We have tried several new recipes since my last What We're Eatin' post! And like last time, some were huge hits and some were meh. Let's get right into it! Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole While Raley and I love ranch, David is not typically a huge fan. But he loved this meal! We all did. Raley even asked for seconds, which is unusual for her. Recipe:Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole What we thought: We have a new favorite meal! I think next time I would double the amount of alfredo sauce because most of it ended up being absorbed by the pasta so it wasn't very saucy. Would I make it again? Without a doubt. Did I make any changes? I used McCormick minced garlic instead of cloves of garlic.
Tin Foil Steak and Potatoes These were incredibly easy and cooked very quickly! I cut everything up, wrapped it in tin foil, and David threw it on the grill for about 20 minutes! Recipe: Tin Foil Steak and Potatoes What we thought: The seasoning was a tad off. I couldn't put my finger on it. Too much garlic maybe? Would I make it again? Yes, but I would change up the seasoning. Any changes to recipe? No
You literally toss it all in a bowl with olive oil and seasoning then wrap it up
Chicken Parmesan Casserole I was very excited about making this. I thought the bread crumbs would give it a nice crunch and be a good change from typical baked ziti. However, when was buying the ingredients for this meal, I was actually looking at the wrong recipe. Keep reading to find out what we thought. Recipe: Chicken Parmesan Casserole What we thought: Because I was looking at the wrong recipe, I ended up getting regular Italian bread crumbs instead of Panko bread crumbs. So the bread crumb topping ended up being too crumbly instead of crunchy. The recipe I ended up using (link above) did say to use more oil if using finer bread crumbs, which I did, but it was still too fine. The texture was just off. I even second guessed myself in the store and almost bought Panko bread crumbs. But I am not a chef by any means and I'm so bad at knowing how to alter recipes, that I thought that I would just stick to what was listed. I should have gone with my gut! Would I make it again? Maybe, using Panko bread crumbs. Any changes to recipe? I actually made a few changes. This recipe does not call for pasta. I made about 3/4 of a box of ziti pasta and mixed it together with the marinara sauce and chicken. I then topped it with the Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. So basically I made a baked ziti with chicken topped with bread crumbs.
Taco Stuffed Potatoes This is a meal that I haven't had in over 10 years. When I was on a youth group trip at Rainbow Omega in high school, one of the house mothers made taco stuffed potatoes and I was actually surprised that I liked it. I not a huge fan of ground beef, although I do love tacos and the combination of the taco seasoned meat with the potato and all the fixin's made it so good! Recipe: There's no link for this one, but it's super easy. Bake some potatoes. When there's about 15 minutes left, cook up some taco meat according to the back of the taco seasoning packet. Cut the potato in half, butter (if desired) and top with taco meat, cheese, salsa, and whatever other toppings you'd like! What we thought: Mmm-mmm good Would I make it again? Yes
Jalapeno Popper Chicken Soup I've been wanting to make this one for a while but I didn't know if David would like it because he doesn't like jalapenos. So I made it on a night when he was out of town! I cut all of the seeds out of the jalapenos, so it really wasn't spicy at all, which was good for the girls. I was fully prepared to make them a separate meal if it ended up way too spicy. I topped mine with shredded cheddar cheese, bacon and some fresh jalapeno slices, which gave it that spicy kick that I was looking for. So for those who like it more mild, this is still a great tasting soup but if you're looking for a little more spice, throw some fresh jalapenos on there. Win-win! Recipe: Jalapeno Popper Chicken Soup What we thought: We all loved it! The girls even liked it, although they pretty much just ate the chicken. I strained out the liquid because I didn't think they'd like it and I knew it would make a mess. I told David I think he would have liked it too. Would I make it again? For sure. I know it sounds crazy, but maybe less bacon. I made more than the recipe called for because I thought it wasn't going to be enough. I also thought there's no such thing as too much bacon. However, I think there was too much bacon. It ended up making the soup a little too salty. Any changes to recipe? It ended up being a bit thin so I threw in a few spoonfuls of flour and when that didn't thicken it up, I added a little more shredded cheese and cream cheese. It did seem to thicken it a little bit and it tasted great. I noticed after the fact that there is a note at the bottom of the recipe about how to make it thicker, which I will use next time. There's also a slow-cooker option!
Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy This one was so so easy and very tasty! You literally throw 5 ingredients in a crock pot and wait a few hours. We served it over rice. Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy What we thought: Our only complaint was that it needed more salt, but that is easily fixable! Would I make it again? Yes, it's so easy! Any changes to recipe? I left out the sour cream
Fettuccine Alfredo I think I've made this copy-cat Olive Garden alfredo recipe one or two other times and I always forget how quick and easy it is! And it always comes out great! I even made this sauce and froze it before Audrey was born when I was stocking up on freezer meals and it was even good thawed and reheated on the stove top. Recipe: Fettuccine Alfredo What we thought: We love it. It's so creamy. I've made other alfredo sauces before and they haven't turned out as well. Honestly though, I'm not sure if it's the recipe or the cook... Would I make it again? I'm actually making it tonight for a southwest pasta recipe! Stay tuned for how that turns out! Any changes to recipe? None
Got any recipes you think we would like? Send 'em my way! I'm looking forward to making the southwest chicken pasta tonight and a 4-ingredient chicken and rice casserole here soon! I hope everyone is having a happy Monday and has a wonderful week!
