Buffalo Chicken Dip

Here's a recipe that I should have posted a LONG time ago! It's always a hit at almost any get together and really easy to make. I suggest this appetizer almost as frequently as my spinach artichoke dip! You can mix and match cheeses and use whatever you like for dipping- celery sticks, pita chips, even put it on a croissant!

BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

What you need for the dip:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; cooked and shredded
1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce (or whatever spicy wing sauce you like)
1/2 cup ranch dressing (you could also use blue cheese if you prefer)
1 cup of shredded cheese (I usually use half mozzarella, half cheddar)

To make the dip:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

3. Transfer to a greased baking dish.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.
5. Serve with your favorite dippers.
Tip- I usually transfer the dip to a mini crock-pot to keep the dip warm while you eat and ENJOY!

Jalapeño Poppers!!

Hi Everyone! Welcome to Mexican day in the Hlavek household! We love making fajitas here over the weekend...nothing like grilling up some already marinated flank steak and chicken, making rice, queso and peppers with onions. Maybe even some guacamole if we're ambitious. Yum! Today we tried an appetizer to our regular feast- jalapeño poppers! And boy were this little bad boys HOT! Don't get me wrong, they were amazing but be prepared for a little extra heat with these puppies. I saw this recipe while watching the cooking channel the other day and was inspired. The only real change-up was that we made a lot more than the recipe called for and I switched the cheeses. Do give these a shot during your next get-together...the recipe is super easy to throw together and I know you'll impress your guests!

What you need for the poppers:

6-7 fresh jalapeños

1 cup shredded cheese (we used a variety of white cheddar cheese, sharp cheddar cheese and marbled cheddar cheese- if you have the time, buy the blocks and shred it up yourself...it melts and oozes so much better)

1 can of beer

1 egg

1 cup of flour

To make the poppers:

1. Turn on your fryer and heat oil to about 350-375 degrees. If you don't have a deep fryer, you can use a shallow pan filled with vegetable or peanut oil. Turn it on early so you can get your oil to temperature.

2. Slice your jalapeños down the center/side of the pepper. Clean out all of the seeds (and I mean ALL the seeds- we left a 'couple' thinking that would add some spice and we can barely breathe right now!)

3. Shred your cheese or measure out 1 cup from your bag of shredded.

4. Stuff the peppers really full of cheese...keep shoving it in there until no more can fit!

5. Make your batter by mixing the 1 cup of flour with half of a beer (about 6oz) and one egg. Whisk it together in a bowl until there are no more lumps.

6. Dip your cheese filled peppers into the batter by holding the top of the pepper. Twirl it around until the pepper is completely coated. 

7. Drop your stuffed and battered jalapeño peppers into the hot oil. Let them go about 5-7 minutes until brown, then flip for about another 3 minutes. Pull them out and place on a paper towel to allow excess oil to drip off.

8. They are both temp hot and heat hot so be careful before you...

ENJOY!! 

Buffalo Meatballs

Good Afternoon and Happy Football Sunday!! It's time for another savory snack! In honor of a sports afternoon in this house (both football and NASCAR are on!), we're doing a twist on a fan favorite: Buffalo Balls! It's the spicy and tangy-ness of a wing, but in meatball form! Yum! This recipe is adapted from one I found on Pinterest and I'm super excited to give them a try!

What you need for the meatballs:
1 1/4 pound ground turkey
3 oz cream cheese
2 eggs
1/4 C chopped celery (diced finely)
1/4 C crumbled blue cheese
2-3 T plain bread crumbs

What you need for the sauce:
1 stick of butter (melted)
1 C buffalo sauce (I used Frank's)

1. Combine all of the meatball ingredients except the breadcrumbs in a medium bowl. The mix will be sticky and gooey so add some plain crumbs to dry out the mixture a bit. Ours used about 2-3 tablespoons. (I am sorry but I didn't have my camera this morning and didn't have pictures of this process.) 

2. Refrigerate the balls for about 20 minutes to firm up (the cream cheese can make them a bit fragile). 

3. Meanwhile, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

4. Pull your mixture from the fridge. Form into about 1 inch balls- careful not to make them too big- and placed on prepared cookie sheet.

5. Bake for 10 minutes; take them out and flip. Bake for another 12-14 minutes until meatballs are cooked through (I always cut one in half to be sure). 

This is half-way cooked.

Flipped...

6. While your balls are baking, begin preparing the sauce. In a saucepan, melt your stick of butter; then add the buffalo sauce. Mix thoroughly.

Cooked all the way through...

7. Spread about 1/3 of the buffalo sauce on the bottom of a crockpot and turn it on low. When the meatballs are done, transfer to crock pot. Pour the remaining sauce on top. 

Everything should be hot so you can go ahead and try one now; the crock will just help keep them warm as you snack all afternoon ;) Try serving with celery sticks and ranch dressing- yum!! 

In the crockpot with sauce!

ENJOY!

Not your average corn muffin

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting- I was back in Canada this past week. Such a refreshing change in weather- I could be baking without guilt there every day. It was only 40-something in the morning when we got up- my blood was sure not used to that! Anyway, I returned Thursday and Danny and I planned our weekend meals. Although it has not been as cool as Canada, there was still a nice drop in temperatures in West Lafayette that had me thinking fall. I was craving a big pot of chili and corn muffins! I had seen a Pinterest post a while back for jalapeno cheddar corn muffins that looked amazing and I had to give them a try! As always, I’ve adapted the recipe to fit our likes so feel free to do the same. I hope you enjoy the spicy treat as much as we did!

JALAPENO CHEDDAR CORN MUFFINS

What you need for the muffins:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons honey

2 large eggs

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (be careful not to touch your eyes when you do this! I also kept a few of the seeds for a little extra oomph!)

12 jalapeno slices (I used these from a jar since I only bought one jalapeno but you could use fresh)

1/2 cup fresh shredded Parmesan

1/2 cup shredded cheddar, plus more for topping

To make the muffins:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Spray a 12-cup standard muffin tin with Pam or grease (you could also line the muffin tin with paper liners) set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper.

4. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together the butter, buttermilk, honey and eggs.

5. Pour your wet mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

6. Add the two cheeses and diced jalapenos and mix until evenly incorporated.

7. Place batter into your muffin tins about 3/4 full.

8. Top with a jalapeno slice and then sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

9. Bake for 12-15 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

ENJOY!