Parmesan Ranch Chicken: An Easy Meal for Two

Some of my favorite go-to recipes came from Pinterest, because of course they did. To see all my pinned recipes, head over to my Pinterest page!

Today's recipe is fast, easy, and perfect for two. If you need to feed more, just double the recipe.

You'll need:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup Ranch dressing
• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese,  shredded
• 1/8 cup parmesan cheese,  grated
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• cooking spray

A note on the ingredients: I try to buy thin chicken breasts because they cook faster and I'm usually in a hurry! Freshly shredded and grated parmesan cheese is obviously better, but I just use shredded cheese from a bag and grated cheese from the green can usually reserved for pizza. And the bread crumb to parmesan ratio can be adjusted according to your taste - if you want a crunchier chicken, add more bread crumbs! I just use Pam cooking spray, but you can substitute coconut oil spray or whatever your prefer.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. To save yourself some time on cleaning up, line a baking sheet with tinfoil. Spray the non-stick spray on the foil, then set aside. Prepare the chicken - because I buy thin breasts to begin with, I don't usually tenderize mine. But if you have thicker breasts, then pound them to an even thickness so they will cook evenly. Place the chicken on a plate or bowl and pour the Ranch over them. Make sure they are completely soaking in the Ranch.

The original recipe* I used suggests marinating the chicken overnight. Since I'm often making this after work without much forethought, I never do that. I just prep the chicken first and throw it in a bowl or Ziploc bag of ranch to sit while I prep the rest of the meal. But if you are a meal planner, then maybe try marinating it and let me know how it turns out!

Once the chicken is covered in Ranch, prepare the bread crumb mix in a separate bowl.

You can then go one of two ways: dip the Ranch covered chicken in the bread crumb mix or you can just dump the bread crumb mix on top of the chicken! I've done it both ways, they end up working the same. But if you're trying to save yourself a mess and used a Ziploc bag to soak the Ranch, I'd just dump the mix right in there and shake it up. (Shake n Bake, and I helped!)

Either way, once each breast is fully covered in bread crumb yumminess, lay them on the foil lined baking sheet. If you have leftover mix, I usually go back over the chicken to make sure it is fully coated. Then spray a quick burst of cooking spray on top (somehow it makes the chicken a little crispier) and place in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

One reason I like this recipe so much that 20 minute baking time. You can get the main course prepared and in the oven first, and then you have 20 minutes to clean up the mess and get the sides ready. I usually serve with rice or mashed potatoes and a green vegetable like asparagus or green beans. Or mac and cheese if you're feeling daring :)

This is easily one of my favorite recipes. I will even eat the whole piece of chicken! If you know me and my eating habits, you know that says A LOT about something. So give this quick recipe a try and let me know what you think.

My recipe is based on one I found here; you'll notice some measurements and ingredients are different than the original. That's because I've played around with the recipe over time and found that I like doing it this way better. But since I did start with her recipe, I wanted to give credit where it is due!

The BEST 5 Minute Guacamole

My husband and I are part of a group we call the Sacramental Supper Club. Once a month we meet with a group of friends from church for dinner and conversation; each dinner usually has a theme. A couple months back we did a Mexican themed dinner, so I brought guacamole.

It was gone in less than 5 minutes! And the best part is, it takes about 5 minutes to make. So today I'm sharing the recipe for 5 Minute Guacamole.

I make my guacamole the same way my mom makes it: with avocado, Tabasco sauce, and lemon juice. She also adds in purple onion and tomato; I don't think they are necessary, but they make it so much prettier so I use them too.

Most people are surprised that I use lemon instead of lime; it's how I grew up eating guacamole, so I didn't know it was unusual until I started bringing the dip to parties! 

You'll need 3 to 5 avocados, a purple onion, a tomato, Tabasco sauce, lemon juice, and salt. You will also need a food processor.

Find the ripest avocados you can. You can't have mind blowing guacamole without some really awesome avocados. You'll want to use avocados that are almost too ripe. They should be very dark green and soft, but not soft enough you stick your finger through the skin. If they are super soft and you are worried they've gone bad, flick the stem of the top. If the color underneath is light green, you're good. If it's dark, the avocado is too far gone. You never know what kind of avocado you may find at the store, so if you know you are going to making guacamole for a party, head to the store several days ahead of time. If all they have are hard bright green avocados, that's ok. Grab a few up and take them home. Leave them on your counter until they start to darken and soften. Once they've reached the desired ripeness, put them in the fridge to await their fate.

This is how you can check to see if your avocado has gone bad. This one is still in good shape!

Prepare the onion and tomato if you'd like. If I'm making it for a party, I'll chop up half a purple onion and a whole tomato. I like to keep them big chunks so people who don't like them can eat around them. Set them aside for now.

Prepare the avocado. I just slice the avocado down the middle, set the pit aside, and scoop that creamy green goodness into the food processor. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may have to do a couple avocadoes at a time.

Add Tabasco and lemon juice. I must confess, I've never actually measured how much I use. It's usually 3 to 4 dashes of Tabasco, and several squirts of lemon juice. Always err on the side of not enough to start with. You can always stir more in later.

Just before starting the food processor, toss in a dash of salt. I usually use kosher salt for this step.

Run the food processor until avocado is smooth. The length will depend on your food processor. My old one used to take minutes; this new one takes seconds. You don't want to overdo it and end up with a puree.

Now's the time to taste it! From here you can decide if it needs more Tabasco or lemon. It is just a matter of taste - there's no right or wrong amount! Some people like it spicier, others just want a hint of it. Once it tastes just right, move the dip to the serving dish and add the onion and tomato. Just stir the chopped pieces in, or leave them sitting on the top if you like the way it looks. 

And that's it! You're ready to enjoy your hard work all by yourself or share it with friends :)

Meet Winchester

I'd like to introduce you to Winchester (or Winnie, as I call him). He is a blue heeler/Australian shepherd mix that my husband and I have had a little over a week now!

Last week we made the 45 minute trek out to a local Twitter friend's home (Fun Fact: we bought our living room rug from her, too!) and picked up this cute little boy. J and I have been talking about getting a dog for months. We'd planned on adopting one from a shelter - I adopted my cat from a shelter in Dallas back in 2008 and I totally recommend adopting over buying - but this friend's dog wound up having lots of puppies about 9 weeks ago. So instead of going to a shelter, we decided to make one of those little cuties ours!

It's been a bit of an adjustment to say the least. This little puppy is wonderful. He's always super happy to see us, even if we just stepped inside for a minute. He is friendly and excited and pretty stinking cute. 

He's learning some basic tricks like fetch right now. He's getting pretty good at it, unless he gets distracted by something shiny :) 

Just look at that face, y'all. He's pretty awesome!