Bacon and Ranch Chicken… Well, Turkey Bacon and Ranch…

After  a long day of yard work, we deserved a little indulgence. Turkey bacon made this dish a little lighter but it is definitely not something I would serve everyday, no matter how much Jason begged.

His two favorite things to eat, ever, are bacon and ranch. He could LIVE off of bacon and ranch. Tonight, needless to say, he was a happy camper. And to be honest, so was I….

Bacon Ranch Chicken

Servings: 2 (but could easily be doubled, tripled, etc.)
Time: 40 minutes
Level: Easy

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tbsp. cheese, any Italian blend, shredded
1 tbsp. mayo
1 tbsp. ranch dressing mix
4 slices turkey bacon

Preheat oven to 400°. Slice chicken breast in half, lengthwise. Mix together cheese and mayo.

In a zip-loc bag, toss chicken halves in dry ranch dressing mix until fully coated.

Remove from zip-loc bag and spread each chicken breast half with cheese and mayo mixture. Wrap each piece of chicken with 2 slices of bacon. Place in a baking dish and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Turn oven to broil and move dish to top rack. Broil for 3-4 minutes to help crisp up the bacon. Yum!

Tips
- Try using regular bacon.
- Serve along side a kitchen sink salad with tons of veggies, raisins, any type of nut, etc.

Chicken and Pesto Quesadillas

This is such a great recipe to whip up on a super busy weeknight or even as a super quick lunch when your sick and tired of PB&J. As I’ve said before, a store bought jar of pesto can save your culinary life when you’re in a pinch!

In this recipe, you can use really good lunch meat slices, like Boars Head Ever Roast, rotisserie chicken, or any chicken you may have leftover.

Chicken and Pesto Quesadillas

Servings: 1
Time: 5 minutes
Level: Easy

2 flour tortillas
1 tbsp. pesto
5-6 slices of chicken lunch meat, or 1/2 c. cooked, shredded chicken
onion, sliced (optional)
1/4 c. Italian Cheese (anything will do… Mozzarella, a blend… whatever you have)

Spread pesto on one tortilla. Top with chicken, onions,  and then sprinkle with cheese.

Place the second tortilla on top and heat in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, turning a few times to brown both sides. Yum!

Tips
- Try rolling these same ingredients into crescent rolls instead of tortillas and bake according to crescent roll package’s directions.
- Instead of regular pesto, try the sun-dried tomato version. It’s delish!

Chicken Pepperoncini

Tonight was a total experiment gone wrong delicious…. I was craving something spicy and needed something quick so I threw a few ingredients together that sorta sounded good and went for it.

When experimenting, it is best to follow some sort of outlying plan. Since I was craving something spicy, I needed to first pick a pepper. I chose to use pepperoncinis (banana peppers) because my old stand by… the jalapeño… just wasn’t doing anything for me tonight. Then, I needed to pick a cuisine. Pepperoncinis always remind me of antipasto, the salad at Olive Garden, and Papa John’s pizza. So I figured I’d go the Italian route.

I rummaged through the pantry and fridge for all things Italian. I grabbed a can of diced tomatoes, peppers, and onions, a small can of sliced mushrooms (fresh would have been so much better but I didn’t have the option), a jar of pepperoncinis, and 2 chicken breasts. Ah… on my way to a great tasting dinner!

Chicken Pepperoncini

Servings: 2
Time: 15 minutes
Level: Easy (Have I ever done anything hard? Maybe one day…)

2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
sprinkle of Italian Seasoning
sprinkle of salt and pepper
sprinkle of garlic powder
1 can diced tomatoes, peppers, and onions, drained
1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained and rinsed
4-5 pepperoncini, sliced

Season both sides of the chicken breasts with Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper, and garlic powder. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown chicken breasts on both sides. Pour the can of tomatoes, peppers, and onions, mushrooms, and pepperoncini slices over top of chicken.

Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until chicken is no longer pink and is cooked throughout. Cook time will depend on the thickness of your chicken. Yum!

Tips
- Try serving over a bed of brown rice to help absorb the delicious juices.
- Use fresh mushrooms if you can.
- Add olives if you like them.
- Top with a little cheese… any Italian variety will do.
- Serve with warm crusty bread.

Fiesta Frittata

Another meatless meal success!!! The mister loved it and asked if there were leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll convert him over to the idea that meat doesn’t always have to be the center of every meal. The jury is still out.

My last attempt at a meatless meal, Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas, proved to be a great place to start, and tonight’s recipe followed suit.

If you follow my blog regularly you must have noticed our love of all foods Mexican. Mexican, especially chips and salsa, would be at the top of our death row meal list for sure!

Frittatas are traditionally Italian. They are basically open faced baked omelets. The key to making a great one is patience. One your lid goes on… don’t lift it off to have a peak until at least 6-7 minutes have passed. Good luck with that one… it’s really hard not to!

You can add a ton of veggies and still have a protein packed meal. Serve it with a side salad… or a quinoa salad… and you’re good to go! Quick, fast, and in a  hurry!

Fiesta Frittata

Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Level: Easy-Medium

1/3 c. frozen bell peppers and onion mix
1/3 c. black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 c. corn, frozen
sliced jalapeños, to taste
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 can Rotel
6 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. cheese, shredded

In a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, sauté bell peppers, onions, beans, corn, and jalapeños until warmed throughout.

Add all spices and can of Rotel. Cook until all of the tomato juice has evaporated. Meanwhile, in a medium sized bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Once juice has evaporated, add egg mixture to skillet.

Stir egg and vegetable mixture until eggs are no longer runny, about 1 minute. Cover, turn heat to medium-low and cook for an additional 7-10 minutes, or until eggs have set completely. Remove lid, top with cheese, and serve when cheese has melted. Yum!!

Tips
- Serve topped with salsa and sour cream.
- Leave out any of the spices or veggies if you don’t like them.
- Serve with warmed quinoa mixed with jarred salsa.

BBQ Pineapple Luau Pizza

Tonight’s dinner was AMAZING! I will definitely be making this pizza again and again. I had a little fresh pineapple (fresh pineapple… oh, how sweet!) left in the fridge and a hankering for Hawaiian Pizza. The only problem  was that I needed to make more pizza sauce and I wanted dinner to be quick tonight. No pizza sauce? No problem! I decided to use BBQ sauce instead.

I came across a recipe earlier this week that had me thinking. The recipe was for chicken and pineapple quesadillas and it looked divine. I will HAVE to try it soon.

But tonight, I wanted pizza. Fast. So I used this recipe as my inspiration and what I came up with was truly delicious. This is seriously a must try recipe!

Luau Pizza

Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4-6
Level: Easy

Pizza dough/crust
BBQ sauce
Ham, chopped
Pineapple, thinly sliced
Green bell pepper, diced
Onion, cut into thin rings
Jalapeños, diced
Cheese, shredded

Pre-heat oven and make/roll out dough according to pizza dough directions.

Pre-bake dough for 5 minutes. Top with BBQ sauce and remaining ingredients, ending with cheese.

Bake pizza for an additional 10-15 minutes until crust is golden brown. Yum!

Tips
- Use a pre-made crust for a faster dinner.
- Top with a little crushed red pepper for more of a kick.
- I used a packaged dough mix that mixes with water. For 57¢ you can’t beat it if you like thin crust!
- Use as many or as little of the above ingredients. Tonight, I only put onions on 1/2 of the pizza. Jason LOVES them… Me? Not so much…
- Jason dipped his in a little ranch dressing. He’s obsessed with ranch.
- You can substitute the ham for Canadian bacon, bacon, turkey bacon, or even chicken.

Amazingly Easy Italian Shrimp

Italian dressing is a must to have in your pantry. It is full of flavor and super versatile. You can make pasta salad, various marinades, zesty green beans, and even use it as a base to boil frozen vegetables until tender crisp, which is one of my go to side dishes when I’m in a pinch. Seriously, you should try it.

Tonight I made Italian shrimp with vegetables and brown rice. I needed a little caloric redemption after last night’s burger bomb and it only took me about 15-20 minutes to get dinner on the table!

