Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole 

1 lb. Pasta (I used penne-you could use any fun shaped pasta)
1 cup Chicken Breasts, cooked and cubed
1 cup Ham, cooked and cubed
1 1/2 cups Milk
8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
2 Tbsp. Dried Minced Onion
2 cups Swiss Cheese, shredded
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne Pepper(optional-add to cheese mixture)
1 cup Panko Crumbs
1/2 cup Butter, melted

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over med-high heat. Salt it and add the pasta; cook until al dente (about 11 minutes-I used whole wheat pasta which takes a bit longer than regular pasta). Drain and return to the pot. Add in the chicken and ham and toss to combine.

Preheat the broiler. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, cream cheese and minced onion over low-medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until it becomes a smooth texture (about 5 minutes). Stir into the pasta mixture. Stir in the Swiss cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer pasta to a baking dish and top with Panko crumbs. Pour melted butter over crumbs and broil until browned (I gave it 4 minutes).

Creamy Ham and Macaroni

This Recipe is a keeper and I am sick of having to search for it online, so I am posting it here.  It comes from: http://www.parents.com/blogs/thrifty-frugal-mom/2013/05/21/recipes/tasty-tuesday-creamy-ham-n-macaroni-2/

Creamy Ham N Macaroni
2 c. uncooked macaroni (or other pasta)
3 tbsp. butter
¼ c. flour
2 c. milk
4 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
¼ tsp. pepper
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 ½ c. cubed fully cooked ham
¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese
Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in the milk, bouillon and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup cheddar cheese, ham, Parmesan cheese and macaroni. Transfer to a greased 2 qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
* If you don’t care for ham, try it without- maybe just up the macaroni by 1/4 cup.  I think it would still be really good!
Yield: 6 servings

Creamy Ranch Chicken

Creamy Ranch Chicken
From: Delicious Recipes
6 slices bacon, cooked
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 T. flour
2 T. dry ranch salad dressing milk
1 1/4 C. milk
3 C. medium egg noodles
1 T. shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook chicken in a small amount of butter in a large skillet until no longer pink, turning to brown evenly. Sprinkle flour and salad dressing mix over the chicken; stir well. Stir in milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add more milk if too thick. Stir in crumbled bacon.

Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions. Serve the chicken mixture with the noodles and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.

This recipe was seriously so delicious and easy to make, it is a definate do again!

Johnny Carino's Bow Tie Festival

 Or you can call them butterflies in creamy sauce, that seemed to get the kids excited to eat!

 This made a HUGE batch in my crock pot, which is great because it will keep the hubby in left-overs for lunch for the next week!

Why use boring pasta when you can get colorful bow-tie pasta!

Johnny Carion's Bow Tie Festival

Source: An LDS church HPFE meeting that I attended

Combine the following in a slow cooker:

4-6 boneless chicken breasts

1 jar alfredo sauce

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can chicken broth

1 pkg. Real Bacon Pieces

3/4 pkg. of dry Italkian Dressing Mix

1 cup swiss cheese, cubed

1/4 stick of butter, melted

Salt and peper to taste

Cook on low 6-7 hours, shredding chicken about 1 hour before finished.  Serve over cooked bow tie pasta.