Chicken Divan Casserole

This casserole has is all - protein, vegetables, creamy sauce and crunchy bread. Even nicer, you choose the spice you are in the mood for - curry or Essence of Emeril.


INGREDIENTS
3lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup mushrooms
1 broccoli head
1/2 cup of curry OR Essence of Emeril
5 cloves of garlic (frozen) Trader Joes
4 slices of your favorite bread. 
1/2 cup of salted butter
Garlic salt

HOW TO MAKE
Boil 3lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast in 1/2 cup chicken broth and top with water.
Steam 1 head of broccoli until al dente.

In a bowl combine the cans of soup, 1 can of milk, 4 cloves of crushed garlic, 1/2 cup dehydrated onions.  Add the diced chicken and broccoli to the mixture. (Add 1 cup of sliced mushrooms (optional) Pour all ingredients into the casserole dish. Add the spice.
Top with 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.
For the bread topping: melt 1/2 cup of salted butter and 1 clove of garlic.  Add diced bread and coat evenly.  (I used old hot dogs buns for this recipe but sourdough works well)   Evenly spread the bread atop the casserole. 

Bake covered at 350˚ for 40 minutes.  Remove foil and cook for 10 more minutes at 375˚.

Enjoy.

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Shepherds Pie Casserole

Is your man a meat and potatoes kind-of-guy? If yes, then this casserole is for him!


INGREDIENTS
2 lbs. of ground beef or a pot roast*
1/4 cup of  Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 cup Beef Broth
3 dashes of Worteshire
1 white or yellow onion finely diced
2 garlic cloves finely diced*
1 pound bag of assorted vegetables* (corn, green beans, carrots and peas)
4 large baking (russet) potatoes
1 box of Trader Joe'sTurkey Gravy*


HOW TO MAKE
Prepare the potatoes and boil.  While boiling, chop the onion and cook in a pan along with the meat.  Brown the meat until cooked through and onions are translucent.  Drain grease. Add beef broth,  Worstershire, seasoning to the meat and onions.  Mix thoroughly and taste to see if you need more seasoning.  Place the meat in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.  Add the garlic to the pan along with the vegetables.  Cook until softened.  Pour vegetables atop meat in the casserole dish.
When pototoes are soft, mash them.  Add 1/2 cup and 1 stick of butter and season with salt and pepper.  Beat until creamy.  Layer the mashed potatoes on top of the vegetable and meat in the casserole dish. 
Bake at 375˚ for 30 minutes.  
Heat gravy in a saucepan and pour ontop of the casserole upon serving. 


*VARIATIONS
Cook a round roast in a crock pot with lipton onion soup mix and water.  Shred it and use as the base.
Put cheese on top of the potatoes. 
Substitute above vegetables with mushrooms, broccoli, etc.
Add garlic to your mashed potatoes.


Have you tried this recipe or any of the other casserole dishes we feature?  Make it a Monday Night habit.

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Orange Chicken Dinner and Gratitude Fortune Cookies

Looking for an orange chicken dish that you can make yourself, without all the MSG? Your search ends in the freezer section at Trader Joe's. The Mandarin Orange Chicken is a family favorite of ours. I garnish it with green onions before serving and accompany it with fried rice, a recipe made with brown rice (also from Trader Joe's) mixed with mushrooms, onions, and egg.

For dessert, fortune cookies go perfect with this meal. Try this classic recipe but insert messages of gratitude inside as part of the gratitude challenge. Take the pledge and download the 21-day calendar.

Gratitude fortune cookies would make a great girl scout or brownie project.

Fortune Cookie Ingredients (via FoodNetwork.com)

• Nonstick spray
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 tablespoons water
• Pinch salt
• Fortunes written on strips of colored paper
• Special equipment: silpat

Directions

Cook's Note: using a silpat makes it easier to remove the cookies from the sheet tray.

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

On a half sheet tray, spray a silpat with nonstick spray. In a medium bowl whisk egg whites until foamy. Add the flour, sugar, almond extract, water, and salt to the egg whites and beat until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour or spoon 1 tablespoon of batter onto prepared silpat and spread with the back of a spoon into a very thin 4-inch circle. Repeat on the other half of the sheet, making only 2 cookies per sheet tray. Bake the cookies on middle rack of oven until golden brown around edges, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and working very quickly, with an offset spatula, remove cookie from baking sheet and place a fortune in the center of the round. Fold to create a half circle. Bend pointed edges of cookie toward each. This should be done quickly since the cookie will become hard and brittle within 10 seconds. Let cool.

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A Champion's Breakfast-Oatmeal Egg Pancakes

As a soccer mom, I want the most nutrition for my player before the game. Unfortunately the early games prevent this from happening - until I found out about Oatmeal Egg Pancakes.

Beat 2 eggs, mix with one pouch of oatmeal (I use Trader Joe's Organic Oats and Flax Instant Oatmeal)

Add a splash of nonfat milk (or water) and stir. Spray your skillet with a light cooking spray then pour mixture into pan just as you would a pancake.

Serve with fruit of choice.

Note: these are great to-go just in case you are running late. Like me =)

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