Twice-Baked Cheesy Ranch Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 medium baking potato per person

Sour cream

Ranch seasoning

Cheddar cheese, shredded + additional shredded cheese for topping

1 Tblsp. butter per potato, softened but not melted

Milk

Crumbled bacon (optional)

Sliced green onions (optional)

Preparation:

1. Bake potatoes, either in microwave (easiest) or in the oven.

2. Allow potatoes to cool, but do not disturb the skins.

3. Once potatoes are cool, cut each potato in half lengthwise.

4. Using a spoon, gently scoop out the inside of each potato half, being careful to leave enough potato "in" the skin to keep the potato half somewhat rigid.

5. Put all of the potato flesh into a mixing bowl.

6. Add sour cream, seasoning, cheese and butter to the potatoes, to taste. Mix together with a hand or stand mixer. If the mixture is too thick to mix smoothly, add a little milk until potato mixture is still thick, but smooths out.

7. Add additional seasonings, sour cream and cheese, to taste.

8. Gently spoon potato mixture into potato halves, heaping them slightly.

9. Place potato halves into casserole dish.

10. Top potato halves with remaining cheese. Sprinkle on bacon and/or green onions, if desired.

11. Cover casserole dish with foil, being careful to not let the foil touch the tops of the potatoes.

12. Bake in 325-degree oven for approximately 20 minutes, then check to make sure potatoes are heated through.

13. Once potatoes are heated through, remove foil and let the tops brown, about 3-4 minutes.

Baby Ritz Pizzas

Ingredients:

1-2 sleeves Ritz crackers

1 small jar pizza sauce

Salt

1 cup (approximate) shredded pizza blend or mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

1. Line 1-2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Lay the Ritz crackers out, touching, on the baking sheets.

3. Using a tablespoon, spread a small amount of pizza sauce on each cracker.

4. Lightly salt each cracker.

5. Top each cracker with a dollop of cheese.

6. Bake in oven until cheese is melted.

NOTES:

* These can be baked under the broiler to speed things up, just watch carefully.

* Tiny pepperonis can be added, if desired. Add them ON TOP of the cheese.

* For additional flavor, pizza sauce can be enhanced with other spices, if desired. 

* Spaghetti sauce can be substituted for pizza sauce.

Pigs in Blankets

Ingredients:

1 pkg Hillshire Farms or Bryan cocktail sausages

2 pkg Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dough*, kept cold until ready to roll

Preparation:

1. Open, drain and dry off all of the sausages. Preheat the oven to the temperature on the crescent roll can (usually 325 or 350 degrees).

2. Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.

3. Working quickly so the dough doesn't get too warm (it will stick to the counter), press any seams in the dough together, then, using a pizza cutter, slice the dough into roughly 1" wide strips.

4. Using the pizza cutter, slice the strips into 2" long pieces.

5. Roll each sausage in a strip of dough, being careful to press the seams together to seal around the sausage. Place each wrapped sausage on the prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 1/2" inch between them.

6. Bake in oven for one third to one half of the time specified on crescent roll can. Watch them carefully, because, with the smaller amount of dough, they bake very quickly.

7. Let cool slightly before removing from pan.

NOTES: (1) Canned crescent rolls of any brand can be substituted for the dough, but it does not work as well -- it gets stuck to the counter and pulls apart when baking.  (2) These can be prepared in advance and frozen. To do so, prepare through step 5, placing wrapped sausages on the baking sheet, but closer together. Flash freeze on the baking sheet for 1 hour, then remove from paper and place into freezer-safe container or bag. Wrapped sausages do not have to be thawed before baking; take 25 degrees off of the temperature specified for the dough, and adjust cooking time as necessary so that sausage is hot (or at least warm) throughout and bread is not burnt.

Creamy Tomato Soup (like Newk's)

Ingredients:
½ Tblsp. butter
3 Tblsp. diced white onion
1 Tblsp. diced celery
1 Tblsp. garlic puree
2 Tblsp. Kinder’s Italian Seasoning with sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes (no seasoning)
2 cups (or 1 14.5 oz can full of) hot water
2 Tbslp. Better than Boullion Roasted Chicken Base
½ cup heavy cream or half and half
 
Preparation:
1. Puree onion and celery with the juice from 1 of the cans of tomatoes.
 
2. Put butter in stock pot and turn on heat to medium-high.
 
3. Once butter is melted, add pureed onion and celery mixture.
 
4. Saute mixture, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes, then add garlic puree.
 
5. Continue sauteing and stirring for 1-2 minutes more, until garlic becomes fragrant. Remove from heat.
 
6. Puree diced tomatoes and ½ of the can of fire-roasted tomatoes until blended, but not smooth.
 
7. Add pureed tomatoes and remainder of fire-roasted tomatoes to stock pot.
 
8. Mix together chicken base and hot water to make a broth. This can be done in one of the empty tomato cans to save on dishes.
 
9. Add broth to stock pot.
 
10. Add Italian seasoning and pepper to pot, and stir until mixed.
 
11. Put pot back on medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
 
12. Once soup has reached a boil, reduce heat to med-low, and cover.
 
13. Let soup simmer for 10-15 minutes.
 
14. Remove soup from heat, and slowly stir in cream.
 
15. Add additional seasoning, as desired, then serve.

NOTE: This soup is thin, which tomato "chunks." For a thicker soup, drain tomatoes before pureeing. For a smooth soup, puree all of the fire roasted tomatoes with the others.

 

 

Chinese Chicken and Vegetables with Rice

 Ingredients:
1 cup cranberry juice or sweet tea
½ cup soy sauce
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized slices (not cubes)
½ white onion, sliced thin
10-15 mini carrots, sliced into thin strips about 1.5” long
1 medium zucchini or yellow squash, sliced into thin strips about 1.5” long
½ bell pepper (or yellow, orange or red), sliced into thin strips about 1.5” long
1 ½ cups broccoli crowns, separated into small florets
3 green onions, sliced thin
2 Tblsp dried scallions
1 Tblsp sesame seeds
3 Tbsp olive oil
3+ Tbslp Kinder’s Japanese BBQ seasoning
1+ Tblsp Kinder’s Red Garlic seasoning
1 cup Korean BBQ sauce
 
Preparation:
1. Two or more hours before cooking, marinate chicken in cranberry juice/sweet tea and soy sauce.
 
2. After marinating is finished, discard marinade, then heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
 
3. Add chicken to skillet, working in batches as necessary to make sure all chicken in skillet is flat on the bottom of the skillet at all times.
 
4. Sear chicken on both sides, adding Japanese BBQ seasoning and Red Garlic seasoning while it cooks. If chicken breasts were large, adjust seasoning amounts accordingly.
 
5. Once chicken is cooked through, remove from skillet using a slotted spoon and keep warm. Leave juice and oil in skillet.
 
6. Add onion, carrots and broccoli to skillet, and begin to saute.
 
7. Once onion has just begun to turn clear (2-3 minutes), add bell pepper and zucchini to skillet.
 
8. Season vegetables with Kinder’s seasonings, to taste, then cover skillet.
 
9. Reduce heat to medium-low, and allow vegetables to steam for 3-4 minutes. Do not let vegetables get limp.
 
10. Add chicken back to skillet and mix gently into vegetables.
 
11. Add green onions and Korean BBQ sauce.
 
12. Simmer for 3-4 minutes on medium-low heat until fully heated through. Don’t let vegetables overcook.
 
13. Gently mix in scallions and sesame seeds.
 
14. Serve immediately over/with rice.

Baked Chicken Enchiladas 2024

Ingredients:
2 Tblsp. butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 Tblsp. minced garlic
½ Tblsp. chipotle chile sauce 
1 20-oz. jar salsa verde
Approx. 2/3 of a rotisserie chicken skin and bones removed, shredded
1 tsp. Goya Adobo seasoning with pepper
½ tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. Mexican or smoked seasoning with lime (ex. McCormick Mojito Lime, Kinder’s Tequila Lime, Private Selection Kickin’ Chile and Lime BBQ rub)
12 medium flour tortillas (La Banderita Carb Counter tortillas preferred)
1 ½ cups sour cream
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 small container white queso 
 
Preparations:
1. Saute the onion and garlic in the butter over medium heat in a large skillet.
 
2. Mix the chile sauce and half of the salsa with the onion and garlic.
 
3. Add the chicken to the skillet, and mix well.
 
4. Stir the Goya, pepper and lime seasoning into the chicken mixture. Add more seasoning, to taste, if needed.
 
5. Remove chicken mixture from heat.
 
6. Lay the tortillas out separately on the counter, and spread a 1.5” wide strip of sour cream down the middle of each.
 
7. Spoon 1/12 of the chicken mixture on top of the sour cream (about 1.5” to 2” wide), leaving space at the top and bottom, so the ends can be tucked in when the enchilada is rolled up.
 
8. Add a spoonful of black beans on top of the chicken mixture (approx. 3 Tblsp).
 
9. Top each chicken-bean strip with a small handful of shredded cheese.
 
10. Spread the remaining salsa verde on the bottom of a casserole dish (or two).
 
11. Carefully roll each tortilla up, tucking in the ends as you roll, so the enchilada is sealed.
 
12. Place the tortillas in the casserole dish(es), sides touching but not smashed together.
 
13. Distribute the queso over the top of the enchiladas, being careful to also spread some on the ends of each enchilada.
 
14. Cover the casserole dish(es) with foil, making sure the foil doesn’t touch the enchiladas.
 
15. Bake in a 350 degree oven until heated through, about 20 minutes (may be longer/shorter depending on the size of the casserole dish(es).
 
16. Serve immediately (enchiladas should be able to be gently separated from one another). Top with hot sauce, if desired.

Southwest Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

1 lb elbow pasta (3 1/2 cups dry)

1 can chicken (this can be browned in a skillet before using, if desired)

1 can black beans

1 can yellow corn (or Southwest/Fiesta corn)

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup milk

3 Tblsp Hidden Valley Ranch dry seasoning mix

2 Tblsp. taco seasoning

2 Tblsp. salt

Preparation:

1. Cook pasta to just beyond al dente.

2. While pasta is cooking, whisk together mayonnaise, milk, Ranch seasoning mix, taco seasoning and salt.

3. Drain and rinse pasta, and let it cool for 5-10 minutes.

4. In a large bowl, combine pasta, chicken, corn and beans.

5. Add dressing mix to pasta mixture, and stir until everything is well coated.

6. Keep refrigerated, and serve cold.