Onion Baked Chicken

Onion Baked Chicken
3 lbs. chicken parts
1 T. vegetable oil
1 T. onion powder
1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. paprika

Brush chicken with oil. Sprinkle spices evenly over chicken. Bake at 375F for 45 minutes or until cooked through.

Delicious! I've never really cooked with Paprika before, except for deviled eggs. It's got such an amazing warm flavor! There is so much flavor in this chicken. I could eat so much of it.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Peanut Butter Blossoms

48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Additional granulated sugar(optional)

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates. 

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture. 3

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet. 

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Makes about 48 cookies

Parker House Rolls

Parker House Rolls
1 1/2 cups milk

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for brushing

1/2 cup sugar

1 package active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

6 cups all-purpose flour

Place milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter and sugar and let cool. Dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit until foamy. Combine milk mixture, eggs, yeast, salt, and 1/2 of the flour in a mixer with the dough attachment and mix until smooth. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and stir until a smooth ball forms.

Remove from the bowl and knead by hand on a floured surface for about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 60 to 70 minutes. On a floured surface, punch down the dough and shape into desired shapes. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover again and let rise until doubled, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven 350 degrees F.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter before serving.

This was my first time ever making rolls. And they were pretty good! I definitely need more practice but it was fun and Brandon had fun helping me make the dough into balls. Can you tell which ones he did?

They turned out soft and  fluffy on the inside. There is a video on the Food Network website that I wish I would have watched first. Some helpful tips for making these rolls. 

Cheesy Hamburger Soup

Cheesy Hamburger Soup

• ½ pound ground beef ( I used 1 pound)
• ¾ cup chopped onion
• ¾ cup shredded carrots
• ¾ cup diced celery
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 16 oz, of Velveeta cheese, cubed or- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1½ cups milk
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup sour cream

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Brown the ground beef in 3 quart saucepan. Drain and set aside.
2. In the same saucepan add 1 T butter and add onion, shredded carrots, parsley flakes, basil and celery. Saute until tender.
3. Add the broth, potatoes and beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4. In small skillet melt remaining butter (3 T) and add the flour. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
5. Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.

Mmmm. Delicious soup! Very comforting and homey. A feel good soup for when you're sick, too. I originally found the recipe here but found out from the blogger that it's a Taste of Home recipe which I found here. Awesome! ToH is my favorite. This makes a ton of soup and I think will keep well in the freezer. Definitely a keeper!

Oh, the title of the soup turned me off a bit so I changed it for my own purposes :)

Waffles from scratch

Waffles from scratch
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups milk
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 T. sugar

Combine eggs, milk and oil. Whisk until combined. Add remaining ingredients and stir together until blended. Batter will be thin. Bake in preheated waffle iron. Makes 10-12 waffles.

I LOVE these waffles. This is a recipe from my mom and I loved them every time she made them. And now my family loves them! I add half wheat flour and half white flour. And they are perfectly sweet. These also freeze well! I tried reheating them in the toaster but it didn't get warm all the way through. I know the Eggo waffles say to bake in the oven/toaster oven at 400F for 5 minutes. Or just toast it and warm in the microwave too. So good!

Honey Wheat Bread

Honey Wheat Bread Recipe

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast (active dry yeast will work also)

Instructions:
1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir.

2. Add flours and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil on top of the loaf to prevent too much darkening.

5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm!

This was bread was delicious! Simple recipe. The only problem I had, though, was that the time it took to rise was about twice as long as the recipe says. Not sure if I messed up somewhere. The blogger says she uses long loaf pans. I didn't know these things existed but I want some! Would make the bread easier to use for sandwiches and stuff since it would be shaped more like the bread at the store. 

Cheesy Rigatoni Bake

• 1 package (16 ounces) rigatoni or large tube pasta
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and salt until smooth; gradually add milk and water. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
• Drain pasta; place in a large bowl. Add eggs. Spoon into two greased 8-in. square baking dishes. Layer each with one can of tomato sauce, half the mozzarella cheese and half the white sauce. Sprinkle each
• with half the Parmesan cheese.
• Bake casseroles, uncovered, at for 30-35 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.
• Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

This was a very interesting meal. It seemed weird that there were eggs in this. Not quite sure the purpose they served. But Brandon loved this. He gobbled it right up. I'm still on the fence about it. It was good but not a meal that I would crave. I felt like it needed Cheddar cheese in there somewhere. It's very kid friendly, though. :)

Double Chocolate Zucchini Cookies

Double Chocolate Zucchini Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups grated zucchini

1 (11 oz) bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Mix in flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; stir until combined. Fold in zucchini and mix, then add chocolate chips. 

