Buffalo Chicken Dip

We had a family cookout this evening, and I was in charge of the appetizer. Instead of making our usual dips, I decided to branch out a little. And I'm so glad I did!

This recipe comes from http://www.allrecipes.com/. I made a few adjustments of my own.

This makes a lot of dip, so it's perfect for a game day appetizer! And much cleaner than wings :)

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup Ranch dressing

3/4 cup pepper sauce, such as Franks® Red Hot®

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces

1 (8 ounce) box chicken-flavored crackers

Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.

My Changes:

• Used a rotisserie chicken instead of canned chicken
• Used 1/2 c. Ranch and 1/2 c. Blue Cheese dressing (instead of 1 c. Ranch)
• Did not use all the shredded cheese it calls for. It really doesn't need any at all.
• Used the entire bottle of wing sauce
• I couldn't find chicken flavored crackers (thank goodness, they don't sound appetizing!) We had just plain Club crackers and celery. Celery is a must with this dip!
• I did not use my crock pot for this. I move the dip from the skillet to a baking dish and baked on 350 for 25 minutes.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

I am not a big fan of sweet and sour chicken, however it's Hubby's favorite. I thought I'd give this recipe and whirl and see what I thought. It actually is very good. It doesn't have the typical bright red sauce and it's not as pungent as most. I was going to take a picture of the plate all pretty, but then by the time I got the food to the table we ate and I forgot! UGH!

I love it because it allows me to use my electric wok which is one of my favorite kitchen appliances!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 Tbsp + 2 tsp soy sauce, divided

1 Tbsp sherry or chicken broth

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes

1 can (20 oz) unsweetened pineapple chunks

2 Tbsp + 1/3 cup cornstarch, divided

2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup ketchup

1 Tbsp canola oil

2 cups hot cooked rice

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 1 Tbsp soy sauce, sherry or broth, salt, garlic powder and ginger; add the chicken. Seal bag and coat chicken; refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Drain pineapple, reserving juice; set pineapple aside. Add enough water to the juice to equal one cup. In a bowl, combine 2 Tbsp cornstarch, sugar, and pineapple juice mixture until smooth; stir in the vinegar, ketchup, and remaining soy sauce. Set aside.

Drain the chicken and discard marinade. Place remaining cornstarch in bag. Add chicken and shake to coat. In a large skillet or wok, heat oil until hot; stir fry chicken until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.

Stir pineapple juice and add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thick. Add chicken and pineapple chunks. Heat through. Serve with rice.