Hearty Chicken Noodle Casserole

1 can cream of mushroom soup (I know I say this a lot, but I HATE mushrooms so I used cream of chicken)

1/2 cup milk

1/4 tsp. ground pepper (I used 1/2 tsp.)

1//4 cup Parmesan cheese (I've used both freshly-grated & the powdered kind & both taste good)

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (no need to thaw)

2 cups cooked cubed chicken

2 cups cooked egg noodles

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Stir soup, milk, black pepper, Parmesan cheese, vegetables, chicken & noodles in a greased 1 1/2-quart casserole dish.  Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until hot.  Stir & then top with cheese.

I found this recipe on Sister's Stuff.  This is one of those super easy & quick dishes to just hurry & throw together when I don't know what else to make for dinner.  Both of my kids love this & Tyler loves anything with egg noodles, so this is great for our family.

Fruity Pasta Salad

2 cups mayonnaise

1 tsp. minced garlic (I used 1/4 tsp. garlic powder)

1/2 tsp. celery seed

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 to 3 chicken breasts, cooked & diced OR 1 large can well-drained chicken

1 (16-oz.) pkg. tri-colored pasta

2 (15-oz.) cans mandarin oranges, drained (I only used one & for us that was enough)

1/4 lb. sugar snap peas, sliced diagonally

1/2 cup chopped green onions

chow mein noodles (I didn't use these either because I've never liked these things)

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the mayonnaise, garlic, celery seed, honey, salt and pepper together.  Cover and place in the refrigerator.  Cook the chicken in a pan, then dice and place in a large bowl.  While the chicken is cooking, cook the pasta, then drain and add to chicken.  Add the mandarin oranges, sugar snap peas, green onions, and mayonnaise sauce to the bowl.  Gently mix together until everything is covered with the sauce.  Refrigerate for one hour before serving.  Top with chow mein noodles.  Serves 12.

Just as a heads-up, this is one of the least kid-friendly recipes I've tried lately.  I made this for dinner one night last week & my kids both said they hated it, and even Tyler said it was just OK.  But I thought it was really great.  The next time I make this I'll most likely take it to a family or ward get-together so that more adults can try it.  :)  I got this recipe from a book by Josi S. Kilpack called Key Lime Pie.  I've been loving her culinary mystery series, not just because they're fun to read but because of all the recipes she includes in each novel.

Turkey & Pasta Bake

6 cups prepared penne pasta *
2 cups cooked turkey, cubed
2 cups plum tomatoes, coarsley chopped & drained
8 oz. container cottage cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 green onions, sliced *
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano *
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
2 Tblsp. dried parsley

Combine pasta, turkey and tomatoes. Spread in greased 9x13-inch pan; set aside. In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, onions, basil and oregano. Mix well. Spread over turkey mixture, smoothing with the back of the spoon. Toss bread crumbs with parsley and sprinkle over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 6.

This is a fantastic way to use up leftover turkey. I found this recipe in my Gooseberry Patch casseroles cookbook. I really needed to use up leftover turkey from earlier last week. It was really tasty & Tyler told me to make this again. Both of our kids loved it too. Now, for my little changes for this recipe. Instead of penne pasta, I used macaroni, because it's the easiest pasta for my kids to eat, and instead of plum tomatoes I used sliced grape tomatoes. I didn't think that 8 oz. of cottage cheese was nearly enough to cover the entire top of the casserole, so the next time I make this I'm going to use 16 oz. Tyler hates green onions, so I didn't add those in, and I didn't have any oregano so I used ground sage in place of that. Anyway, I can't recommend this recipe highly enough. I'm also going to try & be better about posting pictures with every recipe. Enjoy! :)