Broccoli Bacon Cheddar Chicken

In an attempt to help our kids appreciate healthy food, we frequently look up the physical benefits of the specific vegetable we are eating and summarize it for our kids. Every child knows that carrots help you see better, right? (you know, because of all that K12?) Broccoli has loads of health benefits, but at our house "Broccoli helps you run fast." (because of all the benefits to muscles and the cardiovascular system). And even though it's covered in bacon and cheese so it may not be truly "healthy", our kids always run races after finishing each and every bite of broccoli on their plates.

Broccoli Bacon Cheddar Chicken

Source: Adapted from Julia's Album

Ingredients:
8 chicken tenders
salt and pepper

garlic powder

seasoning salt
2 cups broccoli florets , blanched, chopped
3 strips bacon , cooked, chopped
1 cup Mozzarella cheese , shredded
1 cup Cheddar cheese , shredded

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, when ready add broccoli and leave for about 2 minutes. 

Add chicken breasts to the casserole dish. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper, garlic powder, and seasoning salt.  Top with chopped and blanched broccoli florets.
Add chopped cooked bacon, shredded Mozzarella cheese, and shredded Cheddar cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for about 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. 

Bacon Chicken

I really couldn't figure out what to call this. It's made in a skillet/on the stovetop so maybe "skillet chicken" (because most chicken I make is baked). It's seasoned with ranch dressing mix, so "ranch chicken"? It's got bacon and cheese. It's also got bacon and cheese, so maybe add to my numerous "chicken bacon ranch" list of recipes? I don't know. I gave up and just called it Bacon Chicken. Because it's got bacon and it's delicious. The end. 

As I said before- I usually bake my chicken and when I bake it, I like reallllly bake it. Basically bake it to death, until it's so dry that it's obviously done, no question about it. Pink chicken scares me a bit. I was throwing this together one night and realized that I didn't actually have time to bake it, so I just stuck it in a skillet on the stove and it was the juciest most delicious chicken I think that I've ever made myself. (I'm not really joking about baking my chicken until it's completely dry.)

Bacon Chicken

Source: The Peaden Kitchen

Ingredients:

8 chicken tenders (or 4 chicken breasts)
4 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces

1 tbsp dry Ranch Dressing Mix
1/2-3/4 cup cheese, shredded

salt and pepper, to taste

Optional additions:

1 tomato, diced
2 green onions, sliced
salt and pepper, optional

Directions:
Fry bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Remove bacon pieces from skillet with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper-towel lined plate. Place chicken in pan, season with salt, pepper and half of ranch seasoning, when first side is browned, flip over to second side. Season with more salt, pepper, and ranch seasoning. Top with cheese and bacon. After chicken has been cooked 2-4 minutes on each side, turn heat to low and let cook until chicken is done and cheese is melted.

(I've been told that this would be delicious topped with tomato and green onions. So next time I'm going to try that, too.) 

Serve immediately.

Hot Ham and Cheese

I picked up some hoagie bun rolls at my favorite Sara Lee Bread Outlet for super cheap and I was looking for something to do with them that was yummy and a bit more than just regular deli sandwiches. I had an idea of what I wanted and, with a few adjustments, this fit the bill! The ham and cheese, sautéed onions, and bacon combine together to create a delicious flavor profile. (I've been watching cooking shows with David, can you tell?)

Hot Ham & Cheese Sandwiches
Source: Adapted from Pinch of Yum

Ingredients:
6 hoagie buns

6 slices bacon
1/2 yellow onion
6 tablespoons salted butter, divided
1 heaping Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
12 slices deli ham (or more- depending on how much meat you like)
12 slices cheddar cheese

Directions:
Place bacon on a baking sheet lined with tinfoil. Bake in oven at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until crispy. Slice onion into thin strips. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small skillet; add onions and cook over very low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions should turn a deep golden color and taste sweet. 

