Shepard's Pie

1/4 lb ground hamburger
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 1/2 cup frozen peas
4 large potatoes
1/2 cub butter
1 cup cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

brown the meat until no longer pink. drain. add diced tomatoes and peas. meanwhile, peal and chopped potatoes and bring a medium sauce pan full of water to a boil. cook potatoes until they are tender with a fork. mash potatoes in a mixer with butter and add salt and pepper for taste. in a 9x9 casserole dish cover the bottom with meat mixture and top with mashed potatoes. sprinkle with cheese on top.
bake for 25 minutes until bubbling and cheese is completely melted.

Chicken and wildrice casserole

ingredients:
2 6-oz. pkgs. quick-cooking long-grain & wild rice with seasoning packets {rice-a-roni, uncle ben's, etc}
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/3 cup frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
3 cups water

directions:
gently stir together all ingredients. spread into an ungreased 9x13 pan. bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. serves 6-8.

Cheesy Cauliflower Bake

*Serves 4-5

2 slices hearty white or wheat sandwich bread, torn into pieces
1/2 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 large cauliflower head, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch florets (about 6 cups)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Pulse the bread, 1 tablespoon cheddar, 1 tablespoon Monterey Jack, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 clove minced garlic, pinch of salt and pepper in a food processor until coarsely ground.

Heat the remaining butter, remaining garlic and flour in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the cream and broth. Stir in cauliflower, dry mustard, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is nearly tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the rest of the cheese.

Pour mixture into an 8X8-inch baking dish and top with bread crumbs. Bake until the crumbs are golden and crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Jambalaya

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 links spicy smoked sausages
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 rib celery, sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 can(14 oz) diced tomatoes with zesty mild green chilies, drained
1 cup white rice
1 can (15.5 oz) light low sodium chicken broth

Heat oil in large skillet or saute pan over medium high heat. Add chicken and sausage and saute, shaking pan and stirring frequently until chicken is no longer pink but not cooked completely, about 4 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, remove chicken and sausage to a bowl. Reduce heat to medium and add onion, green pepper and celery to skillet. Cool veggies until crisp and tender about 5 minutes. Stir in Cajun seasoning, tomatoes and rice, Add broth.

Bring to a simmer, then cover pan and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer 20 minutes, until almost all liquid is absorbed. Stir in chicken and sausage back into pan, along with any accumulated juices. Cook uncovered, 5 minutes, until rice is tender.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Topping:
4 slices white sandwich bread, torn into quarters (I used a long forgotten bread bowl tucked in the back of the freezer – thawed it in the microwave before using)
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
3 pounds russet potatoes (about 4-5 medium), peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup heavy cream or milk
6 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded, about 2 cups
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat and sliced thinly
9 ounces deli ham, chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

For the topping, process the bread and butter in a food processor until coarsely ground. Set aside.

For the filling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, making sure the oven rack is in the middle. Place the potatoes, 6 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are partially cooked, about 2 minutes (don’t overcook because they will continue to cook in the oven!). Carefully drain potatoes, or remove them with a slotted spoon, and transfer them to a bowl. Set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until the onions are softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute (this helps cook out the flour taste in the roux). Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and the cream or milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking often, until slightly thickened (if using milk instead of cream, you may have to cook longer for it to thicken up a bit). Off the heat, whisk in the Swiss cheese, Dijon, and cayenne pepper until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until ready to use.

Toss the potatoes with half of the sauce and spread into the bottom of a lightly greased 9X13-inch baking pan. Layer alternating pieces of the chicken and ham over the potatoes, overlapping as needed. This is not a scientific procedure, just make sure that the chicken is in a single layer (not on top of each other) so that it cooks thoroughly. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the chicken and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the casserole is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes (add about 5-7 additional minutes onto the baking time if baking it after it has chilled in the refrigerator for more than a couple of hours). Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Pot Pie

1/3C butter
1/3 C flour
1 TBSP onion flakes
1 TBSP chicken soup base (better than bouillon)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 3/4 C water
2/3 C milk
2 C chicken
1or 2 celery stocks
6 oz of mixed peas and carrots (frozen)
2 or 3 cubed (small) potatoes
2 pie shells

Melt butter and mix in onion flakes, add soup base, salt , pepper and flour. Mix together and let cook on low for about 1 min. Add water, milk potatoes and celery. Mix well and continue stirring while it boils for one min. Add peas, carrots and chicken.
Let cool just a little bit and then fill pie crust. Don't forget to poke holes in your top crust!
Bake at 375' for about 25- 30 min. You may want to cover your edges, they get dark faster.

Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole

3 large pieces of chicken
2 cups uncooked rice
1/2 stick of butter
1 medium onion
3 medium garlic cloves
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup flour
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup cream
1 bag peas and carrots
8 oz shredded cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Ritz crackers
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Cook rice as directed on package
Cut up chicken and cook and set aside
In a large skillet, melt butter and add onion to brown
Stir in garlic, cayenne pepper and flour. Wait 1 minute
Slowly whisk in broth and cream
Add veggies and chicken to cream mixture. Bring to boil and then remove from heat
In a 9x13 baking dish. Place all cooked rice. Pour chicken cream mixture on top.
Top with Cheese
In a separate bowl smash 1 package of Ritz cracker into crumbs and add seasoned breadcrumb mix
Sprinkle crumb mixture on top of the cheese.
Squeeze lemon on top
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is brown and bubbly.