Chicken Crack

I admit it. I'm a crack addict. A chicken crack addict! I love this buffalo chicken dip recipe so much that I affectionately call it "chicken crack". This recipe is courtesy of a dear friend who knows I can't get enough of this stuff, especially at a party.

Buffalo Chicken Dip (aka "Chicken Crack")

Boil and shred 2-4 boneless chicken breasts (depending on their size)
Place shredded chicken in a 13x9 baking dish
Pour a bottle of Frank's hot sauce over chicken and completely cover

Combine (2) 8 ounce packages of cream cheese and a 16 ounce bottle of ranch dressing or blue cheese or a mixture of both in a sauce pan. Stir constantly over medium heat. After heated pour mixture over chicken.Bake uncovered @ 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle 8 ounces of cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese over chicken and bake another 10 minutes until cheese is melted.Serve with scoop tortilla chips.

Tell me what you think! Tell me I'm not alone in my addiction.

Chix Teriyaki

This picture makes our dinner look rather spartan but tonight's meal was full of flavor! The menu consisted of chicken teriyaki, steamed cauliflower, brown rice with mushrooms and boiled edamame.

I marinated the chicken all day in a teriyaki and soy sauce concoction. When I got home, I chopped it into small pieces and pan fried it in sesame oil and lots of garlic until cooked. I cooked the rice in the rice cooker with chopped mushrooms. It turned out perfect. I steamed the fresh cauliflower in the microwave until soft. Unfortunately, I would call the texture closer to semi-soft. The veggies probably could have cooked for a few minutes longer. Finally, I boiled edamame in the shell according to the directions on the bag. I especially happy about the edamame since it's been tough to find on our local grocery store. I topped everything with a little soy sauce.

Johnnycakes was extra pleased with the meal, probably because he didn't have to lift a finger. He's been pitching in a lot in the kitchen lately so it was nice to serve him a meal he didn't have to prepare.

As I said in my last post, we're trying to get back on track with home cooking and being healthy. I'd say this meal fits those perimeters.

Cheese, Please

Johnnycakes and I have taken a little hiatus from the kitchen due to more pressing matters that demand our time and attention. We have made a few snacks here and there but we haven't had time to make anything elaborate or blog about it. Hopefully the next couple of weeks will be a bit more forgiving but I doubt it. We are going out of town this weekend for our 1 year wedding anniversary!

We made a fattening chicken dinner cooked in olive oil again. I don't know what that says about us. I don't know what was the best part, the cheesy potatoes or the sauteed mushrooms? We tried to be remotely healthy by serving some steamed broccoli on the side. Come to think of it, I think tonight's meal was all about comfort food. We have been sort of stressed out lately and I think it shows through the quick and fattening meal we prepared.

It was still economical and tasty but it could have been healthier. That's two out of three and it's better than nothing!

Something Simple

A busy schedule necessitated something simple for dinner. I have found that just because it's simple doesn't mean dinner has to lack in flavor.

I am a new convert to boneless chicken thighs! They pack twice as much flavor as a boring old chicken breast. Plus, they tend to be smaller which makes portion control much easier. I "rubbed" the chicken in Rudy's Rub. Has anyone ever heard of this? It was given to us by a friend who got it in San Antonio. The branding says it's the "worst" barbecue in Texas or something to that effect. We thought it was pretty damn good because of the natural blend of traditional barbecue seasonings. We also mixed in some honey to add some sweetness.

Tonight also marked a milestone for Butters! I "manned" the grilled solo. I have never actually used our grill alone before. In fact, I have had trouble even turning it on in the past. Johnnycakes had to run an errand so I was left to my own devices. I think I may have cooked the meat too quickly on too high of heat but overall everything turned out. The meat really held on to a lot of it's own juices and was very tender.

We rounded out the dinner w/ traditional southern mixed greens in butter and a mini baked potato topped with sour cream.

Despite it's simplicity, tonight's dinner was relatively healthy and had a lot of flavor. Johnnycakes raved about it when he got home and I enjoyed it myself. Sometimes it's best to keep things uncomplicated.

The Johnnycakes Special

Johnnycakes made me dinner tonight. I didn't even lift a finger. In fact, I don't really know that much about the preparation. All I know is that it was tasty! Johnnycake's dishes are always full of flavor because he is more creative in the kitchen than I am.

Johnnycakes took a much needed vacation day today so he had time to prepare dinner. In fact, he was almost ready to eat by the time I got home. I always exercise when I get home from work before I start dinner, so I'm usually feeling rushed. Not tonight! All I did was show up at the dinner table.

The menu? Grilled lemon (yes, we still have lemons) chicken with a hint of barbecue seasoning, green beans prepared with black pepper and rice vinegar, and delicious roasted olive oil potato wedges. Tonight's dinner was a grand slam! It wasn't fancy but it was full of taste and flavor. I don't know how he does it. I dipped the potatoes in ketchup and the chicken in some honey mustard dressing for a little extra punch.

We have plenty of leftovers too. I am looking forward to having those flavors again for lunch!

On a side note, I did help with the dishes since Johnnycakes worked so hard to fix dinner!

Asian Chicken Delight

Tonight's dinner was a Johnnycakes creation so I can't go into too much detail. He made this healthy and delicious dinner while I was at the gym. All I did was defrost the chicken and put the brown rice in the rice cooker and press the ON button.

Johnnycakes pounded three chicken breast until slightly flattened and softened. He then marinated the chicken breast in 1/4 cup soy , 1 TBSP. minced fresh ginger, 1 TBSP. garlic, 1 TBSP. peanut butter. 1 TBSP. sesame oil, and 2 TBSP. chopped scallions. 20 minutes on the grill and we had a delicious and moist chicken dinner. We grabbed the broccoli spears straight out of the freezer microwaved them for a few minutes and had perfectly tender yet crisp broccoli on the side.

Tonight's dinner was nothing fancy but it was tasty and full of Asian flavors thanks to a little extra soy sauce on the broccoli and brown rice.