I hope you like it. It is extremely easy and can be translated to chicken or fish as well. I didn’t put ingredient quantities or cook times because you can just eye-ball it and make as much or as little as you want.

Italian Shrimp

Time: 10 minutes or so
Servings:  However much you want to make
Level: EASY!

Shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined
Italian dressing, fat-free will work as well
Juice or lemon slices from one lemon
Pepper
Butter, a few pads

Preheat oven to 350°. In a casserole dish lay shrimp flat and side by side so they don’t overlap. Pour Italian dressing over the shrimp until coated generously. Squeeze lemon of layer lemon slices over top of shrimp. Sprinkle pepper over entire dish, use more than you think… The more the better.

Dot with butter. Bake in the oven and watch closely for shrimp to turn pink. Yum!

Tips
- The shrimp will turn pink quickly but  depending on the quantity of shrimp used, the time will vary.
- You can use frozen shrimp but defrost them first by running them under cool water.
- Serve the shrimp and juice over brown rice. Bread is also delicious to soak up the leftover juice.
- The left over shrimp are great served cold. Try tossing them in a salad for a quick lunch.

Ham and Cheese Tart with Homemade Honey Mustard

Woah gracious, I’m grabbing at straws and pulling from the bottom of the barrel on these next few. I am in DESPERATE need of my monthly trip to the grocery store. I haven’t been since February 2nd. Can you believe it? Granted, we were gone for Spring Break and February is a short month but STILL! It has almost been TWO months… I love it.

I’m sort of delaying the trip a little to see how long I can last and how cleaned out my fridge and pantry can get. My husband opened the fridge tonight to fix a drink and was shocked by how empty it was!

This recipe is truly a scroungers recipe. I am down to next to nothing so I grabbed what I could and went for it. Jason said it was delicious so I reckon it wasn’t too random!

Ham and Cheese Tart

Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2-4
Level: Easy

1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls
3 tbsp. honey mustard (see recipe below)
a few slices of ham
1/3 c. Italian Blend or Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375°. On an ungreased cookie sheet, roll out crescent rolls. Smoosh creases together to make one big rectangle. Spread honey mustard all over dough.

Top with ham and then sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until dough is done in the middle. Slice and serve. Yum!

I didn’t have any honey mustard in the fridge or pantry so I whipped up my own. I’m not typically a fan, but had a random craving,  so I tweaked it for my taste. Any measurement will probably work. If you like it sweeter, add more honey. Spicier? Add more cayenne. Just taste it as you make it and add ingredients accordingly.

Honey Mustard

Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 4
Level: Easy

3 tbsp. low fat mayonnaise
2 tbsp. yellow mustard
1 tbsp. honey
dash or two of cayenne

Mix all ingredients together. Yum!

Tips
- Use this dressing on sandwiches or wraps. It’s really good!
- I served this tart along side tomato soup. It made for a pretty decent meal.

Chicken, Pesto, and Peas Pasta – Super Easy Monday Dinner!

This is a recipe that is super quick… I took  A LOT of help from the store on this one. Mondays are just so busy in my house. Getting back into the swing of things is tough when you’ve been go, go, go all weekend. All I ever want to do is kick off my shoes and sit the heck down. Spending a TON of time in the kitchen is sometimes not an option so ideas like this one are great to have handy. I say “ideas” because the recipe is fairly arbitrary. Just throw in whatever you have on hand and it’s gonna taste good.

This recipe calls for store-bought pesto. The kind that comes in a little jar and stays in the fridge after you open it is my favorite.  This little jar is a miracle worker on a busy night. You can use it a million different ways. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Spread pesto instead of pizza sauce on a quick pizza
- Spread pesto on a tortilla with leftover chicken or lunch meat and other toppings for a quick wrap
- Roll out crescent roll triangles, top each with a little pesto, a tomato slice (seeded), and a little mozzarella cheese. Bake for about 8-10 minutes for a super quick appetizer or light lunch.

