Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

I found this recipe as it fell out of one of my magazines, and I had all the ingredients in my kitchen already so I decided to try it and it sure was tasty and easy! It's a Campbell's recipe so how could it be bad.

Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

1/2 of a 16 ounce package linguine

1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets

2 tbsp. butter

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Prepare the linguine according to the package directions in a 3-quart saucepan.

Add the broccoli during the last 4 minutes of the cooking time. Drain the linguine and broccoli well in a colander. Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until it's well browned, stirring often.
Stir the soup, milk, cheese, black pepper and linguine mixture into the skillet. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is hot and bubbling.

Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

Makes 4 servings

(I used cream of chicken- that's what I had on hand)

Service Auction

Our ward had a Service Auction for Enrichment night.
It ended up being a lot of fun.
Here is the basic idea....
Prior to the event, sign up sheets circulated for everyone to list what service they would be willing to share. (Ex. 3 hours of free babysitting, dinner, homemade cookies, 2 large windows cleaned, 1 hour photo shoot, blog design help, scrapbook pages, 1 dozen brownies, 10 holiday/birthday cards, etc.)

On the night of the event, everyone received a 'paddle' as they walked in. They also filled out a questionnaire, to determine how many points they had to bid with. (Example questions - Read your scriptures today 5pts, Had FHE this week 5 pts, Took a shower today 5pts, Made your bed today 5pts for each bed made, etc.)
The points were tallied up via the honor system and the bidding began.
It was a fun night that allowed for socializing and laughter.
Give it a try in your ward!

Trifle Dessert

Every Spring I have to have Trifle, so a couple of weeks ago I decided it was time to make it. Here are a few pictures of the final product.

YUMMY, is all I have to say, looking at these pictures. :)

It is super easy to make. This is my Mom's version of Trifle.

1 yellow cake mix
2 small instant puddings (vanilla, banana, whatever flavor you want)
2 large cartons of strawberries (you can cut up fresh strawberries with sugar and put them in it or you can use the frozen strawberries already in their syrup.)
Cool whip

Make the cake like normal and let it cool. Make the pudding like normal, too. Now all you have to do is put it together. Cut the cake into squares and then slice the squares in half and place the pieces in the bottom of your dish. After you have the bottom full of cake put some of the strawberries on top of the cake. You can be generous so your cake isn't too dry. Then you add some pudding and repeat the process. Top it with cool whip and let chill in the fridge for an hour or so.

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Background: I volunteered myself to be in charge of our new ward cookcook. Seriously, that's where the best recipes come from and I'm SO sick of the same things I make over and over and over again. Because of this "volunteering" task I've taken upon myself, I get to be the first to see all the fun recipes people are turning in! This recipe isn't from anyone in my ward though- it's from a sample cookbook I received from the company that will be printing our official Ward Cookbook and I thought it sounded yummy and easy.

CAULIFLOWER CHEESE SOUP
1 lg. head cauliflower
2 T. onion, minced
2 T. butter, melted
2 T. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 can beef or chicken broth
3 c. milk
2 c. grater cheddar cheese
1/4 c. parsley (optional- but it adds color, so use it!)

Break cauliflower into small pieces. Cook covered in salt water until tender; drain. Meanwhile, saute onion in butter until tender. Blend in flour, salt and pepper. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches boiling point. Add cheese and stir until it melts. Add cauliflower and parsley. Heat to serving temperature.

We decided it's pretty much a broccoli cheese soup but with cauliflower. I'm not going to say it's the best soup I've ever had, but it was really quite tasty. My girls loved it!
We even cheated and cooked up a couple pieces of bacon and it gave it a fun flavor, but it's not necessary. When is bacon ever necessary though?

"Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon."
- Doug Larson