Chicken Dumpling Casserole

Hello again! So we tried another really good recipe. Wanted to share it!

Chicken and Dumpling Casserole

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 cups chicken broth (2 8oz cans)
2 cups frozen peas/carrots
1/2 to 2/3 cup frozen southern hashbrowns
1 cup fresh broccoli (if you like)
4 cubs cubed cooked chicken

Dumplings:
2 cups biscuit/baking mix
1 tsp dried basil
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup shredded cheese (can also add cheese to the veggie/chicken mixture if you like)

Directions:

In a large saucepan, saute the onion, celery, and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt, and pepper until blended. Gradually add broth; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute; reduce heat. Add peas/carrots/hashbrown/broccoli and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in chicken. Pour into greased 13x9 baking dish.

For dumplings, in a small bowl, combine baking mix, basil, and cheese. Stir in milk with a fork until moistened. Drop by tablespoonfuls (or bigger) into 12 mounds over chicken mixture.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cover and bake 10 minutes longer or until a toothpick inserted in the dumpling comes out clean. Yield 6-8 servings.

I was going to title this post SPRING and wish you all happy new beginnings... aren't these tulips so pretty!?!?

And my plants have caught spring fever as well... new buds everywhere...

BUT. This morning we woke up to THIS!! More snow. In March. I'm about over it. yesterday it was near 50 degrees, and today there are a couple inches on the ground. Ah well... still time to cook those warm winter soups and enjoy them I suppose. :-) Smile!

Aloha Pork Chops

Because I'm a full time student and working at the hospital as well, I've been trying to come up with dinners to cook on Sunday and Monday evenings that would work well for leftovers the rest of the week. AND... we've been looking for new recipes to try... rather than making the "same old, same old". Here's one I made last night and LOVED! Try it!!

Aloha Pork Chops (courtesy http://www.kraftfoods.com/)

Ingredients:

2 cups instant white rice (I used instant brown rice)
2 cans (8 oz each) pineapple tidbits in juice, undrained
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 tsp Ginger (optional) (love it!)
1/2 cup SHAKE'N BAKE Original Pork Seasoned Coating Mix
4 bone-in pork chops (about 5 oz each), 1/2 inch thick (I used boneless pork chops)

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Mix rice, pineapple with juice, broth, green pepper, and ginger in 13x9-inch baking dish.

MEASURE 1/2 cup coating mix and place in plastic bag; coat chops as directed on package. Place chops on top of rice mixture.

BAKE 35-40 minutes or until chops are cooked through (165 degrees F).

YUM!!