easy chicken tetrazzini

This is such a comfort food. It also makes plenty for leftovers, which I personally love. You can also easily cut the recipe in half if you are making it for a smaller group. Half of the recipe makes plenty for my family of 4.

ingredients:

1 lb cooked and drained spaghetti

5 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (I usually only use 3 large ones and it's plenty.)

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 1/4 cups water

1/4 cup butter

2 cubes chicken bouillon

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

directions:

1. put cooked spaghetti into a greased 9x13 baking dish. add chicken on top of spaghetti.*

2. In medium saucepan mix together soup, water, butter and bouillon. bring to a boil, and pour over chicken and spaghetti. add shredded cheese on top and press down a little.

3. bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

*This particular recipe did not call for mushrooms, but I love to add them into mine. I usually place them on top of the chicken before I pour on the sauce. I use 1 small can.

quiche

This is very similar to the mini crustless quiches, but it's a regular size quiche in a pie crust. I make this for dinner a lot, but obviously it would be great for breakfast as well. My 4-year-old son likes to call it "egg pie". Hey, whatever will get him to eat it! :) The recipe doesn't call for it, but I usually add spinach for some extra nutrients.

ingredients:

8 slices bacon

1 small onion, chopped & sauteed

1 tsp garlic, minced & sauteed

5 eggs

2 cups milk

salt & pepper

1.5 cups grated cheese

1 frozen pie crust

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350.

2. in a large bowl, beat eggs and milk until blended.

3. add onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. whisk for 1 minute.

4. pour mixture into pie crust.

5. sprinkle bacon and cheese on top and press below surface.

6. bake until golden and knife comes out clean. (the baking time will depend on your oven, so just keep an eye on it and watch for that beautiful golden color on top.)

cheesy smashed potatoes

I think all I have to say right now is YUM. I like mashed potatoes, but I like them even more if they're cheesy. This is a great fancied-up side to have with regular ol' chicken and veggies.

ingredients:

2 lbs baby yukon gold potatoes

1/4 cup sour cream

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

chopped chives (optional)

salt & pepper

directions:

1. cut potatoes in half and place in a pot.

2. cover with water, add a pinch or two of salt, and bring to a boil.

3. boil until tender. (this will vary in time, depending on the size of your potatoes. pierce with a fork every couple of minutes to check when tender.)

4. drain and return to pot.

5. smash potatoes and add sour cream, cheese, chives, and salt & pepper.

baked corn dip

This dip is SO good! I've actually only made it one time, for a cookout, and it was a huge hit.

ingredients:

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 can rotel, drained (if you like spicy things, you can get "hot" rotel. it gives it a little "something".)

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, cubed

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cumin

directions:

1. in bowl combine corn, rotel, and spices.

2. but in greased casserole dish and top with cubed cream cheese.

3. bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

4. stir to blend, then smooth it out with a spatula.

5. serve with fritos or tortilla chips.

cajun shrimp alfredo

This is another recipe that is so easy, but looks fancy. If you don't like shrimp, feel free to use chicken instead!

ingredients:

1 jar (16 oz) Alfredo sauce

1 package fettuccini

1 lb shrimp, peeled

2 tbsp cajun seasoning

1 tsp fresh or dried parsley for garnish

directions:

1. in saucepan, heat Alfredo sauce.

2. cook pasta in separate pot.

3. add cajun seasoning to Alfredo, and simmer on medium heat, stirring well.

4. when sauce is hot, add shrimp and heat through.

5. mix sauce with pasta.

6. garnish with parsley.

spaghetti sauce

This is my family's famous spaghetti sauce. My family, meaning my grandmother and my mom. I'm not sure if my grandmother created it or if she got it from somewhere else. Either way, it's amazing and it always brings me back to my childood. I remember growing up and I'd walk in the door from school to smell this sauce simmering away on the stove. Oh my gracious. It's not a sweet sauce, and it's a little more thin, not very chunky. The recipe doesn't call for it, but feel free to add onions, bell peppers, or diced tomatoes to the sauce. My mom just never put this stuff in there because apparently we were all pretty picky as kids. Sorry mom! :)

ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

2 cans Hunts tomato sauce

1 small can tomato paste

2 cans water (if you want it a little thicker, just do 1.5 cans)

1 tbsp italian seasoning

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 package spaghetti seasoning (italian style. i usually use McCormick.)

1 tbsp butter

directions:

1. brown beef and drain.

2. add all ingredients to a pot on the stove, or a crockpot.

3. if using stovetop, bring to a boil and let simmer as long as possible (at least an hour, if not more). if using crockpot, cook on low for 3-4 hours.

homemade chicken noodle soup

My mom gave me this recipe, but I can't remember where she found it. A good idea I heard was to make a big batch of this and freeze it to have on hand when you, a friend, or someone in your family is sick. I thought that was a great idea! This is one of the easiest recipes ever.

ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup shredded chicken

1/2 cup egg noodles

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

pepper

directions:

1. add broth, celery, carrots, and pepper to a pot. bring to a boil.

2. add noodles and chicken.

3. simmer for about 10 minutes or until noodles are done.