Sour Cream Noodle Bake

In my opinion, you can never go wrong choosing a Pioneer Woman recipe for dinner.  I spotted this winner last week, and we had it the other night.  We will definitely be having it again... YUM!  Below is my version (slightly tweaked) of Pioneer Woman's delicious recipe...

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

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Prep Time:  15 minutes

Bake Time:  20 minutes

Serves:  6-8

1 lb. ground beef
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper
8 oz. egg noodles
1 c. sour cream
1 c. small curd cottage cheese
1/3 c. sliced green onions (less to taste)
1 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown beef in a large skillet.

Drain fat, then add tomato sauce, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. 

Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cook egg noodles until al dente; drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. 

Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper and the green onions; stir. 

Add mixture to noodles and stir.

To assemble, layer the ingredients in a 13x9 baking dish in the following way:

          1/2 of the noodles

          1/2 of the meat mixture

          1/2 of the cheese

          and repeat.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.

Chicken with Basil and Cream Sauce

This recipe card references verybestbaby.com/recipes but the link takes you to Gerber and I can't find any recipes like it really so whatever...I guess the credit goes to me! ;) This was tasty, although unlike the picture on my recipe card, the chicken isn't crispy. If you like that (which Dan suggested for next time I make this) then maybe if you bake it longer or at a higher temp? Not sure, let me know if you go that route and what ends up working.

Chicken with Basil and Cream Sauce

1/4 c. fine dry bread crumbs (I just used regular)

3 tsp. fresh basil or 3/4 tsp. dried basil, crushed, divided

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. paprika

1 Tbsp. melted butter or margarine

4 (about 1.25 lbs. total) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2/3 c. (5 fl. oz. can) evaporated milk (fat free is listed in the recipe)

2 tsp. all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. reduced sodium chicken flavor instant bouillon (I just used 1 cube)

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Combine bread crumbs, 2 tsp. fresh basil or 1/2 tsp. dried basil, pepper, and paprika in small bowl.
Add butter; toss to coat.
Arrange chicken in 2 qt rectangular baking dish.
Sprinkle chicken with crumb mixture, pressing onto chicken to coat.

Bake for 20-25 min or until chicken is no longer pink in center. 

Meanwhile, combine evaporated milk, flour, and bouillon in small saucepan; stir well.
Cook over med-high heat, stirring frequently, until thickened and bubbly.
Cook and stir for 1 min more.
Stir in remaining basil.
Serve over chicken.

Makes 4 servings.

BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing

I got this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. My modifications are in *red. I really liked this even though I had doubts about the dressing when I finger tasted it. Dan despises mayonnaise or anything like it, so he didn't really enjoy it. But Dad tried it all and said he liked it, so I consider it a winner!

BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing

Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing

1 c. mayonnaise, light or regular *I used light Miracle Whip
1/3 c. milk
1/3 c. buttermilk *I just used whole milk here, I’m sure you could just use 2/3 c. milk total
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 garlic clove, finely minced *I used the bottle stuff – 1 tsp. I think?
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper *I just did ¼ tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 to 1/2 c. BBQ sauce *I did the full ½ c.

Combine all the ingredients together and whisk (or shake, if using a jar) vigorously to combine. You could also run this through a blender to make it even more smooth. *I used my hand blender. 
Refrigerate until ready to serve.


BBQ Chicken Salad

*Note: this recipe calls for already cooked chicken so plan ahead! I like to cook my chicken in the crockpot, using frozen chicken breasts and about 1 cup of chicken broth for every 2 chicken breasts. I cook on low for about 4-5 hours and then shred and refrigerate (or freeze) for later.

3 c. cooked, shredded chicken
2 c. BBQ sauce
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cored and chopped
2 romaine hearts, chopped
1/2 red onion diced
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1.5 c. frozen corn, thawed
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, cubed small or shredded
4 oz. Monterey jack cheese, cubed small or shredded

Combine the cooked chicken and BBQ sauce in a medium bowl.
Refrigerate until ready to use.

In a large bowl, toss together the iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, red onion, cilantro, corn, black beans and cheese.
Toss the mixed salad with about 1/4 to 1/2 c. of the dressing, if desired. Otherwise, you can serve the dressing on the side.
Place salad on plates and top with the prepared BBQ chicken and additional dressing.

Serves 4-6.