Chicken & Mushroom Casserole

Chicken and Mushroom Casserole
Layer in a 9x13 casserole dish:

Raw chicken (I cubed mine)
Layer of cheese (I used colby jack)
Layer of fresh mushrooms
1 can cream of chickens soup
1 pkg Stove Top Dressing (dry)
1/2 cube butter melted and drizzled over stuffing

Cover with tin foil and bake 350 for 45 minutes.

I like this recipe because: I can thorw it in the pan and let it cook. AND it tasted REALLY good!!

Least favorite thing: I don't always have fresh mushrooms available but canned would be ok too.

Baked Italian Sausage Pasta

Baked Italian Sausage Rotini
1 TBL olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1 pkg ground italian sausage
1 pkg curly, bowtie, or wagonwheel noodles - cooked
1 bottle 4 cheese spaghetti sauce
2 TBL red pepper flakes
2 cups mozzarella cheese (divided)

In a large fry pan, brown the garlic in olive oil. Then add the sausage and cook until browned. Drain any oil that is excess. In a large bowl, mix the sausage with the other ingredients, reserving 1 cup of cheese. Pour pasta mixture into a 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 375 for 25 min. Top with remaining cheese and bake 5 more minutes.

I like this recipe because: I have all of these ingredients laying around. If I'm missing the italian sausage, I can use regular spiced with more red pepper flakes or ground beef. Easy!

My least favorite thing: Nothing! It's a perfect recipe for my family!

Sour Cream Potatoes (aka Funeral Potatoes)

6 to 8 medium potatoes
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup margarine
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 16 ounce sour cream
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

Wash the potatoes and boil them until done. Refridgerate the potatoes until they are cool to the touch. (Sometimes I skip this, poor planning!) When they have cooled, peel them and grate on a cheese grater.

Sautee onions in butter. Add sour cream and cheese. Salt and pepper potatoes. Mix sour cream with potatoes. Put in 9x13 inch pan and top with cheese. Bake 375 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

I like this recipe because: We've had it since I was a kid. The ingredients are every day stuff I have around the kitchen = no special trips to the store!

My least favorite thing about this recipe: It is not low fat at all!!

Poppy Chicken

2 pounds chicken breasts

2 cans cream of chickens soup

1 container sour cream

1 stick butter

2 sleeves ritz crackers

Boil chicken. Cube. Mix with sour cream and soup. Put in a 9x13 pan. Crush crackers and drizzle with butter and place on top of chicken. Bake 350 for 20-30 minutes. I've seen other recipes for Poppy Chicken and some have actual poppy seeds. Who knows where those got lost in the one I use!

I like this recipe because: My kids love it and it's fairly easy to make.

My least favorite thing about this recipe is: It's full of fat! I'll use lite sour cream and less butter. Also boiling chicken makes your house really stink!

Black Bean Enchilada Casserole by My Dad

1 can black beans
1 large onion chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 4 ounce can diced green chilie (omit if you don't like a little spice)
1 8 ounce can mild enchilada sauce
3/4 cups milk
1 package corn or soft tortillas
1/2 pound grated cheddar cheese
1/2 pound monteray jack cheese (I just use one kind of cheese, whatever's in the fridge!)
1 pint sour cream olives
Cooked cubed chicken, pork, or beef

Drain the beans. Mix everything together except the cheese and tortillas. You can layer the tortillas and liquid in a casserole pan or you can wrap the liquid into enchiladas. If you make enchiladas, save some liquid to put on top so the tops don't burn.

I like this recipe because: I can control how hot it is with the chilies and enchilada sauce.

My least favorite thing about this recipe is: I make a mess when I make it. My kids don't like it that much, probably too much spice for them.