Ranch Chicken Sandwiches

I don't really have much of an introduction to this recipe.  Except to say that my Resident Picky Eater loooooooooooooved this sandwich.  Really. Loved. It.  In fact, Gavin took one bite, turned to me and said I could make these again.

I couldn't find the camera after our trip so these were taken with my phone.

In my world, praise doesn't really get any higher.

Ranch Chicken Sandwiches
Recipe slightly adapted from Ree Drummond
Prep time: 10 minutes   Marinating time: 2-4 hours   Cook time: 8 minutes

4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Dijon mustard 
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp lemon juice
Crushed red pepper flakes optional
6-7 pieces thick-cut bacon
Grated sharp Cheddar
Your choice of whole wheat or multi-grain bread (I used fresh whole wheat bread but multi-grain buns would have been awesome too)

1.  Lay each chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper and pound to an even thickness.  I went with about a 1/4" thick.  If you are working with larger chicken breasts, cut them in two, lengthwise, using a very sharp knife.  You ultimately want thinner pieces of chicken so they cook faster and are easier to eat on a sandwich.

Fat chicken

Skinny chicken.  And yes, I forgot to thaw them out AGAIN.

2.  Next, make the marinade. In a large bowl mix together the honey, mustard, paprika, salt, pepper to taste, lemon juice and crushed red pepper flakes if using. Stir to combine.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

3.  Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge, 2 to 4 hours.

Don't throw this away!
Add lemon juice, EVOO, salt & pepper for a fast salad dressing.

4.  While the chicken marinates, cook up the bacon however you prefer.  I like to bake mine in a 425 degree oven on a broiler pan.  Though this is a hands-free method, you do need to keep an eye on it to avoid burning it.  Because it's no fun setting off the fire alarm that's right next to the kitchen.  The kids get all freaked out, the dog won't stop whining, waving a broom at it doesn't work and it's just a pain to take the thing apart to get the battery out.  I'm just saying....  ANYWAY, however you choose to cook your bacon, reserve 1/4 cup of the bacon grease and pour off the rest of the grease.

Bacon in the oven stays nice and flat; perfect for sandwiches!

5.  When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove it from the marinade and cook it under the broiler for about 3 to 4 minutes each side. Brush a little reserved bacon grease on the chicken as you cook it. You could also grill the chicken (inside or outside) OR cook the bacon and then the chicken in a skillet on the stove top; whatever works for you.  Hurray for options!

6.  When a couple of minutes cooking time are left, lay 2 pieces of bacon onto each chicken breast. Top with some Cheddar and allow it to melt.  Load with the bacon-and-cheese covered chicken goodness onto your bread of choice and enjoy!

It seems that whenever I make something new that I'm sure Gavin will like, he'll find some random, miniscule reason to dislike it.  So imagine my happy surprise that he liked this sandwich so well!  The chicken is sweet from the honey, tangy from the mustard, with just a little heat from the paprika and red pepper flakes.  Combine that with crispy, salty bacon and melty sharp cheesy goodness and you have a FLAVOR EXPLOSION happening in your mouth.  It's. AWESOME!!  

p.s. Leftover chicken breasts would also be divine chopped up on a tossed salad.  Just in case you're looking for a reason to cook up extra chicken. ;)

Chicken, Bacon, Cheddar, & Rice Casserole

I know I really try to present a positive face here, but I have to be honest.  I have good days, I have bad days, and I have INSANELY MANIC days, just like anyone else does.

And I'm pretty sure I will be having nothing but INSANELY MANIC days until Gavin starts his first day of kindergarten.  So if my posting becomes a little sporadic in the next couple weeks, please know it's not you. It's me.  It's me trying squeeze the living daylights out of these last two weeks of summer.  It's me trying to teach Gavin that stomping, screaming, and throwing a temper tantrum is not an appropriate reaction to my asking him to pick up his toys.  And it's me trying to keep my newly-walking Kieran from figuring out every child-safety lock I've put in place around here.  Because he can.  It's frightening.

Is it any wonder with all this insanity around me that I need such amazing comfort food right now?

Chicken, Bacon, Cheddar, & Rice Casserole
Recipe from What's Cooking in the Burbs
Prep time: 20 min   Cook time: 45 min total

4 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp seasoning salt
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 ½ cups chicken stock
3 ½ cups milk
1 ½ cups uncooked rice [Note: I used arborio because I didn't have enough long-grain. Use what you have]
3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup cooked crumbled bacon [Note: I used 3 strips of bacon, but 4-5 would have been even more tasty]

1.  Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat and cook onions until translucent. Add garlic, seasoned salt, and pepper. Whisk in the flour and cook until the flour begins to brown a little, 2-3 minutes.

I love the smell of onions cooking in butter.

