Buffalo Chicken Chowder

Buffalo Chicken Chowder

2 tablespoons butter

1 pound chicken, cut into bite sized pieces

1 cup onion, diced

1 cup celery, cut into small pieces

1 cup carrot, cut into small pieces

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons flour

3 cups chicken stock

* hot sauce to taste (I used 1/4 cup Franks Red Hot sauce)

1 large yukon gold or other boiling potato, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled

Melt the butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat.  Add the chicken and saute until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.  Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes.   Add the garlic and flour and cook until fragrant, about a minute.  Add the chicken broth and deglaze the pan.  Add the hot sauce and potatoes, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, mix in the cream and blue cheese and remove from heat when the cheese has melted.

Hibachi Soup

Hibachi Soup

1/2 stalk celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 tablespoons ginger, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules

3 tablespoons beef bouillon granules

1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms

2 quarts water (8 cups)

French fried onions

First off, the ingredients say "chopped" it means just cut it in half or fourths. Make it easy on yourself and leave the vegetables in large chunks! Alright, in a large saucepan or stockpot, combine the celery, onion, carrot, ginger, garlic, and a few of the mushrooms. Add chicken bouillon, beef bouillon, and water. Place the pot over high heat, and bring to a rolling boil. When the mixture reaches boiling, cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 45 minutes. It can cook for longer than 45 minutes (sometimes I leave it on for a couple hours), you will just need to add more water if too much water evaporates. Here's what my soup looks like, notice the big chunks of veggies. After it's cooked for at least 45 minutes strain the cooked soup and discard all of the vegetables, leaving the broth. Serve the broth with sliced mushrooms and sprinkle french friend onions over the top.

Rattlesnake Bites

Rattlesnake Bites

1 pound ground beef

1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

3 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls

In a large skillet, cook beef and chilies over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the cream cheese, cumin and chili powder. Cool slightly.  Separate crescent dough into 24 triangles. Place 1 tablespoon of beef mixture along the short end of each triangle; carefully roll up.  Place point side down 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 11-14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Yield: 2 dozen.

Pimento Cheese Crisps

Pimento Cheese Crisps

1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimentos

8 ounces sharp cheddar

½ cup (1 stick) cold butter

1 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon sweet paprika

Dash of cayenne pepper

A generous pinch of salt

A few grinds black pepper

½ cup chopped pecans

Rinse and drain the pimentos and place them on paper towels.  Pat them dry and then leave them for 10 – 15 minutes to air dry.  Grate the cheese and the cold butter together in a food processor.  Switch from the grating blade to the metal blade, then add the flour, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne salt and pepper.  Process until the dough just begins to come together and looks moist and grainy.  Add the pecans and process until the dough begins to pull away from the sides and form a ball.  Add the pimentos and pulse a few times until the dough is a ball.  Dump the dough onto a piece of waxed paper, scrapping out all the pimento pieces.  Knead the dough a few times just to incorporate and distribute the pimento pieces.  Cut two more lengths of waxed paper, divide the dough into two portions and place each portion on one waxed paper length.  Form each onto a log and roll tightly, pressing in to form a nice solid log.  Twist the ends like a candy wrapper.  Refrigerate the logs for at least an hour before baking, but you can refrigerate them for two days or freeze them for 3 months.  When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Remove the rolls from the fridge and slice into medium-thick wafers, about 1/4 inch each.  Place on the baking sheet with a little room to spread and bake until golden around the edges and firm on the top, about 10 – 12 minutes.  Cool on the pans for a few minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool.

French Dip Crescent

French Dip Crescent

2 packages crescent rolls, 8 count

1 pound deli roast beef, thinly sliced

4 ounces Swiss or provolone cheese, cut in 16 equal sized pieces

optional: Horseradish Sauce

optional: Au Jus for dipping

Unroll crescents onto a large cookie sheet.  Spread a small dab of horseradish on each crescent, then place a slice of roast beef and a piece of cheese on each crescent.  Roll crescents starting from the wide end and ending at the narrow end.  Bake at 375 degrees for 11 to 13 minutes, until crescents are a golden color.  Serve with Au Jus and enjoy!

One Dish Chicken Bake

One Dish Chicken Bake

4-6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

8-10 small new potatoes

1-2 lb fresh green beans (or canned)

1 pkg Italian dressing mix packet

1 stk melted butter

Arrange chicken, green beans, and quartered potatoes in a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with a packet of Italian dressing mix and then pour melted butter over the top.  Cover dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.