Creamy Chicken Hotdish

If you are from Minnesota you call it hot dish.  If you are from Iowa you call it a Casserole. Well since I am an official Minnesotan I am going to call this hot dish.  This is a good hot dish when you need to feed a lot of people.  It goes a long way.  Serve this with peas and some buns from scratch and you have the ultimate comfort food. 

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
1 (12 oz) cooked and drained egg noodles
2 (10 oz) cans cream of chicken soup - undiluted
1 (14.5 ) can chicken broth - or homemade - whatever you like
1 cup sour cream
2 cooked chicken breasts shredded or cubed - what ever you prefer

2 cups shredded cheese
36 Ritz crackers
1/4 cup melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large pot over med-high heat, saute onions in butter until onions are tender.
3. Add in cream of chicken soup, sour cream and cheese; gradually stir in broth.
4. Cook over medium heat until cheese melts; stir in chicken and egg noodles; taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
5. Transfer mixture to a greased 2 ½ quart casserole.
6. Crush up Ritz crackers and add melted butter.  Sprinkle cracker crumbs over hot dish.
7. Bake in a preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until heated through and golden brown.

Chocolate Cake

 

I have a confession.  I don't make cake from scratch.  I use a box mix.  I have for years due to the fact that I have just been to busy to take the time to make it from scratch.  Well, let me tell you - I was wrong.  I know, I know it takes a big person to admit they are wrong but I am here to stand before you and tell you that I was wrong.  This recipe is VERY thin.  In fact when I was making it, I though there was NO way this was going to turn out.  But it does and it is delicious. 

Sift together:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder (do not use Dutch processed cocoa)
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix together:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup black coffee

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Sift together the first batch of ingredients. Mix together the second batch of ingredients in a separate, smaller bowl. Add the wet to the dry and mix thoroughly. Lastly, add the coffee. The batter will be very thin.

Grease and place a cut-to-fit piece of parchment in the bottom of two 9" round pans.  Pour the batter into the prepared 9" cake rounds. Bake 35-40 minutes for 9" rounds  Or, you can bake the cake in one 9"x9"x3" pan for 45-50 minutes, or until a tester placed in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before removing from pan and frosting.  I used peanut butter frosting.  It was delicious!!!