Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad

The recipe for this pasta salad comes from my mom. I’ve never seen it written down anywhere and I’m not sure where it originates from but it’s great. 

When my mother made this salad is was as a side dish. Usually we would have this in the summertime with club sandwiches for dinner. A couple weeks ago my husband and I were at a local restaurant that had a Ranch Chicken Sandwich on the menu. That inspired me to try making this recipe with chicken. Turns out that like I suspected it is delicious.   

To make this easy recipe you can use just about any type of pasta you have on hand. I like to use a tri-colored spiral pasta because I think it looks pretty. But if you have elbow or penne that would be fine too. 

If you are looking for a great side dish for you summer barbques just emliinate the chicken and follow the directions as posted. You won’t be disappointed. This is really the easy to make and it's yummy too. 

Recipe

What you’ll need

One package (16 oz.) of  tri-colored pasta

One package (1 oz.) of ranch dressing mix

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

1 cup frozen green peas

Putting it all together

Prepare pasta according to directions

In a small bowl combine at least half package of ranch dressing mix (this is really a matter of personal choice you might like more Ranch flavor or less Ranch flavor than I do) with mayonnaise

Once pasta is cooked allow it to cool for a few minutes before combining with mayonnaise and frozen peas in a medium bowl. Stir until all ingredients are well mixed.

Cover bowl and allow to chill at least 3 hours (overnight is best) 

That’s all there is to it!

Happy Cooking Y’all!

Susanne

Brownie Cookies

I’m just going to say it... I love Brownies. More to the point I love the Brownies from the corners and edges of the pan. I mean who doesn't, right? 

Well, these Brownie Cookies are just like having a corner piece every time. They are a little crunchy on the outside and soft and gooey in middle. In a word they are fantastic.

These cookies are absolutely delicious and bake up in just ten minutes. To make them you will combine a boxed Brownie mix with flour, cooking oil and eggs. 

These ingredients make a really thick batter; thicker than typical Brownie mix.  I think it’s best to mix the oil and eggs together with a fork in a separate bowl. Then work it into the batter slowly while stirring. Adding the liquid a little at a time makes it easier to stir but it’s not necessary. You can just dump it all in a bowl if you want. There is no right or wrong way.

I spooned the dough on to a large cookie sheet that I covered with parchment paper but an ungreased cookie sheet will do just fine. I like using the parchment paper to make cleaning up faster but an ungreased cookie sheet will do just fine. 

 Because the dough is so thick I recommend a cookie scoop to make spooning the dough out quicker. If you don’t use a scoop you’ll need to spoon out the dough or pinch it off and roll into a ball with your hands.

Once I have the dough spooned out I like to sprinkle the top with powdered sugar.  I think it makes the cookies look pretty and it gives them a little extra touch of sweet flavor. The powdered sugar is optional; these cookies are delicious either way.

Recipe

What You’ll Need

1 box Brownie mix

1 cup All-purpose Flour

3 eggs

1/3 cup cooking oil

1/2 cup powdered sugar (optional)

Putting It All Together

Preheat oven to 350

Combine brownie mix, flour, eggs and oil

Scoop with cookie scoop or pinch off a small amount of batter and roll into a ball.

Set cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet

Bake for 8-10 minutes

Sprinkle top with powdered sugar (optional)

Remove cookies and let cool on a wire rack

Happy Baking Y’all!

 Susanne

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Easy Homemade Mac 'n Cheese

Here in the South Macaroni and Cheese is considered a vegetable. Well not really vegetable but I've seen it listed with the vegetables in menus my whole life. It’s just one of those quirky things we do down here that confuses the rest of the country.

                                                                             

This recipe for Macaroni and Cheese is so good you’ll never buy that stuff in the box again. It's an easy recipe to make and only takes a few minutes to prepare. 

Another great thing about this version of Macaroni and Cheese is you probably have most if not all of the ingredients already. The elbow pasta can easily be exchanged for penne and the cheddar could be swapped for Colby Monterrey Jack. This gives you a budget friendly way to make this dish anytime.

Recipe

What You’ll Need

8 oz. of Elbow shaped pasta

¼ cup of all-purpose flour

2 cups of milk

2 cups of shredded Cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons of butter

Putting It All Together

Preheat oven to 350⁰

Prepare pasta according to package directions

In a bowl mix flour, milk, and butter whisking until well combined

Add half of the cheese to bowl and continue to whisk until cheese is mixed with other ingredients

Drain pasta and pour into a greased casserole dish

Pour mixture on top of pasta (you might have to give it a little stir to spread it out evenly)

Cover with remaining cheese

Bake at 350⁰ for 30 minutes 

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Happy Cooking Y’all!

Susanne

Looking for more great recipes?

Rotel Chicken Pasta

Fast and Easy Quesadillas

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