Buffalo Chicken Bites

I found this on pinterest, but the original recipe had too little 'stuffing' for the amount of bread- so I tweaked it a bit for my tastes. The picture isn't the best- but these were really yummy!


2 cups shredded (cooked) chicken breast
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
5 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 cup hot sauce (Frank's buffalo sauce is what I used)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise dry yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup warm milk (I used skim)
2 1/2 cups of flour

To make the buffalo chicken mixture, in a small bowl, combine the chicken, blue cheese, cheddar cheese, softened butter and hot sauce; set aside.

In a 1 cup measuring cup, heat the milk and then add the 2 tablespoons brown sugar; stir into warm milk until dissolved; place in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.

Add 2 1/2 cups flour and yeast to the stand mixer and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms, adding up to 1/2 cup additional flour, a little at a time, if necessary. Allow the dough to knead in the stand mixer for 5-7 minutes. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times to form a smooth ball. Place dough into a clean bowl that's been lightly oiled. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled and bubbles appear on surface, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 equal pieces. Lightly dust your hands with flour, then gently roll and stretch 1 piece of dough to form a 12-inch-long rope. Flatten dough and arrange so a long side is nearest you, then roll out to a roughly 12- by 4-inch rectangle with a lightly floured rolling pin. Gently press one fourth of buffalo chicken mixture into lower third of rectangle, leaving a 1/2-inch border along bottom edge. Stretch bottom edge of dough up over filling and press tightly to seal, then roll up as tightly as possible to form a rope. Cut rope into 12 pieces and transfer to a sheet pan. Make 3 more ropes with remaining dough, filling and cut into pieces, transferring to sheet pans. Let rest at room temperature, uncovered, 30 minutes (dough will rise slightly).

Bake buffalo chicken bites in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned. Remove from oven (some cheese may have melted out.) and brush tops with melted butter before serving (optional).

Super Special Salad

Salad is one of my FAVORITE things to eat! One of my favorite hometown restaurants (Aldo's) has a salad called "Super Special Salad"... since I'm far away now, this is my best effort to recreate it! When you go to the restaurant, it is PILED high on your plate- but this was just a side dish, so I made them small.

INGREDIENTS:
Romaine, Greenleaf and Butter Lettuce
Salami, sliced
Shredded Italian Cheese (I used provolone- but mozzarella would be good, too: provel would be the best, but it's not available around here)
Hearts of Palm, sliced/diced
Artichoke Hearts, sliced
Green Olives, sliced
Black Olives, sliced
Tomatoes, sliced

Pepperoncini
Salt/Pepper
Vinegar/Oil or Italian Dressing

DIRECTIONS:
I lightly toss the lettuce with a very small amount of vinegar and oil. The toppings have so much flavor themselves, I don't want a heavy dressing. Then top with the remaining ingredients, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Cheesy Quesadillas

Such an easy snack or lunch- especially for my kids!

INGREDIENTS:
Butter
Tortilla Shells (I use whole wheat)
Shredded Cheese (I use a mexican blend)
Cream Cheese
Pico de Gallo or Salsa/Sour Cream

DIRECTIONS:
In a skillet, melt butter. Put cream cheese onto the shell- lay down in the skillet (cream cheese side up) and sprinkle the shredded cheese. Top with another tortilla shell. Flip as shell browns and cheese melts. Slice and serve with your choice of toppings!

Mexican Chicken Lasagna

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups of shredded chicken breast (I boil 4 big breasts and then pull them apart with forks)
12 oz. (about) pkg of whole wheat tortillas
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of rotel or 10 oz. of pico de gallo/salsa
1 can of cheddar cheese soup or nacho cheese soup
1-2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
Cilantro, Green Onions, Olives, Peppers, Onions (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Mix shredded chicken, soups and rotel/salsa in a big bowl. In a casserole dish, spray with non-stick spray and lay down the first tortilla shells. Top with chicken mixture, and layer more tortilla shells- making about three layers. End with chicken mixture and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Top with fresh cilantro or green onions. You can also mix in olives or sautee some peppers/onions and add into the chicken mixture- depending on your taste. The recipe sounds like it will be overly cheesy, but it was really yummy!

Chicken Bacon Pasta

I tweaked a recipe I had to make this... turned out really yummy- not the healthiest dish ever, but good!

INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg of bacon, cut in thirds
2-3 chicken breasts, cubed
Green Beans- I used a bag of fresh ones
1 onion, sliced
Red Pepper Flakes
Salt/Pepper
Penne Pasta
Heavy Whipping Cream- 1/4 pint
1 block of cream cheese
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
2 eggs

DIRECTIONS:
In a skillet, cook the small strips of bacon until almost done. Begin cooking pasta according to box directions. Remove most of the grease from the bacon skillet (leave some to cook the rest of the ingredients with), and then add in chicken, green beans and onion- sprinkle red pepper flakes and salt/pepper over while cooking. Cook until chicken is done (green beans and onions should also be tender). Remove from heat and drain pasta. In a sauce pan, heat the whipping cream and block of cream cheese- with a whisk break up and stir until the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat, and add parmesan cheese and eggs. Add back in the hot pasta and  bacon/chicken mixture. Add more pepper if needed. The hot ingredients will cook the eggs- no need to return to heat. Serve and enjoy!