Cool Ranch Chicken Casserole

We were 12 when we met.  She walked up to me in the junior high gym and the rest is history.  I am who I am in large part due to her.  I wouldn't be married to my husband if not for her.  And I wouldn't have tired this recipe if not for her.  She really needs a food blog.  Almost everyday she posts her menu on facebook.  Everything always sounds great, and this recipe was no exception.  She's an expert Texas cook.  What is Texas cooking?  Taste comes before nutrition, and Texas cooks are not so snobby that they won't use crushed up Doritos in a recipe.  There's no pretentiousness.  If it tastes good, we eat it.  And as you will notice in the recipe, we're not great with measurement.  If in doubt, taste it and add more if needed.  Who wants to mess with washing measuring spoons? 

1lb package of chicken breasts cooked and shredded
sharp cheddar cheese grated
16 oz container sour cream
1 can cream of what ever you like
1 jar of salsa ( I used salsa verde)
spices to taste (dried onion, dried garlic, salt, pepper, whatever)
Cool Ranch Doritos


Mix chicken, sour cream, cream of ?, spices, and salsa (I used about half of a jar of salsa).  Layer half of the chicken mixture in a 9x12 casserole pan.  Top with cheese.  Top that with a few hand fulls of crushed Doritos.  Repeat layers.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.    The top layer of chips and cheese will be crunchy. 

A Winning Menu

I rarely try four new recipes at one time, but I did today.  My family came over for lunch to celebrate my mom's birthday.  I always like to try new recipes when I have a group over so that I'm not stuck with something I don't like.  If there's a group, then odds are that someone will like it- or so I tell myself.  I was impressed with these recipes.  In order of impressiveness they are:

Asian BBQ Chicken
Sweet and Savory Coconut Rice
Quick Sunshine Cake
Grilled Corn on the Cob

The Chicken was amazing!  My husband who doesn't like BBQ or meat in general said it was the best chicken he'd ever had.  That says a lot. 

To be honest I didn't eat any corn because I don't like corn.  I did like the link though because it included a video. 

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we did.  Just click on the name of the recipe to go to the website where I found it. 

Italian Roast with Alfredo Mashed Potatoes

I had my family (parents, grandmother, brother, sister) over for dinner this week and served this delicious roast.  It was well received by all except my husband who remarked, "It's really good for what it is."  Which is his way of saying, "Someone who likes meat and potatoes would enjoy this, but that's not my thing."  So if meat and potatoes are your thing then I would highly recommend this recipe!

1 4 lb.  boneless beef roast (I used an eye of something roast)

1 envelope brown gravy mix

1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix

1/2 cup water

1 medium red pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 medium green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

8 medium potatoes
3/4 cup bottled Alfredo sauce
2 Tbs. butter ( I used more because my family loves butter)
1/4 tsp. pepper

salt or garlic salt to taste

minced chives optional

Put roast in slow cooker.  (I put mine in frozen.) Combine mixes, peppers and water in a bowl.  Pour over roast.  Cook 7-8 hours on low.  (I cooked mine twice that long.  I started it before going to bed and we ate it the next evening.  The longer you cook it the more tender it will be.  And cooking with the slow cooker uses almost no power- which translates to not costing  much.)

Peel potatoes.  Quarter them and place them in a large saucepan.  cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes until tender.  Drain potatoes.  Mash with Alfredo sauce, butter, pepper, and salt.