Monday, October 31, 2011

Football and Buffalo Chicken Dip

Fall is one of my favorite times of year. I love the cool weather, sweaters, bonfires, football, and football food! Before all our kids came along, we used to tailgate at all of the home Purdue football games. We would show up first thing in the morning, tailgate until the game, go to the game, and sometimes even tailgate afterwards. Not being a big drinker, the food really made the tailgate experience for me. We enjoyed trying new things and often had the oldies but goodies like taco dip and chili as well. These days we tailgate in the comfort of our own home where we can entertain our 2 year old without much effort. This brings some sadness as I miss the camaraderie of our fellow tailgaters but it also brings me great joy as I no longer have to freeze to death, I can go to the bathroom without visiting a porta-potty or hiking a long way, and I can cook a little more easily with the help of electricity. One of our new-found favorites is buffalo chicken dip. I am not a fan of buffalo wings but boy is this recipe delicious! I got the recipe from a co-worker of Andrew's; thanks Angie!


Buffalo Chicken Dip


4 chicken breasts
2 - 8oz. containers cream cheese, softened
1 - 16oz bottle of Ranch dressing
1 - 12oz Hot Sauce (Frank's) - more or less to taste
1 - 8 oz pkg Monterrey/Cheddar Cheese


Precook chicken and cut into small pieces (if I plan ahead I often cook in my crock-pot for a few hours and shred it). Place chicken in crock-pot.Stir in hot sauce. Mix in cream cheese, ranch, and shredded cheese. Heat until warm and serve with tortilla chips.


Here is the finished product:






I plated it with blue corn chips. Andrew prefers those with this dip and it looks so pretty :0) Hope you enjoy!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

A New Beginning and Taco Soup

Okay, so I have been inspired by lots of you to start my own blog. I really enjoy cooking and baking and am often asked for recipes so I wanted to have a place to share my thoughts, ideas, and favorite recipes. These recipes are not really things I have created on my own but have discovered and want to share with others. I hope you enjoy them!


Today I stayed home from church with our littlest angel (G) while daddy and the eldest angel (L) went to church. I wanted to make something warm and tasty to have ready when they returned so after a trip to the store I got busy making Taco Soup. This recipe came from my good friend Megan and boy is it delicious!


Taco Soup
* 1 large can tomato sauce
* 1 can Rotel
* 1 can diced tomatoes
* 1 can sweet corn
* 1 can pinto beans (drained)
* 1 can black beans (drained)
* 1 packet taco seasoning
* 2 packets Ranch Seasoning
* 1-1.5 lbs. ground beef or turkey


Brown meat. Combine with other ingredients. You can cook this 2 ways...


1. Place in slow cooker. Heat on High for 2-3 hours or Low for 4-5.
2. Usually I'm in a hurry so I mix it all in a large stockpot and heat together on the stove for about 20 minutes.


Serve with your favorite shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips!