Buffalo Chicken & Rice

Buffalo Chicken & Rice
 
As you know, around here we love all things buffalo!  This week I’m sharing one of my recent inventions: Buffalo Chicken & Rice!  This recipe is based on the Buffalo Potato Casserole I shared a while back.  Both are deliciously good, comfort food  meals with a kick! 
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Recipe for Buffalo Chicken & Rice:


Ingredients:
12-15 Skinless Boneless Chicken Strips, not cooked
1/4 – 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (I use Frank’s)
1 1/2 cups rice, cooked (I use the white, long grain)
1 cup of ranch dressing
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of celery soup
Directions: Cook rice on stove top according to package directions.  Heat oven to 375. Spray 13×9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl stir  dressing, soup, 1/2 cup cheese, cooked rice, and 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce. Pour mixture into baking dish.
In same bowl, place chicken strips and 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce (use more if needed).  Coat each strip with sauce.  Then spoon chicken and sauce over the rice mixture.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Take out and remove foil. Top with 1 cup of cheese. Bake uncovered for another 30 minutes or until chicken is done.

*Optional – Serve additional ranch on the side or atop rice.

 

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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.

Cookies & Cream Lollipops

cookies and cream lollipops

Over the holidays my Oreo Balls were very popular. (Both on the blog and at home!) Last week I made another batch for my husband, and I bought an extra package of Oreos so that I could experiment with some other recipes.
Over the weekend I made these Valentine lollipops. Aren’t they cute!  And you won’t believe just how easy they were!  I have to admit, they aren’t quite as good as the Oreo Balls. (But then again, what is?) However, I expect you’ll like them just the same!
Make these in minutes with the kids for an after-school Valentine’s treat, serve for your kid’s Valentine parties, or even hand out to coworkers and friends. (Candy-Gram anyone?)

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Recipe for Cookies & Cream Lollipops:
 
Ingredients:
8 blocks Almond Bark
8-12 Oreo Cookies, crushed
lollipop molds
lollipop sticks
Directions: Crush cookies. Place crumbs in candy molds, completely covering the bottom of the mold. Put your lollipop sticks in place. Melt chocolate in microwave, in 15-20 increments, stirring in between to prevent scorching. Pour chocolate into molds, one lollipop at a time and then cover the lollipops with remaining cookie crumbs.  Lollipops should harden in a few minutes. Refrigerate for faster hardening. Remove from molds when ready to serve. Makes about a dozen lollipops
Hint: If you don’t have any lollipops, use other candy molds or a even mini muffin tin.

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PS – I’m hosting a couple of giveaway this week from my shop! The first one is at Free & Frugal Mommy of One. Go check it out!
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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.

White Chocolate Chip Red Velvet Cookies

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In honor of Valentine’s Day coming up in a few weeks, I’ve got a truly sweet and decadent treat to share with you!  This one combines the official colors of Valentine’s Day with its official flavor: Chocolate! And I know you and your true love will adore them!
And to make things even better, this one is another cake mix cookie recipe! I got it from Heather at Whipper Berry. (I just used chocolate chips instead of chunks!) Hope you enjoy!

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Recipe for White Chocolate Chip Red Velvet Cookies:

Ingredients:
1 box of Red Velvet Cake Mix
1 cup of All-Purpose Flour
2 sticks of softened butter
1 egg
1 cup of White Chocolate Chips (Heather used 2 cups of chocolate chunks, but for me 1 cup of the chips worked just fine.)
Directions:
In a bowl, stir butter until soft and fluffy. Slowly add cake mix and flour. Once combined, add egg and mix completely. Fold in chocolate chips. Form dough into one inch balls.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.
(For my cookies, I decided to experiment, so I used a single cookie scoop for about half of them.  Then for the rest, I did 2 scoops per cookie, and then flattened them out.  And then I also used a big heart cookie cookie for some)

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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.

Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies

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Today I’ve got one of my easiest desserts recipes to share with you!  I first learned to make these in the sixth grade when I was in the Future Homemakers Club (now known as Family Career and Community Leaders of America or FCCLA)

It became an instant favorite of mine, and I immediate went home and shared it with my family.  And it’s been fave easy-fix recipe of mine ever since! Ordinarily I make these around Christmas, but today with the red sprinkles on white chocolate they are a Valentine’s treat!


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Recipe for Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies:

Ingredients:

1 package of crackers (Ritz or Town House)
1 package almond bark
peanut butter
spinkles (optional)

Directions: Spread peanut butter on to crackers and top with another cracker to make a sandwich.    Amount of peanut butter depends on your preference. I like a thick sandwich, so I’ll put a “glob” of peanut butter (or if you’d like a more technical term, I’d say a tablespoon full…more or less).