Drop large spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes, then let the cookies cool for 5-10 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing them to wire racks.

Delicious cookies!! Someone commented on these cookies from the original site and said to put the zucchini in the food processor, skin and all, and measure out what you need. I will try that next time! This is definitely a keeper!

Black Bean Brownies

• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 
  

• Place the beans, 1/4 cup chocolate chips and oil in a food processor; cover and process until blended. Add the eggs, brown sugar, cocoa, vanilla, baking powder and salt; cover and process until smooth.
• Transfer to a 9-in. square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out
• clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Yield: 1 dozen.
• Nutritional Facts: 1 brownie equals 167 calories, 7 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 53 mg cholesterol, 131 mg sodium,

I never thought I would ever make anything like this. It sounds so gross. But, honestly, I couldn't taste the beans at all! They tasted like brownies. The texture did throw me off a little bit and they did taste a little bitter to me and Sean. I've heard people suggest using milk chocolate chips to help the sweetness and I think I would do that next time. And maybe use part brown sugar and part white sugar. The kids LOVED these though. And that's what's most important. Trying to get more fiber into them. Yay!

Read more: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/black-bean-brownies#ixzz3CUejLdS1

Orange Buttermilk Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Orange Buttermilk Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

2 cups flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

Zest of 1 orange (1 T.)

½ tsp vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

¼ cup butter, melted and cooled

Frosting:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 T butter, softened

2 T orange marmalade

½ tsp orange extract

½ tsp vanilla extract

2 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Mix together sugar and eggs until combined. Add orange zest, vanilla

extract and buttermilk. Mix until combined. Add cooled melted butter. Add flour, baking powder

and salt until just combined. Don’t over mix.

2. Line bottom of 9x2 round baking pan with parchment paper or foil and butter top of lining

and pan sides. Pour batter into pan, smooth with rubber spatula, and bake for 30 minutes or

until toothpick in center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in pan for 30 minutes before

removing from pan. Allow to cool completely on wire rack.

3. For frosting: combine first 6 ingredients and beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar and

beat until combined and smooth.

4. Cut cake in half, lengthwise. Spread bottom half with ¼ of cream cheese frosting. Place the

top half of the cake on the bottom half. Frost cake with remaining cream cheese frosting.

YUM!!! This was my first time zesting and I had no idea how much flavor comes from the zest. So awesome. Most of the time when I make cakes the frosting is always too sweet and too much. But this frosting was not. I would say put half of the frosting in the middle and the rest on top of the cake. It was just perfectly sweet. 

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

(Makes 24 muffins)

Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup mini milk chocolate chips

Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease or line two 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners.  In a large bowl, beat together eggs, sugar and oil.  Add cocoa, vanilla, zucchini and mix well.  Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Mix until just combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Pour batter into prepared muffin tins 2/3 of the way full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool before serving.
Nutrition: 245 calories, 10.75 g fat, 34 g carbs, 3 g protein

YUM!!! These were super moist and chocoately. And there cinnamon and nutmeg make the flavors so warm and delicious. 

Lemon Sugar Cookies

Lemon Sugar Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
4 tsp. coarse sugar

Prehead oven to 350F. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and lemon juice. Gradually add flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar into creamed mixture.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place 6 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Flatten to 3/4 inch thickness with bottom of measuring cup. Lightly brush tops with water; sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until light brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 14 cookies.

I was so glad to find a sugar cookie recipe that didn't involve rolling the dough on a floured surface. I always mess those up. I didn't have any coarse sugar so I just rolled the dough balls in some sugar. It was a little tricky because the dough is pretty soft. But they turned out soft and chewy. And the lemon adds a good flavor! Oh, I was also out of cream of tartar but the cookies seemed fine without it.

Honey Mustard

Honey Mustard
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
3 T mustard
3 T honey

YUM-O!!! This is my version of the original recipe. The original makes 100 servings so I had to 1/8 everything. I just used regular yellow mustard in mine. So good on a sandwich or with chicken tenders. So easy to make!! Yay!

