Creamy Ranch Chicken Noodle Casserole

Tonight was a "fend for yourself" night at our house. My beloved had to leave earlier than usual for work and said he would just get dinner there, so I decided to rummage through the cupboard/pantry/fridge and see what I could come up with. I haven't been feeling the best lately and wanted some serious comfort food. This fits the bill perfectly! So yummy! Hope you enjoy.

As a side note, this makes quite a bit, definitely enough for a family of four, but you can half it if you want a smaller portion in an 8x8 dish (that's what I did).

Ingredients:
16-oz. bag egg noodles
2 12.5-oz. cans chicken breast, drained and shredded
3 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. sour cream
1 packet ranch dressing mix
30 Ritz crackers, crushed
1 stick of butter


Boil noodles in water that has been salted and has about a tablespoon of olive oil in it according to package directions, usually about 5-7 minutes. Drain.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium-sized bowl combine chicken breast, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and ranch dressing mix.
Add noodles to this mixture and be sure all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Pour noodle mixture into greased 13x9-inch casserole dish.
Melt butter in a small skillet and add crushed crackers. Toss to coat.
Sprinkle crackers over noodle mixture.
Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Scalloped Potatoes

We never get tired of potatoes at our house. Baked, fried, boiled, roasted, mashed, it doesn't matter. When I made this for dinner a couple of nights ago my husband and I both knew that these potatoes would be included in our regular rotation for sure! The Dijon mustard adds so much flavor. As a side note, I halved the recipe since it was only for two of us and used an 8x8 baking dish.  Enjoy!



Ingredients:
2/3 c. chopped onion
2 tsp. canola or vegetable oil
1 can chicken broth
6 oz. cream cheese, cubed (you can also use cream cheese spread)
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 can cream of chicken soup
6-8 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced.
2 c. crushed Ritz crackers
3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. butter, melted



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a Dutch oven, saute onion in oil until tender.
Reduce heat to medium; Stir in broth, cream cheese, Dijon mustard, and cream of chicken soup until blended.
Remove from heat.
Stir in potatoes.
Transfer to a 13x9-inch baking dish that has been generously coated with cooking spray.
In a small bowl combine crushed crackers, Parmesan, and butter. Sprinkle this mixture over top of potatoes.
Bake, uncovered, for an hour to and hour and 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Pineapple Fried Rice

Lately I have been interested in making restaurant-inspired dishes for a few reasons. 1) We are trying to eat out less and enjoy more time at home with our baby. 2) It's really fun to recreate things and know exactly what is going into them rather than being at the mercy of strangers. 3) We both really enjoy eating Asian food and have been disappointed at every local place we have tried. With this in mind, I was craving Asian food recently and decided to make this dish. It turned out great and my hubby declared that whenever we want Asian food we're just gonna make it here at home! Enjoy!



Ingredients:
3 c. cooked rice
3/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
Vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1/2 c. chopped red bell pepper
1/2 c. frozen peas
1 c. pineapple tidbits, drained
4 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
Salt to taste


In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium high heat.
Add chicken that has been seasoned with salt and saute until brown and cooked through.
Add onion powder and bell pepper; cook until pepper is softened.
Add pineapple and frozen peas; cook 2-3 minutes.
Add rice, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
Mix gently until everything is combined; serve immediately.