Casserole, Cake, Cookies - the 3 Cs

Two weeks ago, on a Sunday, I made Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. I ate 3 before they were even cool, so I quickly realized I needed to take the offensive and get the cookies OUT OF MY HOUSE. I took them to work and passed them out to my friends. Apparently they were really good because 1 coworker keeps sending me emails reminding me how good those cookies were. I added 1 cup of chocolate chips to this recipe and it also suggested adding 1/2 cup toasted walnuts and 1/2 cup of pecans but I was out of nuts.

Last week I made Strawberry Streusel Cheesecake. It was easy and looked really pretty but I was not blown away by it. I think it was the strawberry pie filing... next time I think I will either use fresh strawberries or make my own sauce.

I also made Hearty Tex-Mex Squash Chicken casserole, which I got years ago from my sister but never made it, and invited my parents over for dinner. They helped me out by taking home some left overs and all of the cheesecake leftovers. Perpetual diet intact.

Hearty Tex-Mex Squash Chicken Casserole

Makes 8 generous servings

1 10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed
3 medium sized yellow squash, thinly sliced
1 large green bell pepper cut in ½ inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 tbs oil
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken (deli rotisserie works great)
12 corn tortillas cut in 1 inch pieces
1 can cream of celery soup
1 8 oz jar sour cream (I use light)
1 8 oz jar of mild picante sauce
1 4.5 oz can chopped green chilies, undrained
1 1.4 oz envelope fajita seasoning
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Drain spinach well, set aside

Sauté squash, bell pepper and onion in oil in a skillet over medium high heat until tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in spinach, chicken and remaining ingredients including 1 ½ cup cheese. Spoon in to lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Spring remaining ½ cup cheese after removing from oven.