Good Food!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. As usual we all got WAY too much!! It was great time with family and friends. But being home and hubby being home I have been doing a good bit of cooking. Here are two new recipes I have tried out on my family this week and they have been HITS!!!! Thought I would share:

Creamy Chicken Noodle Bake
4 cups uncooked egg noodles
1/2 cup butter, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
3-1/2 cups milk
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 jars (12oz each) chicken gravy
1 jar (2oz) diced pimientos, drained
1/2 cup cubed process cheese (Velveeta)
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
4 tsp. butter, melted

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, melt 6 Tbsp. butter. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in the chicken, gravy and pimientos. (I left out the pimientos)

Drain noodles; toss with remaining butter. Stir into chicken mixture. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly.

Combine the cheese, bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle around edges of casserole. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.


Very Veggie Soup
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1-1/3 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. canola oil
1 carton (32 oz.) reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cans (14-1/2 oz each) diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic, undrained
1 pkg. (16 oz) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp adobo seasoning
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry Parmesan curls

In a Dutch oven, saute the zucchini, mushrooms, onion, and garlic in oil until tender. Add the broth, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, spaghetti sauce and seasonings.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in spinach; heat through. Garnish each serving with cheese.

This soup had so many good things in it and my 3 year old daughter LOVED it!!!