Today’s recipe comes from overhearing a conversation at work between a few coworkers. After hearing the words buffalo chicken ring I had to find out the details of the conversation and obtain a recipe. What came next was something I found very exciting. I am happy to report my listening skills paid off with this little dish. Quick, easy and very tasty – this treat will make you popular at the next party you host or attend.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 packet ranch powder mix
• Diced celery to taste
• Buffalo wing sauce to taste
• Diced chicken (cooked)
• 2 packages crescent rolls
• Iceberg lettuce
• Ranch dressing for dipping (optional)

Directions:

If you do not go with pre-cooked chicken, cook chicken and dice into small cubes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

On a cooking sheet, spread the unrolled crescent rolls out leaving a circle in the middle about the size of a large jar.

Mix chicken and buffalo sauce to taste and add in celery

In separate bowl, mix cream cheese and 1/2 ranch packet together. Microwaving cream cheese for about 30 seconds makes mixing easier.

Mix all ingredients together.

Place spoonfuls of mixture on crescent rolls and fold rolls over to form ring (oval) and cook for about 15 minutes at 375 degrees or until crescent rolls are cooked.

Serve with iceberg lettuce and ranch dipping sauce.

Whenever I see a company pushing recipes that incorporate their particular ingredients, I’m always curious how they will work out. Are the recipes actually any good or are they just an excuse for the product maker to sell more goods.

Campbell’s® has really taken this idea to another level by setting up an entire web site full of recipes using their products. Enter the Campbell’s Kitchen and you are presented with countless options. For this test, I decided to give a recipe a try that sounded like it could be trouble. Find out if my suspicions were right or if I was just being too skeptical of good ol’ Campbell’s.

Ingredients:

•    1 pound ground beef
•    1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Tomato Soup  (Regular or Healthy Request®)
•    1/2 cup salsa
•    1/2 cup water
•    6 flour tortillas (6-inch), cut into 1-inch pieces
•    1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring often to separate meat.  Pour off any fat.

Stir the soup, salsa, water and tortillas in the skillet and heat to a boil.   Reduce the heat to low.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Stir the beef mixture.  Top with the cheese.

Creamy Mexican Fiesta: Stir in 1/2 cup sour cream with the soup.

Ranchero Style: Use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas and shredded Mexican cheese blend instead of Cheddar.

I’m just going to say it upfront, this is my favorite episode so far. I have made tacos countless times but never have they been as fresh, flavorful and delicious as what I created for this episode. The biggest factor playing into the flavor is without a doubt the fresh tortillas given to me by Nicole Misencik (@NicoleWTHR). As a fellow food lover (and great local meteorologist), Nicole was nice enough to bring back some fresh tortillas from her favorite Mexican restaurant in Phoenix. A huge thanks goes out to her for making this recipe possible.

I even get so excited at the end that I fail to recognize the difference between a lemon and a lime.

Ingredients:

• Package of eye of round or skirt steak
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lime sliced in half
• fresh cilantro sliced
• 1/2 onion

For salsa:

• 8-12 chili peppers
• 1/4 onion (I added some additional fresh onion after blending)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tomato
• 2 jalapeno peppers

Directions:

Over medium-high to high heat, cook steak seasoned with salt and pepper until a nice char forms on both sides. Once cooked, cut into thin strips.

Boil a pot of water and add in the vegetables for the salsa. Cook until they become soft.

Add your salsa ingredients into a food processor and blend until you reach desired texture. I added in some additional fresh onion and cilantro for added taste.

Warm your fresh tortillas in a pan over medium to medium-high heat just enough to get both sides nice and warm. Place on a plate and cover with a clean cotton towel to keep warm. Once all tortillas are ready, build your tacos by topping with salsa and fresh onion, cilantro and a squirt of lime.

Between a full week out of town and what I now refer to as the Great Cold of 2010, my cooking was on hold for much of January. Thankfully, the fun can return and with it comes another casserole bake. This time around the recipe comes from a book given to me by my good friend Greg Sorvig (@gsorvig) – 365 Easy One-Dish Recipes. While I was tempted by the Sassy Sandwiches section, I settled on the Spaghetti Bake, etc.

I would also like to mention this weeks episode is sponsored by rickyleepotts of http://blog.rickyleepotts.com/ (@rickyleepotts) Be sure to check that out – my favorite section is food and beverage.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz package spaghetti
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 green pepper, finely chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 10 oz can tomato bisque soup
• 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 8 oz can whole corn, drained
• 4 oz can black sliced olives
• 12 oz package shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 sliced jalapeno peppers

Directions:

Cook spaghetti according to package directions, drain and set aside. Cook beef, bell pepper and onion in skillet and drain.

Add remaining ingredients plus 1/3 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and spaghetti to beef mixture and stir well. Pour into sprayed 9 x 13 baking dish and cover.

Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours (I’m really not sure about this step. I did it but I can’t help but feel it is not necessary.)

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Serves 8.

As my final taping for 2009 I decided to make a dish to bring over to my friend’s house to celebrate bringing in the new year. Looking through some of my viewer submitted recipes, I found one that I knew would fit the bill perfectly – Mexican lasagna. The preparation is easy and reheating is simple. Even better, the taste is amazing!

Ingredients:

• 16 oz lean ground beef/turkey
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 diced jalapeno pepper
• 2 cups canned and diced tomatoes, drailed
• 1 envelope taco seasoning
• 2 cups small curd cottage cheese
• 2 eggs
• 6oz cheddar cheese
• 1 cup chopped fresh tomato
• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• 3 flour tortillas (6-inch)
• 3 corn tortillas

Directions:

Brown meat with onion, green pepper and jalapeno. Mix chopped canned tomatoes and taco seasoning then simmer uncovered for 5 minutes

Combine cottage cheese, 4oz cheddar cheese and eggs in bowl.

Spray an 8×11 pan with cooking spray and place 3 tortillas across the bottom. Spoon meat mixture on top then place 3 more tortillas on top.

Cover with cheese mixture and bake covered with foil for 40 minutes and 350 degrees. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top and bake uncovered for 5 minutes.

Garnish with fresh tomatoes and lettuce.

It’s a cold, snowy football Sunday and I decided it was time to fix up some snacks. After receiving a recipe from a twitter follower for some jalapeno poppers, I jumped in the car and picked up the goods. While I was out, I figured I could use some Chex Mix as well.

Intrigued by the new microwave method of preparation, I simply had to give one of the new Chex Mix recipes a try. In this case, I settled on the cheesy ranch variety. Does the microwave method hold up to the traditional oven bake method? Only one thing would give me the answer for sure. A Chex Mix experiment.

Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients:

• 4 washed jalapeno peppers
• Cream cheese
• Bacon

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Halve jalapenos and remove seeds. Remove all seeds for mild, leave some seeds in for more heat.

Fill jalapeno halves with cream cheese.

Cut bacon in half

Wrap cheese-filled peppers with bacon.

Place poppers on a baking sheet or in a baking pan with foil liner for easy cleanup.

Bake at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and well done.

Remove poppers from baking dish and allow to drain and cool on a paper towel.

Cheesy Ranch Chex Mix

Ingredients:

• 9 cups Chex cereal (your choice)
• 2 cups bite-size pretzels
• 2 cups bite-size cheese crackers
• 3 tablespoons margarine
• 1 package ranch mix
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

Directions:

In large microwavable bowl, mix cereal, pretzels and crackers. In small microwavable bowl, melt butter and pour over cereal mixture. Stir until evenly coated.

Stir in ranch mix and cheese until evenly coated.

Microwave uncovered on high for 3 minutes, stirring after each minute. Spread on foil to cool.

As my last recipe before the Christmas holiday, loaded potato skins are in the house. Perfect for a holiday party due to the easily scalable recipe, your guests are sure to enjoy this treat.

I cut the recipe in half since I was the only one eating these bad boys. Keep that in mind as the way the recipe is written will only make four potato halves.

Ingredients

• 2 large potatoes, washed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Extra shredded cheddar for toping
• 2 slices of bacon, crumbled
• 1/2 pound sour cream
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce cleaned potatoes with a knife and bake for about 45 minutes or until tender. You may also prepare in microwave. Allow to cool before handling.

Once potatoes are done, place bacon on baking sheet and bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crispy.

Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees once bacon is done.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop potato filling into a mixing bowl.

Mash up potatoes to personal liking and add in green onions, cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper. Mix together.

Drizzle inside of potato skins with olive oil and fill with mix being careful not to over fill.

Sprinkle top with cheese and bacon.

Bake in over at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Day two of holiday cookies is here and so is the recipe for Oreo Fudge Bars. Equally simple in their preparation and full of chocolaty goodness, you can’t go wrong with this creation when in need of a quick sweet dish.

If you didn’t see yesterday’s episode showing how to prepare a family classic be sure to check it out. Episode 20 – Papa Vern Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 16 ounce package of Oreo cookies
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (I used Fat Free)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional, I didn’t use)
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (could use another 1/2 cup semi-sweet chips if you like)
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325.

Line a 9×13 pan with foil and lightly spray with PAM.

Set aside 6 Oreo cookies for the toppings.

In a small food processor grind the rest of the cookies. If you don’t have a food processor, just pound with a rolling pin until the cookies are fine crumbs. Add the salt to the crumbs and stir to combine.

Melt butter and gently stir together with the cookie crumb mixture.

Press firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Coarsely chop the remaining cookies into chunks and set aside.

Over a double boiler or in the microwave, melt 3/4 cup semi-sweet and 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips together with the condensed milk and vanilla.

Stir frequently until smooth.

Spread evenly over the prepared cookie crust.

Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips and the Oreo cookies chunks over the top of the filling.

Press down gently into the chocolate topping.

Bake for 20-25 minutes in the oven.

Allow cooling on counter for 1 hour. Chill in fridge until completely cold and set before cutting into bars or it will make a big mess.

It’s that time of the year once again. You know, that time when everyone is inviting you to some kind of holiday get-together. Today I was hit with the timeless classic – the neighborhood holiday block party. Considering one neighbor thought I was married for the last two years and then worried I got a divorce and another apparently thinks my name is Ryan, I decided it was time to get to know them a little better.

That being said, you can’t show up empty handed to a gathering. Sure, I could bring a bottle of wine and take the easy way out but where is the fun in that? Instead, it’s time to turn to two timeless cookie recipes. The first is known in my family as Papa Vern Cookies. The recipe has many variations and names but that is what we learned to call them over the years after learning about the recipe from a family member – Vern himself.

The second recipe was a fan submission. Erin was nice enough to send me her recipe of choice for Oreo Fudge Bars. Sounding equally as convenient as Papa Vern Cookies I thought I would give that one a whirl as well. Why not set a good example with the neighbors by bringing two varieties of sweet delights? I know I would be pleased.

I will be splitting the recipes up over the next two days. First up, Papa Vern Cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 6 cups Rice Krispies
• 1 cup butter scotch chips
• 1 cup semi-sweet chips

Directions

Mix sugar and corn syrup in large saucepan.

Stir with wooden spoon until bubbles start to form on surface. At that point immediately remove from heat and add in peanut butter.

Pour Rice Krispies in and mix before mixture starts to harden.

Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan and spread out evenly.

While mixture in pan cools, take both types of chips and melt together over double boiler until fully melted. Be sure to stir regularly.

Pour over top of Rice Krispies with spatula. Wait for everything to harden. You can place in fridge to speed up the hardening process.

And now, a submission from a good friend. Itz Santa!

Looking in my fridge at yet more turkey, I decided I had to come up with some other way to use the leftovers besides another sandwich. After checking around a bit online I decided on a turkey pot pie. The recipe takes a bit to pull together but it is not difficult at all. The end result was well worth the effort.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cups shredded turkey
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 prepared pie crust
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preparation:

Melt butter in saucepan and cook chopped onion until tender. Stir in celery and carrots and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken or turkey stock and bring to a simmer. Add potatoes and simmer until tender. Stir in turkey, parsley, garlic powder oregano and peas.

Pour mixture into pie crust after letting cool for about 15 or 20 minutes. Top with pie crust and brush with egg. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees and for 20 minutes at 350 or until crust is golden brown.