Chicken Ranch Pizza

Ingredients

1 pizza crust, homemade or store-bought
For the sauce:
2/3 cup Ranch dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced
For the toppings:
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 chicken breast, cooked and sliced thinly
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
¼ cup green onions, thinly sliced

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425F.
Butter or grease a 16-inch round pizza pan. Stretch pizza dough to fit pan.
In a small bowl, mix the ranch dressing and minced garlic. Spread the sauce mixture over the crust.

In a medium bowl, toss together the mozzarella, cheddar, and Parmesan cheeses. Spread about half of the cheese mixture over the sauce.
Evenly spread the chicken, tomatoes, and green onions over the pizza. Top with the remaining cheese.

Bake pizza for 12-15 minutes. Check pizza after 10 minutes, and continue to check every few minutes until top is browned and cheese is bubbly.

Remove pizza from oven, allow to cool slightly, and slice. Serve hot and enjoy!

One Pot Mexican Skillet Pasta

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound hamburger
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups salsa, homemade or store-bought
2 cups cooked elbows pasta
1 Roma tomato, diced
1 cup corn kernels
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add ground turkey and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
Stir in tomato sauce and salsa until well combined. Add pasta, tomato, corn and black beans, and gently toss to combine.
Stir in cheese until melted through, about 1-2 minutes.
Serve immediately, topped with

BBQ Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless thin-sliced chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 Roma tomato, diced
3/4 cup canned corn kernels, drained
3/4 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup Ranch dressing
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup tortilla strips

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat.

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, to taste. Add to skillet and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces.

To assemble the salad, place romaine lettuce in a large bowl; top with tomato, corn, beans, onion and cheeses.

Pour Ranch dressing and BBQ sauce on top of the salad and gently toss to combine.

Serve immediately,topped with tortilla strips.

Homemade Marinara

Ingredients:

8-10 tomatoes (mixed Roma & on-the-vine)
1/2 yellow or white onion
Garlic, 4-5 cloves, peeled
Olive oil
Basil
Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Tomato sauce, 8oz

Directions:

Chop all the ingredients up and put it into a 9x13 pan. Toss it with olive oil and seasonings. Stick it in the oven at 200 degrees for 3 hours. You want everything to be nice and mushy. Put it in a blender or food processor and puree. Add your can of tomato sauce and puree some more. The sauce should be pretty smooth. Taste it and add extra seasonings as needed.

You could probably even add parmesan or Romano and give it a cheesy flavor at this point.

This makes 2 pint size jars. If you will be using this quickly, ok, if not consider canning or freezing.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

3 while boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
3 teaspoons Cajun spice (I used Creole seasoning), more to taste
1 pound fettuccine noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 whole green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 whole red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 of a large red onion, sliced
3 gloves garlic, minced
4 whole Roma tomatoes, diced
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
Cayenne pepper to taste
Black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Chopped fresh parsley, to taste

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain when pasta is done. Do not over cook the pasta.

Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun spice over chicken pieces. Toss around to coat. Best 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken in a single layer; do NOT stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook and additional minute. Remove with slotted spoon and place on a clean plate.

Repeat with remaining chicken. Remove chicken, leaving pan on high heat. Add remaining olive oil and butter. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spices, then add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for several minutes, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black and tender as possible. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional minute stirring gently. Remove all vegetables from the pan.

With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in cream, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add pepper, cayenne paper, and/or salt to taste. Sauce SHOULD be spicy.

Finally, add chicken and vegetables to sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and hot. Add drained fettuccine and toss to combine.

Top with chopped fresh parsley and chow down.