Melt 4 T butter and whisk with the mustard and Worcestershire sauce.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Brush the inside of each bun with mustard mixture. Top with ham, onions, bacon, and cheese. Brush the top of the bun with remaining butter. Repeat for remaining sandwiches. Bake for 20 minutes or until warmed through and cheese is melted. Serve hot! 

*Note: I added spinach to my sandwich after baking and it was super yummy. I'd definitely recommend it. 

Twice Baked Potatoes

We love potatoes, and I really love twice baked potatoes. I know they aren't super healthy - so I try to limit the number of meals I pair them with but they are just so darn good. The first time I ever remember eating twice baked potatoes was on a Homecoming (Winter Ball? Prom? I can't quite remember.) Date. My date and I doubled with another set of friends and we ate dinner at our friend's house. His parents (Brother and Sister Ammons, who were in my ward) had completely decked out their dining room with fancy decorations including white twinkle christmas lights. Brother Ammons dressed up as a waiter and took our orders and a little while later came out with these giant twice baked potatoes that Sister Ammons had baked. You know those giant baking potatoes you can buy at the store? They were huge and seriously so delicious, I think I ate more of the potato than I did of the main dish (which was also delicious I'm sure - just not as memorable.) I've always been half tempted to call her and ask for her recipe, but I realize that might be weird to call up ten years later. I'm also always tempted to buy the large baking potatoes, but I almost always end up just using regular Idaho potatoes from our 10 lb bag. This recipe is from the Pioneer Woman, and it's just about as easy and delicious as they come! 

Twice Baked Potatoes
Source: The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
4 Potatoes

4 Tbs Butter 

1/4-1/2 cup Sour Cream 

1/4 cup Milk
2 cups Cheddar Cheese

Bacon Bits

Lawry’s Seasoned Salt 

Black Pepper

Green Onion (optional)

Directions:
Wash, and poke holes with a fork  then place eight baking potatoes directly onto the rack of a preheated oven. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour until cooked through.

As soon as the potatoes are done baking, slice them in half and scoop out the insides into a large mixing bowl. (The potatoes will be HOT! Use a hot pad or paper towel to hold them while you are scooping.) Make sure to scoop out as much potato as you can while leaving the skin intact. Sometimes this means leaving a bit of potato around the edges to give the skin a little more substance.

Start mixing up potatoes with paddle attachment. Add butter, sour cream, and milk and mix through until creams. Add bacon bits, seasoned salt and a good amount of black pepper. Add cheese and onion just until combined.

Remove bowl from mixer, and start scooping the creamy potato mixture and begin filling the shells. Keep going until the filling is all gone (I find that usually I have more filling that I think I need - but just keep scooping it into the shells until it's all piled in!)


Top each potato with grated cheddar place in a 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potato is warmed through. Serve hot!

Note: You can refrigerate them for up to three days until you are ready to serve, or you can freeze them in Ziploc bags. Just heat them through before serving. 

Turkey Avocado Deli Sandwich

Lately all I want to eat is yummy yummy deli sandwiches. I found these bagel things on sale and they were a really yummy addition to this sandwich. In fact, I would dare say that it made the sandwich. David left the sprouts off of his, but they were soooo good. 

Turkey Avocado Deli Sandwich
Source: The Peaden Kitchen

Ingredients:
Bagel Thins
Sliced Turkey
Sliced Cheese
Avocado (garlic salt, red pepper flakes)
Alfalfa Sprouts
Bacon, cooked

Directions:
Peel avocado and mash up. Add a small amount of garlic salt and a couple of shakes of red pepper flakes. Spread guacamole on bagel thins, layer turkey, cheese, sprouts, and bacon. Enjoy!

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

There isn't much that needs to be said about this dish except: YUM! We love potatoes, bacon, cheese, ranch, etc... basically every ingredient that goes into this recipe is in our list of favorite things. This was a perfect side for some simple BBQ chicken, but probably could be a meal on it's own if I was feeling like keeping it simple. It would go well with pretty much anything! (I've also read that you can make these ahead of time and then just keep them in the crock pot on warm to keep them until dinner time.) 

