Food Friday-Paula Deen's Chicken Florentine Casserole

I was watching the Food Network the other night and Ms. Deen said that this is a recipe that every wife should have in her repertoire. It's good for pot lucks, it's good for a quick dinner, it's good for freezing. Well I had to try this out. OMG! It's so good. We only made half a batch and served it with rice but it served 4 adults. My kid did not like this b/c of the curry, but we'll keep putting it on his plate. Next time I make it, I'm going to stir cooked rice into the casserole and make a meal in one dish. I have amended this a little from her original.


Ingredients
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach
6 chicken breast halves (about 4 pounds), cooked, boned, and chopped
2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
2 cup grated sharp Cheddar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon curry powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs (we used crushed Ritz crackers and I think it made it better)
2 tablespoons butter

Directions
Remove the outer wrappers from the box of spinach. Open 1 end of each box. Microwave on full power for 2 minutes, until thawed. Drain the spinach and put into a large bowl. Add the chicken.


In a medium bowl, combine the soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, Cheddar, lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper, to taste, and wine. Whisk together to make a sauce. Pour the sauce over the spinach and chicken. Mix well with a spatula.


Place the mixture into an 11 by 7-inch casserole dish or 2 (9-inch) square disposable aluminum foil pans that have been sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray. Pat down evenly and smooth with a spatula. Combine the Parmesan and bread crumbs and sprinkle over the top. Dot with the butter.


Wrap the uncooked casserole securely with plastic wrap, then with aluminum foil. Place each pan into a plastic freezer bag and seal. Place into freezer.

Allow casserole to thaw 24 hours in refrigerator. When ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap and foil. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes until bubbly.

For more recipes, visit The grocery cart challenge.

My heart just broke a little

I would wear these every day until they fell off of my feet. Seriously.

Pumpkin Butterscotch Muffins

Well since I'm obsessed with all things pumpkin I thought I would post another recipe. This one is heavenly. Seriously. It was sent down from heaven for you to enjoy. If you eat these, you will never sin again.


Pumpkin Butterscotch Muffins

INGREDIENTS

* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 tsp apple pie spice or a combo of the 3 spices below
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1/4 tsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup melted butter
* 1 cup canned pumpkin (I used my pumpkin puree)
* 6 oz pkg butterscotch chips


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease mini-muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. Sift together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together the eggs, butter, and pumpkin in a separate bowl. Mix the flour mixture with the egg mixture. Stir in the butterscotch chips; pour into each cup of the muffin pan to about 3/4 full.
3. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes.

**Recipe modified from this one

Pumpkin Corn Bread

My love of pumpkin this year knows no boundaries. I just can't get enough.
Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins

1 1/2 cups yellow or white cornmeal (I used stone ground)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbs baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp apple pie spice (or a combo of 1/2 cinnamon and 1/2 nutmeg)
1 tsp salt
1 egg
3 tbs canola oil (you can also use corn or vegetable oil)
3/4 cup pureed pumpkin (you can use canned pumpkin too)
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 12-cup standard muffin tin with cooking spray.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flours, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix well to remove any lumps, sifting if necessary.
Beat the egg lightly in a mixing bowl. Add the oil, pumpkin, and milk to the egg and beat together until well-combined.
Gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined. Some lumps may remain; this is okay.
Divide the mixture evenly among the 12 muffin cups.
Bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes, checking at 20 minutes to see if they are done. They will be done when a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 12 muffins.

*This recipe has been modified from the original that I found on Kidscuisine*
**For more pumpkin ideas, please visit Life as Mom**
***For more recipe ideas head over to the recipe swap***

Never pay more than...

$5 Dinner Mom started a new list called "Never pay more than..." I'm borrowing from her and adding & adjusting as I see fit. I'm going to keep this updated on my sidebar.

Ground Beef $1.69/lb.

Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast $1.99/lb.

Pork Chops $1.99/lb

Can of Tomatoes $.40/can

Box cereal $.80

Box Kashi cereal $1.50

Yogurt $.40 each

8 oz. Cheese $2

Toothpaste FREE

Toothbrushes FREE

Shampoo FREE

Dishwashing Soap FREE

Dishwasher Soap $.50/box

canned cream of soup $.65

Razors FREE

Body wash FREE

Excedrin FREE

Children's medications $1

Hand soap $.25

Salad Dressing $1.25/bottle

Frozen Veggie side dishes $.77/box

White or brown rice $.50/lb

Pasta $.45/lb

grapes $.89/lb

bananas $.59/lb

Shredded, bagged cheese $1.50/2 cups

New handbag anyone?

Want to win a cute new handbag? Handbag Planet launches Oct. 15 and is giving away 24 handbags in 24 hours that day to celebrate.

Food Friday-powerball cookies

I have not made these yet but they are on the agenda for this weekend. They look like a great snack for both the monkey and the parents. This was in Wondertime magazine.

Makes 40-48 cookies

Mix together 1 cup peanut butter and 1 cup honey until smooth. Gradually add in 3 cups old fashioned oats and 1/2 cup ground flaxseed. Add 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup any combination of nuts and soft dried fruit(try 1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanuts and 1/4 cup each of raisins and dried cranberries) and mix gently in your stand mixer or smush together by hand.

Roll into Ping-Pong-size balls and, for maximum presentation value, put in paper mini muffin cups. You can eat them right away, but they'll be less sticky after a night in the fridge. They freeze well too, layered on wax paper in an airtight container.

For more recipe ideas, go visit the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap