Recipe of the Week: Buffalo Chicken Dip

Well...the outcome of the Superbowl wasn't what I was hoping for, but the food we had at our party was amazing!

My contribution this year was this easy, ooey-gooey, awesome buffalo chicken dip. Original recipe is here, but I changed a couple of things, namely the type of dressing. It turned out a bit healthier (although not much) this way too!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
2 cups shredded chicken (I just bought a rotisserie chicken and used the rest to make a chicken salad)
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (I used Frank's hot)
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup(ish) ranch dressing (I used skim milk and olive oil mayo to make my own with a hidden valley ranch packet)
1/4-1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (not too much or it'll get that crunchy cheese syndrome)

Preheat oven to 300°.
Cover bottom of an 8x8 dish or pie plate with the cream cheese.
In mixing bowl, combine chicken, buffalo wing sauce and butter. Spread over the cream cheese.
Top with just enough ranch and mozzarella cheese to cover.
Heat in oven for 20 minutes and serve with tortilla chips.


See? Easy. And soooooo yum.

This is how much was left at the end...and there was a TON of food

Recipe of the Week: Pizza Pot Pies

This recipe is loosely based on the following:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/pizza-pot-pies-recipe/index.html

However, I changed it a LOT.

So here's the much easier and most likely just as yummy

Pizza Pot Pies

3/4 jar marinara sauce (I have used Bertolli organic tomato and basil as well as Trader Joe's basil and tomato.  We prefer Bertolli, surprisingly)
1 medium sized onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped/minced
2 links chicken sausage (I use Trader Joe's Vino & Formaggio...wine and cheese is gooooood)
pepperoni
1 cup (or more if you prefer) freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
pizza dough (bet you can't guess which brand I use...)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Drizzle olive oil in skillet and heat. Toss onion and garlic in and saute. Add sausage and cook until browned. Add marinara sauce and heat through.

Shred cheese and add to sauce mixture, then add pepperoni. Spoon mixture evenly into 6 10-oz ramekins. Separate dough into 6 equal parts and stretch over ramekins. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until dough on top is browned.

Rating from me? YUMYUMYUM
Rating from A? "this is really similar to my mom's lasagna" (very high praise)

It's a winner! And I feel like with either canned tomatoes (to make homemade sauce) or jarred sauce on hand, you could pretty much throw anything in there with them and make it a pizza pot pie!

Recipe of the Week

This week I'm combining and adapting two recipes from Rachael Ray...she's good to me :)

(Mini) Sausage and Cheese Calzones with Spicy Tomato Dipping Sauce

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3/4 pound Italian sausage, casing removed (I use chicken sausage, so it's healthier)
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Italian cheese blend
2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano
3 sprigs thyme, stemmed and leaves chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 pizza dough (from Trader Joe's or a local pizzeria)

Preheat a medium-size skillet with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Once the skillet is hot, add the sausage and break it up into small pieces. Cook until brown, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon to drain on a paper towel-lined plate and reserve.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the garlic, the cheeses, thyme and lemon zest, and season with a little salt and pepper. Add the reserved sausage to the bowl and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. Mix thoroughly to combine.

Roll out the pizza dough. Cut into 4-8 equal pieces, depending on how large you want your calzones. With a rolling pin, roll out each one into a circle. Working on just half of the surface of each circle, divide the filling equally between the calzones. Fold the other half of the dough over the top of filling and pinch the edges firmly to seal.

Transfer the calzones to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake the calzones for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown all over.

Spicy Tomato Dipping Sauce

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove chopped garlic
1 can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
1/4 cup basil (a handful), chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream

place a medium saucepan over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the chopped onion and remaining garlic to the pan, season with salt and pepper and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes to the pan with the basil and simmer the sauce until thickened up a bit, 2-3 minutes, turn the heat off and add the cream.

Recipe of the Week -- Easy Breezy Paninis

Did I mention that it gets hot in Tennessee during the summer?
It gets hot in Tennessee during the summer.

When I'm overly hot I really don't feel like cooking over a hot stove or oven. Who's with me?

Ok. So Anthony and I have discovered the easiest, yummiest summer recipe ever. Here's what you need:

a kitchen grill (you know, the cheap knock-off forman grills everyone has)
bread of any kind...Italian, preferably
meat of any kind--I prefer salami or ham, Anthony likes to mix both those with turkey
cheese--fresh mozzarella cheese is our preference, along with a bit o'provolone
olive oil
any sorts of dressing for a sandwich you prefer. Our favorites are
Trader Joe's green olive tapenade
pesto sauce
horseradish sauce
fresh basil leaves

Preheat Grill according to manufacturer instructions. Assemble sandwich any way you like (my preference is pesto on one side, tapenade on the other, fresh basil leaf, mozzarella, salami and ham) and brush both sides of sandwich with olive oil. Place on grill until your desired brown-ness is reached.

See? Easy! Check out that fresh mozzarella...

Recipe(s) of the Week

I don't know about you, but I am normally a pretty creative (A calls me "adventurous") cook. I get bored with plain recipes so I always spice things up. And since I love to experiment with recipes I often will just make something up. Especially in the summer when I prefer fresh veggies and light menus. This is what happened with the following.

First, my lunch today...I went to Trader Joe's (of course) yesterday and stocked up on veggies. Among my purchases was fresh asparagus. Today I steamed it and then concocted the following sauce to pour over:

1/2 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic
generous sprinkling of dill
juice of a lime wedge

If I had it to do over again I may put a little cream in it, but then again I think it would make the pour over too "heavy" for summer/swimsuit weather!

Here's one of my tried and true favorites. Note that it serves 1, so you'll need to adjust to your needs. It's a GREAT way to use up veggies or just make a quick meal with items already on hand. Providing your fridge door is as impressive as mine :)

Ginger Noodle StirFry

1 bundle japanese noodles (I buy them at Kroger but yesterday I saw Thai noodles at TJ's--those will also work)
Ginger Dressing (usually in the salad area of your grocery store, not the salad dressing aisle) -- I use about half a cup
Soy Sauce -- about a tablespoon
Asian hot sauce -- I'm generous, about 2 tbsps, but you may want less
Freshly chopped cilantro -- a bunch or so
All the fresh veggies you want. Last night it included broccoli, cucumber, onion and garlic. Others I like to add are cherry tomatoes, green beans, snap peas, carrots, etc.
optional meat source--I prefer it with pre-cooked steak strips, but chicken is good too

(as you can see above it's a measure out your own type recipe. I pour and chop in what looks good)

Bring water to a boil for the noodles, and cook according to directions on the package. Meanwhile, combine ginger dressing, soy sauce and hot sauce in a small fry pan. Add veggies according to cooking temperature--I start with cilantro, then onion, broccoli, etc. Saute the mixture for a couple of minutes then turn the burner to low or warm. Drain noodles, then toss in the veggie stir-fry mix. Toss together and serve, preferably with chopsticks!

(pictured with Trader Joe chicken cilantro potstickers and a dipping sauce)