After you’ve made all your sandwiches, place almond bark in a microwave bowl and microwave in 15 second increments, stirring in between to prevent sticking. Then dip your sandwich cookies one at time. Retrieve them with a spoon, fork, or candy dipper if you have one.

Add the sprinkles immediately after dipping, as the almond bark will harden very quickly.

If you’re almond bark starts to harden in the bowl before you finished dipping the cookies, heat in in the microwave for an additional 15 seconds.

Place in a container on the counter. You can also store these in the refrigerator if you prefer or freeze them for later.

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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.

Favorite Foods of 2011

Looking back over 2011, we had many noteworthy (perhaps even pin-worthy) food posts. Oddly enough, one of my most viewed recipes was my alfredo. It was actually posted in 2010, but since it’s obviously popular, so today I’m featuring it, as I take a look back at some of my favorite food posts from last year!
Hope you enjoy my picks!  Happy New Year! And I hope you’ll join me as we discover more delicious recipes in 2012!


Cheesy Potato Crisps

cheese potato crisps
For New Year’s Eve, I always love to serve appetizers.  I think of this recipe for Cheesy Potato Crisps as a meatless alternative to sausage balls.  They taste very similar to sausage balls and are a great appetizer for all ages. And they’re very easy on the wallet too!  Serve these alone or alongside your favorite dips like ranch and honey mustard.
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Recipe for Cheesy Potato Crisps
Ingredients:
1/2 cup finely crushed potato chips
1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon honey mustard
Pinch cayenne pepper

Directions: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Shape into 3/4-in. balls. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and flatten slightly. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. .

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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.

Homemade Cookie Mix in a Jar and Frosted Chocolate Drops

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This week I’ve got a recipe for you that also makes a fun and easy homemade gift.  By the way, don’t forget that all this week, my blog friends and I are hosting Holly Bloggy Christmas, where you can link up your Christmas ideas and win prizes!  

I’ll be linking this post up at the Homemade Gift Party on Monday at tatertots and jello and the Recipe Party on Tuesday at Chef in Training. By the way, the parties also feature fun giveaways from Twisted Sugar Twine and Sweet Kiwi Crochet.

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First of all, we have to make our cookie mix. I actually learned about this mix last year when I did a promotion with Crisco’s Cookie Central.  The cookie mix is really quick and easy to make, and it can be used to make a variety of Christmas cookies.

Recipe for Homemade Cookie Mix

Ingredients:
8 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour

4 cups sugar 
4 teaspoons baking powder 
3 teaspoons salt 
2 2/3 sticks Crisco® Baking Sticks Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening 
Directions: COMBINE flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a very large bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. STORE in airtight container in freezer up to six months.

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Bake these cookies and place in containers for Christmas gift giving.  Or give a jar of the cookie mix as a gift, and include a copy of the following recipe!

Recipe for Frosted Chocolate Drops:
Ingredients
2 ¼ cups Homemade Cookie Mix 
2 tablespoons sugar 
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 
1 tablespoon Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil 
1 large egg
1 ⁄3 cup milk 
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 
½ cup chopped walnuts 
1 (16 oz.) container frosting
Directions:HEAT oven to 375ºF.COMBINE Homemade Cookie Mix, sugar and cocoa in large mixing bowl until blended. Add oil, egg and milk. Beat with electric mixer on low until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on baking sheet.BAKE 7 to 9 minutes or until done. Cool completely on cooling rack. Frost cookies and top with additional chopped nuts, if desired.
For a fun printable copy of this and other recipes that you can make with the cookie mix,  visit Crisco Holiday Recipes.

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Please check out all of this week’s parties!!

On Wednesday we share crafts at Just Sew Sassy, and on Thursday we share our decor at The Shabby Creek Cottage.

And come back here at the end of the week and link up for Friday Favorites

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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.

Chocolate Covered Caramel Popcorn – 2 Ways

 

When I was kid we used to get those giant popcorn tins every Christmas! Those are still around today, but now we also have a whole host of gourmet popcorns to choose from for holiday parties and gift giving.
Today I’m going to show you  how easy it is to make your own gourmet popcorn at home using 2 different methods!  Not only will it make a fabulous homemade gift, but it’s also a lot cheaper than a lot of the gourmet gifts on the market!

Recipe for Chocolate Covered Caramel Popcorn – Method 1

Ingredients:
3 quarts lightly salted popped popcorn
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup sweet unsalted butter (USE REAL BUTTER)
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup peanuts (optional)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 lb dipping chocolate or 1 bag of chocolate chips

(If using two kinds of chocolate like I did here, use half a pound of each, or 2 – 1/2 bags of chocolate chips.  Be sure to have extra chocolate on hand in case you need more.)

