Saturday Surprise - Queso and Buffalo Chicken Dip

Sometimes I make things, and well, they just aren't pretty. In fact, they can be downright ugly. But most of the time they taste good, so I thought I'd start listing some of the recipes that I've made that have been fabulous, but I don't have pictures of. If I make these recipes again in the future, I'll be sure to post them up for all to see (if I can make them look good)!

Queso:

My queso is not difficult, but I have people asking me to make it all the time... so here's the huge secret recipe:

- 1 big block of velveeta (I use 2%)
- 1 can of rotel (spice level according to your tastes - I usually use the hot variety)
- 1 can of chili (NO BEANS!!!)
- 1 can of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup

Put in a crock pot on high until melted, then reduce to 'warm' for serving. As easy as pie! ;o)

Buffalo Chicken Dip:

This stuff is HIGHLY addicting. My friend Meg got our usual 'crew' hooked on it, and now I've shared it with other groups to high acclaim as well... I don't know if this stuff will ever photograph well, but it certainly tastes good!

1.5 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, 1/3 fat - softened
1 cup hot sauce, such as Franks® Red Hot®
1 cup Ranch dressing
2 cups roasted boneless chicken breast - shredded or diced
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (sharp)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese and hot pepper sauce until well blended.

Mix in the Ranch dressing, chicken and Cheddar cheese. Spread into a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Bake for 45 minutes. Serve warm with Frito's Scoops and celery.


The original recipe also called for 8 ounces of Bleu Cheese crumbles. I didn't like the taste of the bleu cheese in here so I skip it. You can add it in if you're feeling French.

Also, this can be mixed right in the crockpot and cooked on the low setting for a few hours before serving. Make sure you give it a stir every once in a while or it will burn around the edges. I usually make it as directed above and then transfer it to the crockpot.

I think 2 is enough for today... I'll share more here in the future!

NaBloWriMo: Day 21

Monday Munchies - Spinach and Cheese Log

Ok, so this doesn't look too pretty, but it sure as heck tasted good! And the best part is that it was so stinkin' easy to throw together. Obviously needs to be served with crackers...

Yield
Makes 25 appetizer servings

Ingredients
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 (8-ounce) blocks sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened and divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup strawberry preserves
Garnish: toasted chopped pecans

Preparation
Line a 9- x 5-inch loafpan with heavy-duty plastic wrap.

Press spinach between layers of paper towels to remove excess moisture; set aside.

Stir together Cheddar cheese, pecans, and mayonnaise; spread half of mixture evenly into prepared pan. Stir together spinach, 1 package cream cheese, salt, and pepper; spread evenly over Cheddar cheese layer. Stir together remaining package cream cheese and strawberry preserves; spread evenly over spinach layer. Top with remaining Cheddar cheese mixture. Cover and refridgerate or freeze up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Garnish, if desired, and serve with assorted crackers.

Prep: 15 min., Thaw: 8 hrs.

To make two loaves, use two(7- x 3-inch) loafpans. Mix ingredients as directed; divide mixtures in half, and follow layering procedure for each loaf.

Spicy Crackers and Creamy Jalapeno Dip

A few of my favorite things... I LOVE these crackers and they are only made better by a knock-off version of Chuy's "green dip" - it's phenomenal!

Creamy Jalapeno Dip

1 cup Mayo

1 cup Sour Cream

1 packet Ranch Dip Mix

5 roasted jalapenos (peeled and deseeded)

1/2 bunch of cilantro

Milk as needed

Process/Chop the cilantro with the sourcream in a food processor (or very good blender). Once the jalapenos are peeled and deseeded, process them into this mixture as well. Then add in the ranch dip mix and the mayo. I add quite a bit of milk too so it's a little bit thinner (and lasts longer!) You can make this entire recipe fat free and not compromise on any of the taste - it's wonderful!

Spicy Crackers

4 sleeves of saltines

1/2 cup of oil (canola, vegetable, olive oil)

1 packet of ranch dip mix

Cayenne pepper (to taste)

Mix the oil, ranch dip mix and cayenne pepper in a 2 cup measuring cup. Layer 1 sleeve of crackers with 1/4 of the oil mixture in a gallon size storage bag. Close and shake up in between each addition until all of the crackers and all of the oil mixture is in the bag. Flip the bag over every 15 minutes or so until all of the oil is absorbed. I typcially make these a few hours (or days) before I will actually need them to make sure the oil is all absorbed. These crackers are good with the dip above, with cream cheese or chili or soup - or even all by themselves!