Recipes, Slow Cookin

Game day chili

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Hope you guys got some quality football viewing in this Sunday!  The Browns were VICTORIOUS as was my first ever attempt at making chili!

Any time I’m trying out a new dish, I like to find a fairly basic recipe to help guide me through the process.  After some googling, I decided to go with this recipe for “easy chili” because it had a high rating and because any recipe that has “easy” in the title gets extra brownie points in my book.  And I think we all know how I feel about brownies by now.

Even with this “easy” recipe in hand, there were a couple of obstacles I needed to overcome:  I happen to LOATHE kidney beans and the BF happens to LOATHE red meat.  Yet, we both claim to LOVE chili.  ???  I’m not sure how that works exactly, but it reminds me of being a picky eater as a kid and refusing to try guacamole just because it was green.  Kermit said it best.  It ain’t easy being green.

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Ramblings, Recipes, Slow Cookin

Some like it hot

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There is a small portion of the population out there that crave heat in their food.  These are the people who actually enjoy the runny nose you inevitably get when eating something hot.  The people who know when others say something is “hot” it won’t even phase them because of their extreme tolerance for heat.  The people who’ve contemplated carrying around a bottle of hot sauce in their purse/bookbag/car.  The people who have found a way to incorporate buffalo sauce in to breakfast, lunch, AND dinner.  The people who constantly get asked “you put hot sauce on that?!”

You know who you are.

This recipe is for you.

I bring you slow-cooked buffalo chicken sandwiches:

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When I first stumbled upon this recipe, I KNEW it was destiny.  Buffalo chicken dip is a staple in my circle of friends and family, so how could a buffalo chicken sandwich NOT be amazing?

Simple answer.  If you like hot food, you will love this sandwich.

The recipe was very easy to throw together. 

Throw the following into a plastic baggie to marinate overnight:

  • 4 raw skinless boneless chicken breasts
  • 3/4 of a Quart (24 ounces) buffalo wing sauce (use your favorite brand–we used Gionino’s, of course)
  • 1 package dry ranch salad dressing mix

The next morning toss the marinated chicken into a crockpot, and cook on low for 6 hours.  Once the chicken is cooked, pull the breasts out of the crockpot and shred them up with two forks.  Toss the meat back in and then add:

  •  2 tablespoons butter
  • 8 ounces of buffalo wing sauce (which is the remainder of the quart)

Cook for one hour more, and then serve on top of a toasted kaiser roll. 

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To make the sandwich even more amazing, add some pepper jack cheese. 

Awwwwww yeeahhhhhhh.

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WARNING:  Things may get a little sloppy.  But true hot sauce lovers like to become one with their food, am I right? 😀

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Recipes, Slow Cookin

Game Day Foods

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Sunday, SUNDAY, SUNDAY!!! 

I survived the 9/15 deadline!  Hallelujah!  Now it’s football day, and we decided to cook up a full-out game-day spread.  On the menu:

  • Italian sausage sandwiches with green peppers and onions
  • Outrageous Chicken Dip
  • Chocolate Chip Cookies

For the Italian Sausages, I pan-cooked some hot Italian sausages until they were nearly cooked through. 

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Then I put them in a crockpot with a large jar of spaghetti sauce and one white onion and two green peppers. 

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I left the crockpot on high, and these guys just hung out all day getting tastier and tastier with each minute.

Oh yes….

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Jarrod and I are always looking for new dip recipes to try out.  So when I stumbled across this recipe for Outrageous Chicken Nacho Dip, we HAD to try it. 

Here’s what went in to the dip:

  • 3 grilled chicken breasts, shredded
  • 1 block Velveeta, cubed
  • 1 10 ounce can Rotel tomatoes, drained
  • 2 jalapenos peppers (1 seeded, 1 not seeded) finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup fat free sour cream
  • 1/2 cup diced green onion
  • 1.5 tablespoons hot taco seasoning mix
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

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First up, cube up the Velveeta for increased meltability:DSCF3399

Tossed in the remaining ingredients:

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Hello chickies:

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Next, you must take the crockpot outside for a natural-light photo session:

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MELT.

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This is a happy site:

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Easy peasy, and oh so tasty!

As for the cookies… whelp, I just used the recipe on the back of the Nestlé chocolate chips bag 🙂

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Tried and true! 

GO BROWNS!!!

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Recipes, Slow Cookin

Buffalo. Chicken. Dip. Rocks my world.

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Not to be a total buzzkill, but this is by no means a “healthy recipe.”  However, it is much healthier than the version we used to make, and I promise everyone who tries it will love it.  I stand behind my buffalo chicken dip 🙂

Here’s what you’ll need to make a single batch.  For game day, I totally recommend using a slow cooker like this one! 

  • 1.25 pounds shredded chicken breast
  • 8 ounces Hidden Valley Fat Free Ranch Dressing
  • 8 ounces Philadelphia 1/3 less Fat Cream Cheese
  • 4-5 ounces Franks Red Hot, depending on your heat preference.
  • Shredded cheese of your choice
  • Tortilla or corn chips for dippin

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First up, I like to boil the chicken.  This is the ONLY recipe you will ever see me use boiled chicken for, as I find it extremely unflavorful.  However, it does make the chicken very moist and easy to shred.  I typically cut the chicken breasts in half before dropping them into a pot of boiling water.  Depending on the size of the chicken breasts, this can take 12-14 minutes or so–just cook the chicken until it’s no longer pink in the middle.

Once the chicken is done, transfer it to a plate to cool.  Meanwhile, combined the ranch dressing, cream cheese, and Franks in a bowl.

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Melt the sauce in the microwave on a VERY low heat, stirring frequently.

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Next up, it’s time to SHRED.  The chicken that is.  I find it easiest to shred the chicken by using two forks.  One to hold the chicken in place, and the other to shred the chicken a part:

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I usually do a rough shred with the forks, then use my hands to break it up into smaller bits and also find any fat that may have slipped in.  Chicken fat.  *CRINGE*

Once shredded, toss the chicken into a baking dish (or crockpot):

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and pour the melted sauce over top.  Stir to combine:

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then top with shredded cheese:

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At this point you have two options–bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes OR you can also just put the lid on the crock pot and set it to medium heat.  If I’m using a crockpot, I often use a little less chicken so the dip doesn’t dry out too much throughout the day.

I kid you not, this is better than any buffalo chicken dip I have ever tried.  A lot of people used canned chicken in their buffalo chicken dip, and honestly, that is the worst idea ever.  Using chicken breast is KEY.  In a pinch, I’ve also used a rotisserie chicken, which was equally tasty.

Also important to point out that sometimes fat-free ranch can have kind of a funky taste.  I’ve tried other brands in this BCD, but have found Hidden Valley to be the best option.

The dip disappeared before I got a photo, but I think you get the picture.  It is friggin delicious.

It also freezes and reheats well, tastes delicious cold, on a sandwich, and when eaten with your bare hands 😀

ENJOY!!!

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