Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

The newest addition to our pizza repertoire is this marvelous Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza. My husband loves it because it has not one, but two types of meat on it and the flavors all combine so well. I love it because it tastes good and because I usually have all the ingredients on hand.
There are five simple ingredients, all of which can be prepared ahead of time, making this incredibly easy to put together. Be sure to not overdo the ranch dressing though as it could easily overpower everything else on the pizza.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
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Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:
pizza dough (not pictured)
~1/2 cup Ranch dressing
4-6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
~2 cups chicken, cooked and diced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
~3 cups cheese

Directions:
   1.  Roll out pizza dough to size of pan. Spread Ranch dressing over top (sparingly).
   2.  Top with bacon, chicken and onion. Cover with cheese.
   3.   Bake at 400 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until done.

This is linked to Good Cheap Eats.

Menu 8-22

Recap From Last Week:

~We were actually on vacation the last two weeks (ah, blessed down time!) so this recap is actually from the menu from August 1st~

Monday we had BBQ Pork sandwiches with 3 Bean Salad. The pork was from the freezer and the salad is really easy to put together in the morning so it was a simple dinner to make.

We had Homemade Mac n Cheese on Tuesday night. I had actually made this a few weeks before and stuck it in the freezer so it was simply a case of remembering to move it to the fridge the night before so it would thaw in time! I can't find the original recipe online anymore but it's a basic macaroni and cheese with peas and ham pieces thrown in as well.

Wednesday was another meal from the freezer as I still have Spaghetti Pie from the last time I made a batch. We also had Breadsticks which I've decided I might be a little obsessed with!

I honestly can't remember what happened but for some reason we didn't have the Egg Quiche on Thursday like I had planned.
For Friday Pizza Night we had Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza. I got the suggestion from one of my friends from college. We've tried it once before and liked it; this time we added some onions as well and thought it turned out great!

Saturday morning I was lucky to have my husband make the Pancakes. He even dressed them up a bit by taking our normal pancake recipe and added 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter and some mini-chocolate chips to each pancake as it baked. The result was splendid!

I tried the Strawberry Banana Muffins and we really liked them. The next time I'm going to try adding more strawberries and possibly putting half of them in the food processor to try and spread the deliciousness throughout the muffin a little better.

We also celebrated my husband's birthday. He requested a limeade pie, just like last year. Our daughter helped me make it and she thoroughly enjoyed licking the spatula when we were done!

Onto This Week:

• Monday: BBQ Pork Sandwiches with 3 Bean Salad: As in becoming the norm around here we'll use homemade hamburger buns.
• Tuesday: Chicken Salad Sandwiches: We'll use the rest of the buns from Monday. I'm going to try harder to remember to actually put the cashews in this time. (I completely forgot last time!)
• Wednesday: Hot Dogs on Homemade Buns with Homemade Tater Tots/ Hashbrowns: I'm going to try making hot dog buns. I'm a little apprehensive about getting a decent shape so we'll see. I made the tater tots and hashbrowns a few weeks ago and they're waiting in the freezer.
• Thursday: Chicken Pasta Salad: As is probably typical with recipes like this I'm going to mostly follow the recipe. I already told my husband I'd add olives to his portion.
• Friday: Pizza Night! Pepperoni Monkey Bread Pizza: We're branching out! I saw this and couldn't resist. It looks tasty albeit a little bit of work.
• Saturday Brunch: Waffles: I'm hoping to have enough leftover waffles to stick in the freezer so I can make this Tropical Waffle Bake on a coming Saturday.

Visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas.



3 Bean Salad

Much like the Stromboli we had at the same meal, the memory that comes to mind when I think of 3 Bean Salad is eating at my sister-in-law's house soon after we were engaged. It was delicious and finally this summer I got around to figuring out my own version!
Technically, I suppose mine is only 2 Bean Salad since all I use is green beans and kidney beans (white kidney beans in these pictures). I looked at buying wax beans like many recipes call for but since I can get green beans for half the price I call that good enough!
This salad tastes best if you mix it up in the morning for an evening meal. That way all the flavors can really blend to make a delicious taste.