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Source: The Peaden Kitchen

Ingredients:
6-8 medium russet potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoons parsley flakes
1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 tablespoon ranch seasoning 

salt and pepper, to taste (ample amounts)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4-5 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled

Green onion, optional

Directions: 

Peel and cut potatoes into cubes. Place in medium/large pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil them simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Dump potatoes into a large kitchen-aid. Add butter, sour cream, parsley, garlic salt, ranch seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Using a spoon add most of the cheese and bacon, reserving a small amount of each. Scoop onto plates and top with remaining cheese bacon and green onion. Serve immediately. 

Optional continued directions:
Spoon into a greased 9x13-inch pan or casserole dish and sprinkle with cheese and bacon. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Creamy Ranch Pizza

It's no secret, David and I love Hidden Valley Ranch dressing. We are even shooting to be spokespeople for them in 30 years after we've taken hundreds of photos of us with out family enjoying our Ranch dressing (ala Jared & Subway). This is just one more way that HVR brings so much joy and deliciousness into our lives. 

Creamy Ranch Pizza
Source: Hidden Valley Ranch

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
3 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Toppings such as roasted red pepper strips, olives, green onions, bacon, etc...
Pizza dough for a 12" pizza crust.

Pizza Dough:
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 c. flour

Directions:

In mixing bowl, combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.
Add salt and stir. Add about half of the flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out pizza crust and poke holes with a fork. Place in oven to pre-cook for 5-10 minutes or until slightly (slightly) golden brown. Combine dressing with cream cheese and tomato paste. Stir in chicken; spread mixture on crust. Arrange toppings on pizza; sprinkle cheese over all. Bake for 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Can you tell which pizza is David's and which is mine?

Jalapeño Stuffed Chicken

One of my big accomplishments this month was chopping and freezing a bunch of Anaheim and Jalapeño peppers. We had a bunch left over from when we bottled homemade salsa with my family in Morgan. So, I decided that I needed some good jalapeño recipes and after searching around for a bit, we found this one. The original recipe called for 3 jalapeños, but it was a little too spicy for us (we are kind of wimps when it comes to spicy things). I adjusted the recipe down to one pepper, and I think that will be much better for our mouths. The recipe has a great flavor though and we will definitely be making it again. 

Jalapeño Stuffed Chicken 
Source: Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes (admittedly, I removed pretty much everything that made this "skinny" - but the recipe really is so good!)

Ingredients:
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz shredded cheddar jack

2 tbsp chopped green onions
8 thin sliced skinless chicken breast cutlets
1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 Tbs lime juice
1 Tbs olive oil
salt and fresh pepper

non-stick spray

Directions:
Wash and dry chicken cutlets, season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450°. Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Combine cream cheese, cheddar, green onions, jalapeño and bacon crumbles in a medium bowl.

Lay chicken cutlets on a working surface and spread 2 tablespoons of cream cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one. You may secure the ends with toothpicks to prevent the cheese from oozing out, or just tuck the ends over carefully.

Place breadcrumbs in a bowl; in a second bowl combine olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.

Dip chicken in lime-oil mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down on a baking dish. Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spray the top of the chicken with oil spray.

Bake 22-25 minutes, serve immediately.

Manwich

I learned how to make this yummy meal while a sophomore at Utah State University. My sweet Mandy-roommate had her boyfriend/fiance/soon-to-be husband, Trent, over and he taught us the finer points of the manwich. So easy and super yummy! I think about them every time I make this dinner. We buy packages of lunchmeat at Sams Club and if I ever need to use up the last of the lunchmeat, I always pull out this meal.

Manwiches
Source: Trent and Mandy Olsen

Ingredients:
4 sandwich rolls
8 slices cheese
4 slices bacon
2 cups sliced lunchmeat (we use a combination of turkey and ham)
1 cup barbecue sauce

Directions:
Cook bacon in frying pan until crisp. Set aside. Slice lunchmeat into small pieces. Using the same frying pan from the bacon, fry up the lunchmeat. Once lunchmeat is browned add barbecue sauce and cook until heated through. Right before serving, brown insides of the sandwich roll in frying pan. Top sandwich roll with lunchmeat, cheese, and bacon.

Hamburgers & Fries

David and I share our household duties very evenly. We both do our best to keep our lives running smoothly. I tend to do more of the cooking because I am home and it's easier for me to watch over that area of our lives. However, there are a few meals that are "David Meals". I don't make them. That is what we eat when David tells me that he's giving me a break and that he's going to cook dinner for me. Or what we eat on a Friday or Saturday night when he's home and he makes dinner while I work on the dishes, or set the table. It works for us and I love it. I love that I'm the one who does most of the cooking - but that David is willing to step up and take his turn in the kitchen to make our family a delicious meal to enjoy together. Hamburgers is one of those "David Meals". He know the perfect thickness that the hamburger should be, the perfect way to season it, and the perfect length of time to cook it so that it is well done but still deliciously moist. I'd take a David-burger over a McDonalds burger any day. Serve up with some french fries, onion rings, or potato chips and you've got yourself a true american classic!

Hamburgers & Fries
Source: David Peaden

Ingredients:
1 lb Ground Beef
4 Hamburger buns
McCormic Hamburger Seasoning
Onion Salt
Garlic Salt
Salt and Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes

Lettuce
Ketchup
Pickles
Mustard
Onion Rings
French Fries

Directions:
Split ground beef into four sections. Flatten each section into a fairly large hamburger patty (it will shrink as it cooks). Season to taste. Cook in a skillet on the stove until no pink is left in the middle but the burger is still juicy. Meanwhile put frozen french fries or onion rings in the oven. When fries/onion rings and burgers are done, place each burger on a bun and top with desired toppings.

Serve with fruit and fries, onion rings, or potato chips.

Update: March 2021
David is still solely responsible for making hamburgers at our house - although of course, everything we do is a team effort. We recently ordered a Meal Delivery Kit and one of the recipes was "Griddled Onion Burgers". I thought that the sauce on the burger was pretty good, so I thought I'd include the recipe below. 

Optional toppings to make "Griddled Onion Burgers" (2 servings)

1 Yellow onion

1/8 cup Mayonnaise 

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tbs dijon mustard

salt and pepper 

Trim and peel onion; slice into four 1/4 inch thick rounds.  Finely chop remaining onion until you have about 1/4 cup. 

Combine mayo, mustard, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. 

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add chopped onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 4-5 minutes, stir cooked chopped onion into mayo mixture.

Heat another drizzle of oil in the same pan, add onion rounds and cook until deeply browned and tender, 2-3 minutes per side. Toast hamburger buns with garlic butter, and serve with aoili and onion rounds on top of burger. 

Chicken Ranch Pasta (with Bacon)

As evidenced by the many recipes with "Chicken, Bacon, Ranch" in their titles (as well as all the pasta recipes we have), you can see that we love this yummy combination of food. I wish that I could credit the person that created this recipe, however, I found it in a pin on Pinterest that didn't link back to anything. However, all of the ingredients were right in the title and then I worked through how to make it by myself. SO yummy!

(Side note: We have chicken alfredo rotini on a regular basis at our house, but I loved that this recipe makes it's own white sauce. No need to buy a bottle of alfredo sauce at the store, and the ranch seasoning makes the whole thing so delicious.)

(Side, side note: I decided to call this Chicken Ranch Pasta, with bacon instead of Chicken Bacon Ranch pasta for several reasons. First, we have a TON of recipes that start with Chicken, Bacon, Ranch and so I thought i'd mix it up. Second, this would be just as delicious without the bacon. I know, I know. You don't hear me say that often. But both David and I agree that the bacon is yummy but this recipe can definitely stand on it's own two feet.)