Easy Pasta Carbonara

Easy Pasta Carbonara

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman.
Ingredients:
1/2 pound bacon or pancetta
1 whole small onion
5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup white wine (or chicken or vegetable stock)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 bunch parsley
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
1/2 pound linguine pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon black pepper

1) Slice bacon into thin slices and cook on stove top until cooked. Drain bacon from grease on paper towels and set aside. Reserve some grease for cooking onions in step 2.

2) Chop onion finely and cook diced onion in a reasonable amount of bacon grease (1 or 2 tablespoons) for 2-3 minutes over medium-high constant stirring to avoid burning.

3) **Slice the garlic and add it to the onions. Cook garlic and onion together for 2 more minutes and remove them from the pan, using slotted spoon. Discard the grease.

4) Place the same pan (where you cooked onion and garlic in bacon grease) back on high heat, pour in the white wine (or stock) to de-glaze the pan. Stir, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock. Return bacon, onion and garlic back to the pan. Let simmer covered over low heat, do not let too much liquid (chicken stock) to evaporate.

5) Chop the parsley. Crack eggs into a large bowl. Add Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley to the eggs. Leave a little Parmesan and parsley out for a garnish. Mix well with a fork.

6) Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water according to pasta instructions, al dente. Drain the pasta and add very hot pasta to the egg mixture and mix thoroughly. Then add bacon, onion, and garlic mixture to the pasta, mix again. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to mix. Salt and pepper to taste and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Makes 4 servings.

This meal gets 1 million stars! Seriously soooo good. And easy. It tastes like Alfredo but there's no cream in it and it's just delicious. Eve the kids gobbled this up. Definitely read through the whole recipe before you start, though.  And go to the original source from The Pioneer Woman. She has step-by-step instructions with pictures which was very helpful for me. It was so fun for me to try a new recipe and new techniques (like deglazing)! I will be making this again!!

**I used my garlic press for the garlic and reduced the time the garlic cooks with the onions because I didn't want it to burn or overcook. Bitter garlic is the worst.

Lemon Squares

Lemon Squares
1 c. flour 1/2 c. butter 1/4 c. powdered sugar 2 eggs 1 c. sugar 1/2 tsp. baking powder 2 1/2 T. lemon juice dash of salt Cream together flour and butter. Mix in sugar with fingertips. Press into an 8x8 baking dish. Bake for 20 min at 350F. Beat together remaining ingredients. Pour over crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely and cut into bars. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Strawberry Pancakes

Strawberry Pancakes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon butter, melted, plus more for serving

2 cups sliced strawberries

Pure maple syrup, for serving

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk and vanilla. Preheat a nonstick griddle over medium heat.
2. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir in the melted butter. The batter should be thick and smooth. Fold in the strawberries.
3. Spoon the batter onto the griddle 1/4 cup at a time. Cook the pancakes until set and thoroughly bubbly, about 3 minutes. Flip them with a spatula and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

I wasn't sure how these would taste. Strawberries and maple syrup?? But, wow. The warm strawberries topped with syrup was DELICIOUS!! Loved these pancakes.

Buttermilk Syrup

Buttermilk Syrup
1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. butter
2 T. corn syrup
1 t. baking soda
2 t. vanilla

In a saucepan combine the first five ingredients, bring to a boil. Boil for 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Makes about 2 cups of syrup.

Banana Crumb Muffins

Banana Crumb Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted

Crumb topping:

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar

Directions:Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place 15 muffin liners in muffin cups.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

I am falling more and more in love with Six Sisters' Stuff. Especially since Sean and I started counting calories. They include the nutrition information on just about every recipe. Makes it so much easier for us to make sure we're eating good. And everything is easy and good. Awesome.

Anyway, these muffins are delicious. This recipe didn't include any nutrition information but I figured it out on my own. These have 124 calories and 9 g fat per muffin. Awesomer!!! I don't have a tool to "cut butter" so I just used a fork and it was alright. By the way, I think you're supposed to use cold butter for the crumb topping. And my muffins took a little longer to bake; about 23 minutes. The toothpick came out clean after 20 minutes but when I took a bite there was still some uncooked batter at the bottom. 

Eggs Benedict Casserole

Eggs Benedict Casserole

12 ounces Canadian bacon, chopped
6 English muffins, split and cut into 1-inch pieces
8 eggs
2 cups 2% milk
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
HOLLANDAISE SAUCE:
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions
1. Place half of the Canadian bacon in a greased 3-qt. or 13x9-in. baking dish; top with English muffins and remaining bacon. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk and onion powder; pour over top. Refrigerate, covered, overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 375°. Remove casserole from refrigerator while oven heats. Sprinkle top with paprika. Bake, covered, 35 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near
the center comes out clean.

