BBQ Chicken Dip

It's almost playoff season and that means time for football parties!  We have a Superbowl party coming up, so I'm pulling out ideas for our annual "dip off" appetizer cook-off competition.

In Upstate New York, where I spend most of the football season, the big thing is buffalo chicken dip, but I'm more of a barbecue girl so I tried out this recipe and got all thumbs up. Even from that die-hard Buffalonian boyfriend of mine.

I just whipped this easy appetizer up in a few minutes (the chicken was already cooked) and everyone thought it was great.

BBQ Chicken Dip
Adapted from: Plain Chicken

Ingredients:

• 12 oz cooked chicken, chopped or shredded (about 3 chicken breasts, I think shredding is better)
• 1 (8oz) block cream cheese, softened (1 cup)
• 3/4 cup bbq sauce (I used Kinders this time, but I think I prefer Sweet Baby Rays)
• 1/4 cup ranch dressing
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 green onion, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease an 8x8 baking dish.

In a mixing bowl combine chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, and 1 cup of cheddar cheese.

Pour mixture into prepared 8x8 baking dish.

Top the dip with chopped green onion and remaining cheese (according to my friend "whatever amount they say for cheese, double it" so I put a little extra cheese on top... And I didn't have any green onions--in the past I have omitted them--but this time I diced up some white onion and put a little bit on top).

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Quick Bread

The holidays are my favorite time of year. Great food, awesome company, and time to relax without any immediate obligations. I have been crazy busy though, and even though I've been around tons of food I haven't been very diligent in my picture taking... It gets distracting being around such tasty treats!

I've had a ton of requests and comments, so I just wanted to take the opportunity to express how thankful I am for everyone who has taken the time to check out the recipes I have posted so far. I am so blessed in so many ways, and it is the season to especially be thankful for everything and everyone I am so lucky to have in my life.

I have found having something quick and easy for breakfast or a snack is the best way to go... I try to have a loaf of some kind of bread on the counter most of the time, and this has become one of my favorites... It is sweet and delicious, and it is really easy to whip up and pop in the oven at night while doing homework or watching T.V. Plus it only takes one bowl, the original blog I got it from said she just used the tablespoon she measured with to mix (easy recipe and minimal dishes. Hello!).

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Quick Bread
Original recipe: A whisk and a prayer

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and 1 cup sugar. Add egg, milk, and oil to flour mixture.

Stir until just moistened.

Pour half of the batter into pan.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and 1/3 cup sugar (you can mix together cinnamon and sugar before, but I usually just sprinkle them separately).

Cover with remaining batter.

Top with more cinnamon/sugar if desired (You know you want to)


Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. (Do this carefully... The cinnamon sugar layer can cause some difficulties)

The original recipe suggests wrapping the loaf in foil and letting it sit overnight before slicing (I can never help myself and it is soooo good warm, straight out of the oven, so I've never actually done this).

Tis the Season for Hot Chocolate!

Happy Holidays!

There is nothing I like more than curling up with a big mug of hot cocoa during the cold winter months.  Right now I'm watching the snow fall outside the window and there is nothing better to warm up a soul than Hot Cocoa.

This isn't really a recipe really... more of an added flair.  The beginning of christmas break has been awesome... I was thinking about making a post about how to cook dinner on a yacht (we did that last week), but I just decided to enjoy the experience. It was pretty cool.

Hot Cocoa 

Ingredients:

• Instant Hot Cocoa 
• Vanilla Extract (just a few drops)
• Cinnamon (a little shake)

Directions:

Make hot chocolate! Put everything in a mug and drink up :)

When I started college I got an electric kettle.  It was great for hot cocoa, but it was also really useful for making things like instant oatmeal for breakfast in the dorms.

and here's the yacht... NBD ;)

George Foreman BBQ Chicken

Old George has been a lifesaver lately.

I usually get home from my day in class and in the gym around 6 pm at the earliest. I am usually tempted to stop at the dining hall or subway on the way home, but with these new George Foreman recipes I have been trying out I can have a healthier dinner ready in a reasonable amount of time. A chicken breast only takes 4-6 minutes on the grill! A total time saver. Check out my George Foreman Lemon Garlic Chicken Recipe for another idea.

