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

Pumpkin Monkey Bread

It's a blustery fall day in Michigan. Zach and I BOTH got to sleep in. He's off at the farm fixing a lawn mower. I'm at home wearing sweatpants, an MSU football hoodie and a cozy pair of socks just waiting for the MSU vs. UM game to start.

We had a great night last night with our friend, Eric and got to meet and spend some time with his girlfriend, Micah. We had dinner here at our house then went out to Pappy's Bar in Remus. It's about as redneck as the name sounds. Micah was a good sport about it, well, at least she went along and didn't complain. Ha ha! We think they're a pretty good match.

Here's the quote of the week from one of my students. I have to give you some background information though, or else it's not as funny out of context. Thursday is our library day and library time always starts off with Mrs. V reading a book to the students. She read them a book about a moose hunt or something or other and on each page, the main characters see more and more of this moose. On the last page, the kids in the story are surrounded by a ton of moose. One little boy who currently has ZERO front teeth and a lisp shouted out, "What the heck ith going on with all thothze mootheth?!" I laughed. It's too hard not to. I'll do the impression for you sometime. It was hilarious.

Here's the monkey bread recipe I've been talking about: http://sugarcrafter.net/2011/09/23/pumpkin-monkey-bread/ . Shout out to Sugar Crafter's website because all I did was follow the directions. Just a warning, it takes several hours to make this because the bread has to rise twice. My pictures aren't as cool as hers but here's what my steps looked like.

Pumpkin Monkey Bread

For the dough:

3 1/4 cups flour, plus more for kneading

2/3 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 cup warm milk

2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon (I probably put more than this...)

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I didn't have cloves or nutmeg)

For the coating:

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon

3/4 stick butter, melted

For the glaze:

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tbsp maple syrup (I used the fake stuff because we are out of the real stuff and it was not as good)

1. In large bowl whisk together flour salt and spices.

dry ingredients, whisked together

In another large bowl, mix together milk, water, pumpkin, melted butter, sugar, and yeast.

wet ingredients, mixed well

3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add in the wet ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir until the dough comes together.

mixing the two

4. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Spray a clean bowl with cooking spray and place the dough inside. Cover and let rise until doubled in size (about an hour).

kneaded dough, pre-rising

kneaded dough, post rising (probably should've let it rise longer)

5. While the dough is rising, now's a good time to clean up all the huge mess you just made before the next steps happen. Once the dough has risen, shape the ball into a large rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into roughly equal-sized pieces and roll each piece into a ball (I had about 3 dozen pieces, but you may have more or less).

cutting the dough into pieces

dough rolled into balls

6. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar, and melt the butter for the coating. Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray.

coating, rolled in butter first then cinnamon sugar

7. Dip each ball of dough into the melted butter and then the cinnamon-sugar mixture, layering them in the bundt pan as you go.

cinnamon sugar dough balls, pre-rise

8. Once you've used all the dough, cover and let rise another hour.

cinnamon sugar dough balls, post-rise

9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a platter. Just before the bread is done, mix together the glaze.

10. Pour the glaze over the bread while it's still warm.

Then eat. As many as you want. While they're still warm. And share them with a friend or spouse. It's the best. And plus you waited over 2 hours to enjoy it.

Love,

Sarah

Peach Sangria

This is a delicious recipe for Peach Sangria. I modified it slightly from a recipe in Coastal Living Magazine.

Peach Sangria

1 (750 mL) bottle white wine
1 bottle Arbor Mist, peach flavor
1 16-oz bottle sparkling water, peach flavor
2 cups peach schnapps
1 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 nectarines, sliced
1 cup green or red grapes, whole or sliced

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight. Stir before serving. Makes 16 cups.


This is the picture from the magazine recipe. Mine didn't look quite so fancy as it was served in red Solo cups. :)

Love,
Sarah

Happy Birthday, America!

This post contains lots of pictures!

Sunday was a crazy long day filled with friends and family. Church then golf with the Cooks. We hit a bucket of balls at the driving range then played the 3 practice holes. Having never played, it was harder than it looks!

