Buffalo Chicken Dip

It's Friday and we are "working for the weekend" around here! What are your plans? If there are males in your household, I'm betting it will be to watch some football. This buffalo chicken dip is a great dish to feed your hungry guys.. Serve it with some Frito or Tostito brands scoops and watch your fans "huddle up" and give you a rousing cheer for being the best!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 lbs chicken, cooked and shredded ( I use chicken breasts)

12 oz. hot sauce (this is way too much for my taste. Start adding small amounts until you get the amount of heat you and your family like)

2 (8oz) cream cheese

16 oz bottle Ranch salad dressing

8 oz bag of shredded sharp cheese

Melt together cream cheese and ranch dressing in saucepan on stove. Remove from heat and stir in hot sauce to taste and shredded chicken. Transfer to 9 x13 casserole and evenly sprinkle with shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

*Nan's notes: this makes a large amount, therefore, the recipe can be easily halved for a smaller number of "eaters."

Happy cooking!

Nan

Mistake Turned Great

Good morning everybody! I am so excited to be sharing a food blog with my daughter, Marie. From the time she mentioned it, my mind has been whirling with all I would like to share with you about our love for food. And eating it is not the only good part.  Do you ever consider how much of our lives center around food? The times spent around the table sharing with family and friends make for wonderful memories.  Food expresses sympathy and comfort in times of grief and illness. It provides nourishment our bodies need for growth and strength. It is the centerpiece of celebrations and the stuff of childhood memories.

Whether I share a recipe you will want to try or one you wouldn't come close to wanting to cook, it will likely be tied to a personal memory or special person who means lot to me. Whatever comes out of this blog, I hope you enjoy it and have fun cooking!

This is going to be a fun week for me because my sister, Marcelle, is visiting. We are also soul sisters where food is concerned. When we are together, we are sharing recipes, reading each others newest cookbooks, and trying new dishes. I'll be telling you alot more about her as time goes on. Well, I was, of course, planning what we would eat last night for dinner. I wanted to do a light meal because I had cooked and served a large lunch to the family. Marie provided her special chicken salad. (She will share that with you later) I made deviled eggs and wanted to do a dip with fresh fruit. While reading Madigan Made I came across her Orange Creamsicle Summer Fruit Dip and thought that sounded great. Well, when I went to make it, I misread the ingredients and didn't realize it until it was too late. But it turned out to be a delicious mistake! I plan  to make her version another time but here is my blundered attempt. Yes, I CAN mess up a recipe with only 3 ingredients!

Fluffy Lemon Fruit Dip

1- 8oz. Whipped topping, thawed

1- 14oz. sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lemon juice

Fold whipped topping into milk until smooth. Add lemon juice, mixing well. Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve with variety of fresh fruit, thin, crisp cookies, pound cake, and angel food cake cubes.

*Tip:  Omitting lemon juice creates a thinner dip that is too sweet. Lemon juice thickens and sets the dip.

Enjoy!
Nan