Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Bake

Chicken, Broccoli, Cheese. Cassie Craves. Enough said?

1 pound broccoli florets
4 medium-sized chicken breasts
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
1 tube buttery crackers (crushed)
1 stick melted butter
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk

Heat oven to 350. Steam broccoli for 2 minutes. Season chicken with Salt and Pepper. Place chicken in a greased baking dish and top with broccoli. In a saucepan melt two tbsp butter, add the flour and stir. Cook until it starts to bubble. Add chicken broth, salt, pepper and milk. Stir until the sauce has thickened. Turn down the heat and stir in 1 1/2 cups of cheese, stir until it is all melted. Pour over the chicken and broccoli. Top with remaining cheese. Crush up crackers and mix with the stick of melted butter. Sprinkle over the top of the cheese. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until chicken is done.

"Unfried" Beans

The other night when I was making these tacos, I needed a side to go with them. I had a can of pinto beans in the cabinet so I figured I would see if making the pinto beans like I make our unfried black beans would work. Gray and I both loved them! What I love about this is that they are super flavorful and you can determine the texture, the texture of canned refried beans gives me the hibby jibbies so this will be our go to recipe when we are craving them!

1 14oz can pinto beans
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 tsp garlic (chopped)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh pepper
1/4 cup onion diced
1/3 cup shredded monterray jack (optional)

Combine everything in a pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the beans and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans and add back as little or much liquid until you get the consistency that you like. Optional: Place in a dish and top with cheese. Place under the broiler until cheese is bubbly.

White Bean, Spinach and Bacon Soup

I was totally intrigued the second I saw this recipe on the Cinnamon Girl site. We tried it shortly after and I have to say this is one of the best soup recipes I have ever made. We did slightly adapt it for our taste. It's so different from our normal soups and has so much flavor. Plus it's thick and filling. If it weren't already 80 degrees here we would make this again, hopefully a cold front will decide to come through because I would gladly eat this soup again.

2 small heads garlic (roasted and mashed)
olive oil
sea salt and fresh black pepper
8 slices bacon (cooked and chopped)
1 cup yellow onion (diced)
3/4 cups carrot (diced)
3/4 cup celery (diced)
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup diced tomatoes
2 (14 oz) cans white beans (drained and rinsed)
11 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
fresh grated parmesan cheese

In a large soup pot add 2-3 tbsp olive oil. Add onion, carrot, celery, basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, white beans, smashed garlic, and bacon. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 30 minutes. Place 2 to 3 cups in the food processor or blender. Process/Blend until smooth and return to the soup. Add in spinach and let cook for 10 more minutes. Serve with grated parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Basic Homemade Granola

We love granola. A lot. And we love the expensive granola. But we have ZERO budget for a 6 dollar bag of granola that we can go through in 3 or 4 days. I have been meaning to try my hand at homemade granola forever but finally got around to it. I totally regret not doing it sooner. It was quick, easy and yummy. I used this recipe on Simply Scratch to kinda guide me but I left out some stuff and added so it is a different recipe. I can't wait to try some other recipes with more "stuff" in it!

4 cups old fashion oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

4 tbsp butter (melted)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350. Mix together the oats, whole wheat flour and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl mix together the honey, butter, salt and vanilla extract. Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture and mix until coated. Pour onto a butter greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, break up the granola and flip it. Bake for 8 to 10 more minutes. Store in an airtight container.

Crock Pot Shredded Beef Tacos

This picture in now way does these tacos justice. These were amazing and so tender! It was such a great and easy new way to do tacos. I really liked them but Gray LOVED them, he raved about them the entire time he was eating them! This recipe is from Cooking Classy.

1 chuck roast
1 (14 oz) can beef broth
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp cumin
1/2 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 lime (juiced)

Combine he chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place the roast in the crock pot. Add the beef broth and lime juice. Sprinkle the spices over the top. Place the lid on top and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Remove from crock pot and shred meat. Add back to the juices for another 30 minutes. Serve with tortillas, salsa, cheese, avocado, tomato, sour cream and any other toppings you would like.

Chicken and Broccoli Pockets

This is my very own creation. I was going to make This recipe from Eat Your Veggies, Peas but ended up switching it around. Gray and I both loved it!!! Cooking with crescents is one of my obsessions currently and we always love the broccoli chicken combination.

1 package crescent rolls

1 1/2 cups fresh chopped broccoli

1 cup chopped chicken (cooked)

4 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 375. Combine the chicken, broccoli, cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Season the mixture. Scoop the filling into the crescent roll and wrap to seal shut. Complete with each crescent roll. Bake for 12 to 15 minute or until golden brown. Serve warm.

This recipes was linked on the Cream Cheese Ingredient Spotlight at Eat at Home Cooks.