Are You in a Food Rut?

I've been in a food rut! I cook the same old thing for dinner over and over and over! The only reason my family hasn't gone on strike is because the few recipes I make are their favorites, like breakfast for dinner every single Monday night. My guys love breakfast for dinner! So much so that this tradition has been going on for over two years! I doubt very much that Monday night's dinner will change anytime soon, but it's time to mix in some new favorites! My friend Audrey, feeling the same about her dinner menu, agreed to broaden her horizons with me. Indeed it's more fun to cook with a friend!

Last Friday we got together and tried our hand at Ranch Style Chicken, a recipe from 'The Pioneer Woman' cooks. We knew that none of our picky eaters could pass up a boneless chicken breast topped with thick cut bacon and melted sharp cheddar cheese!

All of The Pioneer Woman Cooks recipes are rated from easy to difficult and since we wanted to ensure a successful outcome, we picked an easy dish. Although nothing about this recipe was hard, it was quite messy because of frying the bacon and chicken. I would advise you to cook this dish when the stove needs cleaning anyway!

I served my chicken with steamed zucchini and mashed potatoes. The chicken was not as flavorful as I expected it would be after marinating it for over an hour and topping it with bacon and cheese, but not too shabby.

For desert Audrey and I made 'Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting' from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. These cupcakes were easy to make and were so delicious that I'm at a loss for words to describe them! The cake was very moist and the cream cheese frosting absolutely sinful! I would highly recommend making these if your aim is to impress! Just look at these great big lovely cupcakes! I was so tickled with myself that they actually looked like something I bought at a fancy bakery! I owe it to the Pampered Chef  'Easy Accent Decorator' for the outcome of the frosting!

I'm happy to report it was a successful and fun venture and that we plan on doing this again soon! Click on the highlighted food titles above to get the recipes. If you try either of these recipes I'd love to hear how you and your family liked it. If you want to share a great recipe you have tried recently, I'd love to hear about it! Thanks for dropping by today! I hope you enjoyed my food share!  Kathy :)