Bacon & Cheese Potatoes and Ranch Chicken

The reason I have not posted any recipes for nearly two weeks is that my week of recipe "winners" was followed by a week of "flops." It usually happens that way...not sure why. This week I am just cooking whatever to try to use up what is left in my pantry (as I usually do at the end of the month). But last night, we had a pretty good side dish, that was born entirely from the need to use up some random leftover ingredients. I had half a bag of potatoes, some shredded cheddar, and bacon...so I tried to go the restaurant-style cheese fries route, and it turned out really well, if I do say so myself. This is super easy. Here's what you need:

BACON CHEESE POTATOES INGREDIENTS

-enough potatoes cut bite-sized to cover a 13x9 dish in a single layer (I used about 1/3 bag of yukon gold potatoes...they are the best...you could use other potatoes, but I make no guarantees that it will be as yummy)
-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or as much as you want)
-3 or 4 sliced of cooked bacon, crumbled
-1/4 cup olive oil
-garlic salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

(1) Preheat your oven to 425. Put your potatoes in the 13x9 dish.
(2) Pour 1/4 cup olive oil over potatoes, and stir them around to coat.
(3) Season with garlic salt.
(4) Bake for 30-40 minutes, until potatoes are done.
(5) Add crumbled bacon and shredded cheddar over the top, and put it back in the oven for a couple minutes just to melt the cheese.

In other news, I tried the crock pot pork chop recipe with chicken, and (as expected) it was equally yummy. So go here for the recipe and just substitute chicken breasts for chops.

Creamy Italian Crock Pot Chicken

This is crock pot meal #2 for the week (from TidyMom, slightly modified), and it was Easy with a capital E. This got rave reviews from the husband and the kids wolfed theirs down, too. I have to admit, I was concerned that this was going to be a flop--the ingredients seemed too simple especially for plain old chicken breasts. BUT boy was I wrong! Even better, you probably have almost all the ingredients in your kitchen right now.

INGREDIENTS

4 chicken breasts (mine were frozen when I put them in the crock pot--they always are--but you can use thawed...whatever)
1 packet dry Italian dressing mix
1/4 cup water
8 ounces cream cheese (I use fat free)
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use Healthy Request)
1 pound pasta of some sort (spaghetti...penne for the kids...anything)

INSTRUCTIONS

(1) Put your chicken in the crock pot. Mix Italian dressing packet with 1/4 cup water and pour over chicken. Cook on low 3 hours.
(2) After 3 hours mix cream of chicken and cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth OR you could do like I did (because I did not read the recipe) and put them in a pot on the stove over medium heat. Stir it until the cream cheese melts and combines with the soup.
(3) (Optional: At this point I took the lid off the crock pot and cut my chicken into smaller pieces--not bite-sized but smaller)
(4) Add the soup/cream cheese mixture to the crock pot and cook on low for an additional hour.
(5) Serve over pasta...cooked pasta, of course.

Homemade Pizza Rolls

We made these today for lunch, and they are going to become part of our regular lunch rotation! They were so easy to put together, only took a few minutes to bake, AND the kids were able to help make them! The recipe is from HERE. These would, of course, also make a great quick dinner or even finger food for a party. Also, today this fed two adults and two toddlers for lunch--double it if you are feeding all adults :)

INGREDIENTS

1 refrigerated pizza crust
garlic powder
Italian seasoning (or if you, like me, don't have that--some combination of dried oregano, parsley, & basil)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (mozzarella, Italian blend...whatever)
1/2 cup pepperoni
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
pizza sauce for dipping

INSTRUCTIONS

(1) Preheat oven to 425 and grease a cookie sheet.
(2) Roll out your pizza dough on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with garlic powder and seasoning.
(3) Add shredded cheese, pepperoni, and Parmesan.
(4) Roll it up tightly from one of the short ends. Getting it started was a little tricky, but once I got the roll going it was a piece of cake.
(5) Using a sharp knife, cut roll into one inch slices (your pizza rolls will have the same shape as a cinnamon roll. (Don't worry if they seem a little loose--when they cook everything will stick together fine)
(6) Arrange them on the greased pan and bake for 10-12 minutes.
(7) Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

Slow Cooker Ranch Pork Chops

I think you know by now that I LOVE my slow cooker. This week I have two slow cooker recipes on the meal plan, and here's the first (I found it on the Picky Palate blog). Now, as I write this it is not actually dinner time yet, but I have already tasted it...and let me tell you, this is a keeper for sure. It is taking every ounce of self-control in me to not go ahead and eat one...or three. But wait it gets even better...guess how many ingredients this has? Three! And guess what you do with them? Dump them in the crock pot and turn it on! AND (yes there's another and) I am pretty sure that this would be pretty tasty with chicken breasts, too! Here you go:

INGREDIENTS

6 boneless pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick--the package I bought was a little less)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 packet dry Ranch seasoning

INSTRUCTIONS
(1) Put everything in the slow cooker.
(2) Cook on low 6 hours or high 4 hours. E-N-J-O-Y!

And just so you know, we served these with tater tots...how's that for gourmet?

