Bacon, Ranch and Chicken Mac and Cheese

Here is another recipe from pinterest. Suprised? This is a version of mac and cheese that my husband might actually like. He has never been a fan of homeade mac and cheese (probably because there is no meat). This really doesn't taste much like mac and cheese, but it has more of an alfredo taste to it, and it has chicken and bacon. I really, really liked it and will definitely make it again.

 

I actually forgot to take a picture until we had already dished up. (I am still getting used to this food blog). It looked a lot prettier when I took it out of the oven. Also, I only had a few shell noodles and so I used half small shell and half mini penne. I also just put the Italian blend cheese on the top instead of colby-jack. The colby jack would give it a different taste and a little yellow color. I will have to try it next time. (Brian and Loni if you are reading this, Garrett ate this at my house and had about 3 servings of it!!!)

Bacon, Ranch and Chicken Mac and Cheese
Source: First Look, Then Cook

8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
1 slice applewood-smoked bacon
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/3 cup condensed 45% reduced-sodium 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded six-cheese Italian blend (such as Sargento)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded colby-Jack cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Finely chop bacon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken to drippings in pan; sauté 6 minutes or until done.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; sprinkle flour evenly into pan. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Combine milk and soup, stirring with a whisk; gradually add milk mixture to saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until sauce cools to 155°. Add Italian cheese blend, onion powder, garlic powder, dill, and salt, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in pasta and chicken.

Preheat broiler.

Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with reserved bacon and colby-Jack cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars

 I love rhubarb season, and there is always so much of it. The only problem is, is that mostly all rhubarb recipes are desserts because you have to add so much sugar to make it good. I found this one on pinterest and it is really good. I like the combination of strawberry and rhubarb because I think it makes it a little less sour.

My awesome little helper mixing up the cookie dough!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars

 Source: Table For Two

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup butter, cut into 7 or 8 chunks

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling**(See Below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan. Set aside. In a mixer, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, butter, baking soda, salt, and vanilla until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Set aside about 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture. Pour remaining crumb mixture in bottom of prepared pan and spread evenly. Press crumb mixture down.

Using a spatula, spread the fruit filling in an even coat on top of the crumb crust. Then with the reserved crumb mixture, crumble it on top of the fruit filling.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before slicing.

**Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

The recipe I used just used store bought filling, but I decided to make my own. The whole purpose is to use an over abundance of rhubarb, right? I got my recipe for the strawberry rhubarb sauce from Allrecipes.

Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce

2/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup orange juice

5 tsp. cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 cups. sliced fresh strawberries (I used frozen)

1 cup slice rhubarb

Combine sugar, orange juice, cornstarch, and vanilla in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add strawberries and rhubarb; reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. Remove from heat and mash the cooked berries with a fork, or in a blender for a smoother filling.

*You can use this sauce for many things: over cake, ice cream, cheesecake

Cheeseburger Flatbread Melts

Here is another beef recipe. I am working on using up all the beef in my freezer. I especially like the flatbread in this one, and it is so easy and yummy!!

Cheeseburger Flatbread Melts
Source: Life as a Lofthouse

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 c. water
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
1/2 c. ketchup
1 T. mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (11 oz) can refrigerated pizza dough
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
chopped tomatoes
chopped lettuce

Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Add water, vinegar, onion soup mix, ketchup, mustard, and garlic. Stir to combine and simmer over low heat.

Meanwhile, heat another large skillet over medium-heat. Divide the pizza dough into 8 equal portions. Roll each piece out.

Place one piece of dough onto the warm skillet. Cook on each side for 40-60 seconds or until puffed and golden. Place each flatbread onto a cookie sheet in a 200 degree warm oven to keep warm until all flatbreads are made.

Take one flatbread and fill with a little of the cheeseburger mixture and shredded cheese. Top with tomatoes and lettuce. Serves 4.

Raspberry Cheesecake Salad

90 % of my salad recipes could also be considered desserts. What can I say, I have a sweet tooth. This recipe as you can tell by it's name, is no different. But it is so good.


