Chicken Ranch Quesadillas

This is a quick and easy meal to get on the table asap.  Yummm.  Really, really good.

• 1/2 cup sour cream ranch dip
• 8 8-inch flour tortillas
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 10-oz. can chicken, drained and flaked
• 1/3 cup bacon bits
• Salsa, optional

Spread 2 tablespoons dip on each of 4 tortillas.  Top each with 1/4 each of the cheeses, chicken and bacon bits.  Top with remaining tortillas.  Place one tortilla stack in non-stick skillet.  Cook over medium-high heat until lightly golden, pressing down gently with spatula.  Turn carefully, cook until cheese is melted.  Let stand for 2 minutes; slice into wedges.  Repeat with remaining tortilla stacks.  Serve with salsa, if desired.

Serves 4.

“Brokenness can lead to wholeness.”

Grilled Bacony, Cheesy Chicken

So, so good!  Serve with baked potatoes and a salad.  Or make a delicious sandwich.

• 6 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 lb. thick-cut bacon, sliced in half and fried until chewy
• 3 tablespoons reserved bacon grease
• 2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese, or to taste

With a very sharp knife, cut the chicken breasts in half down the middle.  This will result in 2 chicken breast pieces that are thinner and more uniform in size.

In a large bowl, combine the honey, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, paprika and salt.  Stir to combine.

Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours.

When you’re ready to cook the chicken, remove it from the marinade and grill it over medium-high heat, 3 to 4 minutes per side.  Brush a little bacon grease on the chicken before placing it on the grill.  (Or you can saute them in a skillet over medium-high heat if you prefer.)

When a couple of minutes of grilling time are left, lay 2 pieces of bacon onto each chicken breast.  Top with some grated Cheddar and allow it to melt on the grill.  (If you need to remove the chicken, you can finish melting the cheese under the broiler.)

Serves 8 to 12.

“Christ, the Rock, is our sure hope.”

Chicken Breasts Eden Isle

Delicious, delicious, delicious is what came from the three us that had this for dinner last night.

• 6 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts
• Pepper to taste
• 6 slices bacon
• 1 pkg. dried beef
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese

Pepper, do not salt chicken breasts.  Wrap one slice bacon around each breast.  Place layer of dried beef in bottom of baking dish. Place bacon-wrapped breasts in dish.  Mix together chicken coup, sour cream, and cream cheese in mixer or food processor.  Cover chicken breast with mixture, and cover baking dish tightly with foil.  Place in 325 degree oven for 2 hours.  When tender, remove foil and let brown well.  Serve on a bed of rice.  Spoon some of that delicious sauce over the top.  Yum!!

Serves 6.

“Never pass up an opportunity to enjoy nature’s beauty – it’s the handwriting of God.”

Miss Kay’s Chicken & Dumplings

Miss Kay is the matriarch of Duck Dynasty and this recipe is out of her cookbook “Miss Kay’s Duck Commander Kitchen”.  This is so good Art and I couldn’t quit eating it.  The dumplings are so easy to make and just delicious.

Broth & chicken

• 1 large chicken*
• Salt and pepper
• 1 can (12-oz.) evaporated milk
• 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chicken base (my addition to the recipe)

Dumplings

• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons butter-flavored vegetable shortening (Crisco)
• 2 cups buttermilk

In a large stock pot, bring 10 cups of water to a boil.  Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer until tender enough to be pierced with a fork, about 1 hour.

Remove the chicken from the broth and set aside.  Add the milk , butter and chicken base to the broth.  Leave the broth to simmer while you make the dumplings.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.  With a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add the buttermilk a little at a time, stirring until a soft dough forms, about like the consistency of biscuit dough.  Divide the dough into 4 balls.

Sprinkle the counter with flour.  Roll each ball of dough to 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick, adding more flour as needed to prevent it from sticking.  Cut into large squares.  (I made mine like strands and they were too small.)

Return the broth to a boil.  Make sure there is enough in the pot to fill at least half the pot.  If not, add more water.

Drop the dumplings into the boiling broth a handful  at a time.  When they are all in, turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat.  Put the meat back in the pot and let it sit until hot again.

Makes 8 servings.

* You may use a large squirrel, skinned and cut in half, or a large rabbit instead of the chicken.

“As you journey through the wilderness of temptation, Christ’s victory is yours.”