Chicken & Stuffing Casserole, January 15, 2015

Last Thursday, mindful of the wintry weather, I made a homey dinner of chicken & stuffing, lima beans, and caramel apple salad. I was leery of the salad, given the pudding, Cool Whip, & marshmallow components, but it actually turned out to be quite delicious. I liked the chicken & stuffing just fine, but the salad was the standout of the meal for me. Oh, I also had a nice hot drink while I was cooking, a mug of hot milk with a shot of Amaretto, which was quite yummy but perhaps better suited to right before bed. The originals of these recipes are from the Gooseberry Patch Fall, Family, & Friends cookbook. These are what I actually did.

Chicken & Stuffing Casserole

2 cans cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup (or 1 of each; I used Healthy Choice)

1 c. chicken broth (I always use reduced sodium)

1-2 lb. cooked chicken, diced

1 box chicken-flavor stuffing mix, prepared according to box directions (I used reduced sodium)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix soup and broth. Put half the chicken in a lightly greased casserole. Top with half the stuffing and half the soup mixture. Repeat layers with chicken, stuffing, and soup. Bake 45 minutes to an hour. Serves 6. 

Caramel Apple Salad

8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed (I used the light grocery store brand; fat-free is also an option)

3.5 oz. pkg. instant butterscotch pudding (You can use sugar-free)

8 oz. crushed pineapple

2 large apples, diced (I used Honeycrisps)

1 c. peanuts (I used roasted, salted ones with skins, which was fine & what I had on-hand)

1 c. mini marshmallows

Mix Cool Whip, pudding mix, and pineapple together. Add the rest and chill until serving time. I was tempted to leave the peanuts out, since I don't like nuts on my actual caramel apples. However, I tasted the salad without them and it really needed something more. Reluctantly, I added peanuts. They took it to a whole new level. Serves about a dozen folks.