The Mostest Bestest Chicken and Broccoli Casserole...ever....

The kids and I love chicken.  Josh loves broccoli.  We all love cheese.  Needless to say, this recipe was bound to be a family favorite.  So far my seven year old daughter and one year old son love it.  My eldest son just likes the chicken and the chips (and just to make it clear, there are no chips in it).  The hubby works a crazy shift so he's not up yet.  Hopefully he'll like it, too.

The original recipe came out of one of those budget cook books we bought a few years back while at the check out.  Part of it didn't sound so awesome, other parts involved ingredients I didn't have on hand, and then we added a few more ingredients.  So maybe I'm cheating?  Regardless, it's friggin' awesome.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Olive oil

8 oz of sliced fresh baby portabella mushrooms

2-3 stalks of celery, finely sliced

1 can (10 3/4) cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

5 chicken tenderloin strips, cooked and shredded

Broccoli (the more the better in my house)

8 oz can of water chestnuts

2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar

1/3 cup shredded colby jack

3 oz bag/can of French-fried onions

 

After cooking and shredding chicken with the olive oil, throw the mushrooms, broccoli, and celery in with the chicken and saute.  In a large bowl combine the soup, milk, salt, pepper, and the water chestnuts.  Mix chicken and veggies in with soup mix and pour into a casserole dish (mine was a 9x9x2).  Top with the shredded cheese and cover with foil.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Cover with French-fried onions and cook another 10-15 minutes.  Let sit for a few minutes and then serve.  

Crock Pot Apple Sauce

I know, I know.  It's not fall yet.  So why am I indulging in fall foods?  Because I can.  I also really really really love fall.  Combine that with needing new ideas to make healthy foods from scratch that the kids can consider a "treat" and you (well, me) come up with homemade apple sauce.  Since I have I toddler wreaking complete havoc on the house and our maid (me) was on strike yesterday (she's pretty lazy and tempermental when she finds it best suits her) I thought it would be best to use the crock pot. 

I started with 6 gala apples finely chopped and thrown into the pot.

In a small bowl I added 1/2 cup of water, one tablespoon of brown sugar, 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon, and nearly a 1/2 tablespoon give or take of vanilla extract.  Stir it up together and then pour over the apples.

 

 

Throw the lid on a cook on low for 4-5 hours.

 

I then spoon it into the food processor until it reached the consistency I wanted. 

 

Then the kids and me ate about half of it before pouring the rest into a jar.  :) 

 

 

 I imagine it would be super pretty and festive with a bow or a flower or something, but in all reality this jar is going in our fridge so there's no point.

The applesauce should last a few days in the fridge but next time I might double the batch and put it in some freezer bags and freeze (it'll last about three months). 

Entire cost to make this? No more than $5.  :)  Enjoy!