Buffalo Chicken Dip

My sister-in-law Kim made this for us when we visited them and it was yummy!

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked and shredded chicken breast (I actually like it with a little more...maybe 3 cups)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 cup blue cheese salad dressing (chunky)
1/2 cup hot sauce or salsa (I used medium salsa)
2 cups shredded chedder cheese
1 cup celery finely chopped

Directions:

Combine chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, blue cheese dressing, salsa, and cheddar cheese. Pour into an 8x8 baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Top with celery when done. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or vegetables.

Spudnuts

1 cup mashed potatoes (in a pinch, I've been known to use prepared potato pearls)
4 tablespoons shortening
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
2 eggs, beaten slightly
2 cups scalded milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
8 cups flour (you might need 10 - just start slow and add until dough is manageable)
3 1/2 tablespoons yeast dissolved in 1 cup hot water and 1/2 tablespoon sugar

Mash potatoes with milk until creamy. Cream together shortening, sugar and salt. Add to potatoes. Add all other ingredients, knead for 5 minutes and let raise until double (about 1-1 1/2 hours). Roll out and cut into donut shape. Let raise 30 minutes. Fry in hot oil at about 350.

Drain on paper towels then dip in glaze.

Glaze:
1/3 cup melted margarine
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 to 6 tablespoons hot water

PF Changs Dan Dan Noodles

This is a copy cat recipe of PF Changs Dan Dan Noodles. We made them and they were delish!


Ingredients:

***Noodles***
1 teaspoon oil
1/4 ounce green onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon chile paste
4 ounces ground chicken, cooked
1/4 ounce egg noodles, cooked
Cornstarch

***Liquid Mixture***
2 ounces soy sauce
1 ounce cooking wine
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
7 ounces chicken stock

Directions:

Heat wok or large skillet, add 1 tsp. oil and sear the chile paste, garlic and green onion for 5 seconds, using caution to avoid inhaling the direct fumes.

Add cooked ground chicken, tossing and stirring for 10 seconds. Add all the liquid ingredients and simmer for 20 seconds.

Add a "slurry," equal parts of cornstarch and water mixed together (a tsp. or two of each) to thicken the sauce. Consistency should be thick enough to stand on top of the noodles.

Pour sauce over a serving plate of hot cooked noodles. Garnish with bean sprouts and julienned cucumbers.

Garlic Pea Pod Chicken

This is a friend's recipe {thanks, Kristin!} and so so yummy. It was made for a large crowd and was quite the hit!

Ingredients:

3 chicken breast, cut bite size

1 T. oil

∏ lb. pea pods

Dash salt, pepper


Marinade {We doubled this}:

2 T. soy sauce

2 T. mirin {It is rice wine. For those skeptical of using it because of religious reasons, it has been researched and deemed okay to use. Not like other cooking wines.}

1 T. cornstarch

3 cloves garlic, crushed, minced or pressed

2 T. oil

Dash pepper



Directions:

Marinate chicken in marinade for 1 hour. Heat 1 T. oil in heavy skillet or wok. Stir-fry pea pods for a few minutes until crisp-tender. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange on a serving platter in a ring. Stir-fry chicken with marinade until chicken is cooked through. (sometimes I add a little water to the chicken while it is cooking, so the marinade is more gravy-like. Just watch it while it cooks. You can tell.) Mound within pea pod ring. Serves 4.

Crispy Chicken Costoletta

(photo via flickr)

Last weekend, I ate at The Cheesecake Factory, and thanks to Lindsay's suggestion, I have now found a new favorite dish!


I was looking for a good recipe and found this one HERE. Based on the comments, I changed a couple of things. I substituted Panko bread crumbs instead of the normal, (found in the Asian foods section of your local grocery store) I used less Dijon mustard and lemon juice, and I added dried parsley for a bit of color. I also did not use the dried lemon zest that her blog suggested because The Cheesecake Factory does not used dried lemon zest in their crispy chicken.

(Copycat of The Cheesecake Factory's Chicken Costoletta)
Serves 4


Crispy Chicken

4 chicken breasts, cut horizontally, and pounded to about 1/4 inch thick.(you can also use chicken cutlets)
1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, whisked with 2 Tbsp water
3 Tbsp flour
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp kosher salt


Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

On one plate combine flour, pepper and salt. On another plate, combine eggs and water, whisk until well combined. On another plate, combine bread crumbs, parsley and cheese. Place pounded chicken in the flour, coating well, followed by the egg mixture an then the bread crumbs. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Place chicken in pan and cook on each side about 5 minutes until middle is no longer pink. You'll need to work in batches, adding more oil and butter as needed. Keep chicken warm in 250 degree oven.

Lemon Sauce

2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 Tbsp Canola oil
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (do NOT use bottled lemon juice)
1/8 cup chicken stock (make sure it's stock, not chicken broth)
Kosher salt
pepper
1 Tbsp butter

Heat oil over medium heat in a fairly large saucepan. Add minced garlic and saute about 3 minutes. Add whipping cream and boil until reduced by one-third. Add Dijon, lemon juice, chicken stock and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted.



Serve the cream sauce UNDER the chicken...trust me, it's divine!

This dish is delicious served with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus.

Buckeye Cake

I found this recipe in a magazine a couple of years ago, and fell in love with it! It is a chocolate/peanut butter lover's absolute dream! {The recipe calls for unsalted butter, but all I ever have is salted, and it's still delicious}

2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 packets (1 oz. each) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® CHOCO BAKE® Pre-Melted Unsweetened Chocolate Flavor
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

PEANUT BUTTER LAYER
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup powdered sugar

GANACHE
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1/3 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Morsels

Directions: Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease 9-inch-round cake pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; grease. {I ran out of parchment paper, so I just buttered and floured my pan and it was perfect}

FOR CAKE: Combine eggs and sugar in large bowl. Stir in flour, melted butter, Choco Bake, vanilla extract and salt until smooth. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Run knife around edge of cake; cool for an additional 10 minutes. Invert cake onto serving platter. Remove pan and parchment; cool completely.

FOR PEANUT BUTTER LAYER: Beat peanut butter, butter and vanilla extract in medium mixer bowl until combined. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Spread mixture on cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

FOR GANACHE: Heat cream in small saucepan to boiling; remove from heat. Add semi-sweet morsels; let stand 5 minutes. Stir; refrigerate for 30 minutes or until mixture is spreadable. Spread chocolate on top and sides of cake.

Melt peanut butter & milk chocolate morsels in resealable plastic bag on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) power for 30 seconds. Knead bag to mix. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals until melted. Cut a small hole from corner of bag; squeeze to drizzle over cake. Store in refrigerator. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.

Orange Rolls

1 cup shortening
1 cup boiling water
2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup cold water
7 1/2 to 8 cups flour
3 pkg instant yeast (6 3/4 tsp) dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water

Dissolve yeast in warm water and allow to activate until almost double in size. Set aside. Pour boiling water over shortening, sugar, and salt. Stir until shortening is melted and add cold water, eggs, and dissolved yeast mixture. Mix. Stir in flour and mix well until dough is soft and pliable. Store in refrigerator overnight. This is a must. Doing so makes for very light and fluffy rolls.

Filling
1 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
Grated orange peel and juice from 2 oranges.

Cream the butter and sugar with a fork. Add grated orange peel and squeeze all of the juice from the oranges over the mixture. Stir until well combined.

Punch down the dough and roll out in desired shape, then spread your filling on and roll up. {I've done them Butterhorn style before and got about 70 rolls. I've also done them Cinnamon roll style on large cookie sheets and got 32 rolls.} Place on greased cookie sheets and allow to raise for 3 hours.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cover with glaze and ENJOY!

Glaze
3/4 cup sugar
2Tbsp frozen Orange Juice Concentrate
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter
Grated orange peel from 1 orange

Put all ingredients into a saucepan and boil for 3 minutes. Brush liberally onto each roll and enjoy!