What's for dinner??

Well, tonight was a "comfort food" kind of night. I'm nursing a summer cold and just generally feel yucky; so I made one of my FAVORITE feel-good casseroles. I got the recipe from my bestee, Jodi. This dish always makes me feel all cozy inside. It's fast and easy...and most of all YUMMO.

Jodi's Chicken Divan
(serves 5-7)

 (um, it was so good I ate it all before I got a photo)

**all measurements are guesstimations, deal with it**

2-3 chicken breast halves (boiled and cut in 1-inch cubes)

2 broccoli crowns with stems (crowns broken up into florets, stems sliced about 1/4 inch thick)

1 can cream of "anything" soup (chicken, mushroom, celery...whatever you have on hand)

1/2 cup mayonnaise (don't use Miracle Whip...that just tastes yucky in this)

1/4 cup milk (enough to give sauce consistency of thick salad dressing)

2 cups grated cheese (I use "yellow" cheese like Colby or mild cheddar)

1-2 cups bread crumbs (I like lots of bread crumbs)

1/2 stick melted butter

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder (give or take)

salt (to taste)

pepper (to taste)

Cook broccoli in pan (with about 2 inches water in bottom) until almost done...but not-quite tender (don't want it mushy). Drain. Spray 11x7 baking pan with cooking spray (can use 9x13--but may take more "stuff" to fill pan). Spread cooked chicken pieces, evenly, over bottom of pan. Spread steamed broccoli over chicken layer. In bowl, mix canned soup, mayonnaise, milk, 1/2 tsp garlic powder until well blended. Spoon/pour evenly over broccoli. Spread on layer of grated cheese (I like LOTS). Mix bread crumbs, melted butter, remaining garlic powder, salt and pepper (oh, sometimes I add grated Parmesan cheese to the bread crumbs...sometimes I don't). Finally, spread buttered bread crumbs over whole thing. Pop it in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until bread crumbs are browned, cheese is melty, and it's hot all the way through. 

Voila...it's like a warm blanket on a fork. Eat up ya'all!