Ranch Chicken & Potato Packets

* 1 bag (20 oz) refrigerated cooked new potato wedges
* 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 20 oz), cut in half
* 1 1/4 c. low-fat or regular ranch dressing
* 4 slices precooked bacon, chopped
* 1/4 c. chopped green onions (4 medium)
* 1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper

Heat gas or charcoal grill. Cut four 18x12-inch sheets of heavy-duty foil; spray foil with cooking spray. For each packet, place about 1 c. potato wedges & 3 thigh halves onto center of foil sheet. Drizzle with scant 1/3 c. dressing. Wrap each packet securely using double-fold seals, allowing room for heat expansion. When grill is heated, place foil packets, seam side up, on gas grill over medium heat or on charcoal grill over medium coals; cover grill. Cook 45 - 50 min. or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (180°F) and potatoes are tender. Open packets carefully to allow steam to escape. Sprinkle each with bacon, onions and pepper

Zesty Italian Chicken

* 1 Tbl. vegetable oil

* 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves**

* 1 large green bell pepper, cut into small chunks

* 1 (10 oz.) pkg. mushrooms, sliced

* 1 (14 - 16 oz.) jar reduced sodium marinara or spaghetti sauce

* 1/4 c. Worcestershire Sauce

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Cook chicken 5 min. until browned on both sides. Remove to plate. Add pepper and mushrooms to same skillet. Cook, stirring, 3 min. until tender. Stir in marinara sauce and Worcestershire. Heat to boiling. Return chicken to skillet. Simmer, covered, 5 min. until no longer pink in center.
**You may substitute boneless pork chops. **

Ultimate Vanilla Pound Cake

* 2 c. flour
* 3/4 tsp. salt
* 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 c. sugar
* 5 large eggs, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 325. Grease bottom and sides of a 9" loaf pan. Line bottom and long sides of pan with parchment, leaving about an inch of overhang on both sides. Grease and flour paper and pan, tapping out excess. Sift flour and salt together into a small bowl. Set aside. Put butter, vanilla and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until light & pale, 3 - 5 min. Add eggs one at a time, beating well and then scraping bowl between each. With mixer on low, add flour to mixture gradually until it is fully incorporated; do not overmix. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top with a spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hr. & 15 min. Cool cake on a wire rack for 15 min. Run a knife along unlined sides of pan and use parchment to carefully lift cake onto wire rack to cool completely. Serve with whipped cream and berries, if desired.

Pork Chops with Garlic-Rosemary Cream

*2 Tbl. olive oil, divided

* 1 1/2 Tbl. coarsely chopped garlic

* 1 Tbl. fresh rosemary

* 1/2 tsp. pepper

* 1/8 tsp. + 1/4 tsp. salt, divided

* 1/4 c. sour cream

* 4 bone-in pork loin chops (1" thick)

* 1 c. lower-sodium chicken broth

Place 1 Tbl. of oil & garlic in large ovenproof skillet; cook over medium heat 30-60 seconds or until fragrant. Place garlic, rosemary, pepper and 1/8 tsp. of the salt in mini food processor; process until thick paste forms.* Combine sour cream and garlic mixture in small bowl. Heat oven to 400°. Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with remaining 1/4 tsp. salt. Heat remaining 1 Tbl. oil in same skillet over med-high heat until hot. Cook pork 3 min.or until browned on bottom. Turn; remove from heat. Spread 1 Tbl. f the garlic cream onto browned side of each pork chop; place skillet in oven. Bake 7 -9 min. or until pale pink in center. Place pork on plate; cover loosely with foil. Add broth to skillet (be sure to use oven mitt to hold hot handle). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Boil until reduced by half or slightly thickened. Drizzle pork chops with pan juices. TIP *To prepare garlic mixture by hand: With chef's knife, chop together cooked garlic, rosemary, pepper and salt until very fine. While chopping, occasionally press down on mixture with flat side of knife to achieve paste consistency.

Chicken Chowder

* 1 lb. boneless, skinless, split chicken breasts

* 2 Tbl. butter

* 1/4 c. quinoa, uncooked**

* 1 lg. potato, peeled and diced

* 1 lg. onion, chopped

* 1 sm. red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

* 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

* 2 cloves garlic, minced

* 1 chipotle chili pepper, left whole***

* 1 can (14 1/2 oz.) chicken broth

* 1 c. fresh, frozen or canned whole kernel corn, drained

* 2 c. milk

* 1 tsp. salt

* 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

* 2 Tbl. chopped fresh cilantro

* 1/4 c. (1 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

** Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a tiny bead-shaped, ivory-colored grain which cooks like rice and expands to four times its original volume. Its flavor is delicate, almost bland. Rice, couscous or other similar grains may be used as a substitute. Quinoa can be found in most health food stores and some supermarkets.
*** Chipotle (pronounced chih-POHT-lay) pepper is a hot chili pepper and can be found dried, canned or pickled. It is dried by smoking. If unavailable, substitute a jalapeño, or add 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke to impart the smoked flavor.

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Melt butter in dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add chicken, quinoa, potato, onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic and chipotle pepper. Cook, stirring, until chicken is no longer pink. Add broth and corn; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes or until quinoa is cooked and potatoes are tender. Add milk, salt and pepper and cook until heated. Remove and discard chipotle pepper. To serve, ladle soup into serving bowls and sprinkle with cilantro and cheese

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops w/ Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

**Recipe from Picky Palate **

* 6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick

* 1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning

* 10 oz. can Cream of Chicken Soup

* 4 lbs. peeled, cubed potatoes

* 5 Tbl. butter

* 1 c. fresh grated Parmesan cheese

* 6 cloves roasted garlic

* 1- 1 1/2 c. warm milk

* 1 Tbl. salt, or to taste

* 1 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste

Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning and soup into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours. Place potatoes into a large pot of cold water. Place onto stovetop over high heat and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, cook for 10-12 min. or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and transfer to the work bowl of a stand or electric mixer. Mix on low until potatoes are mashed then add butter, parmesan, garlic, milk, salt and pepper. Season to taste if needed. For thinner mashed potatoes add more milk, slowly until your desired consitency. Scoop mashed potatoes onto serving plates and top with pork chops and soup gravy from crock pot.

Lemon-Lime Pound Cake

Cake:

* 3 c. flour
* 1 tsp. salt
* 3 sticks (3/4 lb.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 2 1/2 c. sugar
* 2 tsp. grated lime zest
* 2 tsp. grated lemon zest
* 5 large eggs, at room temperature
* 3/4 c. lemon-lime soda
Glaze:
* 2 c. powdered sugar, sifted
* 2 Tbl. unsalted butter, melted
* 2 Tbl. lemon juice
* 1 to 2 Tbl. lime juice

Preheat oven to 350. Liberally grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Make cake: In a medium bowl, sift together flour and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, sugar, and lemon and lime zest until pale & light, about 5 min. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Gradually add flour mixture, just until blended. Stir in soda. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hr, 15 min. Cool completely in pan on a rack before inverting onto a plate.
Make glaze: Stir together confectioners' sugar, butter and juices; add more juice or sugar if needed. Spoon glaze over cake, distributing evenly. Garnish with lemon and lime zest, if desired.