Food tricks

It's almost playoff season and that means time for football parties!  We have a Superbowl party coming up, so I'm pulling out ideas for our annual "dip off" appetizer cook-off competition. In Upstate New York, where I spend most of the football season, the big thing is buffalo chicken dip, but I'm more of a barbecue girl so I tried out this recipe and got all thumbs up. Even from that die-hard Buffalonian boyfriend of mine. I just whipped this easy appetizer up in a few minutes (the chicken was already cooked) and everyone thought it was great. BBQ Chicken Dip Adapted from: Plain Chicken Ingredients: 12 oz cooked chicken, chopped or shredded (about 3 chicken breasts, I think shredding is better) 1 (8oz) block cream cheese, softened (1 cup) 3/4 cup bbq sauce (I used Kinders this time, but I think I prefer Sweet Baby Rays) 1/4 cup ranch dressing 1/4 cup sour cream 1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded 1 green onion, chopped Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grea...

The holidays are my favorite time of year. Great food, awesome company, and time to relax without any immediate obligations. I have been crazy busy though, and even though I've been around tons of food I haven't been very diligent in my picture taking... It gets distracting being around such tasty treats! I've had a ton of requests and comments, so I just wanted to take the opportunity to express how thankful I am for everyone who has taken the time to check out the recipes I have posted so far. I am so blessed in so many ways, and it is the season to especially be thankful for everything and everyone I am so lucky to have in my life. I have found having something quick and easy for breakfast or a snack is the best way to go... I try to have a loaf of some kind of bread on the counter most of the time, and this has become one of my favorites... It is sweet and delicious, and it is really easy to whip up and pop in the oven at night while doing homework or watching T.V. Plus...

Happy Holidays! There is nothing I like more than curling up with a big mug of hot cocoa during the cold winter months.  Right now I'm watching the snow fall outside the window and there is nothing better to warm up a soul than Hot Cocoa. This isn't really a recipe really... more of an added flair.  The beginning of christmas break has been awesome... I was thinking about making a post about how to cook dinner on a yacht (we did that last week), but I just decided to enjoy the experience. It was pretty cool. Hot Cocoa  Ingredients: Instant Hot Cocoa  Vanilla Extract (just a few drops) Cinnamon (a little shake) Directions: Make hot chocolate! Put everything in a mug and drink up :) When I started college I got an electric kettle.  It was great for hot cocoa, but it was also really useful for making things like instant oatmeal for breakfast in the dorms. and here's the yacht... NBD ;)

Old George has been a lifesaver lately. I usually get home from my day in class and in the gym around 6 pm at the earliest. I am usually tempted to stop at the dining hall or subway on the way home, but with these new George Foreman recipes I have been trying out I can have a healthier dinner ready in a reasonable amount of time. A chicken breast only takes 4-6 minutes on the grill! A total time saver. Check out my  George Foreman Lemon Garlic Chicken Recipe  for another idea. This is even easier than the Lemon Garlic Chicken. I didn't think that that was possible. I paired it with instant mashed potatoes... To be honest, I was a little nervous when I first saw powered mashed potatoes in the grocery store, but the purchase was totally worth it. They are super fast and easy and super delicious. I think it was one of Dave's favorites so far :) George Foreman BBQ Chicken Serves 2 Ingredients: 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's) Directions: ...

I talked about this in my  Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken  post, but thought it would be good to mention it in my Kitchen Tricks for a little easier access. One of my biggest problems with cooking dinner is that I usually never actually know where I'm going to be that night or when I will get home. Even on nights I plan on being home to make something for dinner, I usually forget to take the ingredients (usually chicken) out of the freezer.  Luckily, I have found an excellent solution to this predicament. First of all, when I buy a pack of chicken, I pound out the breasts so they are a little bit thinner, then I wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then put them in a freezer bag to protect from the frigid air. This makes it so I can take one or two pieces at a time without having to defrost the whole lot.  The trick to defrosting them isn't really much of a trick, but if you fill a bowl with warm water and submerge the chicken breast for 20 minutes, switching the w...

Getting ready for finals week has been hectic, and though I have been able to try out some great new recipes I haven't had any time to write about them.. So sorry about the backlog.  I pinned this recipe from  Daydream Kitchen  a long time ago, but I found it and tried it the other night. It was awesome. I went from two pieces of frozen chicken breast to a delicious meal in less than an hour. One of my biggest problems with cooking dinner is that I usually never actually know where I'm going to be that night or when I will get home. Even on nights I plan on being home to make something for dinner, I usually forget to take the ingredients (usually chicken) out of the freezer. Luckily, I have found an excellent solution to this predicament. First of all, when I buy a pack of chicken, I pound out the breasts so they are a little bit thinner, then I wrap them in plastic wrap and put them in a freezer bag to protect from the frigid air. This makes it so I can take one or two p...

My sister showed me this last year and I was like, "Whatttt?!? No Way!" It is probably one of the coolest things ever, and it minimizes some of my cooking mess (which is always a plus) If you are boiling a pot of water (for example: when cooking pasta), place a wooden spoon across the top to keep the water from boiling over. Oh the things you learn in college.