Chicken Cordon Bleu Bites

This recipe comes from my friend who served this at our bookclub a while back. I love it because it is super simple to prepare, and my kids love it because it falls into their favorite food group--cream of chicken soup foods. This quantity serves about 4.

*8ish chicken tenders, or a couple breasts cut into strips

*4 slices swiss cheese

*4ish slices ham (I prefer black forest from the deli)

*1 can cream of chicken soup

*1 c. sour cream

*1/2 c. bread crumbs

*fresh parsley, optional

*brown rice

Lightly grease a baking sheet (9x9 or 7x11). Combine soup and sour cream, spread a couple of spoonfuls into the bottom of the dish. Cut the slices of ham and cheese in half. Take a chicken tender and lay a strip of cheese on top, then wrap ham around both.

(yeah, pulled these straight from the freezer since I had to make them early in the day)

Use a toothpick to hold ham in place if needed. Place each wrapped chicken into the pan; repeat until done. Top chicken with remaining sauce and a layer of bread crumbs. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, remove foil and bake another 10 minutes. We serve this on top of brown rice, with a side of steamed broccoli.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

I was on the phone talking with Carlee when I was hit with a sudden craving for tuna noodle casserole. My previous plan for dinner went out the window and the girls and I enjoyed it as much as I thought I would. I know there are a lot of variations on this recipe, but here's how I make it.

*6 oz. extra-wide egg noodles
*1 can cream of mushroom (or chicken) soup
*1 can tuna, drained
*1 c. milk
*1/2 c. frozen peas
*2 slices bread
*2 TBSP butter

Butter a casserole dish. Boil a large pot of water and cook the egg noodles for about 4-5 minutes. They will be very al dente, drain them thoroughly. Meanwhile, whisk soup and milk to combine; stir in tuna. Gently stir in drained noodles and peas and pour into casserole dish. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice. Pulse bread and butter in a food processor, to make fine crumbs. When casserole is hot and bubbly, sprinkle with crumbs and bake another 5-10 minutes until crumbs are golden brown. My mom used to put the peas on top of the casserole do her picky kids could pick them out easily. I do the same because only one of my girls will eat peas. Mom also cooked this in the microwave for about 5-7 minutes and skipped the breadcrumbs.

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

I think everyone has some form of this recipe in their repertoire, but I'm posting it tonight because my 3-yr-old just polished off 4 helpings. I first tasted this a couple months after getting married. I went to a homemaking meeting about freezer meals, and being the eager homemaker that I was, was anxious for some great, easy recipes. This was served as the dinner, but I've actually never frozen this. It is so fast and easy, it would take longer to add the extra layer of plastic wrap than it is worth. Although I've made and tasted a few versions, I go for the most simple, here's how I make it.
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
10-14 oz. canned chicken, shredded
1/3 - 1/2 pkg. Ritz crackers, crumbled
poppy seeds
pepper
2-3 TBSP. butter, melted
In an 8 in. square casserole pan, thoroughly combine the soup and sour cream. Stir in chicken until well mixed. Cover top with Ritz crackers and sprinkle with poppy seeds and pepper. Drizzle with butter. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes (until good and bubbly).
Serve with rice or French bread.
You should add a salad or a veggie side since there is not much in the way of nutritional value in this dinner. Obviously you could cook your own chicken, make your own cream soup, but that would require more time and more dishes.