Mom O-C making a putt while Tyler and I look on

Then we went to a birthday party for kids of a small group family and ate lunch. We chatted and sat in the sun, okay, I chatted in the sun while Zach played Setter's of Catan with the other husbands. Then we sped back to Cook's just in time for Tyler's last dinner before leaving for Kansas. We had steak and potatoes, Tyler's favorite, and a delicious fruity dessert. By this point I was stuffed and we had one more party to go.... The last stop on Sunday was the Yonker's farm. We missed all the food, but we didn't care because we were so full from dinner. We played a fun game of volleyball in the yard then sat around the campfire making s'mores. I made a s'more with one of those GIANT marshmallows and it was HUGE! I had to use a whole graham cracker on each side and a whole bar of chocolate! Good thing my mom volunteered to help me eat it! We stayed there until late into the night. Kids were running around with sparklers and glow sticks and it was a good time.

Using my skills from Wolf Lake last year!

For the first time in three years, we did not spend the holiday weekend at Wolf Lake with our dear friends, the Windemullers. :( Sad for us, but exciting for them because they are living in New Zealand for a year. Lord willing our tradition will continue next year! Instead of going to Wolf Lake for pontoon boat rides, a boat parade, hobo pies, and campfires - the whole Thorne family went to Ludington. My family actually used to do this every summer since I was a kid but in more recent years we've all done our own thing. It's hard to get everyone together when my sisters are all in college and my brothers are in high school and usually want to hang out with friends. It was such a blessing to have EVERYONE together to spend the day and evening to watch the fireworks. We packed up all things beachy and drove the hour to the beach. We set up camp with quilts, sheets, and towels and then the fun began! Seriously, when you go the beach with the Thornes there is no sitting on a blanket, napping or relaxing (except Amy, she still can't do much still). Footballs, frisbees, paddle ball, swimming, sand castle building, and not to mention a SWEET volleyball game with the Angell family on the beach volleyball court.

Dad & Mikey throwing the football

Katie playing a version of paddle ball with Kyle and Rachel tossing a football with Jared

Katie & Kyle

After an hour of sweaty, sandy volleyball it was time to hit the waves! However, everyone put on the brakes and stared when we got to the water's edge because the shore was covered with little dead fish! Lots of them!

It was gross but we waded past them into the deeper water to play a massive game of boys vs. girls keep away. It was SO FUN because there were SO MANY people involved, and most of us came from two big families! Their 7 kids plus Thorne's 7 kids, 1 spouse, 2 boyfriends, and the parents. Some people decided to throw dead fish instead of the football and that was disgusting but we carried on and caused a big ruckus.

Dinner was hot dogs on the grill, pasta salad made by my mom, fresh watermelon full of seeds for spitting, chips galore, and sangria! For the adults of course. This was my first attempt at making sangria and based on the compliments I received, it turned out well!

Amy and Dad

Travis' big new smile

Justin, Rachel, Jared, Katie, Kyle

My husband, the grill master :)

After dinner, some of us walked out onto the pier to the lighthouse.



Then it was time to dig out a trench for watching the fireworks back by our beach spot. The best way to watch the fireworks is to dig a trench with a spot for your behind and then pile the sand up for a nice backrest. Rachel, Justin, and Mom dug most of it (we had to fit 12 people for crying out loud!) then covered the sand with blankets and towels.

Rachel & Justin digging out sand chairs --oh, and Mikey trying to un-bury himself...

Ready & waiting for fireworks!

The coolest part of the whole night was during the fireworks when this guy walked by and looking at our long line of people all snuggled in he said, "Awwww! That right there is way better than those fireworks!" And I agree. Wrapped up in a blanket with Zach, with sisters on each side and the rest of the family farther down the line, watching the fireworks explode and light up the sky to celebrate America's independence, it was a very content moment.

My Family

BEST. DAY. EVER!

Love,
Sarah

New Things

I am now a 1st grade teacher at Crossroads Charter Academy in Big Rapids. My interview was Monday and the principal called me back on Tuesday afternoon to let me know that I got the job! (Yay for getting student loans paid off faster!) He doesn't know when I can start putting together a classroom because he doesn't know where they are going to put me.... one of the first grade teachers decided to go back to teaching kindergarten so they don't know if they will move her back to her old room or stay where she's at. Plus, with her moving back to Kinder, they no longer have a Kinder teacher position to fill but now have another 1st grade teaching position left to fill. On top of that, we need another classroom for the other new 1st grade teacher as well. CCA is bursting at the seams as far as enrollment goes and that's a good problem if you ask me. As soon as I can get in the building and start setting up the better. I've already decided I want to have a farm theme classroom so I'll post pictures as things start moving.