Chicken Ranch Pasta
Source: A pin on pinterest that didn't lead anywhere and had the ingredient list in the comment section. I made up the directions. If you know the original source, please let me know.

Ingredients:

8 ounces penne pasta

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tbsp flour

2 cups milk

2 Tbsp dry Ranch Dressing seasoning mix

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups cooked chopped chicken

1/3 cup cooked chopped bacon (optional)

Directions: 

Cook and chop chicken. (I usually boil a chicken breast and then chop it because it is super easy. Sometimes if I am really invested - I will defrost, cube, and saute my chicken in a frying pan with a little salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt.) Cook and chop bacon. (I put my bacon on a baking sheet lined with tinfoil at 400 for 15-18 minutes. I love it!) 

Put pasta on to boil. In medium frying pan, melt butter and then add flour. Use a small whisk to remove all clumps (this is called a roux). When clumps are gone add one cup of milk, whisk out clumps, then add the second cup of milk. Continue to heat milk/roux mixture until it starts to thicken. Add Ranch Dressing seasoning mix. Drain pasta, put back into cooking pot and mix in white sauce. Add chicken, bacon, and cheese. Stir together and serve warm. 

So, so, so yummy. Fairly quick and easy. Definitely a crowd pleaser! 

Potato Disks

I saw this recipe and knew that it would be a great David recipe. We had my little sister, Jenna, over for dinner when we ate these and was surprised when I told her that it was my first time making them. David immediately responded, "But it won't be the last!" Which, is true. They were delicious and relatively simple to make.

Potato Disks
Source: Real Mom Kitchen.

Ingredients:
3-4 potatoes
Season Salt (to taste)
1 cup cheddar cheese
5 slices of bacon, cooked and diced
Green onions for garnish, if desired

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Clean and scrub potatoes well. Slice the potatoes into 1/4″ thick slices. Place potatoes on lightly greased baking sheet and season each side with Season Salt. Cook for 20 minutes. Flip potatoes over and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and place a pinch of cheese and bacon on top of each potato slab. Return the pan to the oven and cook until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 4-8 minutes.

*I served these as a side with some baked chicken. It was a great match.

(Update, I served these at a Superbowl party and they disappeared almost as soon as they were out of the oven. I daresay, that they were a hit!)

Mashed Potato Heaven

a.k.a. KFC's Mashed Potato Bowl

Around this house, we love us some good mashed potatoes. We esecially love KFC's mashed potato bowl. Naturally, we decided to try to make it at home - and let me tell you - it is just as delicious as the original and it's super easy!

Interestingly enough, I found that there is some major controversy over whether cheese and gravy go together. All I know, is that this dish is so good that David dubbed it Mashed Potato Heaven - so we love the combination.

Ingredients:
4 cups mashed potatoes
1 shredded chicken breast
1 can corn
2 cups chicken gravy
1 cup shredded cheese
4 pieces bacon

Directions:
Boil chicken breast for 1/2 hour and shred. Meanwhile fry bacon. Cook mashed potatoes, corn, and gravy. Shred cheese. Assemble all ingredients and serve.

*Note: this is a great recipe to use up some extra leftovers. If you have extra mashed potatoes and gravy, just cook up some chicken and serve. I love recipes like this.

Country Pasta with Mozzarella

I had some leftover mozzarella cheese and so I found this recipe online at "Buns in my oven..." to try. I was texting David and I told him that I was thinking of making a new recipe for dinner. He said, "Great, what is it?" I responded that it was bacon chicken broccoli pasta. He replied with something to the effect of, "Fantastic, What could be better than bacon, chicken, and cheese?" And that, my friends, is the true motto of "The Peaden Kitchen." Nothing is better than bacon, chicken, and cheese. Nothing.

recipe from here.

Ingredients:

8 ounces farfalle pasta
8 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.

