Hannah's Cornbread Dressing

I hope everyone had a happy New Year. I sure did!
I wanted to start off this new year with a recipe that is dear to my heart. This is the cornbread dressing that I ate every Thanksgiving and Christmas until I was married. Hannah always made cornbread dressing for my family, and she'd also make extra for us to freeze and eat on Christmas. There are a thousand different recipes for dressing and stuffing. Every family has a certain way that they like theirs to be prepared, and this is the recipe that I love.



I volunteered to make this for Christmas lunch at my mom's house this year. My aunt sent me this recipe, but I also called Hannah to make sure I understood everything correctly. I wanted our Christmas cornbread dressing to taste just like Hannah's.
I was relieved when it did!


Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients:
Skillet Cornbread (dark bottom and edges removed)
1 biscuit or 2 slices of white bread (crust removed)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
4 cups chicken broth
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons pepper, or more to taste

Directions:
Crumble cornbread and biscuit (or white bread) in a large bowl. Stir in pepper.
Simmer celery and onion in chicken broth until tender (about 25 to 30 minutes). Pour chicken broth into cornbread mixture. Stir to combine.

Taste to see if it is seasoned to your liking. Add more pepper if you desire.

Stir in eggs until combined. It will be very runny, but it will thicken as it bakes.
At this point you can pour it in a Ziploc bag and freeze it or you can put it in a casserole dish sprayed with PAM.

Bake at 400-degrees for about 30 to 35 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes to thicken.

Sweet Potato Casserole

This is always one of the stars on my plate during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. I never know whether to eat it for dinner or dessert. Most of the time I eat it with my main meal, but it would be a good dessert, as well since it's so sweet.
Many people eat the sweet potato casserole that has toasted marshmallows on top. However, I grew up with my family always making the one with the crunchy praline topping. Thankfully my hubbie did, too! In fact, this recipe was given to me by his mom.

Jenny B's Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten

Praline topping
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter, cut in cubes and softened
1 cup chopped pecans


Directions:
With an electric mixer, mix together mashed sweet potatoes, 1/2 cup melted butter, evaporated milk, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Spread sweet potato mixture into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and flour. Cut in 1/3 cup butter until mixture is crumbly, and stir in pecans. Sprinkle pecan mixture over the sweet potatoes.

Bake for 25 minutes in a preheated oven at 350-degrees.

Source: Jenny Bishop

Crispy Chicken-and-Rice Casserole

I changed this recipe up just a little to make it more healthy. I tried to add up all of the calories, and I came up with about 290 calories per serving (give or take a few). The removal of several calories did not take away from the flavor. This is amazing and filling. It also freezes well, which helps me on those busy week nights when I don't have time to prepare supper.



I bought a few covered casserole dishes from Tuesday Morning, and they are perfect for freezing meals. I'm able to get two servings in each dish, which is perfect for husband and wife. My mom gave me this idea when she told me that her mother would send her home with several porcelain casserole dishes of chicken spaghetti for her and my dad. She would stick them in the freezer for future meals.

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 (10.5 ounce) cans low fat cream of mushroom soup
1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 (4-ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup light mayonnaise (I used the Canola mayo)
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup crushed cornflakes cereal

Directions:
Cook rice according to package directions (omit the butter and salt). Stir together cooked rice and next 10 ingredients in a bowl. Spoon into a lightly greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with cereal.

Bake at 350-degrees for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Note: Freeze casserole up to 1 month, if desired. Don't put the cornflakes on top of the casserole until it has thawed out (right before putting into the oven). Bake, covered with aluminum foil, at 350-degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil, and bake 15 minutes more or until thoroughly heated.

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

Source: Adapted from Southern Living

Mexican Chicken Casserole

Casseroles are a great way to stretch a meal into a couple of days. I won't be around tomorrow night to cook supper, so I made this casserole tonight so my man won't be without supper tomorrow. The original recipe calls for 2 cans of the diced green chiles, but I accidentally grabbed a can of diced green chiles and a can of diced jalapenos. It was spicier that I prefer, but I knew Aubrey would be happy about the spicy addition. All in all, I think this was a good recipe. The flavors are rich, and it makes you feel like you're eating a thousand calories. But the good news is that you're not.