2.  Whisk the milk and stock into flour mixture.Turn heat to medium high and add 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and continue to stir as mixture comes to a simmer.

It's a LOT of liquid, but trust me, it's necessary.

3.  Add rice and lower heat to medium low. Cook until the rice absorbs most, but not all, of the liquid and is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

Wrong pic for this step but I just like taking pictures of bacon.

4.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

5.  Add chicken and bacon to the rice mixture. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch casserole. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar on top of the casserole. Place in oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbling.

I split this between two 8x8 pans and put one in the freezer for later.

This casserole was just what I needed.  It's hearty, comforting, and TAAAAAAAAAAAASTY.  And I managed a little Get Ahead option by freezing half of it for another night.  I love that!!  Although I have to say the best part about this is that Gavin was so excited about it.  The entire time I was cooking he kept popping his head into the kitchen to check on my progress, or to say how excited he was about the bacon and chicken.  Gotta love it when a picky eater looks forward to dinnertime!

Gavin also helped chop onions with my new little manual food chopper.

Pretzel-Cheddar Crusted Chicken

I really do like pretzels.  I do!  I just don't love the gigantic bags they typically come in.  I swear that whenever I buy pretzels I end up throwing out half of them because they've gone stale waiting on us to snack on them.

It PAINS me to throw out food.  Physically pains me.  I mean, why not just take the money and throw it in the garbage instead??

Pretzels are such a common snack food; is there anything else I can do with these before they go stale???

Yep.

Pretzel-Cheddar Crusted Chicken
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray
 
Four 5-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/2 cup salted baby pretzels 
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs 
1/2 cup shredded or crumbled sharp cheddar cheese 
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped 
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (eyeball it) 
Freshly ground pepper 
1 large egg 
All-purpose flour, for dredging 
Canola oil, for frying 
Salt

1.  Place 1 chicken breast on the center of a large piece of plastic wrap.  Cover and, using a heavy-bottomed pot or meat mallet, pound each breast until evenly thin.

I think my chicken breasts were about 1/4" thick

2.  Place the pretzels, bread crumbs, cheese, thyme, nutmeg and pepper in a food processor and pulse to grind until they’re the consistency of bread crumbs. Transfer the pretzel mixture to a shallow dish.

Simple, yet different, breading ingredients

3.  Crack the egg into a second shallow dish and lightly beat with a splash of water. Place some flour in a third dish. Coat the chicken first in flour, then egg and finally in cheese and pretzel crumbs. 

I did not measure the oil; just cover the bottom with a good amount.
Shallow frying, not deep frying.

4.  In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of oil over medium-high heat and add the coated chicken breasts. Cook in a single layer, 3 or 4 minutes on each side, until the juices run clear and the breading is evenly browned. Cut off a piece of a cutlet and taste, to see if you want to salt them a little.

The answer to Gavin's request for "crispy chicken."

FYI, this recipe is FANTASTIC with some warm, chunky apple sauce. ;) If you don't have any jarred sauce, or apples to make a quick homemade sauce, then some mixed veggies and brown rolls work just as well with this dish.

Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits

A while back, I had some of my cooking shows on and I was kinda just tuning in an out while doing other things.  You know what I mean, right?  I know I can't be the only one who does this.  I like the background noise and it's nice that when I tune in, I could learn something tasty.

I was lucky when I tuned into this recipe.  AND I realized at the time that I had all the ingredients just waiting to be used for this. BONUS!

Won't win a Biscuit Beauty Pageant but who cares.  They're TASTY!

Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits
Recipe from Ina Garten

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) COLD unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1 cold large egg
1 cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar, plus more for topping (optional)
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water or milk

1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Place 2 cups of flour, the baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment OR use a regular bowl.  With the mixer on low, or using a dough cutter, add the butter and mix until the butter is the size of peas.

Butter lumps

3.  Combine the buttermilk and egg in a small measuring cup and beat lightly with a fork. With the mixer still on low, quickly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix only until moistened. In a small bowl, mix the 1 cup of Cheddar with small handful of flour and, with the mixer still on low, add the cheese to the dough. Mix only until roughly combined.

Don't be afraid...the dough will come together.

4.  Dump out onto a well-floured board and knead lightly. Roll the dough out to a rectangle 10 by 5 inches. With a sharp, floured knife, cut the dough into 8 rough rectangles. Transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with the egg wash, sprinkle extra cheese, if desired, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the biscuits are cooked through. Serve hot or warm.

Those chunks of butter make these flaky and wonderful.

I normally pair these with dinner (soup, roasted chicken...), but yes, these are also really great made into breakfast sandwiches with an egg and a little bacon. ;)

Scalloped Potatoes

Taking you back for another childhood recipe!!  I just love this one... and really, what's not to love?  Thinly sliced potato, baked in a creamy sauce, topped with cheese.  My mom always called this Scalloped Potatoes, which is how I think of this cheesy dish.  Others may want to call this Au Gratin Potatoes.

