Killer Dip

The kids and grownups will love this recipe. You can have your children help prepare it too.

Ingredients
1 tub of sour cream
1 envelope of dry Ranch salad dressing
3/4 cups of dehydrated onions
salt and black pepper to taste

Recipe
Combine all ingredients and let sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour---the longer you allow it to sit the better it tastes

Serve with any veggies as a dip or with chips, pretzels, and/or crackers

Ranch Mashed Potatoes

Every one that has had this recipe has loved it and asked for my recipe. It's an easy but tasty recipe.

Serves approximately 8-10

Ingredients
6-8 medium potatoes (the ones that I like the best are the Yukon Gold)
1/4 stick of butter
16 once of sour cream
1/4 -1 cup of milk (this is not a precise measurement)
2 packets of Ranch Dressing (dry)

Recipe
1) Cut potatoes into bite size and add to cold pan of water
2) boil the potatoes until they are soft enough for a fork to go threw easily---don't over cook them
3) drain all water from the potatoes
4) mash the potatoes and add to them as mashing butter, sour cream, milk and ranch dressing packets
5) make sure potatoes are well mixed and serve

Personal Note: this recipe goes really nice with the ranch chicken and my husband loves both

Ranch Potatoes

This recipe would be a nice one to have the children help with. These potatoes are similar to oven fries and so they are a really good side with grilled meals and the kids will love them. You don't even need to tell them that they are healthy.

Ingredients
1 Ranch Dressing (dry packet)
1 large Ziploc bag
5 medium potatoes
Pam cooking spray

Recipe
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees
2. cut potatoes into bite size
3. place potatoes in a large Ziplock bag with the Ranch Dressing packet. Seal the bag and shake the contents. Make sure all the potatoes get dressing on them.
4. Spray a cooking sheet with Pam. Place the potatoes on the cooking sheet in a single layer.
5. Cook the potatoes for approximately 45 minutes, until lightly browned

Ranch Chicken

My husband just adores this recipe, secretly I think that this is one of the reasons why he married me.

Ingredients
2 chicken legs with thighs
1 packet of dry ranch dressing
1 large plastic sealed bag

Recipe
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Place the content of the dry packet of ranch dressing into the large plastic bag
3. Place both chicken legs in the bag with the dressing, seal the bag well
4. Shake the bag well making sure that each piece of chicken is covered
5. Place the chicken in the oven and cook for approximately 45 min-1 hour.
6. The chicken is done when there is no pink and the juices are running clear

Grilled Italian Chicken

This recipe is a very nice one for a summer day, it's tasty but not too heavy on the stomach. Every one that has had this meal with me, has absolutely loved it, I hope you do too.

Ingredients
4-6 chicken breasts
1 bottle of Italian salad dressing (I really like using Wegman's Parmesan Italian Salad Dressing)

Recipe
1. Rinse off the chicken breasts
2. Pock holes into the chicken breasts with a fork
3. Place chicken and salad dressing into a large storage bag. Swish the chicken and dressing around making sure that all the chicken has been covered.
4. Place the bag in a medium bowl. Place the bowl into the refrigerator---this will allow the chicken to marinate. You can marinate the chicken as little as one hour, but the longer you marinate it the moister the chicken will be. You may want to marinate it over night.
5. After the chicken has marinated cook the chicken on the grill. Cook the chicken until no pink is showing and all juices are clear running.
6. Serve immediately after done cooking.

Suggested side: My Italian Pasta Salad

Italian Pasta Salad

This salad is really great served with my Grilled Italian Chicken.

This pasta salad is a great salad to bring to picnics because it doesn't have any mayonnaise products in it.

Ingredients
1 cup of broccoli
1 cup of carrots
1 cup of celery
3/4 cup of onion
1 cup of cheese (I like to use jalapeno cheese, but cheddar is really nice also)
3/4 peperoni
1 box of multi color pasta
1 1/2 cup of Italian Dressing
salt and black pepper to taste

Recipe
1. Cook pasta according to boxes directions
2. After pasta is cooked, drain well.
3. Cut all vegetables, cheese, and peperoni bite size and set a side to use later
4. Place pasta in a mixing bowl.
5. Combine all vegetables, cheese, peperoni and dressing with the pasta and mix well. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
6. Place pasta salad in the refrigerator and let chill for approximately 1 hour before serving.

Note: If the salad has been in the refrigerator for a while the pasta may soak up the dressing. You may want to add some dressing just before serving the salad. Be careful not to put too much dressing in.

Pumkin Cake

Moist cake that tastes great. This recipe came to me during a Weight Watchers meeting. You would never know it's low fat if no body told you. I never tell people when I serve it that it's low fat, that's our little secret :)

Ingredients
1 cup of canned pumpkin
1 spice cake mix
small container of whipped cream
powdered sugar for garnishing

Recipe
1. Pre heat your oven to what the cake mix directions say
2. Combine ingredients canned pumpkin and cake mix and mix well
3. Place the cake mix in a pan (same as the directions on the box say)
4. Cook as long as the box says
4. Allow to cool for 1 hour
5. Serve the cake with a dollop of whip cream on it and sprinkle with powdered sugar

Personal Note: my family really loves this recipe, it's so nice and moist and so yummy!!!