Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake and Patrick

Happy Halloween to all of you today!  May it be a day full of safe Trick-O-Treating and lots of chocolate for us moms!  We of course are having our annual Tamale Casserole tonight for dinner (a.k.a..."that Halloween chili thing") as so eloquently put by one of my daughters.

Sometimes "tricks" happen in your house even before the inevitable holiday, without it being planned or you even knowing about it.

For weeks now, the "eloquent" daughter had been working on a project for her Crafts class...(yes, you know how it goes...Senior year and you need those quick elective classes for graduation requirements).  At any rate, she told me about the cutest little mouse she made and named him Patrick.  Well, she brought Patrick in the gym with her backpack and volleyball gear for one of their games.  After the match, she went to gather her items....Patrick had been petnapped!  He was gone! She was in a massive panic attack.

During the next week, she looked everywhere...under the bleachers, lost and found, in her car, everywhere! She was not just distraught that she had come to have great affection for Patrick, but he needed to still be graded for her class!!

A few days later...one night I am doing laundry.  I go to grab their volleyball jerseys to put in the washing machine.  A small gray mouse jumps out at me from the dirty pile of clothes and I screamed like you could not even imagine (thank God the house was empty), I think I even scared the dogs!  I'll let you put the rest of the puzzle pieces together from there...all I can say is, my daughter owes me big time!

Well, not only did Patrick make an appearance in our house during this week, but also this pasta bake. If you are needing to feed a crowd during the holidays, potlucks, or open houses, this will do the trick (no pun intended)...you can also cut it up and it makes great lunch leftovers for those gourmet work microwave lunches.

Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake

Courtesy of www.thecookingjar

16 oz. penne pasta

2 cups Alfredo sauce (homemade or your favorite brand)

8 oz. sour cream

3 cups poached/grilled/rotisserie chicken, cubed

15 oz. ricotta cheese

1 tsp. garlic, minced

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1 Tbl. parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the pasta according to package directions just before al dente.  Drain and rinse pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Mix pasta with Alfredo sauce, sour cream and chicken in a large mixing bowl.

Combine ricotta, garlic, eggs, Parmesan and parsley and mix thoroughly.

Season the pasta mix with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the ricotta mixture to the pasta and stir to combine.

Pour pasta/chicken mixture in a non-stick prepared 9x11 glass baking dish.  Spread mixture evenly.

Top with a thick layer of Mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Then, broil at 450 degrees for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown (don't take your eyes off it, browns quickly!)  Enjoy the bake hot with a fresh salad and garlic bread.

One Year Ago: Shortbread S'Mores Cups

Two Years Ago: Naughty Lemonade

Three Years Ago: Tamale Casserole