Broccoli Chicken Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup AP flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp gr nutmeg
• 1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 (16 oz) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
• 9 lasagna noodles, (we use no-boil noodles)
• 1 1/3 cups diced ham
• 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 2 cups cooked chicken, diced

Directions:

1. Saute mushrooms and onion in butter until tender.
2. Gradually add flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until well blended
3. Next stir in broth and milk, continue to mix well. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir while continuing to cook for an additional 2 minutes - or until mixture has thickened.
4. Add Parmesan cheese and broccoli to sauce - remove from heat. Stir well.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare baking dish with cooking spray.
6. Begin layering lasagna by first spreading the bottom of the baking dish with the 1/2 cup of the thickened broccoli sauce.
7. Layer 3 noodles on top of the broccoli mixture.
8. Next top the noodles with 1/3 of the remaining sauce, 1 cup of ham, 1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and 3 more lasagna noodles.
9. Begin the next layer with 1/3 of the sauce mixture, all of the chicken, and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese - then the 3 remaining lasagna noodles.
10. Last, top the lasagna noodles with the remaining sauce and ham. Sprinkle any remaining cheese on last.
11. Cover with foil, and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 45-50 minutes. Remove foil cover for the last 5-10 minutes to allow cheese to brown slightly.
12. Remove from oven and allow lasagna to rest for 10 minutes before slicing or serving.

This recipe is being shared at the Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange over at Lil House on the Prairie Living - go check it out!!

Summer Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 package prepared tortelli (I use Bertolli)
1 package frozen broccoli, cauliflower, carrot vegetable blend
1 cup prepared Italian Salad dressing
3 TBS Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Prepare tortelli as directed. Drain completely.
2. Steam vegetables (in microwave).
3. Combine tortelli and vegetables in a serving dish.
4. Cover with Italian dressing.
5. Chill, topping with Parmesan cheese just before serving.

Hint: We made this as a side dish for dinner one night. So quick and easy, but this dish could have been a meal alone. No complaints, no leftovers! Enjoy!!

Cheesy Mac-n-Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

1 (14 oz) deluxe mac-n-cheese (with cheese sauce packet_

1 (16 oz) package frozen broccoli florets, thawed

1/2 medium onion, diced

2 cups cubed, cooked ham

1 cup water

2 1/2 cups skim milk

1-1 1/2 cups prepared Queso dip

* Prepare mac-n-cheese as directed.

* To the prepared mac-n-cheese, add thawed broccoli florets, diced onion, ham cubes, Queso dip, water and skim milk.

* Heat over medium heat stirring occasionally until heated completely, about 10-15 minutes.

Disclaimer: This recipe is for my baby. His favorite food is mac-n-cheese and he would eat it everyday if we let him. To encourage him to include green vegetables and other proteins, this quick and easy recipe allows him to enjoy mac-n-cheese while changing it up a little.

Spicy Beef & Broccoli

Ingredients:

2 TBS vegetable oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 TBS cornstarch

1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat

3 cups broccoli florets

1 medium onion

1 medium red bell pepper

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 tsp peeled fresh ginger root, freshly chopped

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup beef broth

1 cup dry roasted peanuts
**rice or noodles**

- In a large ziploc bag combine soy sauce, cornstarch, stew meat, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Place filled bag in refrigerator to marinate 2-4 hours prior to cooking.

- Prep broccoli, onion, and red pepper by cleaning and cutting into bite-size chunks.

- When you are ready to cook, heat vegetable oil in a deep skillet to a medium heat.

- Cook marinated meat with juices in vegetable oil until meat is completely browned. Juices will begin to thicken the longer the meat cooks.

- Slowly add beef broth and continue to stir.

- Add the vegetable to the skillet last, and cook until tender crisp.

- Serve over prepared rice or noodles, garnished with dry roasted peanuts.

**Tonight we used unseasoned ramen noodles...a compromise to make my kiddos very happy campers**

Chicken Broccoli Braid

**This is not my recipe, it originally came from a Pampered Chef cookbook**

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped (optional)

1 garlic clove

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup mayo

2 tsp all purpose dill seasoning mix (pampered chef)

1/4 tsp salt

2 packages crescent rolls

1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 Tbs slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Chop chicken and broccoli. Place in bowl. Chop pepper and add to bowl. Press garlic into bowl. Add cheese to mixture. Next add mayo, dill mix, and salt. Mix well. Unroll crescent rolls but do not separate. Arrange longest sides of dough across width of a 12x15 pan. Using dough roller seal perforations. On longest sides cut dough 1 1/2 strips apart for braiding. Put mixture from bowl into center of dough lengthwise and pull cut pieces of dough up over filling to cover in a "braided" fashion. Twist each strip one turn. Tuck ends under to seal. Coat outside of dough with brushed egg white. Sprinkle top with almonds. Bake 25-28 minutes or until deep golden brown.

**Mary's modifications: I used egg beaters egg whites instead of separated eggs, used a pizza crust/roll mix instead of crescent rolls, did not do the whole braid thing...instead more of a stromboli...it was a hit**