In other new things, I tried a new dessert recipe that is "no bake" and it turned out DELICIOUSLY! Thanks to the Blue-Eyed Bakers website for this recipe called "Salt River Bars." This dessert is SO EASY. Plus it's salty, chocolate-y, caramel-y, and crunchy. Here's the recipe and a picture of how mine turned out:


Salt River Bars

1 box club crackers (I used saltine crackers instead)
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. peanut butter chips
1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil or canola oil
coarse sea salt

Line 8x8 glass or metal baking pan with foil so that it's hanging over the edges of the pan. Lightly spray the foil with cooking spray or grease lightly with vegetable oil or butter.

Place 15 club crackers (5 rows of 3) in the bottom of the pan and sprinkle 1/3 c. of the peanut butter chips over the crackers. (Note: I used saltine crackers so they didn't fit into the pan as nicely. I laid out 9 whole crackers, 3 rows of 3 tightly packed, then cut a few crackers in half to use on the top and side gap.)


Melt the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until melted, bubbly around edges, smooth and creamy, (about 5 minutes). Pour 1/3 of this caramel-y mixture over the crackers and peanut butter chips as evenly as possible. (NOTE: I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour the caramel more evenly.) Then add another layer of crackers, peanut butter chips and caramel on top. Then another layer and then finish with a layer of crackers. **I forgot to take a picture of this step.**

Finally, melt the chocolate chips and vegetable oil in the microwave, stirring in 30 second increments utnil the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Spread the chocolate over the final cracker layer evenly.


Let cool ever so slightly then sprinkle the top with coarse sea salt.


Place in the fridge for 60 minutes or until chocolate is hardened. Cut into bars. Serve and store cool.


http://www.blueeyedbakers.com/home/2011/6/16/salt-river-bars.html - Check out their website for more pictures plus a comical commentary. Those ladies crack me up!

Love,

Sarah

Summer?

The weather has not been so summery lately, aka, lots of rain and cold weather. But I'm not going to complain because that means Zach is home earlier! They are mostly done with all the busyness of the springtime rush! He's been home at 5:30PM for the past three days and I couldn't be happier. :) Zach totally impressed me, and a bunch of other people, last night when he stepped in as the umpire for our softball game when one didn't show up. He may have gotten a little heckling from my dad and from his neighbor who has known him since he was a little kid, but all in all he did a great job!

Our garden is slowly growing. The beans, onions, tomatos, and jalepenos are doing okay. But with all the rain, a couple of the cucumber and pumpkin hills got demolished so we had to replant and build up those again. The sugar peas are NOT doing well, so Zach replanted most of them. He's actually out at the farm right now tilling and weeding. I feel a bit lazy at the moment, but I'll be out there later. Here's a picture of Zach putting cages on the tomatos and watering the garden.




Oh! And here's a picture of the growing jalpenos! I guess I might have a green thumb after all!


Amy's incision is still healing but she's had a lot of swelling in that leg. She has moved from using a cane to a crutch. Maybe she got sick of the grandma jokes! She can drive again but it's too painful on her leg so she's content to be driven around by someone else. She (and Katie) brought ice cream out to our house after work the other night to celebrate the end of her Daniel Fast and her no cancer results. Mmmm.

This morning I made some pumpkin bread, per request of my mother who also just finished the Daniel Fast. I used the recipe from my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook and it turned out great. There was so much batter that I made a whole loaf, 12 muffins, and 10 chocolate chip muffins. Here's a picture of the finished product and the link to the Better Homes & Gardens recipe: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/breads/pumpkin-bread/







Grandma & Grandpa O'Neill are up visiting this weekend so I'm off to the farm!

Love,
Sarah

Chicken & Dumplings

Thorne/Norton Chicken & Dumplings

Chicken:
2 chicken breasts (~1.5-lb)
salt, pepper
2 tsp. chicken bouillon

Dumplings:
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 tablespoons shortening
3/4 c. milk

Optional:
1/2 c. peas
1/2 c. corn

Cook chicken in 2 quarts of water with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. When chicken is cooked through, remove from water.


Add 2 tsp chicken bouillon to the hot water; cover and set aside.


Cut chicken breasts into bite size pieces and set aside.

Dumplings: Mix dry ingredients. Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse meal.



Add milk using fork to mix until moistened. (At this point, bring the chicken broth back up to a boil.)


Lightly flour a clean surface and pat dough to ~ 1/2-inch thickness. Cut dough into 1-in by 1/2-in strips.


Drop into boiling broth. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 8-10 minutes of until desired consistency, stirring occasionally.


Stir in chicken and vegetables. Increase heat; simmer about 10 minutes.


Serve hot with rolls and a salad.