Category: Comfort Food

Baked Buffalo Chicken Dip

One of my favorite party dips is buffalo chicken dip! I make it a lot when I go to parties or events. I seem to always get asked to make this dip. I love it because it reminds me of chicken wings which I LOVE! You can easily adjust the spice level on the dip.

There are a few different variations out there. I traditionally bake mine in the oven vs use a crockpot. However, I LOVE the idea of the crockpot because you can keep in there to serve and it will remain warm. See the notes after the recipe for tips on baking, making ahead of time and what chicken to use! Enjoy!

Baked Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked chicken, (canned chicken, rotisserie chicken or 2 chicken breasts shredded)
2 8 oz packages cream cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup Frank’s Red Hot (more or less based on taste)
1 cup Ranch salad dressing

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. In a deep sauté pan add in hot sauce on medium heat. Add in the cream cheese and heat until melted. Add in Ranch and mix well. Fold in the cheese and let it melt slightly. Stir in the chicken to completely coat. Add the chicken mixture to an oven safe dish. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until bubbly and completely warmed through. Serve with celery, crackers or your choice of chips.

Note: You can make ahead and bake when needed. Just add about 10-15 minutes to cooking time when the dip is refrigerator cold. You can use any kind of chicken you’d like. If you’d prefer you can add all these ingredients to a crockpot and cook on low 2-3 hours. This is great for a party if you want to keep the dip warm.

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Smothered Mushroom Pork Chops

These smothered pork chops are a delicious and quick week night dinner. I enjoy pork dishes but sometimes I need to spice it up a bite. This dish does it. I put together one night and luckily I took pictures along the way because it came out delicious. Give it a try! Yum!

Smothered Mushrooms Pork Chops

Ingredients:

6 boneless pork chops, (about 1/2 inch thickness)
2 T olive oil
16 oz sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups of half and half (or heavy cream)
3 T whipped cream cheese
2 T Worcestershire
1/4 cup Romano cheese, finely grated
2 t rosemary
salt (more for seasoning pork)
pepper (more for seasoning pork)
chives, optional

Directions: Heat a large sauté pan on high heat. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper generously on both sides. Add in 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan and let heat 1-2 minutes. Next sear pork chops on both sides till you get a golden color. About 2-3 minutes per sides. Cook in batches if needed. Once pork chops are browned, remove from the pan and set aside.

Next add in the last of the olive oil. Let heat. Then add in the mushrooms, garlic and onion and let cook until tender. Cook the mushrooms until most of liquid cooks out. Season with salt and pepper. Add in the Worcestershire.

Once veggies are tender, pour in cream and let simmer 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next add in the cream cheese and continuously stir till the cream cheese melts. Mix in the Romano cheese and season the sauce with rosemary and salt and pepper to taste.

Add the pork chops back to the pan and let simmer on low 5-6 minutes till the pork chops are cooked through and the sauce has thickened.

To serve add the pork chop and top with a generus amount of mushrooms sauce. Top with chopped chives if so desired.



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Creamy Sweet Potato Casserole

I love sweet potatoes. I try and make a recipe with sweet potatoes at leeast once a week, even if it’s just a simple baked one! They are healthy and good for you so good to have to your diet. This recipe isn’t so healthy and is a little more induldgent. This sweet potatoe casserole is nice and creamy smooth and toped with brown sugar, butter and pecans. YUM! This is a perfect holiday sidedish.

You can make this casserole with fresh or canned sweet potatoes. Whichever you’d like. Please take a look and drool a little!! 🙂

Creamy Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked sweet potatoes
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 stick butter, melted

Topping:
1/2 stick butter, cubed
1/4-1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup mini marshmallows

Directions: Add cooked sweet potatoes to a large bowl. Add in eggs, butter and sugar to the bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix until completely smooth and lump free. (Note: you can use a spoon if you don’t have a hand mixer, it just may not be super smooth, and that’s ok.)

Next add the sweet potatoes to a oven safe baking dish. Top evenly with brown sugar and chopped pecans. Add the butter cubes over the top of the brown sugar. Bake in oven at 375° for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and brown. Lastly remove from oven and add the mini marshmallows on top and bake for another 8-10 minutes until they are soft but not melted. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Note: This can be made ahead of time and popped in the oven the day of. Just note you may need longer cook time since mixture will be refrigerator cold. You can also use canned sweet potatoes if you prefer, I’d just rinse them as they may add extra sweetness. Or instead you can just reduce the sugar in the potatoes.




