This is great for a holiday pot-luck!

Hash Brown Casserole

2 lb bag hash browns (shredded)
1 cup diced onions (optional)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
16 oz sour cream
1 stick melted butter or margarine
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Mix everything together, top with crushed potato chips.  Bake for 1 hour at 350.

Once again, Mom comes through with a great recipe! 

Chicken Divine

2-3 cups cooked shredded chicken
2 (10 oz) packages frozen broccoli
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 cans cream soup (I use cream of mushroom)
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
1/2 tsp. curry powder

Cook broccoli according to package directions.  Grease (non-stick spray is fine) 9×13 pan, lay broccoli in bottom.  Spread chicken on top.  Combine the rest of the ingredients, pour over broccoli and chicken. 

Mix 1 cup each of shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheeses with 1/2 cup breadcrumbs.  Melt 3-4 Tbs. butter (or enough to moisten mixture), mix in the breadcrumbs and cheese.  Spread over the top of the casserole.

Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until cooked through & bubbly around edges.

Serves 6-8. 

This doubles nicely - bake one and freeze one!  Or, if you are just serving 2-4, this can be put in 2 - 9″ square pans (freeze one).

Freezing instructions:  Thaw completely, bake as directed.

I found a variation of this this on the Weight Watchers site years ago.  It has become a winter staple in our house.

Chicken Sweet Potato Soup

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1″ chunks
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles (undrained) *
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth **
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 cups frozen corn

This can either be done in the crockpot or stovetop.  For crockpot, cut the chicken into 1″ cubes, cook all ingredients but corn  on low setting for about 6 hours.  Stir in frozen corn for the last 30 minutes of cooking.

For stovetop, I simmer everything (except corn) together with the chicken uncut, then shred the meat when it’s cooked through and return it to the pot (we like the texture of shredded chicken vs. cubed).   This takes about 20 - 30 min on a low boil.  Then add the frozen corn and simmer until corn is heated - about 5 minutes.

*You can substitute plain diced tomatoes for the spicy ones to cut down on the heat.  For a mild soup, just use 2 cans plain diced tomatoes, or tomatoes with italian seasoning.

**Depending on the amount of the sweet potatoes, broth can be adjusted. I just add broth until it has a good ratio of liquid to chicken/sweet potatoes.

Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with mozzarella, cheddar or mexican blend shredded cheese. 

Serves 6-8.

Here’s another one I found on AllRecipes.com, and have modified it to suit our taste.

Spinach Parmesan Chicken

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin
2 Tbs butter
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
dash salt
dash pepper
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 cup skim milk
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

Combine cheese, bread crumbs and seasoning in a large ziploc bag.  Moisten chicken with a little water, put chicken in bag (one breast at a time), seal and shake to coat.  Reserve remaining coating for a topping.

Lay chicken in 9×13 baking pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, saute garlic until softened.  Add salt, pepper and flour, whisk to make paste.  Slowly add milk and simmer, whisking until thick and bubbly.  Stir in spinach.

Pour mixture over chicken, top with remaining cheese/bread crumb mixture.  Bake at 350 for 20 - 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Serves 4 (or, if the chicken breasts are large, they can be cut in half to serve 8).

My mom used to make this alot growing up.   She called it “Favorite Casserole” because my dad and sisters really liked it.  I would never eat it because I thought it was a tuna casserole.  I don’t do tuna! 

When my husband and I first started dating, I asked my mom for some recipes that I could make for him.  This was one that she gave me.  My husband now says that I hooked him with this dish.  After making this, he knew I could cook!  It is now one of our favorites.  I can’t believe I missed out all these years just because I never asked Mom if it was chicken or tuna!

Favorite Casserole

1 can cream soup (I use cream of mushroom)
3/4 cup mayo
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 cup cold cooked rice
8 oz fresh sliced mushrooms
3 hardboiled eggs, sliced / diced
2 cans sliced water chestnuts
About 1-2 cups corn flake crumbs
4-6 Tbs butter

Combine all ingredients except butter and corn flake crumbs. Pour in 2 quart casserole dish. Mix cornflake crumbs and melted butter, sprinkle over the top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  You can also add diced celery an/or onions to this. My family doesn’t like them, so I leave them out.

Serves 6-8.

Freezing instructions:  This freezes very well.  Just thaw completely and bake as directed.