3. In top of a double boiler or a metal bowl over simmering water, whisk egg yolks, cream, lemon juice and mustard until blended; cook until mixture is just thick enough to coat a metal spoon and temperature reaches 160°, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to very low. Very slowly drizzle in warm melted butter, whisking constantly. Serve immediately with casserole. Yield: 12 servings (1-2/3 cups sauce).

Nutritional Facts: 1 piece with about 2 tablespoons sauce equals 286 calories, 19 g fat (10 g saturated fat), 256 mg cholesterol, 535 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 14 g protein.

We loved this casserole! This was a great change-up! I've never made a Hollandaise sauce before and it didn't turn our perfectly but tasted great all the same. It's always fun for me to try new cooking techniques. Even the kids liked this recipe. Wahoo!

Baked Ravioli

Baked Ravioli
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1 medium onion, chopped 
3 garlic cloves, minced 
Coarse salt and ground pepper 
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, or oregano 
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes 
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes 
2 pounds store-bought ravioli 
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
DIRECTIONS 
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a large 
saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and 
season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, 
until softened, about 5 minutes. Add thyme and tomatoes. 
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, breaking up 
tomatoes with spoon, until sauce is thickened and reduced 
to about 5 1/2 cups, 20 to 25 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted 
water just until they float to the top (pasta will continue to 
cook in oven). Drain pasta; return to pot. 
3. Toss sauce with pasta. Pour pasta into a large gratin 
dish or 9-by-13-inch baking dish, and sprinkle with 
cheeses. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly 
before serving. Serves 6-8

This was great! I wasn't a fan of the whole tomatoes but that's just me. Easily changed. This is a great meal for kids too! And nice to find a good meatless meal.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Casserole

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Casserole

2 1/2 cups uncooked pasta (not quite the entire box- I used shells, but any kind would work! Whole wheat works great too)
2 cups broccoli (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, cooked and chopped into bite-size pieces
1 (16 oz) jar Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare pasta as directed on package. Remove from heat, drain water, and dump pasta in a large bowl.
If using fresh broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces and place in a microwaveable-safe bowl. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Microwave for 3-4 minutes or until it reaches your desired crunchiness. If using frozen broccoli, prepare according to directions on package. Once finished cooking, place broccoli in the bowl with the pasta.
Dump the chicken, alfredo sauce, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese into the bowl and mix with the pasta and broccoli. Season with garlic salt, basil, and salt and pepper.
Spray a 9x13" pan with non-stick cooking spray and dump pasta/chicken mixture inside.
In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, melted butter, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese together. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbling.

I feel like this meal had a lot of potential. I always think I'm going to like bottled Alfredo sauce but I never do. Homemade would be so much better. I also used canned chicken and fresh would have been better. But I LOVED that bread crumb topping. Yum! 

Tip: When I made the Ranch pasta salad I cooked double the amount of pasta and stored half in the fridge until I made this casserole.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Casserole Recipe

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 Recipe total Servings 15
Calories 335
Total Fat 13.77 g
Saturated Fat 7.53g
Monosaturated Fat 4.32g
Polysaturated Fat 1.92g
Total Carbohydrate 26.2 g
Fiber 0.7 g
Sugar 0.5 g
Protein 22.5 g
Cholesterol 87.48 mg
Calcium 219 mg
Iron 2.17 mg
Potassium 227 mg
Sodium 330 mg
Zinc 1.7 mg
Thiamin 0.29 mg
Riboflavin 0.3 mg
Niacin 5.7 mg
Folic Acid 52.6 Ug
Vitamin B6 0.3 mg
Vitamin C 10.8 mg
Vitamin B12 0.9 Ug
Vitamin A 388 IU
Vitamin E 0.26 mg
Vitamin K 1.9 Ug
Points 8
Points Plus 8
*The nutritional values are determined by the total ingredients divided by the number of servings for each recipe. Serving sizes may vary. The formula used here for points was obtained from public sources and is an empirical match to Weight Watchers calculators, but it is not an "official" Weight Watcher's calculator.

Read more at http://myrecipemagic.com/recipe/recipedetail/chicken-and-broccoli-alfredo-casserole-recipe#Z0vabyoJbXl2fud8.99