Directions: Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Place the popped corn in two 9×13 baking pans. (Must be deep enough to stir popcorn)
To make caramel, melt butter in a very large saucepan.  Add brown sugar and corn syrup. Stir CONSTANTLY to prevent sticking and scorching. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.  Add peanuts (if desired).  Add soda (will foam up, so be sure to keep stirring).
Pour caramel over popcorn and mix well.
Bake popcorn one hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes.Remove from oven and cool completely.
You’ll have to stir it every once in a while so it doesn’t stick together.Next line some cookie sheets with parchment paper. Pour popcorn out onto the cookie sheets.
Meltchocolate per package directions.  I always use the microwave, stirring every 15-20 seconds to prevent scorching.  (Again, you may want to melt more chocolate than the recipe calls for to make sure you have enough.)
Once the chocolate is melted, drizzle over the popcorn.  Store at room temperature or refrigerate.
Recipe for Chocolate Covered Caramel Popcorn – Method 2

Ingredients:
3-4 boxes of Crunch N’ Munch
1 lb dipping chocolate or 1 bag of chocolate chips

(Again, if using two kinds of chocolate like I did here, use half a pound of each, or 2 – 1/2 bags of chocolate chips.  Be sure to have extra chocolate on hand in case you need more.)

Directions: Pour the Crunch N’ Munch out on to cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. 

Melt chocolate according to package instructions.  (I use the microwave, stirring every 15-20 seconds to prevent scorching.)
Drizzle chocolate on to popcorn.


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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.

Oreo Balls

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is the food, especially the sweets!  Today I’ve got a really yummy treat that’s perfect for parties and gift giving.  I first made these Oreo Balls last Christmas, and I can’t wait to make them again!  I know your family will love them too.  And guess what? They are SUPER easy to make!

Recipe for Oreo Balls:

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) package Oreos
1 (8 oz) cream cheese
1 package almond bark
sprinkles (optional)
wax paper
Directions:  Crush the oreos. You can do this using a food processor or blender.  Or you can place them  in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.  Place in a bowl and add softened cream cheese.  Stir until well combined.  Chill in the refrigerator for half an or until the mixture is of a good consistency for rolling into balls.  Next scoop out the balls; you can use a cookie scoop, a spoon, or even your hands.  Roll into balls. (1 inch wide is a good size.)  Next chill in the freezer.
Now take your almond bark and melt it in the microwave.  I’d start with just half the package.  Stop the microwave and stir every 15 to 20 seconds to prevent scorching. It usually takes about a minute for the almond bark to melt in my microwave.
After the almond bark is melted, dip your balls.  I place the balls on a candy dipper for this, but you could also use a spoon, or you can stick each ball with a toothpick before freezing for easy dipping.  If the almond bark starts to harden in the bowl, microwave for an additional 15 seconds. Place your balls on wax paper.
The balls are great plain but if you wish to decorate them,  garnish with candy sprinkles or extra Oreo crumbs immediately after dipping  (before almond bark hardens).  Another way to decorate these is to drizzle them with another color almond bark. (If dipping in the brown, come back and drizzle them with the white and vice versa.)

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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.

Southern Brownie Pie

Come join Love the Pie with TidyMom  sponsored by Whirlpool and enter to win a new Whirlpool Range
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it seemed like the perfect time to share this classic, Southern recipe.  This Southern Brownie Pie is yummy served warm or cold, and it’s sure to please everyone at your table.  My husband isn’t really a chocolate fan, and he doesn’t like pies at all, but he couldn’t get enough of this one!
By the way, come join Love the Pie with TidyMom sponsored by Cherokee USALe CreusetWiltonBags by Bloom and  Harvard Common Press.

Recipe for Southern Brownie Pie:

Ingredients:
1 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
3 eggs (beat lightly)
3 TBS plain flour
1 tsp vanilla flavoring
3/4 to 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 pie crust (I used store bought)
Directions:First, make the pie crust. If you are not a good crust maker, you can use the frozen kind or the roll out kind. If using a frozen crust, let it thaw completely.
Get a medium sauce pan. Put the milk, butter, margarine, and cocoa in the pan. Turn the heat to low and slowly warm until everything is melted and mixed together. Stir occasionally so the mixture does not stick to the pan and scorch.Take the chocolate mixture off the heat.
Put a spoon of the chocolate mixture in with the eggs beaten in a small bowl. This helps adjust the temperature and keeps the eggs from curdling. Next, stir in the eggs, flour, vanilla.  Fold in nuts. (Chopped pecans or walnuts are good in pies; however, I left these out.)
Pour into pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes in a 9 inch pie pan (50 minutes in smaller pan). The pie is done when the center is set.
Tips for Serving:  This is really good when it’s hot, but it’s also good served cold or at room temperature. After it cools down, to serve it hot again, place in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.  Top with ice cream or whipped topping and chocolate syrup for an extra sweet treat!

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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.