Chicken Lasagna Florentine ***

We haven't had this in ages, but for some reason, it just hit me when I was making our grocery list that it would be a good addition to this week's menu.  I love this recipe!  It's almost like a spinach dip with chicken and noodles.  All the best foods, lol.  I used frozen diced chicken and didn't do the one hour on high.  I cooked it on low for 7 hours.  That was really a bit too long, so I'll probably cut it back a bit next time.  Other than the noodles on bottom sticking a bit, it was pure perfection. 

Photo courtesy of Cooking Light

CHICKEN LASAGNA FLORENTINE
(Sandy ~ Bettyinthekitchen via Cooking Light)

2 (10-3/4oz) cans condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 (10oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 (9oz) pkg diced cooked chicken (two small or one large boneless skinless chicken breast)
1 (8oz) carton low-fat sour cream
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/2 cup (2 oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
9 uncooked lasagna noodles
cooking spray
1 cup (4 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Combine first 10 ingredients in large bowl.
Spread about 1/4 cup sauce in bottom of a 5-quart slow cooker coated with cooking spray. Add 3 uncooked lasagna noodles, breaking noodles in half as necessary to fit slow cooker. Spread one-third of chicken mixture over noodles, sprinkle with 1/3 cup mozzarella. Layer 3 more noodles, half of remaining chicken mixture, and 1/3 cup mozzarella. Top with remaining noodles and chicken mixture; sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese.
Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting 1 hour. Reduce to low-heat setting; cook 5 hours or until pasta is done. Yield: 8 servings. (serving size: about 1 cup)

Layered Ramen Casserole ***

I made this for lunch today, and we all liked it.  I made the mistake of using both flavor packets, since I was using ground turkey.  Won't do that again.  It made it way too salty.  Other than that, though, it was really good.  I wish that I could figure out a way to dirty up less dishes with it, though.  When it's a pretty simple type meal like this, I don't like dirtying up a lot of plates with it.  All in all, I'll be doing this again. 

Photo courtesy of Recipezaar

LAYERED RAMEN CASSEROLE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Recipezaar)

2 (3 ounce) packages ramen noodles (chicken flavored)
1 lb ground beef
3 eggs
2 cups shredded cheese (any kind)
1 tablespoon minced onion (rehydrated)
1 cup spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Separate the ramen noodles from their flavor packets.
Brown beef, mixing in ONE ramen noodle flavor packet and the rehydrated onion. Add the other Ramen flavor packet if beef needs more flavor. Typically you won't need to.
Drain beef and pour into the bottom of a 8x8 dish or a 2qt glass dish, both work. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over the top of beef while it's still hot, so it melts into it.
Cook egg in same pan as beef, I usually just mix the egg really well and cook through, but you can scramble it if you prefer. Place egg on top of beef and add another 1/2 cup cheese.
Boil ramen noodles until softened and drain. Mix Prego (or any preferred spaghetti sauce) into ramen noodles and pour on top of the eggs. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the noodles.
Place in oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo Stew **

This wasn't as good as I had hoped, but it has great potential. The problem was just that it was a little bland. Some of the descriptions on the website said that using the garlic alfredo sauce was an option, so I think I'm going to try that next time (and there will be a next time!). I'm also going to leave out the basil and use 1 tsp of Italian Seasoning. Other than that, it was a really hearty soup with lots of yummy veggies. I used a Spring Vegetable mix, which had broccoli, squash, and carrots. I couldn't find refrigerated diced potatoes, so I just got the ones in the freezer section by the hashbrowns and thawed them out. Worked perfectly. :)

Photo courtesy of BettyCrocker.com

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN ALFREDO STEW
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ BettyCrocker.com)

1 (16 ounce) jar alfredo sauce
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups refrigerated diced potatoes with onions (cooked, from 20-oz bag)
1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
1 (1 lb) bag frozen mixed vegetables

In small bowl, mix pasta sauce, water, basil, and salt.
Spray 3- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, layer half each of the potatoes, chicken strips, frozen vegetables, and pasta sauce.
Repeat layers, ending with pasta sauce.
Cover, and cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.

Martha Stewart's Cheesy Hash Brown Bake ***

This was really nothing special, but because of how simple it is to throw together and how yummy it tastes, we all gave it two thumbs-up. The potatoes get just a little crispy on top, which gives the perfect contrast for the chili. The cheese is just slightly mixed into the potato, so it's not an overly cheesy taste. I used the Hormel chunky chili, which was actually really good.

MARTHA STEWART'S CHEESY HASH BROWN BAKE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Martha Stewart Living)

4 cups chili
1 (16 ounce) bag frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
coarse salt
ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425, with rack set in upper third. Divide chili among four individual baking dishes (10 to 12 ounces each). Set aside.
Place potatoes in a double layer of paper towels; squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
In a large bowl, combine potatoes, cheese, and cilantro; season with salt and pepper. Scatter potato mixture over chili. Place baking dishes on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until potatoes are golden brown and chili is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve.
*Amy's notes: I made mine altogether in a 9x13 baking dish.

Crockpot Pork Chops and Stuffing ***

As my 5-year-old said when he was little, "This was dee-hishus!"  I ran through Food.com this morning, looking for something I could easily pick up from the grocery store and throw in the crock on my lunch break.  This was perfect.  As I've mentioned before, sometimes I get a craving for StoveTop, and nothing else will suffice.  The pork chops come out so tender and flavorful.  I made a few changes, as always, but nothing drastic.  I used 10 thawed boneless chops, added an extra 1/4 cup of water, and cooked for 6 hours on low.  I also used onion-mushroom soup mix instead of plain onion and StoveTop cornbread dressing instead of stuffing, since those are my preferences.  It was a little salty, but I just noticed that I used two packets of soup mix when it only called for one.  That explains the saltiness, lol.  Other than that, it was great.  Definitely a keeper for us.

Photo courtesy of Recipezaar

CROCKPOT PORK CHOPS AND STUFFING
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Recipezaar.com)

8 frozen pork chops
1 package dry onion soup mix
2 boxes Stove Top stuffing mix
4 cups water

Place 2 cups warm water in bottom of crock pot.
Place pork chops in crock pot.
Sprinkle onion soup mix on top of pork chops.
Pour stuffing mix on top and pour water on top of stuffing mix.
Cook on High for 2 hours and then cook on low for about 4 more hours.
Usually the stuffing comes out mushy and moist, just the way my family likes it.
If you don't want to change temps while cooking, just cook on low for 6-8 hours.
*Amy's notes: I used 10 thawed boneless chops, added an extra 1/4 cup of water, and cooked for 6 hours on low.  I also used onion-mushroom soup mix instead of plain onion and StoveTop cornbread dressing instead of stuffing.