Cheddar Chicken Bacon Ranch

Pinterest is a wonderful thing. I get so many ideas for things on there. Whenever I tell Zach about some cool idea, he always says, "Did you get that from Pinterest?" and I nod. Mostly he does it to tease me a little. But there are a few times when he gives Pinterest the thumbs up - usually after I've found a cool new meal to try and last week I cooked up one of those great recipe finds!!!

Behold: Cheddar Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta!!!

All of Zach's favorite things in one dish.

It was SUPER easy and had GREAT flavor. The only thing I would do differently next time is to double the amount of sauce (liquids). There wasn't quite enough to make it creamy and cheesey. It was slightly dry and even drier when we reheated. I've adjusted the recipe to make sure there's enough sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb pasta, approx. half a box (I used cavatappi noodles just because they look cool)
• 4 slices bacon, (now you can make this with only 4 slices... but I used about 1/2lb of it)
• 1 TBSP butter
• 2 large chicken breasts, cut into pieces and cooked
• 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
• 1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (I used the "Fiesta Ranch" packet, so if you want to give this dish a Mexican flair, use that!)
• 2 cups milk (I used 2%)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• salt & pepper, added to your taste

Here's what I did:

1. Cook bacon (Feel free to drain the grease; but save the pan and don't clean it out -you're going to need about 1 tsp. of it to cook the chicken). Let it cool. Chop it into pieces. Set aside.

2. Put a pot of water on to cook the noodles. Follow package directions.

3. Melt butter in large skillet with leftover bacon grease.

4. Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Put chicken into hot butter & grease. Cook until tender, no more pink in the center, and slightly browned.

5. Sprinkle the flour and Ranch Dressing mix over the chicken, stirring to coat evenly.

6. Stir in the milk. Cook and stir occasionally until thick and bubbly.

7. Stir in the cheddar cheese and most of the bacon. Stir around until cheese is melted.

8. Add hot, cooked noodles to the cheesy, chicken mixture.

9. Top with any additional bacon and serve hot :)

I served this with garlic bacon green beans and zucchini tots. There will be another post about each of these on another day.

Lots of Bacon-y Love,

Sarah

Recent Dinners

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

It might not look glamorous, but it sure is delicious! The leftovers for this little number went pretty stinkin' quick!

My little brother Michael was over on Wednesday night last week for me to help him make a batch of cake balls to sell at his 6th grade market day. (They sold out by the way!) I knew the cake balls would take up most of our time, so I did most the prep work for the pot pie a few days earlier (dicing the vegetables and cooking & cubing the chicken). The only thing I had to do was mix the filling, make the crust, and bake. This recipe came from my trusty Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook.

Ingredients

1 recipe Pastry Topper

1 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cup carrots

1 1/2 cup diced potatoes

1/2 cup celery (optional)

2 tbsp butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp poultry seasoning (I just used extra chicken bouillon granules)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup half-and-half, light cream, or milk

2 1/2 cups chopped, cooked chicken

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen corn

1 egg, beaten

Instructions for Pastry Topper

In medium bowl, stir together 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 tsp salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in 1/3 cup shortening until dough pieces are pea size. Sprinkle 1 tbsp cold water over part of the mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to side of bowl. Sprinkle an additional 3-4 tablespoons cold water over remaining flour mixture, 1 tbsp at a time, tossing with a fork until all dough is moistened. Form into a ball. (It should be kinda crumbly; not stretchy like pizza dough.) On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 13x9 inch rectangle.

1. Prepare pastry topper; set aside.

2. In large saucepan, cook onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in flour, poultry seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Add broth and milk all at once. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in chicken, peas, and corn. Pour into a 2-qt baking dish.

3. Place pastry over chicken mixture in dish. Turn edges of pastry under; flute to edges of dish. Cut slits in the top of the pastry to allow steam to escape. Brush pastry with some of the egg. If desired, place cutout pastry shapes on top of pastry. Brush again with egg.

4. Bake uncovered in a 400 F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand for 15-20 minutes before serving.

Homemade Macaroni & Cheese

A few weeks ago for small group, I made a HUGE pot of homemade mac & cheese. And I mean HUGE. As in, I used a small size canning pot because I made 8 cups of pasta (about 3lbs).

I'm not sure if I blogged this recipe or not, but it's fantastic. I got it from The Pioneer Woman's website and follow her steps almost exactly. Except I don't bake. It goes straight from the pan to the plate, with all is ooey gooey cheesiness.

Ingredients

4 cups dried macaroni

1 whole egg, beaten

1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 4tbsp) butter

1/4 cup flour

2 1/2 cups whole milk (I use 2%)

2 tsp dry mustard (I use regular mustard)

1 lb cheese, grated (I used cheddar, but you could do a mix of any of your favorite cheeses)

1/2 tsp salt, more to taste

1/2 tsp seasoned salt (whoops, I guess I don't use this either)

1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Cook macaroni until firm. Drain. In a small bowl, beat egg.

2. In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don't let it burn!

3. Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

4. Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. (This is called "tempering" an egg.) Whisk together until smooth.

5. Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.

6. Add in cheese and stir to melt.

7. Add in salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed. Do not undersalt!

8. Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine

9. Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish. Top with extra cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Both of these meals are perfect for cool, rainy fall days when all you want is warm comfort food.

Love,

Sarah