Chicken, Pesto, and Peas Pasta

Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2
Level: Easy

1 c. spaghetti noodles
1/3 c. frozen peas
2 – 3 tbsp. pesto
1/4 – 1/3 c. chicken, cooked and cubed
1/8 c. Italian style cheese blend (or use parmesan or mozzarella)

Boil noodles according to packaged directions. In the last two minutes of boiling, add peas.

Continue boiling until done. Drain pasta and peas, reserving 2 tbsp. of the cooking liquid. Stir in pesto and chicken. Add reserved cooking liquid if needed. Top with cheese and serve warm or cold. Yum!

Tips
- Leftovers are great so double the recipe and take some to work the next day!
- sun-dried tomatoes are a delicious addition.
- Use the same pot for boiling and mixing for less dishes.
- Use whole wheat pasta for added nutrients.

Thin Crust Pizza

I have recently become a huge fan of the pizza dough that comes in a bag… you know, the kind you have to add hot water to and let rise for 5 minutes… Anyway, I’ve become a fan, not just because of the 57¢ price tag, but because of the golden and crispy thin crust it produces.

I’ve never considered myself a thin crust girl. But lately, I’ve been craving the crunch!

Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza

Time: 20 minutes
Level: Medium
Servings: 4 or so…

1 bag  pizza dough mix, prepared according to package directions
1 c. pizza sauce
1 handful pepperonis
1 tbsp. jalapeños
1/3 c. bell pepper and onion blend (found in the freezer section)
1 c. mozzarella or Italian blend cheese, shredded
sprinkle of garlic powder
sprinkle Italian seasoning
sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 475°. Prepare crust according to package directions.  Roll out dough as thin as you can on a greased baking stone or cookie sheet.

Bake for 5 minutes. Top with remaining ingredients and sprinkle with spices. Bake an additional 9-12 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Yum!

Tips

- Obviously, all ingredients are optional. Try your own combo of meats and veggies. Mushrooms and olives are always a good addition. I just didn’t have any on hand.
- I accidentally bought sweet hot jalapeños instead of the normal hot kind. They were surprisingly yummy. I like the normal kind the best, though.
- If you don’t have pizza dough, try using spaghetti sauce. Spaghetti sauce is thinner that pizza sauce so you might want to thicken it a little with cornstarch to avoid a soggy crust.

H.B.’s Lasagna – A TRUE family favorite

My mom has a great friend named Helen and Mrs. Helen makes the BEST lasagna in the world. No joke! She also makes the best face wiper in the world… but that’s another story for another blog.

For the amount of ingredients, time, and effort that you must put forth to make this recipe, this dish is a true winner. It’s easy and quick and it uses ingredients you already have on hand. Plus, it will happily feed your ENTIRE family.

Since it was just Jason and I, I used a small baking dish and  made 1/3 of the original recipe. I reduced the cook time to 40 minutes and it worked out perfectly. I only had two layers of noodles and it still fed us twice. The first night, I paired it with Brussels sprouts (my new favorite veg.) and a small green salad. The next night, we had green beans and bread.

H.B.’s Lasagna

Time: 1 hour
Level: Easy
Servings: 6-8

1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
1 jar (32oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 c. water
2 c. cottage cheese
3 c. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded
2 eggs
1/2 c. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Lasagna noodles, at least 9, and uncooked

Mix cooked ground beef with spaghetti sauce and water.

Simmer, uncovered, for  a few minutes. Combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl.

Pour 1 cup of sauce in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Place 3 strips of the dry lasagna noodles on top.

Layer the following in order:

1 1/2 cups of sauce
1/2 of the cheese mixture
3 more dry noodles
1 1/2 cups of sauce
The rest of the cheese mixture
3 more dry noodles
The rest of the sauce

Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 55 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand, uncovered, for at least 5 minutes before cutting and serving. Yum!

Tips
- If you run out of sauce before you can add the last layer, don’t worry! I ended my 1/3 of the recipe version with the cheese mixture and it turned out great!
- This recipe freezes well, with before or after you bake. If you have a ton of leftovers… freeze them in individual portions. It will make a quick and easy dinner later on.