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Italian Sausage Stuffing

One of my favorite things to make around the holidays is stuffing. I don’t always stay home, so when I don’t I still make this around the Thanksgiving. It’s the stuffing I’ve grown up and I have to always make it! Super simple. When I usually make it I don’t make a turkey to stuff it in. However, I will explain to you in this recipe how to enjoy it either way. I prefer stuffing to have some texture to it and not be super soggy. Just how I like it.

Italian Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients:
1 lb ground Italian Sausage
1 loaf of white bread, cut into small cubes and toasted
1 stick butter, melted
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 celery stalks, diced
1 large onion, diced
1-2 cup turkey or chicken broth
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Direction: Heat a medium sauté pan on medium high heat. Add in the Italian sausage and cook until browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Once cooked remove sausage from pan and drain on paper towel and set aside. Leave some fat in the pan to cook the veggies but drain the rest. Add in the garlic and onion and cook 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Next add in the chopped celery, sauté until slightly tender. Add in butter and let melt completely. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the sausage back to the pan and mix completely.

Add toasted bread cubes into a large baking pan or dish. (I use a disposable half try aluminum pan.) Mix the sauage mixture with the bread fully coating it.

If you are going to stuff some into a turkey, take half of the stuffing (or whatever fits) and add into the turkey cavity. Once you remove the turkey from the oven remove the stuffing and mix well with the remaining stuffing.

If you aren’t stuffing into a cavity, drizzle the stuffing with turkey or chicken broth. Add as much liquid as you like. This depends on if you like your stuffing on the wetter side or dryer side.

Add the stuffing to a 350° oven and bake until warmed through. About 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy.

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Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup

There is nothing more comforting than a nice bowl of soup. This chicken enchilada soup is full of flavor and is relativity healthy. I actually use no butter at all. Cheese just goes on top and it’s full of some delicious veggies.

Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup

Ingredients:

Chicken:
1.5 -2 lbs chicken breast
1 cup jarred salsa (red any spice level)
1/4 cup water
1/2 packet low sodium taco seasoning

Soup:
15 oz can black beans, no salt (drained and rinsed)
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 10 oz can mild red enchilada sauce
1/2 packet low sodium taco seasoning
2 T tomato paste
10 oz can Rotel with green chilies, no salt added
1 cup frozen corn
1 medium onion, diced
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Toppings:
avocado
sour cream
cheese
cilantro
onions
jalapeños
tortilla strips or chips

Directions: Add chicken to crockpot. Sprinkle with half the taco seasoning. Top the chicken with the 1 cup of salsa. Add in 1/4 cup of water and cook on low 3-4 hours or until the chicken is tender enough to shred. Once chicken is done remove and shredded using 2 forks.

Next Add the chicken back to the crockpot and add in the rotel, corn, black beans and onion and mix well. Next add in the chicken broth, the rest of the taco seasoning and cilantro. Then next mix in the tomato paste and let cook for 2 hours. After 2 hours add in the red enchilada cause and let cook another hour.

To serve add to soup bowl and top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Note: I cook for longer to build the flavors and give it a stronger taste. You don’t need to do that. Once the chicken is cooked you can really just add the rest of the ingredients and cook for like another hour or 2. This soup is healthy and great to freeze! I you have cooked chicken, just add that with all the ingredients to crockpot and let cook.

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Sweet Cinnamon Whiskey Apples

I had some apples starting to get close to their expiration and didn’t want to waste them. That’s where this recipe came from. Cooking these up in the kitchen literally made the whole entire house smell like apple cinnamon. Even a few days later I could still smell it. I’m going to share the recipe for the apples first, but there are SO many things you can do with these apples. You can add them to a pie crust, you can eat them over ice cream or simply eat them with a spoon. However you choose to enjoy these you can be sure you’ll want to make over and over again.

Sweet Cinnamon Whiskey Apples

Ingredients:
2 cup apples, peeled and diced
3/4 cup lite brown sugar
2 t cinnamon
1/2 stick butter
1 t xanthan gum (or 2 t white flour)
3 T cinnamon Whiskey, optional

Directions: Heat a medium sauté pan on medium high heat. Add in the butter and once almost melted add in the apples. Sauté about 5-6 minutes until start to become slightly tender. Add in the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Next slowly pour in the cinnamon whiskey and mix together well. Let cook until a few minutes until it starts to bubble.

Add in the xanthan gum and cook about 3-4 minutes mixing often. The apple mixture will become thicker. The apples should look like they are in thicker sauce not in liquid. Once cooked use as so desired. Or let cool completely before storing in the refrigerator. Note: If you are storing these for later, make sure you heat the apples completely before use, that will thin out the sauce as it will thicken once cold.


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