Cheesy Bacon Ranch Chicken Crescent Casserole

This recipe is comfort food at it's best!  It's such a delicious combination of flavors that come together to make a fantastic casserole.  It would be really easy to double the recipe if you're feeding a crowd too.  Sadly, I can't tell you how good the leftovers are because my small family of three ate the entire pan.  They are just that yummy.  I'm pretty sure this is a recipe that is going to haunt me until I make it again...which will be very soon!

A few notes about the recipe:  By cooking the casserole without the sauce for 15 minutes, the crescent rolls don't become soggy and hold their taste and texture really well.  Also, I tried to use low fat/reduced fat products as much as possible to cut down on the calories, so while the recipe still isn't exactly healthy, it's not too terrible for you either!


Cheesy Bacon Ranch Chicken Crescent Casserole

for the filling
3 oz low fat cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons low fat sour cream
2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
3 slices bacon or turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
2 small chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, minced
1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
pepper, to taste
1 8-oz package reduced fat crescent rolls

for the topping
1/2 10.5-oz can healthy recipe cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup prepared ranch dressing
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
1 green onion, thinly sliced
handful cilantro, minced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease small baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, green onions, bacon, chicken and spices.  Mix well.  Unroll crescent dough and separate into triangles.  Place 2-3 heaping tablespoons of the chicken mixture on each triangle and roll up, starting at the thicker end.  Place each triangle in the baking dish.  (You may have a little extra filling left depending on the size of your chicken breasts.)  Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together soup, ranch dressing and milk.

Remove casserole dish from oven and pour soup mixture over top.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake an additional 20 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.  Garnish with green onion and cilantro.

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Chicken Pot Pie

Recently, my friends and I had a freezer meal swap and the meal we received from Erika was Chicken Pot Pie. It was such a warm and comforting meal and I loved having leftovers for lunch the next few days. On a whim (and totally ignoring my carefully made meal plan), I decided to make a CPP for dinner last night. Unfortunately I didn't have Erika's recipe so I just winged it and it came out great. And it was exactly what the doctor ordered - Andrew and I both had second helpings and sweet Finley had thirds! Hopefully your family will enjoy it as much as my family did. It also got me to thinking about when CPP first came into our family...

Growing up, my mom made Chicken and Dumplings, which I didn't like because I had an unfair aversion to soggy/mushy food, but I don't remember her ever making Pot Pie. In my mind Chicken Pot Pie and Chicken and Dumplings were similar enough to one another that I just assumed I wouldn't like either of them. But you know what they say when you assume...Anyway, fast forward to when I was newly married and I realized that Andrew would buy frozen pot pies whenever he went to the grocery store. Poor guy! I decided to remedy that and make him homemade CPP.

Andrew was so excited that he volunteered to head to the store for me. I made out the list and gave it to him. I've learned over the years that I have to be very specific on the grocery list or else I'll end up with something weird. I usually include notes, brand names and location within the store to ensure he comes home with the right ingredients. But this little trip was early into our marriage and I hadn't yet learned this trick. When I unpacked the grocery bags, I found that Andrew had bought a graham cracker pie crust! Bug-eyed, I queried him, and he admitted he thought it was weird but it was the only pie crust he knew of. Ah, funny memories!

Chicken Pot Pie

a Baking & Eggs original

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 white onion, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

2 ribs celery, thinly sliced

1 potato, peeled and diced small

1 egg

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup flour

1 1/4 cups chicken broth

1 1/4 cups whole milk

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1 cup frozen peas

2 pie crusts (homemade or store bought)

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degree.s

In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt butter and saute onion, carrots and celery, until veggies are softened, about 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, add potatoes and egg to a small saucepan filled with water. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer until potatoes are fork tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain and set potatoes aside. Peel and chop egg. Set aside.

In the saute pan with the veggies, melt butter. Stir in flour. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk until the mixture is smooth and thickened. Stir in salt, pepper, celery seed, parsley, garlic, chicken, frozen peas, cooked potatoes and hardboiled egg. Take pan off heat.

Roll out pie crust in deep-dish pie plate. Carefully pour chicken mixture into dish. (You may have a little filling left-over. I ate it for lunch!) Top with second pie crust. Crimp edges and cut a few steam vents on the top. Brush with egg wash. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until crust is golden.

(I made my pot pie during Finley's nap time, refrigerated it and then baked it for about an hour. You can also double the recipe and freeze one since they freeze great.)

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Not Audrey's Crab Casserole

{Audrey, Finley & Andrew, Christmas 2009}

My husband's beloved grandmother, Audrey, passed away last April. She was one of the kindest, most loving, humble and humorous women I ever met and I feel like I am a better person for having known her. Auj made it seem as though her husband was in charge, but anyone who knew her well, knew that she truly was the backbone, and the matriarch, of the entire family. I never saw her happier than when she was holding one of her great grandchildren, and boy, did the babies love her right back! We have so many sweet and treasured pictures of Audrey and Finley!

When I first met Auj she was already in her late eighties and didn't cook much anymore. But the one dish she would cook for every family gathering was her famed crab casserole. Andrew mentioned yesterday that he'd been craving it lately. The only problem was that I didn't have a copy of her recipe and wasn't able to track one down on short notice. At first I set out to try and recreate Audrey's recipe as best I could from memory, but I quickly realized that my imitation would never live up to the real thing. So since I didn't her actual recipe in hand, I decided to make my own, totally different version of a crab casserole, aptly named Not Audrey's Crab Casserole. It was a really warm, comforting dish that we all enjoyed. After my husband took his first bite, he said, "oh my gosh, this is so good...but it's not Audrey's crab casserole." I had big shoes to fill and I tried my best! At least I knew I picked the right name for this dish :-) And it may not have been Auj's crab casserole, but he did go back for seconds...

{Not Audrey's Crab Casserole}

Not Audrey's Crab Casserole

4 T butter

4 green onions, sliced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

2 celery ribs, finely chopped

8 oz mushrooms, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 t Old Bay seasoning

1/2 t Creole seasoning

1/3 c white wine

8 oz cream cheese

4 oz Colby-Jack cheese, shredded

1 lb. lump crab meat

2/3 c seasoned croutons, crushed

salt & pepper, to taste

parsley, for garnish

mashed potatoes, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add green onions, bell pepper, celery, mushrooms and garlic. Saute until vegetables are softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add Old Bay and Creole seasonings and white wine. Allow vegetables to simmer until liquid is reduced by half.

Reduce heat to low and stir in cream cheese until it has fully melted. Stir in colby-jack cheese. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper, if needed. Gently fold in crab, being careful not to break up the lumps. Pour mixture into a greased casserole pan. Top with seasoned crouton crumbs.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until bubbly. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve over mashed potatoes.

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