Buffalo Chicken Tenders

I love buffalo wings. I mean, really, who doesn't? I love that spicy, buttery sauce and the way the breading and sauce on the chicken sticks to my fingers while I'm eating the wings. Wings are one food you just can't eat neatly. They're also not the healthiest thing to eat, which is why we don't have them very often. But when I saw this recipe pop up on A Taste of Home Cooking, I knew I had to make these buffalo chicken strips for dinner. They're made with chicken tenders, which makes them a little less unhealthy, and they're a lot less messy to eat.

I increased the amount of sauce since we like our wings saucy, and I served the chicken tenders with a store-bought buttermilk ranch dressing for dipping. Crispy French fries completed our casual dinner, but these delicious strips could easily be served in smaller portions as an appetizer. I'll definitely be making these again. Over and over again, if Joe has anything to say about it.

Buffalo Chicken Tenders
Source: adapted from Everyday Food; originally seen on A Taste of Home Cooking

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup hot sauce (I am a firm supporter of Frank's Red Hot; I believe it is superior to any other hot sauce, but by all means use whatever you want)
3 tablespoons melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet, and transfer to oven.

2. Place flour and buttermilk in separate medium bowls; season flour with salt and pepper. Set out another rimmed baking sheet alongside. Dip chicken in buttermilk (allowing excess to drip off), then in flour (shaking off excess); place on sheet.

3. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Working in batches, fry chicken until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to rack in oven to keep warm.

4. In a large bowl, stir together hot sauce and melted butter. Add chicken, and toss to coat. Serve tenders with blue cheese or ranch dressing for dipping.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

I seem to be a bit behind the mark regarding food blog recipe trends. A lot of times I'll see something appear on a bunch of the blogs I read, and I'll want to make it immediately, but then I get distracted -- so while the rest of the internet is posting about it, I'm not. By the time I get around to it, the "trend" has passed. This has happened to me previously with buffalo chicken dip and baked potato and broccoli soup, and it happened to me again with this recipe. I saw this ages ago on a bunch of different blogs, but the recipe went on the back burner until yesterday evening -- when I decided to make it for a very special event in my best friend's and my life.

Every Monday night, without fail, my best friend comes over to my house for one reason and one reason only: The Bachelor. We are totally addicted to this show. Even though the relationships inevitably never work out, for some reason we just can't get enough. I decided to make something special for us to snack on last night, since it was the finale, and I thought of this dip immediately. It was such a rich, sweet little treat to snack on while we watched what truly was "the most dramatic rose ceremony ever." This dip really does taste a lot like chocolate chip cookie dough, and I think it would be perfect for a bachelorette party or baby shower.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip
Source: Recipezaar

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Vanilla wafer cookies or graham crackers for dipping

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously, until the brown sugar dissolves.

2. Remove from heat, whisk in the vanilla and set aside to cool.

3. Beat the cream cheese and confectioner's sugar for 1 minute.

4. Slowly beat in the cooled butter mixture and beat again for another minute.

5. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts, if using.

6. Pour into a serving bowl and refrigerate. Garnish with additional chocolate chips or nuts, if you choose.

Italian-Style Quesadillas

The idea for this recipe was inspired by tortillas left over from these quesadillas and the fresh mozzarella remaining after I made these paninis. I thought making an Italian version of quesadillas, complete with tomato sauce for dipping, sounded like a delicious idea -- and it was. My brainstorm gave us a quick and easy dinner that took only 10 minutes from start to finish. And these were so, so good -- just look at all that cheese oozing out the sides!

This is a really versatile dish; as Rachael Ray would say, it's more about learning a method rather than a recipe. I chose to use pepperoni, salami, and fresh mozzarella for my filling, but any shredded Italian cheese would do, and any combination of meats and veggies would be delicious. And as for the sauce -- I suppose you could make your own quite easily, but I was perfectly content with a jarred tomato basil sauce that I jazzed up myself with my favorite blend of Italian spices. These would be a perfect appetizer to serve for a Super Bowl party, and they're a simple and delicious dinner choice any night of the week. I think kids would really love them, too. I'll have to test them out on Andrew in a few years!

Italian-Style Quesadillas
Source: Cassie

4 eight-inch flour tortillas
1/2 pound deli-sliced pepperoni
1/2 pound deli-sliced Genoa salami
12 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
1 cup jarred tomato sauce

1. To prepare the sauce, in a small pot cook sauce on medium heat or until heated through, seasoning as desired.

2. To prepare the quesadillas, top half of each tortilla with pepperoni, salami, and 3 slices of fresh mozzarella. Fold in half. Cook tortillas in a non-stick skillet until browned on both sides. Cut into wedges and serve immediately, with the sauce for dipping.

Yummy Mummy Cheese "Ball"

My experience with cheeseballs has been that, at most parties, they sort of just...sit there, ignored in favor of something fancier or more scrumptious. Whenever I've taken a cheeseball to a party or family gathering in the past, there's always at least half of it left over. That is, until I took this particular cheeseball to a Halloween potluck at work two years ago. This one definitely got eaten, and it won me first prize (a cheap little witch flashlight that cackled) in our Most Festive Dish contest to boot.

I was inspired by this recipe from Taste of Home, but I decided to swap out the port wine cheese logs in favor of my go-to cheeseball recipe (the ingredients of which looked more like the mummy's guts, muahahaha). This is delicious, and so much fun to eat at Halloween!


Yummy Mummy Cheese "Ball"
Source: inspired by Taste of Home, cheese ball recipe by Cassie

3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup green onions, chopped fine
1 small jar pimientos, drained and chopped (reserve 1 pimiento strip)
3/4 cup sliced corned beef (Buddig brand works best)
Dash hot sauce
1 tablespoon milk
2 peppercorns

1. In a large bowl, combine 2 packages of the cream cheese with the cheddar cheese. Stir in onions, pimientos, corned beef and hot sauce. Wearing disposable, latex-free gloves, shape the cheese mixture into pieces for the head, body, arms and legs of the mummy and arrange on a serving plate.

2. Combine the third package of cream cheese with the milk. Place in a plastic storage bag and nip the tip to create a make-shift pastry bag. Pipe rows of cream cheese across the mummy, creating bandages. Add peppercorns for eyes and the pimiento strip for mouth. Chill until serving.

Brie-Leek Tartlets

So, the picture of this delicious little appetizer was borrowed from Taste of Home, because my family swiped up and devoured these little tartlets literally before I could retrieve my camera.

I'll keep it simple: MAKE THESE. They are so creamy and delicious and I wish I would have made more than just one batch for my stepmom's birthday dinner last weekend. I could have eaten all 15 of them myself, that's how good they are.


Brie-Leek Tartlets
Source: Taste of Home Magazine, October/November 2008

1 medium leek (white portion only), finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Dash salt and white pepper
Dash ground nutmeg
1 package (1.9 ounces) frozen miniature phyllo tart shells
2 ounces Brie or Camembert cheese, rind removed

1. In a small skillet, saute leek and garlic in butter until tender. Add the cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.

2. Place tart shells on a baking sheet. Slice cheese into 15 pieces; place one piece in each tart shell. Top each with 1 and 1/2 teaspoons leek mixture.

3. Bake at 350° for 6-8 minutes or until heated through. Refrigerate leftovers.

Ranch-Baked Quesadillas

Last night's dinner was simple and absolutely delicious. Joe and I both really enjoyed these quesadillas. They were perfectly cheesy and gooey, and the Ranch dressing gave them a nice, creamy, unexpected flavor. I pan-fried two chicken breasts, which gave me about two cups of meat, so I just doubled the recipe (which was a good thing...Joe loved these and ate them all up!). I think rotisserie chicken would also work well for this dish. I mixed salsa and Ranch dressing together to serve as a sauce for dipping. These could easily be served as an appetizer. A very yummy dinner -- and since the quesadillas are baked, you don't have to feel so bad for going back for seconds!


Ranch-Baked Quesadillas
Source: Hidden Valley Ranch

1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup Hidden Valley® Ranch dressing
1/4 cup diced green chilies, rinsed and drained
4 9-inch flour tortillas, warmed
Salsa, Hidden Valley® Ranch dressing and guacamole, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine chicken, cheese, Ranch and chilies in medium bowl. Divide chicken mixture evenly between each tortilla; fold in half to seal. Place quesadillas on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Garnish with salsa, Ranch and guacamole, if desired.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

It really is like crack!...I mean, not that I really know how addictive crack is -- but I've heard that the famous buffalo chicken dip is so addictive, it's been nicknamed "crack dip." This is another dish I made for the bachelorette party; it was my first time making it and tasting it, and I really couldn't get enough. This dip is absolutely legendary on the internet now, and rightfully so -- it's just delicious and tastes exactly like buffalo chicken wings! I've made it twice since the bachelorette party for my husband and me, and we just love it; it's so spicy and tangy and creamy. In fact, that's why the picture is so crappy -- I'm too busy eating it all up to stop and take a decent picture! I prefer this with tortilla chips instead of crackers.

Buffalo Chicken Dip
Source: All Recipes

2 10-ounce cans chunk chicken, drained
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing
3/4 cup pepper sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Heat chicken and hot sauce over medium heat until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and Ranch dressing. Cook, stirring, until well-blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheddar cheese and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on low until hot and bubbly. (I cooked mine in a 350° oven for about 20 minutes instead of using the slow cooker, and it was just fine. This reheats very well!)

Spinach Artichoke Dip

I've been meaning to post the recipes from the bachelorette party I hosted for about a week now, but who knew a seven-week-old would need so much attention? Sheesh! Andrew has been wearing me out lately, but he's fast asleep now so I finally found myself with a few minutes to spare. Both of my blogs have been sorely neglected lately, but hopefully that'll change soon.


Anyway, the party went really well. I think the bride-to-be had a really great time, and I know she appreciated all the hard work I put in to make sure that happened! Turns out, I made way too much food, but that's okay -- she didn't mind the leftovers! Here's the spread:


One of my co-workers made a fantastic spinach artichoke dip for the baby shower they had for me at work, so I asked her to share the recipe with me so I could make it for the party. I have no idea if this is her recipe or if she got it from somewhere, but wherever it came from, one thing is for sure: It's wonderful. I love spinach artichoke dip, anyway, but this one is especially good. My changes to her recipe are in purple.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Source: Kristy

1/2 teaspoon garlic

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup cream cheese

1/2 mozzarella cheese

1 14-ounce can artichoke harts, drained and finely sliced

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Mix all ingredients until well mixed.

2. Spoon into a 9-inch pie plate or quiche dish. Top with additional mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

3. Bake 20 minutes or until heated through.