This is even easier than the Lemon Garlic Chicken. I didn't think that that was possible.

I paired it with instant mashed potatoes... To be honest, I was a little nervous when I first saw powered mashed potatoes in the grocery store, but the purchase was totally worth it. They are super fast and easy and super delicious. I think it was one of Dave's favorites so far :)

George Foreman BBQ Chicken

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)

Directions:

If your chicken is frozen, check out my post on thawing frozen chicken (You can cook chicken from frozen on the George Foreman, just double the cook time and you probably wont be doing any cutting beforehand)

Cut chicken breast into strips (I used scissors, this makes it easier to fit more chicken on the grill at once in my opinion)

In a medium sized bowl, combine chicken with some BBQ sauce, enough to coat all of the chicken.

Pop the chicken on the grill  (I seem to be using the word "chicken" a lot in this post... sorry about that) and cook for 4-5 minutes.  I usually check the thickest piece around that time to see if it is cooked through.

Whip up some mashed potatoes or rice and you've got a great dinner :)

Kitchen Trick #2: Thawing Frozen Chicken

I talked about this in my Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken post, but thought it would be good to mention it in my Kitchen Tricks for a little easier access.

One of my biggest problems with cooking dinner is that I usually never actually know where I'm going to be that night or when I will get home. Even on nights I plan on being home to make something for dinner, I usually forget to take the ingredients (usually chicken) out of the freezer. 

Luckily, I have found an excellent solution to this predicament. First of all, when I buy a pack of chicken, I pound out the breasts so they are a little bit thinner, then I wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then put them in a freezer bag to protect from the frigid air. This makes it so I can take one or two pieces at a time without having to defrost the whole lot. 

The trick to defrosting them isn't really much of a trick, but if you fill a bowl with warm water and submerge the chicken breast for 20 minutes, switching the water out halfway through, the chicken will be defrosted.

Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

Getting ready for finals week has been hectic, and though I have been able to try out some great new recipes I haven't had any time to write about them.. So sorry about the backlog. 

I pinned this recipe from Daydream Kitchen a long time ago, but I found it and tried it the other night. It was awesome. I went from two pieces of frozen chicken breast to a delicious meal in less than an hour. One of my biggest problems with cooking dinner is that I usually never actually know where I'm going to be that night or when I will get home. Even on nights I plan on being home to make something for dinner, I usually forget to take the ingredients (usually chicken) out of the freezer. Luckily, I have found an excellent solution to this predicament. First of all, when I buy a pack of chicken, I pound out the breasts so they are a little bit thinner, then I wrap them in plastic wrap and put them in a freezer bag to protect from the frigid air. This makes it so I can take one or two pieces at a time without having to defrost the whole lot. The trick to defrosting them isn't really much of a trick, but if you fill a bowl with hot water and submerge the chicken breast for twenty minutes, switching the water halfway through, the chicken with be defrosted. Then you can try out any chicken recipe, like my George Foreman Lemon-Garlic Chicken or the BBQ George Foreman Recipe that I am hoping to post in the next few days.  But if you don't have a George Foreman, this Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken recipe is sure to please

According to the original recipe:

“A quick, easy chicken recipe for days when you don’t want to spend time in the kitchen. Even finicky people will eat it. Goes great with traditional potatoes or rice.”

Ingredients

• 2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 500°F and lightly grease a casserole dish. I placed a layer of tinfoil down first then sprayed it with cooking spray which helped a lot when it came time to clean up.

In small sauté pan, sauté garlic with the oil until tender.  Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar.
Place chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bake uncovered for 15-30 minutes. 

Kitchen Trick #1: Keeping Water from Boiling Over

My sister showed me this last year and I was like, "Whatttt?!? No Way!"

It is probably one of the coolest things ever, and it minimizes some of my cooking mess (which is always a plus)

If you are boiling a pot of water (for example: when cooking pasta), place a wooden spoon across the top to keep the water from boiling over.

Oh the things you learn in college.