Call this what you will, it's just plain comforting goodness. :)

I could eat this right out of the casserole dish.  Yup, not kidding.

Scalloped Potatoes
Recipe from my mom


5 russet potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar, divided

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Melt butter medium-sized pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and saute for a few minutes, until softened. Whisk in the flour and let that cook for a few minutes.

I store extra chopped onion in little containers to save time.

2.  Whisk in the milk and let that slowly heat and thicken (yup, you're making a bechamel sauce).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Once thickened, remove sauce from heat and stir in the cheese.

3.  As the sauce thickens, thinly slice the potatoes.  If you're feeling particularly domestic, feel free to do this by hand, it doesn't really take that long actually .  If you're in a hurry though, I strongly recommend doing this in the food processor.  Layer half the sliced potatoes in the bottom of a greased 2-quart casserole dish.

THIN (well, thanks to my food processor)

4.  Pour half the sauce over the potatoes.  Repeat layers.*  Bake, COVERED, at 350 for 45 minutes, stirring once.  Remove cover, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake an additional 30 minutes.

*If you were making this ahead of time you can at this point cool, cover, and freeze the dish to bake later on.  Since there are only not-quite-4 in my family, I split this in half as I made it and baked one right away, putting the other away in the freezer for another time.  I will thaw before baking and then follow the normal baking instructions.

Cheddar-Broccoli Soup

Soup. Bread.  One of life's perfect combinations

Do you like soup?  I like soup.  Soup is just so comforting.  Plus, it's generally pretty easy to make, and make a LOT of.  Throw in some crusty bread for dunking and you have a little winter wonderland oasis in the making.

Panera's is well-known for their soups.  My favorite of theirs happens to be their creamy chicken & wild rice (YUMMMMMMMM!), however I hear their best soup seller is the cheddar-broccoli soup.  Do I have your attention now?  Yeah, I thought so.  I can't say that I have The Recipe for it as I think Panera's chefs probably have that under lock and key... but this tastes pretty durn close to it.  And like so many other soups, it's easy to make.  Does this recipe make a mega-ton?  Not in my opinion but doubling would be simple.  And though this is a creamy/cheesy soup, I love that it uses fresh broccoli.  That helps me feel not quite so guilty about the amount of butter and milk and cheese I'm tossing into the pot.

Cheddar-Broccoli Soup
Recipe from Food Network Magazine

6 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half (or if you're like me, just use the milk you have in the fridge)
3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
4 cups fresh broccoli florets (about 1 head)
1 large carrot, diced
2 1/2 cups (about 8 oz) grated cheddar cheese

UPDATE (10/12): Since Gavin loves broccoli but claims he hates all soups, and Kieran can't wield a spoon yet, I made broccoli cheese toasts for the boys.  Toast up a couple slabs of bread, then slather on a few tablespoons of soup.  Top with extra cheddar and put under the broiler until the cheese is melty, bubbly, golden-y goodness.  They inhaled them!!

1.  Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

The flour won't make much of a paste.  That's ok.

2.  Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Add the chicken stock, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

3.  Add the broccoli and carrot to the pot and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.

Mmmmm, two of my favorite vegetables

4.  Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth; you'll still have flecks of carrot and broccoli...it's OK. Return the soup to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender; less dishes, way more fun.)

5.  Add the cheese to the soup a little at a time and whisk over medium heat until melted. Add up to 3/4 cup water if the soup is too thick. Ladle soup into regular bowls, or bread bowls if you really want to get all Panera-esque, and garnish with more cheese if you like.  I usually have a hard time finding the bread rounds for bowls so I just setup the breadmaker for a lovely, hot loaf of whole wheat or white bread.  Still tastes great!

Macaroni and Cheese

Believe it or not, I inadvertently spent years coming up with our perfect little family mac & cheese recipe.  No, you read that right...years.  The great Mac & Cheese debate started when Rob and I got married.

You see, I grew up with The Blue Box (didn't everyone grow up with The Blue Box?).  After we got married and I picked up a few of the Blue Boxes to have in the pantry, Rob shared with me the shocking news: there was more than just the one kind of Blue Box.  What??  I grew up with elbow macaroni, he grew with spirals.  And so the battle was on.  Which one of us was going to win this one?

Being the nice person that I am (don't laugh Rob), I thought I'd just do away with the Blue Box altogether and try making my own.  I mean, women have been making mac & cheese for centuries right?  How hard can it be?  After trying a few different kinds, Rob gently told me that it wasn't personal, but he just preferred his Blue Box to homemade.  Ouch.

