Chicken Tettrazini

8 oz. linguine

2 cups cooked chicken

6 Tbsp. butter

6 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp salt

1 can chicken broth (I've used chicken bouillion cubes--works great too)

1/4 cup water

1 cup heavy cream

8 oz. sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup sliced almonds (toast them in oven for a few minutes)

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour slowly while continuing to stir---stir constantly over heat for one minute. Gradually add cream, stirring constantly. When smooth, add broth and water. Cook for a few minutes till it starts to thicken (will not get really thick). Add mushrooms, almonds, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and chicken. You can alternate layers of noodles and sauce in a baking dish but I just stir it all together and then pour into a 9*13 baking dish. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.

**Adding some garlic to this dish would be yummy...it's like a chicken alfredo but with mushrooms and crunchy almonds--you have to include the almonds or it just doesn't feel right! 

SpAgHeTtI

I know, WHY am I posting a spaghetti dinner?  Geoff asked the same question when I whipped the camera out before taking a bite.  That seems so boring---but then I thought, ya know, spaghetti is such a staple around here and this isn't a gourmet recipe site but is about feeding our normal families. Since we all make spaghetti a little different, it might be fun to compare and get some new ideas. 

Here's how I usually do it:

Brown approx. 1/2 lb ground beef

Add half jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce and 1 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes. (the ones in the photo are normal size though)

Add just a little bit of water to thin if necessary. 

Serve over spaghetti with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. 

Boring but tasty. How do YOU make yours?