Chicken Bacon Ranch French Bread

If you're on a diet, look away now. This never has and never will be a health food blog, 'cause I love junk food way too much to ever give it up, and this recipe doesn't even pretend to be healthy. But oh, is it good!

Bacon, tons of ooey, gooey cheese, and a thick slab of crusty french bread--what more could you ask for? If you liked my chicken bacon ranch pasta or my chicken bacon ranch pizza, you're going to love this recipe, too! Make it for a snack, a meal, or even a party appetizer, but whatever you do, make it soon!

Chicken Bacon Ranch French Bread

Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 35 min

Serves 8

1/2 pound bacon, diced
2 large chicken breasts, diced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 large tomato halved, seeds removed and diced
2 whole green onions, sliced and divided
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup ranch dressing, plus more for serving
1 ½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup grated fiesta blend cheese, divided
1 loaf French bread, cut in half lengthwise

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add diced bacon and cook until crispy, about 5-6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Pour off some of the bacon grease, leaving about a tablespoon in the pan. Return pan to burner and heat to medium-high heat. Season chicken with ¼ teaspoon salt and black pepper. Add seasoned chicken to pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until cooked through.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked chicken, tomatoes, and half of the green onions, bacon pieces, and cheese.

In a small bowl stir together mayonnaise, sour cream, ranch dressing, ¼ teaspoon salt and black pepper. Pour ranch mixture over chicken mixture and stir to combine.

Place both halves of the French bread on a large baking sheet lined with foil or a Silpat. Spread chicken ranch mixture evenly on top of both pieces of French bread. Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with remaining bacon and cheese. Return to oven and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until cheese is melted and edges are lightly browned.

Top with remaining green onions. Cut into 8 equal pieces--or more if serving as a snack or appetizer. Serve immediately with additional ranch dressing for dipping, if desired.

Creamy Italian Sausage and Bean Soup

We love soup at our house. I mean, really, what's not to love about a belly-warming bowl of goodness, especially on a frosty night like tonight? Soup has all the simplicity and versatility of a casserole without turning up any noses by its name. Even though I love my old standbys--taco soup, lasagna soup, baked potato soup, broccoli cheese soup, and white chili--I'm always on the lookout for a new favorite. Made in one pot, in under 30 minutes, and chock full of delectable flavor (plus a healthy serving of vegetables), this soup is definitely going at the top of my list.

There is one thing a little, well, strange about this recipe. It calls for an undrained can of beans.

I know, I know--I freaked out a little bit, too. I've never used a can of beans without draining it! What even is that cloudy goop I normally drain and rinse away? The first time I made this recipe, I reread it at least three times to make sure I understood correctly, and then I crossed my fingers and prayed I wasn't ruining the whole batch when I dumped in the can, goop and all. But it came out great!

Turns out, that goop is just salt, water, and the starch generated by the beans themselves, so it's actually quite useful for thickening and flavoring. Who knew? Well, now we both do, and I'm sure I'll be experimenting with bean goop more often from now on.

BTW, this soup was extra yummy served with some Ritz crackers crumbled on top.

Creamy Italian Sausage and Bean Soup

Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 15 min

Serves 5

1 lb ground Italian sausage

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup flour

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth

1 (15.5 oz) can undrained cannellini beans

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a stockpot, cook sausage. Drain and set aside.

Melt butter in the stockpot. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper then cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent.

Stir in flour.

Slowly add the evaporated milk and chicken broth while stirring constantly. Once the mixture comes to a complete boil, add sausage and beans.

Heat through, and season with salt and pepper.

526 calories per serving. Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Taco Mac

I don't know how on earth I missed this recipe all these years! Once I found it, I realized versions of it were all over the internet, but I loved it so much I had to add it to my own blog, as well. I'm a big fan of chili mac and taco spaghetti, which are similar to this in many ways, so it's no big surprise that I loved this familiar combo of meat, cheese, pasta, and tomatoes. Add in some taco seasoning, and you've got an easy, tasty new dish that should please just about everyone. Especially since it's made in one pan in under 30 minutes!

