Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip

My daughter does not cook but she can whip up a real good Buffalo Chicken Dip.  This is her recipe.  It is made simpler with the use of the slow cooker and also easier to transport and serve for a potluck or an office party.

Here is the recipe of this addictive crowd pleasing dip or spread.  I gave some to a friend and her husband ate it in one sitting while my friend and I chatted when I arrived. So beware be sure you have your self control button on.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip

• 1 large chicken breast cooked and chopped or 12 oz chicken from a can
• 2-8 oz cream cheese
• 2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese, (or a mix of mild and sharp cheddar)
• 1 cup Ranch dressing
• 1 cup hot pepper sauce

Place all the ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours or at high for 3 hours.  I cooked mine in an Aroma Brand slow cooker/rice cooker for 2 hours at slow cooker setting.

Serve with tortilla chips or vegetables.  

Baked Pepper Pierogie Casserole

Are you looking for an easy and a crowd pleaser of a casserole?  This is the dish to fall back on. You just need a couple of packages of frozen pierogies thawed or better yet some homemade ones if available and pour your favorite marinara or pasta sauce over it.  For more flavor throw in some sausages and green or red or yellow peppers and you are good to go to your next pot luck.

I happen to have some homemade pierogies that I bought from our church. The cheese potato filling was prepared by Sharon Torick and the dough from Sharon's recipe was made by volunteers from our church who mixed the ingredients, flattened out the dough, shaped them into circles and crimped the edges. Another group boiled the pierogies, drained them and packaged them for sale as a fundraiser.  We made about two hundred dozens in two days as a group.  I actually made the circles. Here are some photos from the pierogie making party (it is always a party when women and men from our church gather!).

These homemade pierogies are good cooked in butter topped with sauteed onions but I wanted a healthier way to serve them and I came up with this recipe.  Note no butter was used and vegetables were added plus nutritious good old tomatoes.

I brought this to a pot luck and the guests gave it a thumbs up.  I might add my picky taster, my husband Bob, gave the big OK too.

Baked Pepper Pierogie Casserole

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow or red pepper, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3 pieces smoked sausage, cut into cubes (about a cup) (optional)
• 24 potato cheese pierogies (homemade or from a package)
• 1-24 oz jar marinara or pasta sauce
• cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Heat the oil in a saute pan at medium heat. Add the pepper and onion in the heated oil in the pan and saute till the vegetables are crisp.  

Spray a 13 x 9 glass pan or other casserole dish with cooking spray. Distribute the pierogies on the casserole dish.  Pour the marinara or pasta sauce over the pierogies.  Distribute the sauteed vegetables and sausage cubes (if using). Cover the dish with aluminum foil.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

Linquine with Lemon Almond Cheese

This is a plant based version of creamy linguine.  I used homemade almond cheese for the sauce.  I spiced up the dish by first sauteing jalapenos and garlic in as little olive oil as possible.  I then added the almond cheese (see photo below) I made and added the rest of the ingredients. 

I like the lemony taste of the almond cheese over the linguine.  It gives it a refreshing taste coupled with the kick from the jalapenos and garlic mixture.  It is a welcome change from the usual regular cream laden linguine.  

Linguine with Almond Cheese

• 8 oz cooked linguine (save 1 cup pasta water)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 12 pieces bottled jalapeno
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 cup almond cheese (recipe below)
• 1 cup pasta water you saved
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp dry onion flakes
• 1 tbsp dry garlic flakes
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Saute the jalapeno and garlic in the oil at medium heat.  Add the rest of the ingredients and heat through.

Lemon Almond Cheese

• 1 1/2 cups almond 
• 1 cup water
• juice of 2 lemons
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast

Place all the ingredients in the blender and mix for 5 minutes till creamy.  

Non Dairy Cheesy Vegetable Pasta

I have been very busy lately helping my daughter take care of her new born baby and toddler. I have resorted to frozen dishes to serve my family when they drop by.

I used a creamy chicken vegetable pasta a few days ago and it was pretty good.  I am plant based and wants to stay with this approach so I decided on making a no meat non dairy version.

I have been using Daiya brand non dairy cheeses and love it. This was what I used in this plant based version of cheesy vegetable pasta. I also used cornstarch stirred into almond milk to further thicken the creamy texture of the sauce.

