Recipes, Slow Cookin

Game Day Foods

9 Comments

Sunday, SUNDAY, SUNDAY!!! 

I survived the 9/15 deadline!  Hallelujah!  Now it’s football day, and we decided to cook up a full-out game-day spread.  On the menu:

  • Italian sausage sandwiches with green peppers and onions
  • Outrageous Chicken Dip
  • Chocolate Chip Cookies

For the Italian Sausages, I pan-cooked some hot Italian sausages until they were nearly cooked through. 

DSCF3416

Then I put them in a crockpot with a large jar of spaghetti sauce and one white onion and two green peppers. 

DSCF3406

I left the crockpot on high, and these guys just hung out all day getting tastier and tastier with each minute.

Oh yes….

DSCF3417

Jarrod and I are always looking for new dip recipes to try out.  So when I stumbled across this recipe for Outrageous Chicken Nacho Dip, we HAD to try it. 

Here’s what went in to the dip:

  • 3 grilled chicken breasts, shredded
  • 1 block Velveeta, cubed
  • 1 10 ounce can Rotel tomatoes, drained
  • 2 jalapenos peppers (1 seeded, 1 not seeded) finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup fat free sour cream
  • 1/2 cup diced green onion
  • 1.5 tablespoons hot taco seasoning mix
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

DSCF3397 

First up, cube up the Velveeta for increased meltability:DSCF3399

Tossed in the remaining ingredients:

DSCF3401 

Hello chickies:

DSCF3402  

Next, you must take the crockpot outside for a natural-light photo session:

DSCF3415  

MELT.

DSCF3420

This is a happy site:

DSCF3421

Easy peasy, and oh so tasty!

As for the cookies… whelp, I just used the recipe on the back of the Nestlé chocolate chips bag 🙂

DSCF3409

Tried and true! 

GO BROWNS!!!

Continue Reading

Recipes, Slow Cookin

Buffalo. Chicken. Dip. Rocks my world.

28 Comments

Not to be a total buzzkill, but this is by no means a “healthy recipe.”  However, it is much healthier than the version we used to make, and I promise everyone who tries it will love it.  I stand behind my buffalo chicken dip 🙂

Here’s what you’ll need to make a single batch.  For game day, I totally recommend using a slow cooker like this one! 

  • 1.25 pounds shredded chicken breast
  • 8 ounces Hidden Valley Fat Free Ranch Dressing
  • 8 ounces Philadelphia 1/3 less Fat Cream Cheese
  • 4-5 ounces Franks Red Hot, depending on your heat preference.
  • Shredded cheese of your choice
  • Tortilla or corn chips for dippin

DSCF3091

First up, I like to boil the chicken.  This is the ONLY recipe you will ever see me use boiled chicken for, as I find it extremely unflavorful.  However, it does make the chicken very moist and easy to shred.  I typically cut the chicken breasts in half before dropping them into a pot of boiling water.  Depending on the size of the chicken breasts, this can take 12-14 minutes or so–just cook the chicken until it’s no longer pink in the middle.

Once the chicken is done, transfer it to a plate to cool.  Meanwhile, combined the ranch dressing, cream cheese, and Franks in a bowl.

DSCF3095

Melt the sauce in the microwave on a VERY low heat, stirring frequently.

DSCF3098

Next up, it’s time to SHRED.  The chicken that is.  I find it easiest to shred the chicken by using two forks.  One to hold the chicken in place, and the other to shred the chicken a part:

DSCF3100

I usually do a rough shred with the forks, then use my hands to break it up into smaller bits and also find any fat that may have slipped in.  Chicken fat.  *CRINGE*

Once shredded, toss the chicken into a baking dish (or crockpot):

DSCF3105

and pour the melted sauce over top.  Stir to combine:

DSCF3109

then top with shredded cheese:

DSCF3112

At this point you have two options–bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes OR you can also just put the lid on the crock pot and set it to medium heat.  If I’m using a crockpot, I often use a little less chicken so the dip doesn’t dry out too much throughout the day.

I kid you not, this is better than any buffalo chicken dip I have ever tried.  A lot of people used canned chicken in their buffalo chicken dip, and honestly, that is the worst idea ever.  Using chicken breast is KEY.  In a pinch, I’ve also used a rotisserie chicken, which was equally tasty.

Also important to point out that sometimes fat-free ranch can have kind of a funky taste.  I’ve tried other brands in this BCD, but have found Hidden Valley to be the best option.

The dip disappeared before I got a photo, but I think you get the picture.  It is friggin delicious.

It also freezes and reheats well, tastes delicious cold, on a sandwich, and when eaten with your bare hands 😀

ENJOY!!!

Continue Reading