Here’s a nice simple (but tasty) baked chicken recipe. I served this with Easy Mac ‘n’ Cheese and some green beans. It was delicious!

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 c. dry breadcrumbs
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
1 t. seasoned salt
1 t. ground black pepper
1 t. garlic powder
1 c. ranch dressing

1. In a resealable bag, marinade chicken breasts in ranch dressing for at least half an hour.
2. Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Lightly grease a 9″x13″ baking dish.
3. In a shallow bowl, mix together the dry breadcrumbs with Parmesan cheese, seasoned salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Remove chicken from marinade, allowing any excess to drip off. Coat in the breadcrumb mixture.
4. Place chicken in a single layer in greased pan. Bake uncovered for about 30-35 minutes, or until a thermometer reads 160F.

When I needed canned pumpkin for pumpkin pie (my favorite Thanksgiving dessert), Andrew bought me the only size can he could find: a big one. I think I probably used half of the can he got me for the pie, and I didn’t want the rest of it to go to waste. It sat in the fridge for a few days before I found a recipe for pumpkin bread. This is super quick to throw together and it’s wonderfully moist and delicious!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 65 minutes + cooling
Makes: about 16 servings

1-2/3 c. flour
1-1/2 c. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 t. ground cinnamon
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
2 eggs
1 c. canned pumpkin (I just threw in what was left in the can I had)
1/2 c. canola oil
1/2 c. water

1. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (first 8 on list). In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin, oil, and water together. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
2. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350F/180C for 65-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

This recipe is so quick and easy it’s ridiculous. Sometimes I come across recipes that are so easy, I barely feel like I did anything! How do you get that sense of pride and accomplishment then?! Anyway, this is another “double” recipe, so I have put the halved amounts in italics. I’d also like to note that I used Alfredo sauce from a jar, because I couldn’t find cartons of the refrigerated stuff the recipe calls for. So if you get the jarred stuff, yes, you’ll just have to measure it out in a liquid measuring cup. You can do it.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake: 25 minutes
Makes: 2 casseroles (6 servings each)

4 cups (2 cups) uncooked bow tie pasta
6 cups (3 cups) frozen broccoli florets
4 cups (2 cups) cubed fully cooked ham
2 cartons (1 carton) (10 oz ea) refrigerated Alfredo sauce
2 cups (8 oz) (1 cup – 4 oz) shredded Swiss cheese
1 can (8 oz) (4 oz) mushroom stems and pieces, drained

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, adding the broccoli during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the ham, Alfredo sauce, cheese and mushrooms. Drain pasta mixture; add to ham mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to two (one) greased  11″x7″x2″ baking dish(es). Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake remaining casserole at 375F/190C for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly.

*To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before heating. Cover and bake casserole at 375F/190C for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly.