Blue Cheese Dip for Hot Wings – Fire Day Friday

The college football bowl season is gearing up and one of the frequent bowl game foods is chicken wings.  
Whether you grill them, bake them, or fry them, it’s almost obligatory to serve them with blue cheese or ranch dressing and celery sticks.  While it is tempting to just crack open a jar of bottled dressing, I like to have more of a thicker “dip” than a thin “dressing” like most bottled varieties.  It sticks better to the wings and celery sticks.
I grilled some wings last week and this is the blue cheese dip that I made as a condiment.
Blue Cheese Dip for Hot Wings
source:  www.nibblemethis.com
Ingredients
  • 1 cup mayonnaise (I prefer Dukes)
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup half and half
  • 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper, coarse ground
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp celery seed
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, ground

Instructions

  1. Mix together all ingredients except for the blue cheese.
  2. Blend in the blue cheese, making sure to break up any big clumps.
  3. Refrigerate for at least an hour to let the flavors meld.

GARLIC CHICKEN & NOODLES

1 ½ + 1 ½ tablespoons safflower oil
2 teaspoons minced ginger
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
½ cup water
1 teaspoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 teaspoon water)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 egg white
bok choy
1 can water chestnuts, drained well
1 small bunch green onions, sliced thin
1/4 cup sliced yellow pepper
2 chicken breasts, sliced thin
noodles for 2
  • Whisk together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and egg white.
  • Coat chicken with cor starch mixture and let rest for 1 hour.
  • Drain cornstarch mixture from chicken pieces.
  • Cook noodles.
  • Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of oil in wok.
  • Stir fry chicken pieces until just about cooked through.
  • Remove with slotted spoon to mixing bowl.
  • Add bok choy, yellow pepper and onions cooking until just done.
  • Add to platter also.
  • Add drained noodles to mixing bowl.
  • Heat oil in your wok. 
  • Add garlic and ginger and stir fry for 30 seconds.   
  • Add salt, honey, vinegar, and water. Mix well. 
  • Combine 1 teaspoon of water with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. Add to the sauce and Simmer for 2 minutes.
  • Coat chicken with the sauce and toss well.

SEAFOOD CASSEROLE EXTRAODINAIRE

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Merry Christmas everyone!

I really intended to stick with this recipe as it was written, really I did! But, as I read it more closely I felt some changes coming on. You know that feeling you get when you realize hubby won’t like ingredient 5 or your son would hate ingredient x, etc… The more I messed with the recipe the further it got from what the intended.

So here is their recipe as written:


BLEND IN THE BAYOU
8 ounces cream cheese
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 pound cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 – 6 ounce cans crabmeat, drained and flaked
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup cooked rice, prepared
4 1/2 ounce jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1 teaspoon garlic salt
3/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers
  • In a small saucepan, cook and stir the cream cheese and 2 tablespoons butter over low heat until melted and smooth. Set aside.
  • In a large skillet, saute the onion, celery and green pepper in remaining butter until tender.
  • Stir in the shrimp, crab, soup, rice, mushrooms, garlic salt, pepper sauce, cayenne and cream cheese mixture.
  • Transfer to a greased 2 quart baking dish.
  • Combine crackers crumbs and cheese. Sprinkle over top.
  • Bake, uncovered 25 minutes or until bubbly.
and here is the new recipe as made and enjoyed and savored as the plates were licked clean!














SEAFOOD CASSEROLE EXTRAODINAIRE

inspired by Taste of Home’s Blend in the Bayou

8 ounces cream cheese
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 large bunch green onions, chopped

4 large mushrooms, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced

1 – 8 ounce package crabmeat, chopped & flaked
2 – 6 ounce cans white albacore tuna, drained and flaked
1 can cream of celery soup or soup substitute
3/4 cup cooked rice, prepared
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili pepper
3/4 cup shredded cheddar/jack cheese
1/2 sleeve crushed butter-flavored crackers ( I used Keebler herb and butter)
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a small saucepan, cook and stir the cream cheese, soup and 2 tablespoons butter over low heat until melted and smooth. Set aside.
  • In a large skillet, saute the onion, mushrooms and garlic in remaining 1 tablespoon butter until tender.
  • Stir in the tuna, crab, soup, rice, mushrooms, salt, pepper sauce, chili powder and cream cheese mixture.
  • Transfer to a greased 2 quart baking dish.
  • Sprinkle crackers over top.
  • Bake, uncovered 25 minutes or until bubbly. 
  • Sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 minutes more.