I used the vegetables that I had in the fridge, carrots, celery and zucchini,  but other combinations are possible. Peas, grean beans and corn come to mind.

The result is something that satisfied my craving for a cheesy creamy saucy vegetable laden pasta dish that is plant based. Any carnivore will love this dish too.

Non Dairy Cheesy Vegetable Pasta

• 1/4 cup water
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 2 stalks celery , sliced
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced into cubes
• 2 tsp garlic dry flakes
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup Daiya non dairy shredded cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups of cooked pasta of your choice

Mix the cornstarch into the almond milk in a small bowl and set aside.  

Place the water, onion, carrots and celery in a saute pan.  Allow to boil gently till the carrots are cooked.    

Add the cornstarch in almond milk, zucchini and garlic flakes into te boiling mixture.  Lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer till the sauce gets thick and the zucchini heated through but not overcooked.

Add the cheddar cheese and mix till melted with the rest of the ingredients.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Add a cup of cooked pasta of your choice and mix.

Slow-Cooked Mac and Cheese

If you are one of those who could not resist saving or sharing the Facebook post that came from the one pot chef and its recipe for Slow-Cooked Mac and Cheese and wants to find out if it works, you have come to the right place.  I want to assure you in this post that it does and your family would love it.  We had this for our Easter dinner which we celebrated yesterday, a day early.

It would have been creamier looking if I added more milk as suggested in the one pot chef, but a good mac and cheese is as good as it tastes and this one was delicious.  It is so convenient to prepare too.  No precooking of the elbow macaroni at all.  You just dump everything in the slow cooker and forget it except for some stirring in the middle of cooking.  If you have a warm mode in your slow cooker like in mine, it is worry free.  The mac and cheese will be there ready hot enough to be served without any reheating or timing of the baking.  

Slow-Cooked Macaroni and Cheese

(Recipe from the one pot chef)

• 16 ounces of elbow macaroni, uncooked 
• 3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• 2 1/2 cups of milk
• 12 ounces of evaporated milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Add all the ingredients in the slow cooker.  Stir so the cheese is distributed well.  Cook for 2 1/2 hours on the low setting. Stir a bit after 2 hours to make sure everything is melting properly, then put the lid back on and let it finish cooking. You can add more milk if you want the dish to be creamier.  

Comment:

(I slow cooked mine for 2 hours using an Aroma brand rice cooker/slow cooker at slow cooker setting.  I stirred the mixture after 1 hour and found a couple of spots that are clumped and browned but not burned at the bottom.  I stirred the mixture and allowed it too cook for another hour.   It cooked particularly well especially during the last half hour when the mixture was sort of boiling. This allowed all the cheese to melt and distribute better).

Easy Alfredo Sauce

This Alfredo Sauce will take as long or even a shorter time to make than for you to boil your pasta.  It is that easy and quick.  This recipe is decadent as can be but can be healthy-fied with the use of low fat spread like Smart Balance rather than butter and low fat cream cheese rather than the original.  This is a crowd pleaser in topping any pasta. I used homemade fettucine pasta I bought at a fundraising event but you can use any commercial one.

The presence of cream cheese makes the consistency of the sauce to be thick.  The milk helps you modulate this thickness.  The Parmesan cheese, garlic, garlic powder and dry minced onions round up the taste of this Alfredo Sauce which is comparable or even better than the bottled ones. 

Easy Alfredo Sauce

• 1/2 stick butter
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1/4 cup 2 % milk. use more or less according to thickness of sauce you prefer
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp dry minced onions, optional
• salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a saute pan.  Add the garlic to the butter and saute till softened.  Lower the heat and add the cream cheese and blend the mixture.  Add the milk gradually till you have the consistency you like.  Add the Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and dry onions (if using).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Use to top fettucine or any other pasta you like.

Olive Roasted Pepper Cheese Spread and the 7 Secrets of Writing

I served this delicious, addictive cheese spread to the members of the Writers Group of Monroeville that I belong to and which is facilitated by the generous and talented Sharon Lippincott.  I would not have been writing for this blog had I not attended the Writers' Workshop she organized last summer.  Being there and listening to the three invited writers give their experience in writing short stories, essays and poetry as well as the conversations with the attendees gave me the push to proceed and just write, write and write for my blog. 

Sharon Lippincott

Recently Sharon Lippincott wrote in her blog, The Heart and Craft of Life Writing, the seven secrets of writing and as in all her postings she challenges the readers to do one task and for this one she wanted them to come up with their own seven secrets.  Here are mine.