2. In large skillet, cook the bacon until almost crisp. To the pan, add broccoli and garlic. Cook until the broccoli is slightly tender, stirring often, about 4 to 5 minutes.

3. Pour in the cooked pasta, mozzarella, parmesan, cayenne and parsley. Stir together over very low heat until the cheese is melted.

Gooey Chicken Alfredo Bake

Last night David and I needed an easy, filling, delicious comfort food - style dinner. I had seen a "health food" recipe using rotini and a low fat alfredo sauce that looked delicious, but as I said before - we were in the mood for ooey-gooey comfort food, not health food. So, I threw together this little recipe. It was perfect.

Gooey Chicken Alfredo Bake
Source: The Peaden Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 frozen Chicken Breasts (one would be fine if it was a large one)
1/2 bag of rotini noodles
Mozzarella Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
1/2 jar alfredo sauce
Optional: Mushrooms, Green Onions, Bacon Bits, Broccoli etc...

Directions:
Cook the pasta until "al dente". While pasta is cooking defrost chicken, cube and saute chicken in a little bit of oil. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder if desired.

After chicken and pasta is cooked - put it in a small 4x8 pan. Mix in alfredo sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese and shredded cheddar cheese. (And bacon, broccoli or any other delicious tidbits you may have on hand.) Top with cheese and bake at 350 until ooey and gooey inside. (20-30 minutes).

Ultimate Chicken Bacon Ranch Bites

Yum, yum, yum. These really are the ultimate. Take a Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza. Now make it bite sized. Can this dish get any more delicious? I submit that it cannot!

Chicken Bacon Ranch Bites
Source: Adapted from Our Best Bites. (These two wonderful ladies offer amazing recipes paired with happiness and humor that makes me excited to get into the kitchen.)

Ingredients:
12 Rhodes rolls (I use half of my pizza dough recipe and divide it into 12)
5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 large chicken breast
2-3 cups cheddar cheese
1 T oil
1 tsp Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
2 T grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Take your ranch dressing mix and combine it with 1 1/2 T parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350. Rip the first roll in half, stretch it out so it's flat and place cheese and desired toppings on each square. Pile it on. No really - even if you think it won't all fit - just put it in there. It will be better that way. Next stretch the sides of the flattened roll to cover all of your fillings.

Place seam side down in half of a muffin pan section. Repeat the filling process with the second half of the roll. Scootch the second tasty bite next to the first in the same muffin section. Continue these steps until all 12 rolls have been split in half and filled. Each muffin section should have two pizza bites. We like a lot of filling so our motto is "It will fit if you make it!"

Brush with oil and then top with cheese/ranch mixture. Bake for 11-14 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve hot with Ranch for dipping. Mmm... Mmmmm ... Delicious!

Chicken, Bacon, and Ranch Sandwiches

We love pretty much anything with chicken, bacon, and ranch. And a good Chicken Bacon Ranch sandwich is at the top of our list! Typically David makes the bacon while I grill the chicken on our George Forman and everything comes together really quickly. Another tip I have, that I've just started doing recently, is to buy the marked down bags of hard rolls at the store and stick them in the freezer. They won't go bad if they are in the freezer and then on the day that you want to make the sandwiches just pull the rolls out and let them sit on the counter. (Or stick them in the microwave on defrost.) The rolls taste delicious and you can just use them as you need. I've found that this saves us lots of money and is super convenient!

Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwiches
Source: The Peaden Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts or strips
4 pieces of bacon
4 slices cheese
Ranch
4 Slices of bread or 2 rolls

Directions:
Cook bacon until crisp. Grill chicken on George Forman. After chicken is cooked through, take a fork and knife and slice each piece in half again to make your chicken thinner and cover more area on the sandwich. Toast bread or roll in toaster or on stove. Put bacon, chicken, and cheese on bread and add ranch. Enjoy! This meal is great with French Fries or Mozzarella sticks. (Makes 2 sandwiches)