Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

 

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad:

• 12 ounce pack Spiral pasta ( I used Wacky Pack Veggy Spiral Pack)
• 3 chicken breast, chopped
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 chopped tomato, or a handful of cherry tomatoes chopped in half
• 6 pieces bacon, cooked hard and crumbled
• 1 zucchini shredded
• 1 tomato chopped or a handful of cherry tomatoes cut in half

COPYCAT RANCH DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pack Ranch Dressing (the original recipe called for 1 teaspoon dry Ranch dressing Buttermilk Recipe)
• 1 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Here’s what you do:

COPYCAT OUTBACK RANCH DRESSING:

• Mix together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Ranch dressing pack, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder.
• Refrigerate
• Makes 1-1/2 cups and I used it all in this pasta salad.

CHICKEN BACON RANCH PASTA:

• Season chicken with salt and pepper and bake for 30 minutes in the oven 350 degrees.
• Cut the chicken breast up into bite sizes,
• Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
• In a large bowl, combine the chopped chicken, cooked and drained pasta, ranch dressing, shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, zucchini, and 6 pieces of bacon cooked hard and crumbled.
• Mix well and serve or refrigerate.

Spaghetti and meatballs

Italian Meatballs:
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 lb. Italian sausage
1/4 c. dry bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. dehydrated onion
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. parsley
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt*
*If you want, you could substitute all the Italicized ingredients with 3 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning found here.
Gently combine meatball ingredients in a medium bowl. Shape into balls, whatever size you like, but I prefer using my standard cookie scoop (about 1 Tbsp.) to shape meat into balls and then rolling it between my hands to make them even more round. Place on a broiler pan
and broil until the meatballs start to brown–I actually use my toaster oven. Just because I can. Remove from oven and set aside until ready to use (or freeze for later use).
Sauce
1 large onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
Olive oil
2 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes
16 oz. tomato sauce
1-2 Tbsp. sugar (to taste)
2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of baking soda (to help neutralize the acid)
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant. Add remaining sauce ingredients and combine well. Bring to a simmer and add meatballs. Simmer on low, uncovered, until desired consistency is reached–about 25-30 minutes for a sauce that’s of medium consistency (my husband, bless him, likes it very thick while I like it a little on the thin side. Whatever will we do??)
Serve over hot spaghetti (shhhhh…I used linguine!), maybe with some breadsticks and some freshly grated Parmesan on top. Serves a lot–like probably 12 regular people or 2 teenage boys.
FREEZER MEAL INSTRUCTIONS:
Prepare meatballs as directed, but divide the meatballs among two freezer-safe containers. Prepare sauce through adding all ingredients to the pan, but don’t simmer; rather, divide the sauce among the two containers. Freeze until ready to use. When ready to use, place in slow cooker and cook on low for about 5-6 hours, although you’ll want to keep an eye on the sauce and make sure it’s not burning if you go for the whole 6 hours.

Spicy Honey Chicken

Ingredients:

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2lbs (Yes, Thighs!!)
everyone is always asking me if they can use breasts for this. Sure you can, but I’m tellin’
ya right now it’s better with thighs.

2 t vegetable oil

Rub

2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder

Glaze
1/2 C Honey
1T Cider Vinegar

Instructions:

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.

Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces.Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it’s not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.

I’m gonna warn you that this can make a hot mess, literally. It’s sugar, and it’s gonna drip. But the smelly smoke is worth it for a minute or two. Just leave your grill on for a few minutes after the chicken is done to burn off any excess glaze. It’s totally worth it once you taste this stuff.

If you don’t have a bbq, try it on an indoor grill pan or use your broiler. Just be sure to open a window in case you burn your glaze!

Remember how I had you reserve that extra couple tablespoons of glaze? Ya, drizzle that on top now. Your taste buds will thank you.

Funfetti Cookies

• prep time 40 min
• total time 40 min
• ingredients 4
• servings 36

Ingredients

1(18.9-oz.) pkg. Pillsbury® Moist Supreme® Funfetti® Cake Mix

1/3cup oil

2eggs

1/2(15.6-oz.) can Pillsbury® Creamy Supreme® Funfetti® Vanilla Frosting

1- Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs; stir with spoon until thoroughly moistened. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. With bottom of glass dipped in flour, flatten to 1/4-inch thickness.  

2- Bake at 375°F. for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.  

3- Spread frosting over warm cookies. Immediately sprinkle each with candy bits from frosting. Let frosting set before storing. Store in tightly covered container.

Sesame Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 piece (3/4 pound) filet of beef, cut in 3/4-inch strips (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 scallions, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
• 2 small garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound broccoli, florets cut into small pieces, stalks peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• Cooked rice, for serving

Directions

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add beef, and sprinkle with the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef to a plate.
2. Add scallions and garlic to skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 30 seconds. Add broccoli and 1/2 cup water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is dry, about 3 minutes. Stir together broth, soy sauce, and cornstarch in a small bowl, and add to skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is no longer cloudy, 1 to 2 minutes. Return beef and any juices to pan; cook, stirring often, until beef is heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, and stir in sesame oil. Serve with rice.

Note: Kids loved this and we love it with fried rice made with brown rice.

Melissa's Homemade Brownies

I love these brownies of Melissa’s!!  They are my favorite treat that she makes.  They turned out dang good when I made them too.  And they are soooooo easy (almost as easy as opening a box).

2 cubes of butter

½ cup cocoa

2 C sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ C flour

Melt butter with cocoa.  While that cools mix sugar, eggs, vanilla.  Add chocolate mixture to egg mixture.  Add salt, baking powder, and flour.  Mix and put in a greased13x9 pan.   Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Alice Springs Chicken like Outbacks

Ingredients

Honey Mustard Marinade

½ C Dijon mustard

½ C honey

1 ½ tsp vegetable oil

½ tsp lemon juice

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves

1 Tbl vegetable oil

2 C sliced mushrooms (10 to 12 mushrooms)

2 Tbl butter

salt

pepper

paprika

8 slices of bacon, cooked

1 C shredded Monterey jack cheese

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

2 tsp finely chopped parsley

Instructions:

1. Use an electric mixer to combine Dijon mustard, honey, 1 ½ tsp vegetable oil, and lemon juice in small bowl.  Whip the mixture about 30 seconds.
2. Pour about 2/3s of marinade over the chicken breast and marinate them, covered, in the refrigerator about 2 hours.  Chill the remaining marinade until later.
3. After the chicken has marinated, preheat the over to 375 degrees F. and heat up an oven proof frying pan large enough to hold all four chicken breasts and 1 Tbl oil over medium heat.  (if you don’t have an oven proof skillet transfer chicken to a baking dish after searing for baking.)  Sear the chicken in the pan for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden brown.  Remove the pan from heat but keep the chicken in the pan.
4. In a small frying pan sauté the mushrooms in butter
5. Brushed each seared chicken with a little of the reserve honey mustard marinade (not what the chicken had been sitting in), being sure to save a little extra to serve on the side later.
6. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and a dash of paprika.
7. Stack 2 pieces of cooked bacon crosswise on each chicken breast
8. spoon the sautéed mushrooms onto the bacon, being sure to coat each breast evenly.
9. Spread a ¼ C Monterey jack cheese into each breast followed by ¼ C  of cheddar.
10. Bake the prepared chicken breast for 7 to 10 minutes or until cheese  is thoroughly melted and starting to bubble.
11. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with the honey mustard marinade.
12. note: we serve over mash potatoes and leave off the mushrooms.