Buffalo Blue Cheese Dip

I love making this dip for football game parties. It is a cheesy, slightly spicy dip that almost everyone will like. This dip could not get any easier. It's a great alternative for buffalo wings when you don't want to make or buy them. You can certainly prepare this dip uncooked a few hours ahead. Just store the dip in your refrigerator. Serves about 10-12
Ingredients:
2 Cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded. I just use the canned chicken
1/4-1/3 Cup cayenne pepper sauce. Like Frank's Redhot Sauce. Do not use Tabasco!
1 Cup Mayo, light or regular
1 Cup cheddar cheese shredded (about 4 oz). Sharp cheddar is the best
2 Tablespoons green onions, finely chopped (optional). I've also used regular onions and that works too.
1 teaspoon lemon juice, or distilled white vinegar
1/4 Cup crumbled blue cheese, or more if you like

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Toss chicken with cayenne pepper sauce. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except the blue cheese. Put the chicken mixture into a 1 1/2 quart shallow casserole dish, then sprinkle on top with the blue cheese.
2. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes (increase to about 5 minutes more if from the refrigerator), or until bubbling. Serve with celery sticks, cracker, chips, etc.

Recipe off of Hellman's Mayonnaise website

Channa Masala

I think Channa Masala is one of my favorite Indian dishes. This recipe is currently my favorite. The flavors are complex and very interesting. Every bite is a beautiful flavor combination of spiciness, hint of lemon, slightly sweet, and much more. I found this recipe on a cooking blog called Smitten Kitchen. The creator of the blog, Deb, adapted this recipe from Madhur Jaffrey recipe. Reading some of her viewers comments, they had a couple of good suggestions to enhance this dish which I've added to this recipe.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, minced
1-2 clove garlic, minced, depends on how much garlic you want.
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 fresh, hot green chili pepper, minced
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (I used a quarter of this because my cayenne is extremely hot)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tablespoon amchoor powder*
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 cups tomatoes, chopped small or 1 15-ounce can of whole tomatoes with their juices, chopped small
2/3 cup water
4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 plain tea bag such as Lipton
1/3 Cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon (juiced) (*; use a whole lemon to swap for the amchoor powder)
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper and sauté over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low and add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, cumin seeds, amchoor (if using it), paprika and garam masala. Cook onion mixture with spiced for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes and any accumulated juices, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the water and chickpeas. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir the cilantro, lemon juice, and salt. Place the tea bag in the middle of your skillet and cover it with some of the chickpea mixture. Let that sit for 5 minutes, covered, remove tea bag, and gently stir to combine the tea juices. Serve with rice or eat alone.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is my favorite peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie recipe. It is easy to make and simply delicious. The texture of these cookies are soft but on the dry side. I also prefer using dark chocolate instead of semisweet chocolate as a substitute. Enjoy this quick and delicious recipe!
Makes about 48 cookies.
Ingredients:
2 sticks (1 Cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 Cup granulated sugar
1 Cup (packed) brown sugar, preferably light but dark works too.
2 Large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 Cups of smooth peanut butter. Use half chunky and half smooth for an extra texture.
2 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Two 4-ounce bars semisweet chocolate chopped coarsely into chunks, or 2 Cups or semisweet chocolate chips.

1. Grease your baking sheets with nonstick spray. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cream the butter sugars until well combined. Add the eggs, vanilla, and peanut butter, and beat until combined.
2. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the peanut butter mixture. Mix until you don't see any streaks of flour. Stir in the chocolate.
3. Roll spoonfuls of dough into balls with your hands. Place the balls a few inches apart on the greased baking sheet. Use your palm to flatten the cookies.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Once done let cookies set on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Remove from baking sheets and let cool completely on wire rakes.

From The Year of the cookie by Rose Dunnington

Tortilla Pizza

I want to give a quick shout out for my Malaysian viewers. Thank you so much for your support and I would love to hear from you. It would be great if you could comment below about an easy recipe that I could post on this blog. A while back, my uncle suggested using flour tortillas instead of a yeast dough for pizzas. Now tortilla pizzas are a go to meal when I can't think of anything to make for dinner. The sauce is what makes this pizza so delicious. It isn't your typical bland pizza sauce. The flavors are fresh tasting and savory.
For sauce:
1 can (8 ounce) plain tomato sauce
1 can (6 ounce) tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon oregano or basil, you can use fresh, but double or even triple the amount. Don't forget to chop up the fresh herbs.
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder, don't use fresh.
Mix everything together until evenly blended. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Other Ingredients:
Flour tortillas, any size
Mozzarella cheese
Any other toppings. e.g. cut up olives, peppers, onions, etc. 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Smooth some of the pizza sauce onto the flour tortillas. Place your desired toppings onto the flour tortilla. Sprinkle on as much cheese as you want. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.
2. Cook pizzas in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let pizzas cool for a couple of minutes then slice and serve.

