauce in with ours and it is DELICIOUS. Besides, if nothing else, it is SOOOOOO cheap to make. A pack of hot dogs is easily $0.88, we got 10 lbs. of potatoes on sale for $0.58. Basically the most expensive part is the cheese. And if you are wise and buy the cheese in bulk it is a lot cheaper. Smith's Tillamook cheese is regularly just over $11 for 5 pounds of pre-shredded cheddar cheese. Cheap and tasty? That is my kind of meal!

http://shaylaskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/11/hot-dog-casserole.html