Swiss Chicken and Noodles and Aunt Jean's toasted sourdough bread

Swiss Chicken and Noodle Casserole

We all really like the Swiss Chicken and Noodles Casserole.

I know we've eaten out way too much from L.'s comment: "This is restaurant caliber!"

I know my kids are getting older from M.C.'s comment: "I really like the mushrooms in this!"

Ways I saved money:

Free "Aunt Jean" homemade sourdough bread!!!
I used store brand cheese and broccoli.
I bought the noodles on sale. They were fusilli (corkscrews), not egg noodles. Most pastas are versatile and substitute well for another.
We had Club crackers in the pantry that needed using. I substituted these for the Ritz. You could top this dish with cheese, too, if you prefer.
On days when I make a recipe that calls for chicken and chicken broth, I try to cook chicken that day and save the expense of buying canned broth. It doesn't always workout for me to cook chicken on the days I need broth, so I stock up on canned broth when it's on sale. I also freeze broth in two-cup portions or ice cubes. (I rarely set aside a day just for cooking and freezing meats. I just cook extra for the freezer when I do cook.)

Ways I saved calories:

Although I used a 12 oz. bag of noodles, I didn't double the sauce. I just thinned it a bit with fat-free half-and-half to stretch it to accommodate the amount of noodles.
Although I made a 9x13 of this dish, I still only used one stack of crackers.
I only used 2 tablespoons of butter on the crackers.
Of course, the original recipe is really better with all the sauce, butter, and crackers!:)
I used a canola oil-based spread on our bread.

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