Category: RECIPE REVIEWS

BUFFALO KISSES to CELEBRATE the BIG Nascar Championship Race

Life is settling down a bit for this leg of our journey and I’ve gotten organized enough to play with a few new recipes. We love appetizers for football and race days so I’m always on the lookout for new recipes.  LOL this recipe is SO NOT like the original Buffalo Wing Poppers  it really isn’t funny, but ironically they do look similar. 

So, like so many other recipes I will give you the original ingredients in black and my changes in red – you choose what you like.  This recipe makes a wonderful tailgate or party appetizer! 

NOTE: I had an unfortunate accident with jalapeno peppers 5 years or so ago so I ALWAYS use gloves when working with peppers.  The original recipe called for “piping” the cheese mixture into the peppers, but I find since I already have gloves on that they are easy to form with a spoon and my fingers.

BUFFALO KISSES
20 Jalapeno peppers, washed well 10 Jalapeno peppers, washed well
8 ounces cream cheese softened
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella 1 + 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella (divided)
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 cup diced cooked chicken 1 1/2 cups shredded/diced rotisserie chicken
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (I use Frank’s Red Hot)
1/2 cup blue cheese salad dressing  1/2 cup RiverHouse Parmesan Herb dressing*
Tortilla Chips

  • Preheat oven to 325-350 degrees.
  • Grease a 6 inch casserole dish and small cookie sheet.
  • Cut peppers in half lengthwise leaving stems in tact.  Remove seeds.
  • In a mixing bowl blend together the cream cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella shredded cheese and Parmesan cheese.
  • Add hot sauce and dressing, blending well.
  • Fold in chicken until well blended.
  • Fill peppers and place on greased cookie sheet. 
  • Fill baking dish with remaining cheese mixture.
  • Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
  • Baked uncovered for 20-40 minutes depending on your desired level of spice.  The longer they cook, the milder they get.
  • Serve with Tortilla chips.

*LiteHouse makes a good one if you can’t find RiverHouse

PIZZA IN A POT

Sandra over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom recently ran her recipe for Pizza in a Pot.  It sounded SOOOOOOOO good and looked so unbelievably delicious that I wanted to make it right then and it was only 8AM.

My biggest problem is that with a major move coming I’ve been using what I already have in the freezer and cupboard for anything and everything I make so I had to adjust it a bit, but we loved the results. I also halved everything and we still will eat on it for 3 days. I can’t wait to make it again with her original ingredients.

Our favorite pizza is a pepperoni/sausage combo and ironically when hubby came in he asked if we were having pizza for dinner!

Sandra’s Recipe: (my changes in red)

Pizza in a Pot

1-1/2 pounds ground beef 3/4 pound mild Italian sausage (casings removed)
1 medium green pepper, chopped 1 cup carrot shreds
1 medium onion, chopped 1 small onion, chopped
15 ounces tomato sauce 8 ounce can tomato sauce
14 ounces pizza sauce 1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste 6 ounce can tomato paste
3 cups spiral pasta, cooked and drained 1 1/2 cups (dry) shells
2 packages (3-1/2 ounces each) sliced pepperoni 2 inches deli pepperoni cut into chunks
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese 1 cup Sargento shredded Italian cheese blend

  • In a large skillet, cook the Italian Sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, drain well. 
  • Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste and broth.
  • In a 5-qt. slow cooker, layer the pasta, sausage mixture, pepperoni and cheese. 
  • Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours or until heated through.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Sandra’s note: If you’d like, substitute 1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage for the pepperoni in Pizza in a Pot. Cook it along with the ground beef, green pepper and onion.

CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Clara of I Heart Food4Thought chose, Chocolate-Chocolate Cupcakes* on pages 215-217

Being new to TWD I didn’t want to miss doing this week but as much as we love chocolate around here, we’re not big chocolate cake fans. So, I added a heaping tablespoon of a strong instant coffee to the batter for a bit of an espresso flavor. Hubby gave it a 2 thumbs up. They took only 20 minutes and were much moister than last week’s Pumpkin Muffins (I think the coffee helped there as well as the shorter cooking time). We’re not big on bittersweet chocolate either and I had some cream cheese frosting left. So, I used the glaze on just a few, the cream cheese frosting on a few and the mixed the remainder of the glaze with the cream cheese frosting and did a few more. The mix of both the glaze and the cream cheese frosting was our favorite.
Original posting date 10-28-2008

TALL & CREAMY CHEESECAKE

Anne of Anne Strawberry chose Tall and Creamy Cheesecake on pages 235-237 and I am so glad she did. Make sure to visit her for the original recipe. Hubby requested cheesecake for Christmas so this was the perfect opportunity to try this recipe. I just had to wait to share my results with you. I have to admit I did use a bit of creative license though! I’m calling this a red velvet cheesecake. It looks so pretty cut, just like red velvet!

My creative changes are somewhat obvious from the picture, but I really don’t think they changed the overall flavor and since they ate it all, I’ll consider that proof that it was good! I added 2 teaspoons of red food coloring to the actual cheese cake. I also don’t ever use graham crackers – hubby says they’re just too plain, so I always use a combination of gingersnaps and vanilla wafers instead. I also use my square springform (love that pan!!) to make it easier to cut into more pieces evenly. I had some cream cheese frosting from cookies left over also so filled in the top for decorating. It made a very nice contrast.

SAVORY CORN & PEPPER MUFFINS

Laurie of Quirky Cupcake formed Tuesdays With Dorie as a form of accountability for baking at least once a week using the cookbook, Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. TWD celebrated it’s 1 year anniversary last week and is still going strong!


Rebecca of Ezra Pound Cake chose Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins on page 6. I loved this recipe. I wanted to try out a new pan I received for Christmas, but the batter rose more than I expected so we have these cute rounded leaves. It didn’t affect the flavor at all! Head on over to Rebecca’s for the recipe.

Chocolate Armagnac Cake with RUM SOAKED PINEAPPLE SUBSTITUTION! YUMMY!

Laurie of Quirky Cupcake formed Tuesdays With Dorie as a form of accountability for baking at least once a week using the cookbook, Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.

This week Lyb of And then I do the dishes chose Chocolate Armagnac Cake – The Cake That Got Me Fired on pages 279-281. This cake sounded right up my alley. I was surprised though when I went in search of prunes that they couldn’t be had in my neck of the woods without being chocolate covered or stewed. So, since this cake was for hubby’s birthday yesterday I let him decide on the substitution. He chose dehydrated pineapple re-hydrated with Malibu rum. This substitution was an excellent choice!

A funny thing happened on the way to the Lemon Custard Cup ~ Tuesdays With Dorie

I used to participate in the baking group Tuesday’s with Dorie.  I bring this post over from my old blog more for the cute story about my dog and the recipe review than any value in the recipe itself. Bridget of The Way the Cookie Crumbles had chosen the recipe for Lemon Cup Custard on page 387.
We love lemon here so I was pretty excited about this recipe. Instead of making individual custard cups I made it as a full pie and it was going to have a whipped cream top (hubby’s request). We both tasted it before it went into the oven and thought there wasn’t enough lemon flavor for us and it was just too sweet. We like a really tart lemon. But, we were anxiously waiting to see if the baking would enhance the lemon flavor. Fortunately I took a picture as soon as it came out of the oven. 
I turned my back for 2 seconds while it was cooling and Gunner, our black lab decided the custard shouldn’t wait to cool, but be eaten immediately. About the time I heard SPLAT it was too late, the custard was face down on the kitchen floor and shortly thereafter the dog was in the snow, his puppy dog eyes and wistful so sorry looks didn’t work on me (he was only in the snow long enough for me to clean up the mess and cool off). 
I did throw together a lemon Bundt cake with a lemon butter cream frosting to replace it. I guess we’ll never know if more lemon flavor comes out as it bakes.

BANANA SPICE CAKE from A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband

I seriously adapted this recipe into a modern day form from its original recipe. Adapted from ‘A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband’ by Louise Bennett Weaver and Helen Cowles LeCron (page 142)
BANANA SPICE CAKE
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cups sour milk
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour, sifted
2 small VERY RIPE bananas, well mashed
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup maple syrup

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  • GREASE loaf pan or 8×8 baking dish.*
  • With a wooden spoon blend the butter, sugar and eggs.
  • Blend in bananas until well mixed.
  • Sift dry ingredients together.
  • Add dry ingredients and mix well with swift strokes.
  • Add vanilla and raisins.
  • Bake 45-55 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
  • Immediately invert on to serving plate.
  • Wait 15 minutes for cooling.
  • Warm the maple syrup in the microwave for 30 seconds.
  • Using a toothpick, pierce holes into the top of the cake.
  • Drizzle maple syrup over the cake and allow it to drip down the sides.
*Works really well in today’s decorative bundt style pans.

BERRY SHORTCAKES

Baking Partners are making Berry Shortcakes this month.  Perfect timing for the 4th of July Holiday and the warm summer days.  Reeni from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice suggested this recipe from David Lee of King Arthur Flour for his biscuits. This recipe was absolutely perfect!  I added a few blueberries to the shortcake portions and they made it more flavorful and colorful too.  I also used heart and start shaped cutters to make the shortcakes more festive. I served it for company and received many compliments.

for fruit:

2 pints of your favorite berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc…) I used a combination of mashed strawberries and blueberries.

2 tablespoons sugar

for biscuits: 
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) Perfect Pastry Blend or King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour*
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons coarse sugar (I used cinnamon sugar YUM!)
1 to 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, enough to make a cohesive dough
1 to 2 tablespoons melted butter  

*David called for “soft Southern flour;” that’s why we like to use our Mellow Pastry Blend, a lovely “soft” flour whose protein level falls right in between all-purpose and pastry flours, giving you the best of both worlds: tender texture, and ease of handling. If you use unbleached all-purpose flour, substitute 1/4 cup (1 3/8 ounces) cornstarch for 1/4 cup of the flour.

  • Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. 
  • Stir in enough heavy cream to moisten the dough thoroughly. You’ll probably use about 1 cup in the summer, 1 1/4 cups in the winter, and 1 cup + 2 tablespoons at the turn of the seasons. You want to be able to gather the dough together, squeeze it, and have it hang together, without dry bits falling off. 
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and very gently pat it into an 8″ circle about 3/4″ thick. 
  • Use a sharp biscuit cutter (we use a 2 1/4″ cutter) to cut rounds. 
  • Dip the rounds into melted butter, and place them on a lightly greased baking sheet. 
  • Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired; this is a nice touch if you’re going to use the biscuits for shortcake.
  • Bake the biscuits in a preheated 425°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes, till they’re golden brown. 
  • If you have any melted butter left over, brush it on the baked biscuits. 
  • “Serve hot!,” says David. Yield: 10 large (about 2 1/2″), ultra-tender biscuits.
To make Maine-style strawberry shortcake: 
  • Trim and slice 1 quart fresh strawberries. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar, stir, and set aside at room temperature for several hours; or refrigerate overnight. 
  • Whip 1 cup (8 ounces) heavy cream till it barely holds its shape. Sweeten to taste with granulated sugar. 
  • Split oven-warm biscuits in half. Top the bottom half of each with whipped cream, strawberries, more whipped cream, then the top half of the biscuit. Add a dollop of whipped cream and a slice of strawberry on top, as a garnish. Yield: 8 to 10 shortcakes.

KENTUCKY HOT BROWN

Tonight we tried the HOT BROWN from THE BROWN HOTEL from OFF THE EATEN PATH by Morgan Murphy from Southern Living.  I did have to make a couple of small substitutions but we loved it and cannot even think about changing the substitution back.
THE HOT BROWN serves 4

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

4 cups heavy cream 

10 tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese, divided**

salt and pepper, to taste

1 pound thinly sliced turkey (I used Costco sliced and it was perfect)

4 Texas toast slices (I used thick Sourdough)

4 plum tomatoes, sliced lengthwise (I used grape tomatoes halved and scattered)

1/4 teaspoon paprika

8 cooked bacon slices

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

  • Preheat broiler with rack 4 inches from heat.
  • Melt butter in a heavy 2 quart saucepan over medium low heat.
  • Whisk in the flour until smooth and golden.
  • Gradually whisk in cream over medium heat, whisking constantly until thick and bubbly.
  • Stir in 1/2 cup cheese, salt and pepper, stirring to blend.
  • Place toast slice in the bottom of a lightly greased casserole dish.
  • Top with turkey slices.
  • Top with tomatoes.
  • Spoon cheese sauce over tomatoes.
  • Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
  • Broil 5 minutes or until cheese begins to brown.
  • Sprinkle with paprika.
  • Top with bacon pieces.
  • Sprinkle with parsley.
  • Enjoy.

**I didn’t realize I was out, but I was, so I substituted sharp cheddar and it was lick the plate clean good.

SNAPPER WRAPPERS

SNAPPER PATRICK from PAT’S FISHERMAN’S WHARF was a fantastic choice!!  I will make this again and again, but next time I will go simpler and make it more of a casserole bake.

SNAPPER WRAPPERS
1 pound lump crabmeat, drained (I used chopped flaked Krab)
4 skinned red snapper fillets (any white fish would work)
1 teaspoon salt (we felt this was too much-next time I’ll use 1/4 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon garlic powder (we felt this was too much-next time I’ll use 1/2 teaspoon or fresh)
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons water
lemon wedges (I used lemon slices under each roll up while cooking)

  • Preheat oven to 400˚.
  • Pick crabmeat, removing any bits of shell.
  • Cut snapper fillets in half lengthwise.
  • Top each fillet with about 1/3 cup crabmeat.
  • Roll up fillets and secure with wooden toothpicks.
  • Blend together the salt, garlic powder and red pepper.
  • Combine melted butter and water in the bottom of your baking dish, blending well.
  • Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of seasoning mix over top of the butter  mixture.
  • Arrange roll ups in baking dish.
  • Sprinkle roll ups with remaining seasoning mixture.
  • Bake uncovered for 16-18 minutes or fish flakes when tested with a fork.
  • Plate roll ups. 
  • Spoon pan drippings over roll ups before serving.
  • Serve with lemon wedges.

BUFFALO CHICKEN SLOPPY JOES ~ BLOG 366.

BUFFALO CHICKEN SLOPPY JOES adapted from Rachel Ray
1-1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
3/4-1 cup Frank’s original Buffalo Wing Sauce
3/4-1 cup homemade ranch dressing
1 carrot, FINELY diced
2 celery stalks, FINELY diced
1 SMALL Vidalia onion FINELY diced
1/4 cup of brown sugar
Hawaiian or Egg Buns
Bleu cheese crumbles, optional

  • In a large skillet melt 1 tablespoon avocado oil.
  • Add carrots, celery and onion, sauteing 3-5 minutes.
  • Add chicken, cooking until browned and veggies are softened.
  • Add in wing sauce and ranch dressing stirring to blend flavors.
  • Add in brown sugar. If sauce is too spicy, add another 1/4 cup 😀
  • Serve on a bun with crumbles if desired.
  • Add extra ranch as needed.

NOTE: Bleu cheese dressing substitutes well for the ranch if you prefer.

ORIGINALLY POSTED JULY 31, 2011, updated for content and photo