Frank's Buffalo Chicken Dip

This dip is the best ever- it is guaranteed to be eaten up and perfect for winter parties/football games. Dipping devices can include carrots & celery and various chips but the whole grain Tostito scoops are my preference. I specifically bought a 2-quart slow cooker for this recipe which I brought to the school parent council meeting. You can buy one for less than $12.

8 oz. pkg. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup blue cheese dressing (refrigerated Marie's is awesome)

1/2 cup FRANK'S® REDHOT® Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (pre-crumbled is fine)

2 cans (12.5 oz. each) SWANSON® White Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained. I found the idea of using canned chicken repulsive so I used 2 cups of chopped up roast chicken. Flavor-wise, it's o.k. to use canned, I originally tried the dip made that way and it was good.

DIRECTIONS:

HEAT oven to 350°F. Place cream cheese into deep baking dish. Stir until smooth.

MIX in salad dressing, Frank's RedHot Sauce and cheese. Stir in chicken.

BAKE 20 min. or until mixture is heated through; stir. Garnish as desired. Serve with crackers or vegetables.

TIPS:

Microwave Directions: Prepare as above. Place in microwave-safe dish. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 5 min. until hot, stirring halfway through cooking.

Slow Cooker Method: Combine ingredients as directed above. Place mixture into small slow cooker. Cover pot. Heat on HIGH setting for 1 1/2 hours until hot and bubbly or on LOW setting for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Stir.

Tailgating Tip: Prepare dip ahead and place in heavy disposable foil pan. Place pan on grill and heat dip until hot and bubbly.

Roast Chicken

Finally, I've found a roast chicken recipe that is so simple and delicious!
From now on, this is going to be my go-to technique. I have tried many methods and this
is definitely it.
All you need is a bird and some salt & pepper.

Preheat oven to 450º.

In two small bowls: 1 Tb sea or kosher salt, 1/2 Tb salt, 1/2 Tb pepper.

Remove any giblets and rinse chicken. Use paper towels and thoroughly pat dry.
Place on an ovenproof skillet.

Sprinkle the s & p mixture on the inside of the chicken.

If you have kitchen twine, truss the bird.

Sprinkle salt on top. It should be heavily salted.

Cook in the oven for 1 hour 10 minutes (for 4.25 lb bird, maybe 50 minutes for a 3-pounder).

Remove from pan (with tongs) to a cutting board and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Carve and eat! The skin is super yummy :D

Mayonnaise

After all these years, the thought of making my mayonnaise has certainly crept into mind. But for whatever reason, I just haven't tried it.
Perhaps it's just far easier to pull out the jar of Hellman's.

Today I was "daring" and my goodness, if I had no self control I would eat the whole container of it! Holy moly, is it goooood!!!
Only problem is that it keeps for just a week.
Go ahead and make this great mayo. Use it in a dip. Or just use it as a dip.
I made a great tuna sandwich!

• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 pinches sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  
• 1 cup vegetable oil
  

In a glass bowl, whisk together egg yolk and dry ingredients. A 2-cup measuring cup works well for this. I also used a hand held mixer with a single whisk attachment.

Combine lemon juice and vinegar in a separate bowl then thoroughly whisk half into the yolk mixture. Start whisking briskly, then start adding the oil a few drops at a time until the liquid seems to thicken and lighten a bit, as it emulsifies. Once you reach that point, increase the oil flow to a constant thin stream.

Once half of the oil is in add the rest of the lemon juice mixture.

Continue whisking until all of the oil is incorporated.

Refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Baked Ziti

Baked ziti is always well received for a potluck. In this case it was for the School Site Council meeting tonight. Served with a nice salad & Italian dressing.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ziti pasta
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef (optional)
  
• 2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
• 6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced (1/4 lb)
  
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 6 ounces low fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350º. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

One Hour Dinner Rolls

This is the first time I made dinner rolls and they were well worth the minimal effort!
Perfect accompaniment to another freezer staple, chicken soup.
I normally don't even buy rolls since I tend to be against excessive carbs but hey- it's that time of year.
Crispy on the outside, warm and tender on the inside... Butter up the steamy interior with your favorite salted butter. I prefer Kate's.
Leftovers were portioned off into freezer bags. They can be reheated in the oven in a cinch.

1 cup wheat flour
3 1/4 cups or more unbleached flour

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp yeast ("pizza yeast") (or 2 packets of Fleischman's pizza yeast)

1 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup butter

Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar and yeast in a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Heat milk, water, and butter until very warm: 120-130º. It took two minutes in the microwave. Add warm liquid to dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes (start slow then raise to medium so there's no splash over). Stop mixer and add 1/4 cup flour and 1 tsp salt. Mix for two more minutes on medium. Continue adding the rest of the flour until dough comes together. Switch to a dough hook and knead in your mixer for 2-3 minutes. Place in greased bowl and let rise for 15 minutes. Punch down. Use a knife to divide dough into 20-24 balls and place on baking sheet. Cover and let rise 15 minutes.
Brush with melted butter.
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes, until tops are lightly browned. Make sure to check a couple times after 20 minutes.

Trader Josef's Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake (with Apples)

Not bad for from a box! Love Trader Joe's.
I incorporated apples by dicing two up and sauteing them in a tablespoon of butter, adding 2 Tb sugar and a dash of cinnamon. This helps remove excess moisture and cook them up a bit since they won't cook that much more when they bake.

The taster is definitely a fan!

Gingerbread Cookies

These are a special holiday treat!
One year I made them for a holiday party and many wanted the recipe. The secret ingredient, I think, is pepper!
Like most cookie doughs, you can make it and freeze then cut out and thaw portions to make smaller batches.
The first batch was used in Andrew's lunch and he ate all 4 cookies right up! There was a complaint that not all of them had raisins (note to self).
I would have done a better job decorating but it was late and I didn't make my own frosting.
I've included a good recipe below (which is also good for sugar cookies and adding dye to).
Make sure your spices aren't years old and if they are, do a smell check. They should be potent or else your cookies will suffer from being less than stellar!

In a medium bowl stir together flours, cinnamon, ginger, soda, nutmeg, salt, pepper and cloves.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat 1 cup of softened butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of sugar, beat until fluffy.
Beat in an egg until mixture is light.
On low speed beat in 1/2 cup molasses and 2 TB lemon juice.
Beat in 1/2 then slowly all of the flour mixture.
Divide the dough in half, cover and chill at least 3 hours or until easy to handle.

On a floured surface, roll half of dough at a time to 1/8" thickness. Cut out with your favorite cookie cutters.
Place cutouts 1/2" apart on an ungreased baking sheet. I used nonstick foil in the toaster oven.

Bake in a preheated 350º oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

I decorated with Cake Mate white icing from a tube. It hardened. More preferable is the following recipe for Royal Icing.
You can simply put it in a zip top bag and snip a small corner off it.

"Royal icing is the icing of choice for decorating cookies....It hardens when it dries so decorations stay in place. This is a basic recipe for white icing, but you could add food coloring to make it any shade you please."

For a looser icing, add lemon juice by the 1/2 teaspoon until desired consistency.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups powdered sugar (1 [1-pound] box)
• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 5 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed, stopping to scrape down the bowl, until glossy and stiff, about 5 minutes.
2. Fill a piping bag or a resealable plastic bag with one corner snipped off and use to decorate cookies. (If not using immediately, place a piece of waxed paper on the surface, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use. Stir before using.)