We had steamed broccoli tonight with the manicotti. I used Kroger spaghetti sauce but it was a bit tangy so next time its either Prego or I’ll doctor it up with some sugar and cinnamon…yes you heard right! Cinnamon is a secret ingredient in my spaghetti sauce but you must include some sugar as well to make it taste good. My Mom got this secret from a neighbor of hers years ago.

We had enough left for another meal and maybe a small container to freeze for Mike. Thats about 6 meals if you dont go back for seconds like we did out of one medium sized roasted chicken. My budget just got better!

Wednesday night I baked a medium sized whole chicken (bought on sale for 69 cents/lb) with garlic, lemon, fresh thyme (from my herb bed), salt and pepper. Mike and I had a piece of the breast, brown rice pilaf cooked with onions (from my garden) ,grated carrots and chicken broth and had some steamed asparagus (on sale for $1.50/lb) on the side. You can serve with steamed broccoli or grean beans if you like. I also baked a blackberry cobbler made with fresh blackberries I picked the day before from my side yard.

Last night I made a creamy chicken and rice casserole. I preheated the oven to 400 degrees and sprayed a 9 x 13 casserole dish with non-stick spray. I then made a cream sauce with 3 tbsp butter, 3 tbsp flour and about a tbsp of fresh thyme, whisking about 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat. I then added 1 cup of chicken broth and 1 cup of milk whisking in slowly and stirring often till slightly thickened. I stired in 2 cups of diced cooked chicken (I used the rest of the white meat from the leftover roasted chicken) a tsp dried parsley and some salt and pepper and removed from heat. I then took the leftover rice pilaf (heated in microwave) and spread in the bottom of the casserole dish followed by 3/4 cup of frozen peas (thawed, bought on sale for $1 for a 12 oz bag) Then I poured the cream sauce over the rice and dotted with 1 tbsp butter cut into small pieces. I sprinkled 1 heaping tbsp of bread crumbs mixed with 1 heaping tbsp grated parmesean cheese over the top and baked for about 25 to 30 minutes till bubbly and lightly browned. We had a small second helping (couldnt resist) so I froze the rest in a small container for Mike while I am out of town for a few weeks in May.

Tonight I will make chicken and cheese manicotti using the leftover dark meat. Cook manicotti noodles till just pliable. Cool on foil sprayed with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Shred leftover dark meat, sprinkle with a little italian seasoning (2/$1 spices sold @ most grocery stores) and set aside. Stuff 1/3 of noodles with shredded mexican blend cheese (on sale for $2.50 for a 16oz bag), then a little chicken and the last 1/3 with cheese. (Reserve some cheese to sprinkle on top) Layer into casserole dish. If there is still chicken left add to casserole around noodles. Pour favorite spaghetti sauce over top and sprinkle with rest of cheese. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes till bubbly. This should make about 3 or 4 meals for us. I will probably divide this in two smaller casseroles and freeze one for Mike to cook while I’m gone. I came up with this dish last year after buying a rotisserie chicken on sale for $4.99 and used the leftovers. ENJOY!

Thanks,
Rebecca