3 Bean Salad
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Yields: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
~ 2 cups green beans
1 can kidney beans
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup Italian dressing
5 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup vegetable oil  

Directions:
   1.  In a medium bowl combine beans, onion and parsley.
   2.  In a small bowl mix salt, pepper, dressing, sugar, garlic powder, vinegar and oil.
   3.  Pour dressing over beans; stir well. Refrigerate until serving.

This is linked to Good Cheap Eats and URS.

Menu 8-8

I have no set menu for this week. We're on vacation so we're running on a looser routine than normal. :)

I'll still have a recipe up on Wednesday and hopefully Friday Foreshadowing on Friday.

Friday Foreshadowing

There's a definite theme this week: fruit and, for 3 of the 5 recipes, cream cheese. It's not wonder though because first of all, fruit and cream cheese work well together in so many ways. Also, it's summer and summer means fruit! (And hot weather but I don't think anyone really wants to talk about that anymore.)

• Raspberry Cream Cheese Braid from Recipes, Made My Way!: I have plum jam and peach jam on hand so when I make this I'll substitute one of those for the raspberry jam. I think it'll still be great though!
• Raspberry Cream Cups with Pretzels from Life as Mom: These look absolutely decadent!
• Apple Cream Cheese Muffins from Pillsbury: I am always looking for new muffin recipes to try.
• Tropical Waffles from Pillsbury: This recipe takes simple waffles and decks them out with some amazing toppings!
• Watermelon Frosty from Mel's Kitchen Cafe: How delightful would this be on one of the never-ending hot summer days?

This is linked to Friday Favorites.

Non-Grainy Cornbread

We have found that we love cornbread in our house! It took a few tries to find the right recipe but, at least for us, the search is over. My husband likes to drizzle honey over his cornbread but I love it simple and plain.
The key to ensuring that your cornbread isn't grainy is to soak the cornmeal in the milk. It makes a huge difference! This is a quick and easy side dish that can go with a variety of meals and uses ingredients that you likely already have in the cupboards.

Non-Grainy Cornbread
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Yields: 16 pieces

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
honey (optional)

Directions:
   1.  In a medium bowl combine milk and cornmeal. Let soak for 15 minutes. 
   2.  Preheat oven to 400.
   3.  Add flour, sugars, salt and baking powder to bowl; mix. Stir in egg and vegetable oil until well combined.
   4.  Pour batter into greased 9 inch pan. Bake at 400 for 20-25 or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
   5.  Serve warm with optional honey drizzled over the top.  

This is linked to Tasty Tuesday and URS. 

Menu 8-1

Recap From Last Week:
 
On Monday we had Bunsteads with Green Pea Salad. The Green Pea Salad is getting added to our rotation of side dishes. All the flavors came together in such a delicious way!

Tuesday night we had Chicken Tortilla Soup with Corn Bread. The soup, as is typical, was delicious, even on a warm night. The cornbread recipe is one I've been using for a while but we haven't had any for quite some time. I'm going to try to work it in more often as we really enjoy it though. {Recipe coming Wednesday}

Wednesday night we had Chimichangas with Mexican Rice. I made sure to write down exactly how I made the rice but it wasn't quite perfect so I'm going to keep trying.

The rest of the week our daughter and I ate at my parent's house and my husband had his "bachelor" foods.

Onto This Week:

• Monday: BBQ Pork Sandwiches with 3 Bean Salad: I have hamburger buns in the freezer and the pork is already cooked and shredded so all I have to do is mix some BBQ sauce in and make the salad. Sounds easy enough to me!
• Tuesday: Homemade Mac n Cheese: We love this Mac n Cheese. It has ham, peas and, of course, pasta and cheese. I'm excited because it's already made and waiting in the freezer!
• Wednesday: Spaghetti Pie with Breadsticks: This also is already in the freezer. I love easy weeks.
• Thursday: Some sort of Vegetable Egg Quiche: I think it's going to end up being a combination of a few recipes but right now I'm thinking broccoli, maybe some ham, peas, cheese and eggs. We'll see what happens Thursday afternoon.
• Friday: Pizza Night! Chicken Bacon Ranch: There's cooked bacon in the freezer and hopefully at some point during the week I'll remember to bake some chicken which will make this pretty easy.
• Saturday Brunch: Pancakes: Might as well stick with the "easy" theme that ended up happening this week.

Visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas.