BBQ RANCH CHICKEN CASSEROLE

BBQ RANCH CHICKEN CASSEROLE
2 chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
½ lb dry pasta
1 cup sweet corn
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
⅓ cup red onion, diced
1½ cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese
1 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese for topping
salt
fresh cracked peppercorns
1½ cups ranch dressing
¾ cup BBQ sauce
Cook pasta just until it is nearly done but do not overcook. Set aside.  Cook chicken with a little salt until completely done. Let cool until it can be handled, chop and set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a casserole dish.  In a large mixing bowl, combine diced tomatoes, diced onion, corn, cooked pasta and chopped chicken. Add some salt and cracked peppercorn, mix well.  Whisk ranch and BBQ together and add it to the mixing bowl. Mix until evenly distributed.  Add 1½ cups of Monterrey Jack cheese and mix well.  Transfer the mixture into the casserole dish and spread it evenly. Top with remaining cheese all over and bake for 15-20 minutes.

CHICKEN ENCHILADA RICE CASSEROLE

CHICKEN ENCHILADA RICE CASSEROLE
3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
2 cups dry rice
2 cans (10 oz each) Enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso)
1 can (16 oz) refried beans (I used Old El Paso)
1 cup white cheddar, shredded
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 can corn kernel
cilantro for garnish
salt and ground black pepper to taste
Cook the rice. I cooked it with 4 cups of water and ¼ cup of butter.  Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Mix the 2 cheeses together.  In a large bowl mix the shredded chicken with the enchilada sauce, refried beans and half of the cheese. Add rice, season with salt and pepper if needed, and mix well. Pour rice mixture into a large casserole dish. Top with corn then with remainder of cheese.  Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes or until cheese melts and is bubbly.  Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve warm.

Hot Ham & Cheese Party Rolls

Hot Ham & Cheese Party Rolls
1 can Pillsbury™ refrigerated Classic Pizza Crust
3/4 lb deli ham (thinly sliced, but not shaved)
12 slices Swiss cheese (thinly sliced)
Glaze
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Unroll the pizza dough onto a cutting board and press into approximately a 13×18-inch rectangle. Top with ham and cheese slices. Starting on the longer side of the rectangle, roll up the edge tightly. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down. Cut into 12 slices, approximately 1-inch wide. Arrange in prepared baking dish.  Next combine the butter, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and poppy seeds in a sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk until the butter is melted and the glaze is smooth and combined. Pour evenly over the rolls.  Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours or bake, uncovered for 25 minutes until golden and browned.

TOMATO, CUCUMBER, AVOCADO SALAD

TOMATO, CUCUMBER, AVOCADO SALAD
1½ cups of chopped tomatoes - I used cherry tomatoes
1 cucumber - peeled and seeded then diced
1 avocado - diced
4 oz feta cheese - cubed
2 tbs minced red onion
1 handful parsley - minced - about 2 tbs
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs red wine vinegar
8 twists of black pepper from a pepper mill
Chop tomatoes into a medium dice. If using cherry tomatoes, cut in half. Add to a bowl.  Peel and seed one cucumber and dice. Add to bowl.  Remove pit, dice avocado and using a spoon scoop out the avocado from the peel. Add to bowl.  Cube feta and add to bowl.  Add minced red onion and minced parsley to bowl.  Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar and black pepper - pour over salad.  Toss gently so the feta and avocado don't break up. Serve immediately.  If refrigerating - keep the avocado aside and add before severing.

Cheesy Bacon Chicken Casserole

Cheesy Bacon Chicken Casserole
Skinless chicken breasts, 4-5 pieces
6 strips of bacon
2 cups cheese, shredded
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 box spiral pasta
Salt to taste
Pepper
Take the strips of bacon and cook till tender. Once cooked, crumble the strips. Cut the chicken into small cubes when the bacon is still cooking.  Take the bacon out of the pan and using the same pan with bacon drippings, cook the chicken.  Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to the pan.  When the chicken is cooking, prepare the pasta.  Take a 9×13 baking pan and spray with oil.  Drain pasta and put the pasta into the pot.  Into the same pot, add cheese (keep some for later use), chicken, cream of chicken soup and mix well.  Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Top with bacon and remaining cheese.  Bake the dish at 400 degrees until the cheese has melted and the started to turn brown. This may take approximately 20 minutes.

Fried Green Tomato Casserole

Fried Green Tomato Casserole
6 medium green tomatoes, sliced in rounds
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Ritz Cracker crumbs, divided
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese, divided
6 Tbsp. butter, divided
Layer half the tomatoes in a greased shallow dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup cracker crumbs and 1/2 cup cheese. Dot with 3 tablespoons butter (in small pieces). Layer remaining tomatoes. Add seasonings and remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Add remaining 1/2 cup crumbs and 3 tablespoons butter. Bake, covered, at 350 F for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes or until brown. Serves 6.

Souper Rice

Souper Rice
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup (can use 98% fat free)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant white rice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (green can)
dash freshly ground black pepper
Heat the soup and broth in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil. Stir the rice, cheese and pepper in to the saucepan. Cover the pan and remove from heat. Let stand for 5-8 minutes, until rice is cook and most of the liquid is absorbed.

Banana Pudding Cake

Banana Pudding Cake
2 very, very ripe medium bananas, roughly mashed
1 box yellow or butter-yellow cake mix
1 (4-serving size) package Jello banana cream instant pudding powder
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup water
¼ cup olive oil
Optional Simple Icing: 1 TB warm milk + 1 cup powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350F, with rack on lower-middle position. Grease and flour a bundt pan and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine cake mix and instant pudding powder. Whisk to loosen any lumps. Add eggs, water, and oil. Whisk just until incorporated. Using rubber spatula, fold in bananas just until combined; don't over-mix.  Pour into prepared bundt pan, lightly shaking to even out the batter.  Bake 35-45 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few tender crumbs attached. Don't over bake.  Cool completely in pan on rack.  Once cool, use very thin knife to separate cake from pan edges, if needed. Invert and remove cake.  Optional: Garnish with powdered sugar, sliced bananas, whipped cream, or fresh fruit. If desired, whisk together Simple Icing ingredients and drizzle over cake.