Recipe Advent Calendar - Day 16 - Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Today is Eric's birthday and we've already covered many of his favorites, like Twice Baked Potatoes and Chimichangas, so I thought I would put in Chicken and Broccoli Casserole.  It used to be one of his favorites, but I don't know anymore.  I still like it, though, and we make it a couple of different ways.  Here's the first one:

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

1 - 2 lbs. of chicken breast, cut up.
        (The original recipe called for 2 whole chicken breasts to be boiled in water seasoned with garlic salt until tender, about 1 hour.  Skin, bone, and cut into bite-sized pieces.  Now I use boneless chicken breasts that cook in about 15-20 minutes.  You could also use rotisserie chicken just as easily.)
1 large bunch of broccoli, cleaned and cut into spears.
        (Cook in salted water until crisp tender, do not overcook.)
1 cup of grated Cheddar/Jack cheese

Sauce:

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/4 cup broth from chicken breasts
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp mustard
3 shakes of Worcestershire sauce

Place broccoli in bottom of 9x13 pan.  Top with chopped chicken.  Top with sauce, covering all of the chicken and broccoli.  Then top with cheese.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Version 2:
Everything is the same except that you start at the bottom with 2-3 cups of cooked rice.

Version 3:
Mix 3 cups of cooked rice with a small jar of Cheez-Whiz.  Put that in the bottom of the 9x13 pan, then top with everything else.

Recipe Advent Calendar - Day 10 - Potatoes Romanoff & Twice Baked Potatoes

My birthday is in the summer and my mom's birthday is four days later, so every year on my birthday my grandparents would have a BBQ in their "BBQ Room" which was in their backyard.  Our family would be there and usually my Uncle Earle and Aunt Gerda would be there, too.  We would have brisket or beefalo steaks, a big fruit salad inside of a watermelon, served with YumYum Sauce (which is vanilla pudding and Cool Whip), plus we would have Potatoes Romanoff.  We would always finish off with my special birthday cake, Angel Food with a tunnel carved out of the middle and filled with strawberries and Cool Whip.

Many years later on, when my sister Sandy had gotten married, she had us all over to her apartment for dinner and she made Twice Baked Potatoes. They were wonderful!  Then to my surprise, I realized that they were pretty much just Potatoes Romanoff in potato skins, with bacon.  No wonder I loved them!  Twice Baked Potatoes are probably the recipe most requested by missionaries who come to dinner.  Not the recipe itself, just that we have them for dinner.  It's also our son Mark's favorite food.   I hope you enjoy them as well as we do.

Potatoes Romanoff 
Recipe from Varee Bland, my grandma, who got it from her friend Betty Dyke.

6 medium potatoes (about 2 lbs.), fork tender, baked in jackets
Shred them in a large bowl with the cheese shredder (wear protective clothing, this is messy)

Add:
1 pt. dairy sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in a greased 9x13 pan or large casserole dish.  Top with additional grated cheddar cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.

Twice Baked Potatoes 
Recipe from Sandy Bland Harms

Same ingredients as above but also add :
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 Tbsp butter, if desired (I generally leave it out)

Bake potatoes in their skins until fork tender. Cut potatoes in half and scoop out most of the flesh inside into a large bowl, leaving the skins intact.  Place the skins on a cookie sheet.  Combine potato with sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onions, salt, pepper and bacon.  Add more sour cream if not moist enough.  Add butter to make it more creamy, if desired.  Fill potato skins with filling, each should be heaped up a little bit.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until browned on top and cheese is melted.