Buffalo Chicken Popovers

It's been a while since I posted so I'm trying to get caught up on the back log from last season.

These little gems were something I made for the playoff game tailgate in January. They were gone in 10 mins so I didn't get a good picture of them. Also the picture was taken with my cell phone so its not the best quality.

Ingredients:

1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breast
1 cup of chicken broth
3-4 tbsp of Frank's red hot wing sauce
Tastefully Simple Cheesy Chive Mix
Blue cheese dressing
2 packs of crescent rolls
1 pack of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a slow cooker cook chicken and broth for 5-6 hours on low or until you can shred the chicken easily with a fork. Take the chicken out and drain the broth.

For the tailgate I did this overnight and shredded it in the morning before heading out. Once the chicken is drained I added the wing sauce and cheesy chive mix. I did a little at a time until it was spicy but not too spicy. If you love hot sauce then add more. Just make sure its not dripping just coated.

Separate the crescent rolls and scoop a little in the middle. Add some shredded cheddar cheese on top of each bit of meat. Fold the crecsent over.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook in the oven for 10-15 mins or until the roll is golden brown the and insides are bubbly.


I used the Camp Chef Oven during the tailgate so I cooked them a little longer since it was propane and not gas/electric powered. Serve with a little blue cheese dressing on the side for dipping! Enjoy!

Roasted Parnesan Butternut Squash

The local farmer's markets have had an excess of squash lately.  I'd never had this type of squash before so I took a chance that I could find a recipe I liked that would be edible.  Again not a usual thing I'd experiment with but in the attempts to live healthier I gave it a shot.  This is goood!

The original recipe came from Oh She Glows site... here is the link.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp minced parsley
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (or use a couple dollips from the premade jars)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3 1/2 pounds of butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (this equates to one big squash)
• 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl combine the squash, salt, pepper, oil, parsley, and garlic.  Toss it so the squash is evenly coated.

In a ungreased shallow dish...bake uncovered for 50-55 minutes.  More if the squash is still not tender to the touch.

Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese before serving.

Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin

So this is not typically a dish I would have considered for tailgate but I have the camp oven now and well there's a lot of folks that are doing the no-carb thing at the tailgate.  So I decided to experiment with something new in the off season. 

This was so delicious that several times I forgot that it was veggies and NOT noodles holding it all together!

The original recipe was from Dandy Dishes... here is the link.

Ingredients:

• 1 big spaghetti squash
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 tsp ground thyme
• couple of dashes of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup of sour cream
• 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese  (original recipe was for 3/4 cup but I upped the anty)
• 6 strips of bacon (cooked and chopped up)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the squash in half.  In a microwave safe bowl put 1/4 inch of water and place the squash in it open side down.  Cook on high for 12 mins.  Remove and scrape out the "noodles" with a fork.  Repeat with second half of the squash.

In a saucepan heat up the butter, minced onions, cayenne pepper, and thyme.  Cook until the onions are soft and a little brown. 

Add the scooped out squash "noodles" and the saucepan onion mixture to a bowl.  Add in bacon, sour cream, salt, pepper and 1/2 the cheese to the bowl and stir.

Grease a casserole dish (I use an 8x8 pan) and spread the mixture evenly on the bottom.  Top with the remaining cheese.

Cook for 20-30 mins depending on your oven.  The key is making sure all that gooey and wonderful cheese is melted!

Superbowl Bound this Weekend!

Well its been awhile since I've posted.  Its been a busy holiday season with a ton of tailgates but also some sicknesses in the family. 

The best thing though is that our Baltimore Ravens are superbowl bound this weekend! 

Our tailgate group will be down there in the Big Easy (New Orleans) for the big game.  Our tailgate will be scaled to subs and beer but we will be there and cheering on our boys! 

Check back for updates as I catch up on the last couple months of tailgates and recipes.  I need to dig through the backlog!

Old Bay Wings

So here's a great Maryland twist on an old staple.  Old Bay wings are big around here but at $10 or so a pop they get expensive.  ShopRite had a great sale on fresh chicken wings so I thought why not try it myself.  OMG!!!!  They were so fresh and awesome right from the fryer.

Ingredients:

• Fresh chicken wings
• Old Bay
• Deep Fryer with your choice of oil

Directions:

Preheat deep fryer to 350-375 degrees.

Cut chicken wings.  Cut off the tip and discard.  Cut the drum stick and thigh apart.

Place the chicken on a paper towel so any excess juices drain out.  This is important so you don't have as much splatter.

Place chicken a few pieces at a time (or more if you have a bigger deep fryer) for approximately 12 minutes.  Flipping occassionally so they cook evenly.

Take out and immediately sprinkle a generous amount of old bay on each side.

Enjoy!  Super easy and so yummy!

Sesame Street 1st Birthday Party for My Lil Guy!

I've been a total slacker in getting this posted but here are the pictures of the birthday party for our son.  We did a Sesame Street theme.  I'll post separately with the details of how to make some of the food and the props.

The picture is of the street scene I made. 

• Street Sign:  Made from cardboard tube, dowel road, green duct tape, styrofoam ball and a printout on 11x14 of the street sign.
• Trash Can:  From Courtland Hardware
• Stuffed Animals:  Some we had at the house and others I found on ebay to fill in the gaps.
• Brick Wall:  This is a Halloween Scene Setter
• Window:  Another party backdrop
• The door and steps:  Old cardboard boxes covered in construction paper

This picture is Elmo's World Snack Bar.

• Sign:  Foam poster board and printed out letters that my kids colored in.
• Popcorn boxes:  From oriental trading.  Used circle cutouts from etsy shop (I will send the link later)
• Crayons:  Bought from ebay ... they are 42" inflatables
• Lollipop Holder:  Styrofoam block covered in wrapping paper.  The lollipops themselves were from Oriental Trading

This picture is Hooper's Store Goody Bag Shop.

• Stand:  Melissa and Doug Lemonade/Grocery Stand that we repurposed.
• Sign:  Made from poster board.

Each little box had a goodie for the goodie bag.  It was windy that day can you tell?  The table that had the yellow tablecloth that was about to blow away had blue, red, orange and green bags on it for them to fill up in the goodie store.

Chicken Piccata

Shoprite had a super sale on boneless chicken a few weeks ago.  It was something ridiculous like $1.69/lb.  It was like the chicken was taunting me and saying...please come buy me and make me into something delicious.

Found this recipe on foodnetwork.com.  I've had chicken piccata at restaurants a few times and enjoyed it minus the capers.  Is that what the hell they're called?  They might as well have just called them crappy little green balls that are masquerading as a pea wanna-be.

Can you tell I'm tired and have been up all night?  :-)

Anyways the original recipe is here.

Ingredients:

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half (I just cut in half and beat them with a meat tenderizer to make them thin.  To each his own)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

All-purpose flour

6 tablespoons unsalted butter   (I used 4 tbsp...6 seemed a little much to me)

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed (you know my stance on capers...I didn't use them)

1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

 Little bit of minced garlic (not in the original recipe but I love garlic)

 

Directions:

 

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a tray or bowl.  Mix well.

 

Coat the chicken in it on both sides.

 

Heat a skillet and put in the olive oil and butter.  Melt the butter.

 

Add the chicken and fry on both sides until slightly brown.

 

 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 pan.  Place chicken in the pan.

 

Take the leftover juices in the skillet and add chicken stock, parsley, garlic and lemon juice.  Mix and cook for about 5 mins on medium/low until slightly reduced.

 

Pour the skillet mix onto the chicken.

 

 

 

Bake for approximately 20-30 mins until chicken is down all the way through.