Well with that blow I laid off the experiments for a long time.  Then one night out with friends, someone ordered this mac & cheese at a restaurant, which is now sadly out of business, and let me try a bite.  Oh. My.  GOODNESS GRACIOUSNESS!!  I knew then and there I had to try and duplicate that recipe.  It took a couple years to do and I'm not totally sure it's an exact copy.  However we love it and it's become a great compromise for us with my love of The Homemade Mac & Cheese and Rob's love for The Spiral Mac.

Macaroni & Cheese
No adaptation; 100% from Jeanna's head.

NOTE: all of these measurements below are approximations.  I have never measured the ingredients for this recipe.

Mmmmm...goat cheese...

1 lb whole wheat rotini
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Nutmeg
Paprika
1 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
4 oz goat cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Salt and pour in pasta.  Cook according to package directions; drain and set aside.

2.  While the pasta cooks, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  Whisk in flour and add seasonings (to taste).  Let this cook a minute or two.

When mixture is thickened, you should be able to do this

3.  Slowly whisk milk into the flour mixture.  Bring the heat up slightly and stir frequently until milk has
thickened (do NOT let the milk boil; I know it's hard when you're hungry and in a hurry but if you rush this step, you'll end up with grainy cheese sauce.  Trust me).  Slowly add 2 cups of shredded cheddar, stirring until it's melted.

Yes, we like cheese.

4.  Pour cheese sauce over the rotini and stir to combine.  Pour this into a greased 8x8 pan.  Top with remaining cheddar.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until top layer of cheese and melted and browned in spots and the dish is bubbly.

5.  Top hot mac & cheese with crumbled goat cheese and serve.

TIP: Want to make this a one-dish meal?  Add some cooked shredded chicken and broccoli florets to the pasta before you bake it.  I'd suggest making some extra cheese sauce though to make sure everything is well coated.

 BONUS TIP: Make this a smidge healthier by adding a #2-sized baby food container of an orange vegetable when you add the cheese to the thickened milk.  I promise you will not taste it.

Yup, we like our mac & cheese topped with goat cheese.  In fact, this is my son's FAVORITE meal and one of the few he will ask for seconds.  We're actually now at a point where we're all trying to scoop up sections that have the most goat cheese crumbles on it. ;)  Not a fan of goat cheese?  Try feta.  It's got a similar tang but isn't quite as creamy.  Or try crumbled blue cheese (and bacon...mmmm, bacon).  Or just leave the extra cheese off altogether.  Do whatever it is YOU and YOUR FAMILY like.  That's the beauty of cooking. :)

Fully-Loaded Cheesey Potato Soup

Have you ever had one of those days where you get home and all you want is a big steamy bowl of That Soup.  So you go to your pantry, only to discover you don't have enough of That Star Ingredient to pull of That Soup?  Yeah, even with as much as I try to plan, this happens to me.  When it does, I figure I have two options:

1) Pick up your car keys and drive the 3 minutes to the grocery store, wait 10 minutes in line to check out and grumble to yourself about how you could have possibly miscalculated your ingredients for the week.

OR

2) Live on the edge.  Take a look at what else you've got in the house and see what other kind of soup you can make instead.

 Look what goodies I found!

Normally, I go with option 1.  I'm a planner and I have a set plan to make That Dish so I'm going to get the stuff for That Dish, like it or not.  However the other day I decided to throw caution to the wind and go with option 2.  I mean, really, how hard can it be, right?  I have butter/oil, onions, chicken stock, various frozen vegetables,...plenty of ingredients to come up with an alternative soup!  And so I quickly dug through my soup recipes and found one I'd filed away to try but have never gotten around to making.  Now was the time!

And boy, oh boy, I totally need to forget about ingredients more often!

Fully Loaded Cheesey Potato Soup
Recipe adapted from the Neely's

4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk
12 oz beer (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar (about 8 ounces)
Dash hot sauce
Dash Worcestershire

1.  In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and saute in butter until the vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and continue to stir for 2 minutes to toast the flour. Add salt and pepper, to taste. 

2.  Gradually whisk in the stock, then the milk and the beer. Stir in the potatoes and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup until the potato is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Try not to drool too much at the AMAZING smells that will begin to permeate your house.

3.  Remove the pan from the heat and using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. [Note: Don't have an immersion blender?  Ladle soup into a regular blender or food processor instead.  Return soup to pot when smooth.]  Return the soup to low heat. Add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring until melted and smooth after each addition (if you add it all at once, you get cheese glops; trust me on this one). Season the soup, to taste, with hot sauce, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper. 

 Have I mentioned before that we like cheese?  Because we do.

To make this "Fully Loaded" top with any fixings you like on your baked potato.  We agreed that crispy bacon and some fresh chives would be awesome on this.  I also liked it with just some extra hot sauce on top (I like spicy).