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.

THE EASIEST Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies You'll Ever Make!

1 pkg yellow cake mix (I prefer Betty Crocker)
1 small can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup water
2 cups chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together; stir until well combined. Drop by generous spoonfuls on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes (depending on size).

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.

Blueberry-Banana Bread

When I was a kid I hated blueberries, or at least I thought I did. The only blueberry I had ever tried was in the form of blueberry pie as in that thick, overly sweet "goo" (as I refer to it as). Bleh! Then one day I happened upon a plain old berry, pure and unadulterated, the result...yum! Blueberry season is here and the fresh ones are found on sale everywhere. Pick some up and bake this tasty, hearty bread. Just be sure to save a few for popping in your mouth. And remember, no goo.

3 medium to large ripe bananas

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

2 eggs, well beaten

1/4 cup milk

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and stems removed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of two 9x5-inch loaf pans.

Mash bananas and set aside. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter together. Stir in eggs, mashed bananas and milk. Blend in flour, baking soda and salt. Fold in blueberries.

Place in prepared loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 275 degrees and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

You know the song, We Need A Little Christmas? That's how I feel about spring. Although this winter has been fairly lackluster when it comes to snow, these slightly longer and warmer days have been a welcome visitor. Enter Lemon Meringue Cupcakes. So light, fresh and just the right amount of tart...perfect for spring.

I found these in Martha Stewart's cupcake book but then I came up with my own concoction because one does not need to make lemon curd from scratch if they don't have to and my recipe using a cake mix is simply scrumptious and much easier to assemble. I also found this no-cook version of seven minute frosting. It's a breeze to make compared to the traditional version and just as tasty. For added texture, use a blow torch to brown your meringue or seven minute frosting once it is on your finished cupcake. However, if you don't have a blow torch or kitchen torch, it is not necessary.

For best results, make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.

Cupcakes:

1 box lemon cake mix

1 1/3 cups buttermilk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp grated lemon peel

3 eggs

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with cupcake papers. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together and stir until well combined. Do not overstir; some lumps will remain.

Fill cupcake papers 2/3 full and bake 14-16 minutes.

Remove cupcakes after cooling 10 minutes in pan. Allow to cool completely.

Lemon Filling:

1 10 oz bottle lemon curd

Stir lemon curd in bottle making it easier to spread. Top each cupcake with 1 heaping teaspoon of lemon curd. Smooth out on surface of individual cakes.

Meringue Topping:

No-Cook Seven Minute Frosting

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

3 egg whites

1/4 cup boiling water

Combine sugar, vanilla, cream of tartar and egg whites in a bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or use a hand mixer). Stir ingredients until just combined. While mixer is going, slowly add boiling water and beat 5-7 minutes until stiff peaks form and meringue is glossy. Place a generous dollop on top of each cupcake. Brown lightly with a kitchen torch or blow torch. Serve immediately. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Oatmeal Sugar Cookies

Would it be Valentine's without a heart-shaped sugar cookie? For a spin on the traditional, try these cookies. They're packed with oatmeal and make just a little bit more of a hearty cookie...hearty, just like how I like my sweetheart!

The bonus is they come together quickly, especially for sugar cookies. They do not require chilling before rolling out. If you do use margarine however, you will want to chill the dough at least 1 hour before rolling and cutting out.

5 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups butter at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

4 Tbsp milk

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups rolled oats

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cream butter and sugar together until well blended. Stir in milk, eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined. Stir in flour mixture and oats.

On a floured surface, roll the dough to 1/8"-1/4" thickness. Cut into heart shapes and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire racks. Decorate as desired.

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.

Sweetheart Buttons

Ah, February is here. The month of love. Not just for lovers but a perfect time to show everyone you care about just how much you love them. And what better way than with cookies? These little buttery, melt-in-your-mouth sweets will make you weak in the knees. They are called buttons because they're no bigger than a cute, large button and are filled with a sweet buttercream icing.

For best results, chill the dough about 1 hour before baking. A single batch will make approximately 36-42 small sandwich cookies.

Cookie:

1 cup butter (no substitutes) at room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch salt

Buttercream Icing:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup shortening

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tbsp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Dash salt

1/8 cup light corn syrup (such as Karo syrup)

1. For cookies, blend butter and powdered sugar together until fluffy. Add flour, vanilla and salt and mix until ingredients just come together. The dough should not be crumbly, but not overmixed. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

2. Roll dough into 1/2 tsp balls and place on ungreased baking sheet 2-inches apart. With the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in granulated sugar, flatten each ball slightly. Prick each flattened cookie with a fork 3-4 times. The prick marks will resemble a "button".

3. Bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until edges are just barely browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 4 minutes before placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.

4. For icing, whisk together butter and shortening. In two parts, mix in powdered sugar and milk, whisk until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla and salt. Add corn syrup and whisk for several minutes until icing is very fluffy. Tint with pink food coloring if desired.

5. To assemble sandwich cookies, take two baked cookies and press together with a small dollop of icing.

You will likely have excess icing, but don't worry, this icing is very versatile and can be used on cupcakes and all kinds of cookies...or just put some between graham crackers for a pink, sweet treat!