Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Ranch Sauce

By now you all know how much I love buffalo chicken in all its forms, and I get so excited when I come across a new and unique recipe for it. When I saw this recipe for buffalo chicken enchiladas, I was instantly intrigued.

These were absolutely delicious! The sauce is creamy and tangy and cool, the perfect balance to the spicy chicken. These would be perfect for a Super Bowl party, because they're definitely a crowd-pleaser. Give these enchiladas a shot -- I think you'll really like them! I halved the recipe for just Joe and me, but I've listed the full one below.

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Ranch Sauce
source: Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2008

1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup refrigerated sour cream ranch dip
2/3 cup chopped green onions (about 10 medium onions)
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
3/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
12 6-inch tortillas
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix soup, dip, and 1/3 cup of the onions. In large bowl, mix chicken and buffalo wing sauce until coated.

2. Spoon 2 tablespoons soup mixture down center of each tortilla; set remaining mixture aside. Reserve 1/2 cup cheese for garnish. Top each tortilla with about 1/4 cup chicken mixture and scant 1/4 cup cheese. Fold sides of tortillas over filling; place seam side down in baking dish. Spoon remaining soup mixture over filled tortillas.

3. Cover dish tightly with foil. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

4. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup cheese and remaining 1/3 cup onions. Bake uncovered about 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Southwest Chicken Corn Chowder

I know, I know, two soup posts in a row. But it is winter time, and there's absolutely nothing I'd rather eat in the cold months than a big bowl of comforting, soul-feeding soup. I actually made this chowder late last fall, but for some reason we didn't eat it then -- I think we all got sick and weren't hungry. For whatever reason, I decided to freeze the entire batch to eat when the baby came, and we had it for dinner tonight along with some simple cheddar cheese quesadillas for dipping.

We liked this chowder a lot. It relies heavily on canned cream-style corn and cream of chicken soup, so if that's not really your thing you may want to pass on this. But it is really good: thick and rich and just slightly spicy. Combine everything in the Crock pot in the morning, and when you get home dinner's ready. You just can't beat the convenience of that any night of the week. Next time I make this I'll add some black beans, but that's the only thing I would change about this recipe.

Southwest Chicken Corn Chowder
source: slightly adapted from Another Potful of Recipes by JoAnna M. Lund

2 cups chicken stock
1 10.75-ounce can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup chunky salsa
2 cups (1 16-ounce can) cream-style corn
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/2 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1 cup diced raw potatoes
Sour cream, shredded cheese, and chopped cilantro, if desired

1. Spray a slow cooker container with cooking spray. In prepared container, combine chicken broth, chicken soup, and salsa. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well to combine.

2. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Mix well before serving. Top each serving with sour cream, shredded cheese, and cilantro, if desired.

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

I love broccoli soup. I big-pink-puffy-heart love it. I love it so much that I have been known to buy a can of the condensed stuff, heat it up with some milk, and eat it for lunch. (Aaand, how many readers did I just lose with that disgusting confession?)

I also love the real thing, though -- like Panera's delicious broccoli-cheddar soup. When I got this month's issue of Food Network Magazine and saw a copycat recipe for their soup, I knew I had to give it a shot. Last night seemed like the perfect opportunity, since Joe has a "man cold" and was whining for soup. I apologize to any male readers for what I'm about to say, but men? They are such big babies when they're sick.

Regardless, I'm so glad I made this soup, man cold or not, because we absolutely loved it. It's thick, rich, flavorful and creamy. I didn't go to the trouble of making bread bowls, but I did top our servings with croutons, which added a nice crunch and an extra dimension of flavor. The best parts about this meal, though? The newborn slept the whole time I was making it and we were eating it, and the toddler absolutely loved it:

He ate two bowls. It was probably because of all the cheese, but anytime I can get some broccoli in him I'm happy.

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup
source: Food Network Magazine, January/February 2010

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups broccoli florets
1 large carrot, diced
2 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp white and yellow cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

2. Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.)

3. Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. Add up to 3/4 cup water if the soup is too thick. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cheese.

Chubby Hubby Cookies

I know, I know...In my last post I was patting myself on the back for trying to eat healthy, and today I'm posting a recipe for cookies. I may need to work on my willpower, because when these cookies popped up in my Reader I just couldn't resist them. I had to make them immediately. Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby ice cream is pretty much the best ice cream ever, in my humble opinion, so I thought the idea of using those flavors in a cookie was absolutely genius.

These cookies are so delicious! I was skeptical of how they'd turn out before I baked them, because the dough was really crumbly, but they turned out just fine. The pretzels added a nice salty element to the cookie, and really, you just can't beat the chocolate-peanut butter-pretzel combo. I'll definitely be making these little bad boys over and over again!

Chubby Hubby Cookies
source: Joelen's Culinary Adventures

3/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly-packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup crushed pretzel sticks

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer attached with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.

3. Sift flour and baking soda together. Beat into batter on low speed. Stir in chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and crushed pretzels.

4. Drop by rounded tablespoons (or use a small scoop) onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 11 to 14 minutes until golden on the bottom and just set in the middle. Cool on wire racks.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Now that Will is finally here and I can't stuff my face with every fattening food in sight, I'm making a conscious effort to eat healthier. That means having turkey sandwiches for lunch instead of Velveeta shells and cheese, and eating apples and peanut butter for snacks instead of potato chips and Drumsticks. Being pregnant definitely has its advantages, food-wise, I cannot lie.

That's part of the reason I was attracted to this recipe in January's issue of Cooking Light. Carrot cake pancakes! They sound so decadent, but then you look at the ingredients and realize, hey, these are actually pretty healthy. I felt like I was having dessert for dinner, but I was actually eating something that wasn't really all that bad for me. I loved the honey butter topping, but if you're being less diet-conscious than I am right now, I think the cream topping from these banana nut pancakes would be delicious here. It would really make these pancakes taste like carrot cake.

Because I was being so healthy, I thought it would be okay to indulge in a couple of slices of bacon with dinner. I just can't quit bacon. We all really liked these pancakes; they're flavorful and yummy and will definitely be repeated in our house!

Carrot Cake Pancakes
source: Cooking Light January 2010; recipe also found here

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (I used pecans)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Dash of ground cloves
Dash of ground ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups finely grated carrot (about 1 pound)
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey

1. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through ginger) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (through eggs); add sugar mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in 2 cups carrot.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Spoon 4 (1/4 cup) batter mounds onto pan, spreading with a spatula. Cook for 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Carefully turn pancakes over; cook 1 minute or until bottoms are lightly browned. Repeat procedure twice with remaining batter. Combine butter and honey in a small bowl; serve with pancakes.