Taco Mac

Prep time 5 min, Cook time: 30 min

Serves 4

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, diced
1 (10 oz) can tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (1 oz) package taco seasoning
1 1/2 cup elbow noodles
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar (or Mexican blend cheese)

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with onions over medium heat. Drain off any grease.

Add the can of tomatoes, broth, milk, tomato sauce and taco seasoning. Increase heat to medium high until the mixture begins to simmer.

Stir in noodles and reduce heat to low. Cover and allow to cook for 20-25 minutes, until noodles are tender.

Stir in shredded cheese until melted. Serve and enjoy!

Creamy Italian Sausage Gnocchi

Meat, starch, veggies, a deceptively simple but delicious cream sauce, all topped with melty mozzarella cheese and made in one pan in under 30 minutes??? Sounds like a fantasy dinner, right? Go ahead and pinch yourself if you want, but you're not dreaming! This dish is a complete meal that is uh-maze-ing in every way.

If you've never heard of gnocchi (pronounced nyoh-key), they are puffy, little, potato-based pillows that cook up in minutes. You can make them yourself if you have spare time, but you can also buy a great premade version in the pasta aisle of your grocery store. Gnocchi can be used as a substitute for pasta in just about any dish. Trust me, you're gonna love it!

Creamy Italian Sausage Gnocchi

Prep time: 5 min, Cook time: 15 min

Serves 5

1 lb mild Italian sausage
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil

3/4 cup heavy cream
16 oz gnocchi
2-3 cups fresh spinach
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté your sausage, onion, garlic and seasonings until browned. Drain and return to pan.

Add in the tomatoes, cream, gnocchi, and spinach and heat until gnocchi is cooked, spinach is wilted and some of the cream has reduced (about 8-10 minutes).

Stir in the shredded mozzarella cheese until melted. (You could totally leave out the cheese if you wanted to save a few calories, but if you're eating this dish, I doubt you're counting, so why not go all out?!)

Amish Maple Frosted Sugar Cookies

The other day, a friend of mine posted a recipe for maple pie. Then I saw a recipe for maple donuts. Then I watched a Hallmark movie that featured a candy shop that specialized in maple candy. I took it as a sign from God that I was meant to make something maple-flavored as soon as possible. I scoured Pinterest and amassed a collection of possibilities so vast I'd need a lifetime of autumns to try them all. Of course, then I had to narrow it down to just one to try first!

Cookies aren't my favorite dessert (though I've never said no to eating them), but these cookies looked so tender and the maple frosting so luscious, I put them on my short list. Plus, I'd never tried an Amish sugar cookie, so I was curious to see how they differed from the kind I usually make. Man, am I ever glad this is the recipe I finally picked! These cookies are every bit as delicious as they look, and the texture is absolute perfection. They're a perfect bite of fall flavor.

Amish Maple Frosted Sugar Cookies

Prep time:30 min Bake time: 40 min

Serves 65

Cookies:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 large eggs, at room temp.
2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp maple extract
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

Frosting:
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp maple extract
3 - 4 cups powdered sugar

2 - 4 Tbsp milk

Sugar sprinkles, if desired

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, oil, and sugars until combined. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and maple extract.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Gradually add flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating until just combined after each addition. Do not overmix. 

Chill dough in refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to prevent overspreading.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Drop dough by small spoonfuls onto baking sheets. A tablespoon-size cookie scoop works perfect for this.

Bake for 8-11 minutes, or until edges and bottoms are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare frosting. In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, maple syrup, vanilla, maple extract, and 3 cups powdered sugar. Gradually add in milk and additional powdered sugar as needed to achieve a consistency that is thicker than a glaze but easily spreadable. 

Frost cooled cookies, add sprinkles if desired, and allow to set.

118 calories per cookie. Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!