Paula's Banana Pudding

Tonight we are cooking out with some friends and I'm taking my friend Paula (Deen)...well her banana pudding. You can never ever go wrong taking a Paula dish, especially this one. This is one of those recipes that you must MUST make right now. It will change your life (do I say that too much?). I love Paula Deen and I love banana pudding. We even had it at our rehearsal dinner (made by yours truly). However, I am NOT a fan of standing at the stove for what seems like F-O-R-E-V-E-R stirring and stirring and stirring pudding until my arm feels like it is going to fall off. This is primarily what attracted me to this recipe. Could it be true--banana pudding worth eating minus the workout? YES! Thank you, Paula! So, I'm sending you love and some awesome banana pudding from her kitchen to mine and from my kitchen to yers. Just follow the link. Her instructions are short and simple:

Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

New Shortcut: Asian Chicken Pasta

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my slow cooker? Well, I do, and I try to make as many recipes work with it as possible. Yesterday, I figured out a new shortcut for Asian Chicken Pasta with my slow cooker (is that an oxymoron?). I guess technically, it actually takes way longer to cook, but it is easier nonetheless! I have added the slow cooker instructions to the original post HERE. Have a great weekend...tomorrow "Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding" from Paula Deen's kitchen to mine and from my kitchen to yers. :)

Onion Soup Roast (& Leftover Sandwiches)

First, I want you to understand what a monumental thing it is that I am posting a roast recipe. It is a rare day, indeed, that you find anything in my kitchen other than frozen chicken breasts and ground beef. Why? Because chicken and ground beef are cheap. BUT, this week we...(drum roll) switched grocery stores. That's right. We now shop at Save-a-Lot...because we can save a lot (sorry, I couldn't resist). I have always been a Wal-mart faithful because they are consistently the cheapest in EVERYTHING I buy. No worries, Wal-mart--I have not totally forsaken you. I will still be heading to Wal-mart for things that Save-a-Lot does not have, for instance onion soup mix...
...which brings us back around to this recipe. Thank you, Save-a-Lot. I can make a roast this week and still be happily within budget because of you. So, here's the roast recipe (modified from the link in yesterday's post) AND a second recipe to use up your leftovers and tickle your taste buds.

LIPTON ONION SOUP ROAST INGREDIENTS

-1 (2-3lb) roast (I bought one that said "eye of round roast" because it was on sale...just buy something in the beef section that has "roast" in the name)
-1 box dry onion soup mix (1 box contains 2 packets...you don't have to buy Lipton--get the store brand)
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-3/4 cup water
-2 potatoes, cut bite-sized
-1 bag (12 ounces?) baby carrots

INSTRUCTIONS

(1) Get out your slow cooker, and put the potatoes and carrots in first.
(2) Get out a skillet and pour in your olive oil. Heat it over medium/high heat for a minute. Then CAREFULLY (it will sizzle and pop) put your roast in the pan (using tongs if you have some). Sear it on each side (put it in the pan and let it sit for a couple of minutes, then repeat on each side until you have browned all sides). Remove roast carefully and put it in the slow cooker on top of vegetables.
(3) Mix your water and both packets of soup mix in separate bowl. Pour it in the skillet (your heat should be off) and scrape up any yummy browned bits left in the bottom of the pan. Then pick up the skillet and dump the soup mixture over the roast in the slow cooker.
(4) Let it cook on low for about 8 hours (I cooked mine 7) or on high for 4 hours. I don't know why, but mine is usually more tender when I cook it on low. Enjoy! KEEP YOUR LEFTOVER MEAT. Don't forget to pour all the leftover liquid from the slow cooker in with your leftover meat!

LEFTOVER ROAST SANDWICH INGREDIENTS

-leftover roast, shredded (I use a couple of forks to pull it apart)
-american cheese slices (or provolone if you are feeling a little Italian)
-kaiser rolls or really any type of sandwich roll or bun
-butter

INSTRUCTIONS

(1) Preheat your broiler (500 or 550). Put some meat on you bun. Pour on some of the leftover liquid from the meat. (You can also pour some of the liquid in a bowl to dip your sandwich in)
(2) Add a slice of cheese.
(3) Put your sandwich(es) on a cookie sheet open-faced and stick it in the oven for just a minute until the cheese gets all melted and delicious.
(4) As soon as you take the sandwich(es) out of the oven, while everything is still hot: grab a stick of butter, unwrap one end, and rub it all over the inside of the top of your bun.

*If you live near a Bob Evans restaurant (Dear Bob, we miss you way down here in Georgia!), go there right now and order a Pot Roast Sandwich...it will change your life.

Coming Up...

Here's a list of the recipes I am going to attempt to get around to this month. As usual, I will likely alter them however I can to make them as easy as possible. And, of course, I will gladly pass along the ones that are a great success with the hubby and kiddos. But, feel free to go ahead and try some of these yourselves...let me know if you do!

Homemade Pizza Rolls
Broccoli, Cheddar, Chicken, & Tater Tot Casserole
Garlic Ranch Chicken Pot Pie
Creamy Italian Crock Pot Chicken (minus the mushrooms..."gag")
Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches
Lipton Onion Soup Roast