Buffalo Wing Dip!

8 oz. package cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot (adjust to your preferred spiciness!)
1/2 cup shredded mozzerella
1/2 cup shredded cheddar (optional, i like mine VERY cheesy!)
2 (9.75 oz) cans of chunk chicken breast, drained (or any other cooked chicken)



Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Put the cream cheese in a baking dish and stir until smooth.
Mix in the salad dressing, hot sauce, and cheeses.
Stir in chicken.
Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through.
Serve with tortilla chips, veggies, crackers, triscuits, pretzels, ANYTHING!


OTHER COOKING OPTIONS
MICROWAVE: Prepare as before in a microwavable dish. Microwave uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring halfway.
SLOW COOKER: Prepare as before and place into slow cooker. Heat on high for 1-2 hours or on low for 2-3 hours.


My review: Please make this. If you love hot wings, please do yourself a favor and make this. and eat it. on celery, on carrots, on tortilla chips, or on a spoon all by itself. I like to double the recipe and throw it in the crockpot for covered dish parties. If I don't eat this on Super Bowl Sunday, I shrivel up and die. It's a very sad thing. Enjoy!

Island Layer Dip

Caution: this recipe contains rum. and don't go substituting. I won't have it.

1 pkg. Cream Cheese, divided
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained
1 can (8 oz.) pineapple tidbits, drained
2 cups thawed COOL WHIP divided
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. lime juice
4 tsp. rum (I used Parrot Bay coconut rum, but I think any flavor would be good...)
1/2 cup chopped Macadamia nuts
1/2 cup Coconut, toasted
3 kiwis, chopped
2 or 3 mint leaves

Beat 1/2 of the brick of cream cheese, pineapple and 1 cup Cool Whip until well blended; spread onto bottom of pie plate.
Mix remaining cream cheese, lime juice and powdered sugar and spread over pineapple layer.
Mix the remaining Cool Whip and rum (seriously, don't even think about substituting with rum extract, that's the wimp's way out) and spread over lime layer.
Refrigerate for 1 hr. before serving. Top with nuts, coconut, kiwi, pineapple tidbits, and mint.
Serve with Nilla wafers or Graham crackers. Pretzels are good too.


My review: I had this at a cookout a few weeks ago, and the person graciously shared her recipe with me, but didn't want her name mentioned here. She's shy. So we'll just talk about her creation. It's a jumble of flavors that just go so well together. You'll love it. For real, mon. It's a taste of the Islands.

Update: I made this. and loved it. the above picture is how pretty it turned out! don't you just love it?

Southwestern Layered Dip

1 can refried beans (doesn't matter what kind - vegetarian, fat free, full fat, whatever makes your skirt fly up)
Chopped fresh cilantro (I can't give you an exact on this...)
1 cup corn (the recipe I used said to use canned MexiCorn... i hate canned corn, so i used some frozen corn...)
1 (8oz) container sour cream
1 package taco seasoning mix
1/2 cup Taco Cheese

Spread your refried beans, whatever kind you chose, on the bottom of a 9 inch pie pan.
Cover them with a bit of cilantro.
Next, layer your corn over top of the cilantro and beans.
Mix the sour cream and taco seasoning together, then spread over top of the corn.
Cover with the cheese and a bit of cilantro.
Serve with tortilla chips.


My review: I never thought I was much of a cilantro fan. But it was pretty darn good. Reminded me of the heavenly Pico de Gallo recipe on Pioneer Woman's website. But this was good. A nice dip to have on hand if you have vegetarians to worry about. Personally, I like anything I can dip tortilla chips in. This made me want to whip up some Southwestern Bean Salad, though. Yummy

S'mores Dip

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup Marshmallow Creme
Graham Crackers for Dipping!

Microwave the chocolate chips and milk in a bowl for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chips are melted.
Pour into a glass pie plate.
Drop marshmallow creme in teaspoonfuls over top the mixture.
Microwave for about 30 seconds, until the marshmallow is all soft and gooey.
Now, take a table knife and go nuts, swirling the crap out of it. But don't over do it. You want it to look marbled and yummy.
Serve immediately, while it's still warm, using graham crackers.


My review: I understand wanting to have s'mores without the campfire and all that, but I would still rather fire up the grill or even a burner on the stove, toast my marshmallow and sandwich it all up. This also makes way too much for just someone trying to snack... unless you have a group of hungry kids, you will have to eat until you burst. So... My review is that this is yummy, but I prefer the traditional s'more.

Seafood Fondue

2 cups Velveeta Cheese
1/2 cup Milk (preferably Whole Milk)
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 cup chopped red and green peppers
Lobster, Crab, and Shrimp as desired (can used canned, fresh, or frozen)


Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat on low until melted.
Serve in a toasted bread bowl (I prefer a sourdough bread bowl). Cut into a bowl and use the rest for dipped. Put in under the oven broiler to toast with some olive oil. You can also serve in a fondue pot or crock pot. Use toasted bread, crackers, pretzels, veggies, or tortilla chips to dip.


My review: Tastes just like the lobster fondue from Red Lobster. We usually make this to use leftover seafood, like after our New Year's Seafood feast. It's delicious, a hit at parties, and EASY! (to make and enjoy...)

Southwestern Bean Salad

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 medium tomato, diced (or can of diced tomatoes)
1 medium red onion, diced
1 cup frozen corn (thawed)

sauce ingredients: 3/4 cup thick salsa
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin



In a bowl, combine all the beans, celery, onion, tomato, and corn.
In another bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients.
Pour the sauce over the bean mixture and mix well.
Sprinkle some salt and pepper in, if necessary. I usually just add pepper.
Refrigerate. Serve with tortilla chips as a salsa, as a salad topper, or by itself!


My review: LOVE IT! This dish just reminds me of summer and it's a good healthy substitute for dressing on salad. I could eat it for every meal!