 

Vanilla Icebox Cutter Cookies

This is my favorite icebox cutter cookie recipe. These cookies may appear like they would be crunchy, but they are super tender. You get a hint of vanilla, a mellow buttery flavor, and a touch of sweetness. They are much better than store bought cookie dough. You can roll the cookie dough log in colored sugar, chopped toasted nuts, or sprinkles, to add more flavor and texture. You can refrigerate your dough for up to 3 days, or freeze for 1 month. Makes about 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/4 Cups (11 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon  table salt
1 Cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 Cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
 1/2 Cup (2 ounces) confectioner's sugar
2 large egg yolks. Save one or both of the egg whites, because my Pecan Rugelach recipe calls for 1 egg white.
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium sized bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3- 6 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds.
2. Transfer the dough to a clean counter space and divide into 2 equal pieces. Roll the dough into a 2-inch thick log and about 6-inches long. Roll in colored sugar or other stuff (optional), then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
3. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven  to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with nonstick parchment paper.
4. Working with one log of dough at a time, slice the dough into 1/4-inch thick cookies. I find it easier to cut the log in half. Then cut each half into fourths, then cutting each of the fourths into thirds. A little complicated, but you'll get it. Place the cookies 3/4-inch apart from each other on your baking sheet. Bake the cookies until edges begin to brown, 12-15 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. 
5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minuets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving. 

From The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

Pecan Rueglach

Rugelach is a scrumptious Jewish pastry. Rugelach can have many different fillings, but I love pecans. These cookies have a slight tang from the cream cheese, which is one of my favorite parts. The filling is nutty, sweet, sightly spicy, with a hint of vanilla. I'm sure you could omit the nuts and replace it with more sugar if you dislike nuts. These pastries are best eaten the same day. I will not post anything new until New Year's Day, which is a Wednesday. I'll still answer any questions though. Makes 24 pastries.
Ingredients:
2 sticks (1 Cup) unsalted butter, softened
8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened. You may use light, but not fat-free
2 Cups flour
1/2 Cup (packed) brown sugar, light or dark.
1/2 Cup pecans or walnuts
1/2-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. I actuality doubled it, because I personally thought more was needed.
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Egg wash. 1 egg white and 1 teaspoon water; whisk together. Set aside
Brown sugar or granulated white sugar

1. Cream butter and cream cheese together, until smooth. Add the flour. Mix until the dough comes together in a ball. Divide dough in half. Wrap each half into discs about 1/2-inch thick. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. While dough is chilling, put the brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and vanilla extract in a food processor. Process until the mixture is sandy.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease baking sheets with nonstick vegetable spray. Sprinkle flour on a rolling pin. working with one chilled disc at a time, roll the dough into a circle 1/8-1/4-inch thick. Cut the circle into 12 wedges, as if you were cutting a pizza.
4. Spread half of the nut mixture over the circle. Roll each wedge up, starting from the wide end. Place rugelach 1-inch apart on the baking sheet. Brush some egg wash on top of each cookie. Sprinkle the cookies with sugar. Do the same to the other disc.
5. Bake cookies for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Once cookies are done baking, cool on the sheet for 2 minutes. Remove the cookies, and let cool competently on wire racks.

From The Year of The Cookie--Rose Dunnington

Russian Tea Cakes

I should have started posting cookie recipes earlier for the holidays but, here goes. To hopefully make up for my lateness, I'm posting 2 cookie recipes for this week and 2 for my next post. Also, I'm posting on December 17, (Tuesday) because I'm traveling and will not have access to my computer that day.
Russian Tea Cakes have several different names, but all are tasty. These cookies are very rich
and buttery tasting. The pecans add a good nutty flavor, while the confectioner's sugar brings in a sweet, delicate flavor. The cookie crumbles as you eat it and melts in your mouth. Makes about 30 cookies.
Ingredients:
1 Cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 Cup sifted confectioner's sugar, plus more
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 Cup finely (but not chopped to a powder!) chopped pecans

1.  In a medium sized bowl stir together the flour, salt, and nuts; set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla until combined. Don't beat until light and fluffy. Beat the flour mixture on low into the butter mixture, until combined. Dough will be somewhat dry.Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours, or in the freeze for 30 to 45 minutes.
2.  Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Put some confectioner's sugar in a cereal bowl, and set aside. ( Later you may need more). Take pieces of chilled dough and roll them into 1" balls, using clean hands. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until set but not brown, 10-12 minutes. 
3. Once cookies are done let cool for about 5 minutes, remove 1 cookie at a time and roll it in the confectioner's sugar. Continue until all of the cookies are coated. Let them cool for an hour and roll them again in more powdered sugar. If you want, roll the cookies a third time in confectioner's sugar.