As many of you know, we love home cooks and love to learn what you are all doing in your kitchens. We recently had the great opportunity to "meet" Jessica through Instagram and Facebook. She follows Measure & Pinch and we follow her! She is a mom of sweet little ones who loves to post shots her favorite homemade meals and her beautiful family. Just look at those little ones- so precious!! Home cooks like Jessica are our inspiration; the very reason we started Measure & Pinch. We were so thrilled when Jessica agreed to be on of our featured Guest Home Chefs and share her recipe for Buffalo Chicken Lasagna! What a great idea, right? Two outrageously delicious family favorites in one dinner. Its brilliant.

Jessica calls herself an "eyeballer" when it comes to cooking, so she warned that her recipe may need our tweeking. We tried it as is, and loved it... and our boys from the husbands, to the teenager, to the little ones, loved this dinner.

Jessica adds that she's a "sauce" person. So, she uses lots for this recipe. Also, her family doesn't like blue cheese very much, so she skipped it but thinks that adding crumbled blue cheese to the ricotta mixture would be awesome for those who are blue cheese fans. We agree.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lbs shredded chicken
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs of celery, finely chopped
1 large carrot, shredded
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz)
2 bottles (24oz) buffalo wing sauce (I used Frank & Teressa's Anchor Bar Mild Buffalo Sauce)
1/2 cup water (reserved)
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
12 lasagna noodles
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
3/4 cup Ranch dressing, plus extra for topping
4 cups shredded mozzarella
2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend

For the chicken, simmer 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts with the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, in just enough water to cover chicken approximately 15-20 minutes (until no longer pink). Set the chicken aside to cool. Then shred using two forks. Reserve 1/2 cup of the water.

Heat extra virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, and celery. Sautée until tender. Add minced garlic. Cook about 2 more minutes. Then add diced tomatoes, buffalo sauce, chicken, and reserved water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 1/2 hour.

Cook lasagna noodles according to package. Drain.

In a small bowl, mix ricotta cheese, egg, parsley, 1 cup of mozzarella, and ranch.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13x9 inch baking dish. Pour about 1 cup of sauce into pan and spread to coat the bottom. Lay 4 lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping. Spread more sauce over noodles. Spoon about half the ricotta mixture over the sauce and spread. Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella and 2/3 cup Italian cheese. Layer 4 more noodles. Add a layer of sauce. Spoon the other half of the ricotta mixture over sauce and spread. Sprinkle another cup of mozzarella and another 2/3 cup of shredded Italian cheese. Layer last 4 lasagna noodles on top. Pour remaining sauce over noodles and spread.

Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake another 20-25 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of baking, add remaining shredded cheese to melt on top. Pull lasagna out of the oven. Top with enough ranch dressing to cover the top. Let cool 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Spicy and Delicious! - Thank you Jessica!

As with all of our Guest Home Chefs, we take a page out of James Lipton's book and do a little interview ala "Inside the Actor Studio", because afterall, we are all STARS in our own kitchen!

What is your favorite food? I have to pick a favorite? Hard to narrow down... I love soup. I could eat soup everyday. Creamy soups are my favorite.

What is your least favorite food? "Fishy" tasting fish.

What turns you on? GOOD FOOD.....and warm, breezy beach nights.

What turns you off? Swearing.

What inspires you to cook? I love to prepare good food for others. I thrive on honest feedback. Food makes me happy, and I love when my food makes others happy.

What is your favorite drink? Trilogy Kombucha

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? It would be cool to own my own cafe someday.

What profession would you not like to do? Politician.

If Heaven exists, what do you wish to hear God say to you when you arrive at the pearly gates? Welcome home. :)

THANK YOU JESSICA!!!!

Truly a girl we'd love to hang out with. If only we lived closer! In the meantime, see you on the Internet!

... and we will be making this dish over and over again!