Ingredients:
1 cup fat free, less sodium chicken broth
2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, divided
1 3/4 pounds skinned, boned chicken breasts
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup evaporated skim milk
1 cup (4-ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup (2-ounces) light cream cheese
1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Cooking spray
1/2 cup (2-ounces) shredded reduced fat extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 ounce tortilla chips, crushed (about 6 chips)

Directions:
Combine broth and 1 can of chiles in a large skillet; bring to a boil. Add chicken; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is done, turning chicken once. Remove chicken from cooking liquid, reserving cooking liquid; cool chicken. Shred meat with two forks, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 can of chiles and onion; saute 3 minutes or until soft. Add reserved cooking liquid, milk, Monterey Jack, cream cheese, and enchilada sauce; stir well. Stir in shredded chicken; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Spoon 2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers twice, ending with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and chips. Bake at 350-degrees for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Nutritional Info (per serving): 369 calories; 11.4g fat; 2.4mg iron; 79mg cholesterol; 360mg calcium; 31.3g carbohydrate; 479mg sodium; 35.6g protein; 3g fiber

Source: Cooking Light

Hot Chicken and Chips Retro

Aubrey and I were blown away by this casserole. I was just trying to find a recipe to cook that was healthy and quick since this was a busy week. I was even pretty skeptical about making this because Aubrey isn't a big fan of casseroles.
I had some chicken in the freezer that I thawed out, and Aubrey grilled it on the Big Green Egg. He had it ready when I got home. The only thing left I had to do is mix the other ingredients together and bake for 13 minutes.
I felt like a wife from the 1950's making this dish because this is one of those retro meals that was really popular during that time.


There was a flavor that stood out more than any other when I took my first bite. It took me another bite to figure out that the mystery flavor was actually the red pepper. I'm not sure why they tasted so different in this casserole, but it sure was a nice change.

If you choose to make this casserole ahead, leave the chips off until it's time to bake. Otherwise they will become soggy.

Ingredients:
4 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast (about 4 breasts)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray
3/4 cup (3-ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
3/4 cup crushed baked potato chips (about 2 ounces)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400-degrees.
Combine chicken and next 4 ingredients (through water chestnuts) in a large bowl; stir well. Combine low-fat mayonnaise and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add mayonnaise mixture to chicken mixture; stir well to combine. Spoon chicken mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with cheese. Top cheese evenly with chips. Bake for 13 minutes or until filling is bubbly and chips are golden.
Yield: 6 servings

Nutritional Info (per serving): 321 calories; 10.9g fat; 11.4g iron; 96mg cholesterol; 175mg calcium; 20.4g carbs; 606mg sodium; 34.3g protein; 2.6g fiber

Source: Cooking Light

Green Bean & Corn Casserole

This casserole is one of my favorite things to eat at Thanksgiving and Christmas. My Aunt Trina is usually the one to make it at my family gatherings, but I've taken the role in making it when gathering with my in-laws. I recently made it at a gathering with my girlfriends, and several people wanted the recipe to take home. I love the different textures in each bite. The water chessnuts, corn, and almonds add a good crunch, and the sour cream and cream of celery soup adds a nice creamy texture.
This recipe can easily be doubled.


Ingredients:
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can shoepeg corn, drained
1 can french cut green beans, drained
1/2 can water chessnuts
1/2 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 stick buttter, melted
1/2 cup (1 package) Ritz crackers, crushed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
Mix together all ingredients except the last 3.
Put in a casserole dish. Top with crackers. Drizzle butter over casserole, and cover with almonds.
Bake 45 minutes or until bubbly.

Source: My Aunt Trina

Creamy Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Whenever I think of poppy seed chicken, I think of my friend Alison. We call her the "hostess with the mostess" because she loves to entertain. A bunch of us girls used to have Bible study once a week at her house, and I always loved when she fixed her poppy seed chicken. This isn't her recipe, but it sure does come close to her chicken. This recipe came from the Southern Living Easy Weeknight Favorites cookbook. Aubrey and I both enjoyed it. This is a good meal to serve a large group of people. You could easily double the recipe. This one serves 4.

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 can light Cream of Chicken soup
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream (I used light)
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
1 and 1/2 cup crushed Ritz crackers (I used 1 sleeve)
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine the first 4 ingredients; spoon into a lightly greased 11 x 7 x 1.5 inch baking dish (I used a 8 x 8 inch). Combine crushed crackers and butter. Sprinkle over chicken mixture. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

My note: If you plan to freeze this, leave off the crushed crackers and melted butter until it has thawed (right before sticking it in the oven).