1. It is a creative outlet.  It is the ultimate exercise in freedom.  "You own everything that happens to you" as  Anne Lamott's commented in her Facebook page.    Writing builds self-confidence and self satisfaction. You are creating something. You give voice to your thoughts and feelings     
2. It is a form of contemplation.  You see the significance of events, emotions that would have been taken for granted.  It deepens appreciation. It engenders gratitude. This is especially true when you look back, as far back as you can go.
3. It increases self-awareness and awareness of your surroundings or mindfulness.  It increases attention span and listening ability. I actually have experienced an increase in self knowledge and understanding of other people. 
4. It is educational.  I have to be accurate when I write my blog and looking up facts or verifying what I know helps me learn along the way.
5. It is very rewarding.  You really do not know the impact of what you write, though that might not be your primary purpose.  When you hear people express their gratefulness for something that you wrote which  have helped them or their loved ones, it is very heartwarming and gratifying. 
6. Writing helps chronicle events.  We do forget so it helps to write them down.  Looking back we have something to relish. So would your children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, friends.
7. One thing more, you have an audience for your storytelling or need to verbalize your opinions or feelings.  It beats talking to yourself.

Olive Roasted Pepper Cheese Spread

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend but you can use one or any combination of cheese)
• 1/2 cup chopped olives with pimento center
• 1 whole roasted fresh or bottled red or yellow pepper, chopped 
• 2 tbsps chopped onion
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• approximately 3 tbsp 2 percent milk or the amount you need to your desired consistency of the spread
• 3 tbsp Smart Balance brand spread or butter
• black pepper to taste
• 1 tsp sugar or splenda (optional)

Mix all the ingredients with a fork.  Serve with plain crackers or with cut vegetables.  Refrigerate any left overs which I doubt you will have. 

Below are photos of the members of the Monroeville Writing Group during the Wednesday meetings held twice a month at the Monroeville Library.

Filipino Cheese Pimiento Sandwich

Healthier version of a Filipino favorite snack

When I went to visit my sisters in Los Angeles about three years ago, they took me to Island Pacific Grocery.  It was an awesome experience for me since we do not have such a place  where I came from, namely, Pittsburgh, Pa.  I was overwhelmed seeing every Filipino ingredients one could think of in the shelves.   They even had homemade dishes, pastries and delicacies in the food stands within the store.  I eyed cheese pimiento being sold in one of these food places and bought one.  It really brought me back to my childhood when I remember this being served for merienda or afternoon breaks or appetizers at gatherings. 

I recently had a craving for this popular Filipino snack and searched the web for the best recipe I could find.  After fiddling with several, I found one that came close to what I remembered cheese pimiento sandwiches to be like from childhood in filipino - food - recipes.com.  I then experimented with making a healthier version.  I replaced the butter with light Smart Balance and subsituted 2 % milk for the evaporated milk.  I then added Splenda sugar substitute to sweeten the mixture since I did not use evaporated milk which imparts a sweetish taste.  Even with these substitutions the result was what I was craving for. 

Try this recipe and you will be addicted to it like most Filipinos who grew up with it for their snack.  You can have it for your next lunch at work or pack it in our child's lunch box this coming school year.

Filipino Cheese Pimiento Sandwich

(adapted from filipino - food - recipes.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup American or Cheddar cheese or any other cheese shredded
• 3 tbsp finely chopped pimiento or roasted red pepper from a jar
• about 1/4 cup 2% milk
• 2 tbsp light Smart balance
• Pinch of pepper and salt
• 1 tsp Splenda sugar substitute

Mix the shredded cheese, pimiento and Smart Balance using a fork or small blender.

Add the milk gradually until you have spreading consistency.  You may not need all 1/4 cup.  

Season with salt and pepper.  Add Splenda.

Spread onto slices of white bread.  You can cut the crust if you like.

Notes:

1.  I used Monterey Jack cheese which was not as salty as American cheese.  Thus I added a tiny pinch of salt.

2.  If you are using American cheese or other type of salty cheese, you can skip the salt if you are watching your salt intake.

3.  If you use evaporated milk as in the original recipe, skip the Splenda.

4,  You do not need to melt the Smart Balance spread but you need to do so if using butter as in the original recipe.