A few more dinner recipes...

Salisbury Steak

I found this recipe in the Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. It wasn't the prettiest presentation because the meat tended to fall apart, but it still tasted very good. I probably could have packed the meat a bit tighter when making the patties. I omitted the mushroom steps because I didn't have them on hand (and Nick won't eat them). We actually froze half of the patties and soup mixture for a later dinner.

1 can golden mushroom soup, undiluted and divided

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1/2 cup finely chopped onions (I used dried)

1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 large egg, beaten

1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (i omitted)

1/3 cup beef broth

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp pepper

• Combine 1/4 cup soup, beef, and the next 3 ingredients; stir well. Shape mixture into 6 (1/2 inch) patties
• Brown patties in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove patties, discarding half of pan drippings. Cook mushrooms in remaining drippings in skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until tender. Combine remaining soup, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper; add to mushroom mixture
• Return patties to skillet; bring to a boil.
• Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Yields 6 servings

Easy Chicken Casserole

This recipe is one of our favorite go-to recipes for a busy night. Not a gourmet meal, but one that we like to eat at least 2 times a month. We usually have all of the ingredients on hand, and I even tend to cook and shred chicken in batches for the freezer ahead of time. This makes putting together casseroles and soups a breeze when you already have the chicken cooked and shredded.

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 8 oz sour cream

1 stick of melted butter

2 rolls of crushed ritz crackers

• Cook and shred chicken. Combine soups and sour cream in a saucepan, mix well and heat to combine.
• In a separate bowl, melt butter and add crushed ritz crackers
• In 9x13 casserole dish, layer 1/2 of the cracker mixture, chicken, soup mixture, and top with other 1/2 of the crackers
• Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes, or until hot and lightly browned.

We usually serve with green beans.