Raspberry Cheesecake Salad
Source: Life Should Be Delicious

3 boxes instant pudding Cheesecake flavor
3 c. milk
8-10 graham crackers
3 T. butter
2 T. sugar
Cool whip (about 12 oz)
1 container raspberries

Mix cheescake instant pudding with milk using wire whisk. Crumble the graham crackers in a separate bowl. Add sugar. Melt butter and pour over graham cracker and sugar mixture and mix. Pour mixture over cheesecake mixture. Mix in cool whip. Delicately fold in raspberries.

*This can be made with different fruit. It is good with blueberries and strawberries. I have also made it using banana cream pudding and bananas, and it is really good that way.

Butterfinger Caramel Cake

I love butterfingers. I love caramel. I love yellow cake. When I saw this recipe, I knew it was made for me. I wasn't disapointed!!

The cooked cake with the sweetened candensed milk, caramel yumminess!

The finished product

Butterfinger Caramel Cake
Source: Six Sisters Stuff

1 box yellow cake mix
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar Caramel ice cream topping
1 (8 oz) tub cool whip
4 regular sized Butterfingers, crushed

Place candy bars in freezer and bake cake according to package directions.

While cake is baking, mix sweetened condesnsed milk and caramel topping in a bowl. When the cake is done and while it is still hot, poke holes in it with a fork. It needs lots of holes so the caramel will seep through. Pour caramel, milk mixture over the cake. Let cool completely.

Pull candy bars out of freezer and smash with a hammer while they are still in their packages. Sprinkle two candy bars over cake. Spread cool whip over top, then sprinkle with the remaining two candy bars. Chill for at least an hour before serving and store leftovers in fridge.

Broccoli and Tortellini Salad

Most of the recipes I have posted are not really healthy.  This is a salad, so it should be healthy, right?  It may not be the most healthy salad I have ever had, but it has been my favorite since about a year and a half ago when I found the recipe.  Every time we make it for a party, someone asks for the recipe.  We made it today for my grandparents sixtieth wedding anniversary and my cousin's wife said they were watching to see who would claim the bowl so they could get the recipe.  So here it is, written down so I never will forget it, and a good excuse to refer people to Stephanie's blog.  The recipe makes a lot, so the only time I have ever made it is for parties.

Broccoli and Tortellini Salad

6 stalks of broccoli
8 slices of bacon, cooked and cut into pieces
1 cup craisins
1 cup roasted cashews
20 oz refrigerated tortellini

Cut up the broccoli into small pieces.  I usually end up with anywhere from 6 to 10 cups, just add more for larger groups.  Cook the tortellini according to the directions on the package.  Drain and cool.  Mix the broccoli, bacon, craisins, cashews, and tortellini in a large bowl.

Dressing

2/3 cup white sugar
2 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Mix and let sit for half an hour.  Then mix well again.  About an hour before serving pour the dressing over the salad and mix well.  Mix well again right before serving.  Enjoy.  And be prepared to give out the recipe to someone else.

Queso Taco Pasta Bake

I like to try new recipes because I get tired of my same ol. I like to find new beef recipes because we have a lot of beef that I need to use up. I found this one at Picky Palate, one of my favorite food blogs I look at. We thought it was pretty good. Rex thought it would be good with some tortilla chips or fritos.

The queso cheese sauce

The Hamburger

The finished product

Queso Taco Pasta Bake

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup prepared mild salsa
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 tablespoons minced garlic
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
One 10 ounce can Rotel tomatoes, mild
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
3/4 pound small pasta of your choice
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and lightly spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

 Place butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to melt. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper for about 30 seconds until bubbly. Slowly whisk in chicken broth until smooth. Increase heat to high while whisking until thickened. Takes 3-5 minutes. Stir in cheese and salsa, turn off heat and set aside.

Place 2 tablespoons olive oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add ground beef, salt and pepper, cooking until browned. Drain fat if necessary. Add tomatoes, cumin and lime juice, stir to combine.

 Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and run under cold water.

Transfer beef, noodles and queso to a large pot or dutch oven over medium low heat. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper to your liking. Transfer to prepared baking dish and top with shredded cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve warm.