M.j. ‘s Chicken Farfalle casserole

Here I am today playing with food.

This is a meal I put together with a little imagination.  We liked it .  Hubby ate his as is. I added pepper flakes to mine to give it a little heat!

I had a little accident involving my back so I may have bruised a few ribs so I’m up 20 minutes laying 20 minutes hoping to recover quickly but hubby refuses to cook and I’m hungry so here goes.  I had the chicken in my freezer so I thawed it out planning on cooking something so this is my something dinner.

NOTE: I  do buy and store extras I may need in my recipes.They come in handy for these kind of days.

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 can Cream of chicken soup

1/2 can milk

4 T ranch salad dressing 

1 tablespoon onion powder

I - 14.5 can drained diced tomatoes ( reserve 1/4 cup in case you need to thin mixture)

About 1/2 tsp.  salt, pepper and parsley (to taste)

1/2 lb. Cooked farfalle ( I salted the water) cooked a’dente and drained( I did not rinse farfalle)

Mild cheddar cheese( about 1 cup)

Hot pepper flakes( optional)

Parsley to garnish

Set oven to 350°.

Mix chicken soup, milk, ranch dressing,onion powder and  drained tomatoes, salt, pepper and parsley and I then added the 1/4 cup Of reserved juice( I felt it needed some more liquid to bake and allow to be creamy.

Place chicken in casserole dish , cooked farfalle and add soup mixture and cheese.  Stir to combine.

Cover casserole and bake 15 minutes. Remove cover bake another 10 minutes more. Make sure the casserole is heat through.  You may have to stir it to make sure.

Serve and add a sprinkle or two of pepper flakes if using. I liked the little bit if heat.

Serve alone or with a side salad.

Enjoy cooking my way!

Cooyright iliketobakeandcook.blogdpot.com 2026

No bake cheesecake, my way

• Playing with a recipe so I’ll have an easy dessert to serve.

  
  

  
  
  
  

  1-8 ounce package cream cheese, softened to room temperature

• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract 

• 1 teaspoon lemon extract (Optional)

• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed

• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar

  1- 8 oz. Sour cream

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  I used bottom

  Of Tupperware cup to flatten crumbs.

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  Beat above thoroughly so cream cheese has no lumps.

• I lb. Sugared fresh strawberries for topping

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• Crust:
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• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs(about 16 full sheet graham crackers)
• 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted

In this recipe I used an 8 x 8” baking pan.  I wanted a deeper looking cheesecake.  You can use 9 x 13”

But it won’t be as high.

Bake crust at 375° 6 to 8 minutes.  Remove and cool completely.  

***Note you can refrigerate for one hour if you do not want to bake the crust. Also you can use an already prepared graham cracker crust.

Today’s topping is my lightly sugared fresh strawberries but you can use canned pie filling.

Enjoy!

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Walnut cherry Biscotti

My plan today was to rest and relax but making more biscotti won over.  

I did want to try adding dried cherries along with chopped walnuts to my original biscotti recipe and the biscotti were delicious.  

This recipe makes approximately 4 nice size biscotti loaves.

2 sticks softened butter

1  1/2 cups sugar

6 eggs

4 1/2 cups flour

4 tsp. Baking powder 

2 tsp. Vanilla extract 

1 tsp. Vanilla butternut extract ( use all vanilla extract if you can’t find the butternut one)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts 

1/2 cup chopped dried cherries 

4 T milk .  Brush top with milk and

Sprinkle of sugar.

Bake 375° for approximately 20 minutes.  Remove from oven . Cool completely and cut in thick slices. Return to oven turn oven to 300° and bake each side for 10  minutes.

Cool .  Store in cool area.  I use either in a cookie jar or sealable bag or Christmas cookie tins. They keep for a long time or can be frozen.

Enjoy!

NOTE: I found that the cherries were delicious in these biscotti but a little larger than dried cranberries.  Cutting through was difficult so I used my electric knife as to avoid breakage.  I suggest using dried cranberries might please you better.

The following photo is an illustration of how I place tablespoons of batter in a row and close sides with a wide knife or silicone spatula .

Million Dollar Pie

I came across this recipe when I googled an “easy dessert”so here is Million Dollar pie.

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 small tub of Cool Whip
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1 can crushed pineapple, drained (8 oz)
• 1 graham cracker pie crust

Mix sugar and cream cheese until blended.

add drained pineapple, coconut and chopped pecans... Pour into prepared shell and refrigerate for several hours.

Note: I added chopped pecans on top instead of in pie and used the leftover cool whip to top the pie. Cool

Whip then pecans.  Enjoy!

Chickpea and tomato salad

• Here’s some photos of a great summer salad made with variegated cherry tomatoes.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  I only had crumbled feta and it worked out fine.  I heated my pitas in my toaster and oh so yummy it was.  

  
  

  A first using garlic paste.  It’s so easy to blend in.  I’ll use it again.  Thank you Aldi. That’s where I found it.

  
  

  2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed 

• 3 cups multicolored cherry tomatoes (about 16 ounces)

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves

• 2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar

• 2 teaspoons garlic paste 

• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

• 1 (6-ounce) block feta cheese in brine, drained(I used crumbled feta)

• 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves

• 2 (6-inch) whole-wheat pita rounds, split and warmed) I used small garlic pitas.  They fit in my toaster perfectly.

Directions

1. Position oven rack in top third; preheat to 425°F. Combine chickpeas, tomatoes, oil, rosemary, vinegar, garlic paste and pepper in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; stir well. Nestle feta in the center of the mixture.

Bake until most of the tomatoes have split and the feta is very creamy, about 20 minutes. Tear basil leaves and sprinkle them over the mixture. If desired, stir the feta into the chickpea mixture until creamy. Serve with pita.

Note:  the crumbled feta slightly browned and I was able to toss it or leave as in crumbles.  Delicious!

Adapted to my liking.