Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip

What a weekend of get-togethers! My handsome nephew just arrived home Friday night from the New York, New York Spanish-speaking mission and his "homecoming" was today only to be followed by a surprise birthday party for my brother Bill and our soon-to-be family member, Derek (he and my cute niece Chelsea are to be married in May). I've been waiting to try this recipe and thought this weekend would be the perfect time. The warm, bubbly dip was slightly spicy, filling and seemed to be the perfect tasty accompaniment to several foods.

Serve with crackers, crusty bread rounds and celery sticks

2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
3/4 cup hot pepper sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot)
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing or Bleu Cheese dressing
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

In a medium skillet, heat chicken and hot pepper sauce over medium heat. Add cream cheese and stir until smooth. Stir in dressing and 3/4 cup shredded cheese. Cook until mixture is heated through. Transfer to a crock pot or baking dish and top with remaining shredded cheese. For crock pot, cook on low until hot and bubbly (about 1 hour). For oven, bake on 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve warm.

Cowboy Wontons with Spicy Ranch Dipping Sauce

I had something similar to these at a restaurant a while ago and have been wanting to recreate them ever since. They come together quickly and the flavor combination is perfect. Serve them as an appetizer or like we did, with corn-on-the-cob and a green salad for dinner.

Wontons:

3 cups cooked, shredded chicken in barbecue sauce

12 uncooked egg roll wrappers

canola oil

Spicy Ranch Dipping Sauce:

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups mayonnaise

Juice from one lime

3 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp Worcester sauce

1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper

1 tsp paprika

For wontons, spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of chicken mixture in center of uncooked egg roll wrapper. Moisten each corner with a small amount of water. Bring two opposite corners together and pinch to fasten. Bring remaining two opposites corners together and repeat, forming large wonton shapes. Keep prepared, uncooked wontons covered to avoid them drying out.

Using a deep skillet, heat a generous amount of canola oil to 300 degrees OR over medium-high heat until a few drops of water bubble in the oil. Carefully place 3 wontons at a time in heated oil and cook, turning periodically for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown and egg roll wrappers are bubbly. Using tongs, remove from oil and allow to cool slightly on paper towels.

For dipping sauce, whisk together all ingredients and place in refrigerator approximately 1 hour before serving. This will allow the flavors to combine and the sauce to thicken slightly. Serve cooked wontons with generous amounts of dipping sauce.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Here's a versatile dip that is perfect with fresh vegetables or as pictured here with pita chips. You could also serve it with toasted baguette slices, crackers or chips. It's full of flavor and something different than your standard ranch dip.

1 16 oz jar roasted red (bell) peppers, drained

2 small cloves garlic

1 cup sour cream (lite or nonfat is a great substitution)

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 Tbsp dried basil leaves

1 1/2 tsp anchovy paste*

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Assemble all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Serve immediately or store tightly sealed in refrigerator. Makes approximately 2 1/2 cups.

*Anchovy paste is must here. I know, I know you're thinking that's gross but truly chefs use this in all kinds of recipe for a depth of flavor (like Caesar dressing). It's inexpensive and can be found at most grocery stores.

Avocado Salsa

As I sat steadfast eating my chips and salsa at a local Mexican restaurant I tried to determine exactly why I love eating them so much...especially at restaurants. I absolutely would not be ashamed to fill up on the pair and skip my entree entirely. Better yet, dine on chips and salsa and finish the meal off with some fried ice cream! I think I finally zeroed in on why I find the chip-salsa combo so appealing...the chips are generally served warm. Mmmm. Nothing more satisfying than warm, crispy, thin tortilla chips. So last time I was enjoying chips and salsa at home, I warmed the chips up in the microwave for about 20 seconds and I found myself thinking for a moment I was in a low-lit/over-abundance of red decor/sombrero hanging on the wall kind of place. It worked! So next time you have your favorite salsa out and are ready to dig in with those chips - try heating them in the microwave first (or maybe you already do and I'm the last person to know about this trick). Here's a great salsa that is a variation on the tomato theme: Avocado Salsa

4 plum or Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 large avocados (preferably HASS variety), peeled and chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/4 cup lime juice
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and serve.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

This dish is perfect the the warmer weather we've been having. You could serve it as an appetizer or make it a main course. If you are serving a large crowd, make several batches and keep it warm in a crock pot. The original recipe calls for Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves but I just use the good old iceberg lettuce and it turns out nicely. If you do use iceberg variety, tear off the first few layers as they are generally thin and would not hold up to becoming a "wrap". Also, lettuce wraps are a little messy (as any tongue tingling dish is) so make sure to have plenty of napkins ready.

If you love PF Chang's soothing lettuce wraps, these are a close copy-cat. The only thing I don't bother with are the fried rice noodles. If you want to add those to the dish to make them more "authentic", go here for the easy how-to.

I've also made this dish with a variety of vegetables. Chopped mushrooms, chopped bell peppers and matchstick carrots would work great in this recipe.

16 Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves, washed and dried
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 Tbsp hoisin sauce (found in the Asian food section)
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil (preferably dark sesame oil)
2 tsp chili garlic sauce (or less depending on heat preference)**
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, minced fine
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 (8 oz) can whole water chestnuts, diced
1 bunch green onions, chopped


In a small bowl, whisk together crushed garlic, soy sauce, ground ginger, hoisin sauce, cider vinegar, sesame oil and chili garlic sauce. Set aside. In a large skillet, heat cooking oil over medium-high heat until hot. Stir fry minced chicken until no longer pink. Pour over soy sauce mixture; stir. Add water chestnuts and green onions; cook until mixture is heated through. Serve in lettuce leaves.

*You can substitute the minced chicken breast for ground chicken if you don't want to bother with the prep work OR this recipe also works nicely with ground beef, pork or even ground turkey.

**Chili Garlic Sauce is an Asian staple and condiment. You can find it in most supermarkets in the Asian food aisle. Here is a picture of the brand I use.