Chicken Brocoli Bake/ Chicken Dijon

One of our favorites from a recipe in the Heritage cookbook, I double it for my family and serve with rice or if I am taking a meal to someone or freezing it, I add 2-4 cups cooked rice on the bottom of pan. 

4 Chicken Breast, cooked and cut up in strips*
Fresh broccoli spears,  cooked till tender or use 1 10oz pkg frozen, cooked an drained.
1 cup  milk
1 8oz pkg cream cheese , can use low fat
1/2 teas salt
1/4 teas garlic powder
1/2 c Parmesan cheese

In a sauce pan, mix milk, soft cream cheese, slat and garlic and 1/2 parmesan cheese.  Stir and cook till thick.
In bottom of 9x9 greased with butter pan, 9x 13 if doubled,  Put (rice then ) broccoli then chicken breast and pour sauce over.  Sprinkle with rest of parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  4 servings



 *I use the breast meat off a Costco chicken cut up or 3- 4 boneless skinless breast, thawed and grilled or bake in the oven at 400 till brown, usually 15 minutes. Recipes calls for 3-4 chicken breast with skins and bones, simmer for 45 minutes in 2 cups water and 1 teas celery salt, discard liquid, cool and skin and bone chicken.

Chicken Dijon- very simiar, but tastier, my kids don't like it but I do!
4 large chicken breast or whole chicken, cooked and diced
2 packages of frozen broccoli, 10 oz , cooked,  I use fresh...
Make sauce :
2 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup  mayo
1 lemon, juiced
1t curry
Layer chicken and broccoli and pour sauce over and top with
1/2c cheese, grated
Bake a 350 for 25-30 minutes
Serve with rice

4 large

Potato Cheese Soup

This has been a staple in our home for years.  My friend Shelley Kruger brought this for dinner one night in Las Vegas and everyone loved it.  Seem like a lot of steps, they are easy and worth it. 

3-4 large Potatos  (5-6 small)
1/4-12c diced onions ( I use dried 1-2T )
3-4 cups Chicken Broth
1/2 c butter ( I have used 1/4c- just add 1/2 of the flour with the cream cheese)
1/2 c flour
1 brick of low fat cream cheese- fat free doesn't work as well
2-4 cups of Milk
1-2 c shredded cheese
bacon bits  or fresh bacon crumbled
 

-Peel and dice 4 large potatos and place in large pot with  diced onions
-Cover with Chicken Broth 3-4 cups ( I always use homemade or 1-2 cans swanson) and boil till tender.
-In a smaller pan melt butter and add flour to make roux.  Add cream cheese brick and slighty melt adding 2 cups of milk blending till becomes thick. 
-Immediately add to potatos and stir with wisk till blended. Let heat till thick, do not boil, add salt and pepper to taste, amont of salt depends on your broth
-Add 1-2 more cups of milk if needed to thin out

Serve with Shredded cheese, diced bacon or even coooked brocoli/ carrots.

Casey's Coconut Cake/ homemade condensed milk

Over spring break, Megan had a friend from Texas come visit to go on College tours in Colorado.   They have a tradition of breaking a coconut and making a cake with it.  I found this recipe and it was a big hit- alot like tres leches cake... of course we used freshly grated coconut!

 Ingredients:
1 white cake prepared- use egg whites only
1 13 oz can coconut milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk- see recipe below or use ff
1 cup milk- I left this out so  and was glad I did-
1 bag of shredded coconut
butter
Whipped Topping
fruit toppings
Instructions:
1.  Prepare your white cake
2.  While it is baking, mix the 3 milks together and set aside
3.  When the cake comes out of the oven, pierce it all over with a fork to create holes for the liquid to seep into
4.  Slowly pour the milk all over the cake
5.  Refrigerate the cake until chilled through
6.  Mix 1 small container of whipped topping with 1 cup of shredded coconut.  Spread over top of cake.
7.  In a pan, melt 1 T butter.  Add remaining coconut and stay close, stirring frequently, while the coconut toasts.  Remove when you have a light toast and sprinkle all over the top of the cake.
8.  Top with your fruit of choice.

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk (like Eagle Brand)...never buy it again!

1/2 cup cold water,

1-1/3 cups nonfat dry milk powder,

3/4 cup sugar,

1 teaspoon vanilla.

Directions: Stir milk into cold water.

Microwave on high 45 seconds to 1 minute until steaming, stir in sugar & vanilla. Refrigerate till cool before using...makes 1-1/3 cups (1 can).