Baked Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls – ★★★★★

I’ve been craving everything buffalo sauce/hot wings. Last week I made baked egg rolls and had a lot of left over wrappers so I thought it would be pretty genius to try a buffalo chicken version of our favorite classic recipe. I did this on a whim and they came out amazing! I shared one with my neighbors and Laura said “I love the blue cheese crumble. It gives it that wang!” This recipe got great reviews across the board and I cannot wait to heat them up again tonight for dinner. Perry gave 5 stars and here is why:

“These egg rolls are great. I really like hot wings and this is a good way to justify having them for dinner. Kels suggested maybe dunking them in blue cheese dressing or drizzling some on top but I think that would  kill the heat and overall taste. These are perfect with some cheese crumbled over them. I would never douse them in dressing. They get five stars for heat and flavor.”

Serves: 5 (2 rolls per serving)    Calories: 268.8/serving       Time: 45 minutes (Prep + Cooking)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
• 1 cup buffalo or hot wing sauce
• 1 cup coleslaw, uncooked
• 10 egg roll wrappers
• 2.5 oz blue cheese crumbles
• OPTIONAL: Blue cheese dressing

Directions:

1. Cook and shred your chicken breast
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit
3. Mix together shredded chicken and one cup of hot sauce
4. Take a wrapper and place it in front of you in a “diamond position”, that is, a corner pointing towards you. In the middle of the wrapper line a small handful of coleslaw (a really really small handful) across the wrapper. Top the coleslaw with about 2-3 tbsp of the chicken mixture. Finally sprinkle a bit of the blue cheese crumble on top of the chicken. Take the pointed edge closest to you and fold it under the mixture then fold in the two sides. Roll it to the top and then seal the flap with a moist finger. Continue this process with the rest of your wrappers.
5. Line the rolls on a baking sheet and spritz with cooking spray.
6. Bake for 6 minutes then flip them to bake on the other side.
7. Spray the other side with cooking spray and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
8. Let cool for a minute and then garnish with more crumbles and serve
9. Enjoy!

*Photo is an original belonging to me

**I made up this recipe on a whim, but welcome anyone who wants to publish it on their blog to do so. Just give me some credit 🙂

Baked Jalapeño Popper Wontons – ★★★★★

Before I go into my mini-review of the recipe I want to admit to the terrible quality of the photo accompanying this entry. I made these on Halloween and my little monster (literally… Chance was Mike Wasowski from Monsters Inc for Halloween) was eager to go trick or treating. I usually take a couple photos and choose the best one but this time I took one and it came out really crappy. So please excuse that. Onto the recipe… This one was a hit! I tend to find awesome appetizers and make them for dinner. This one starts out creamy and flavorful but by the time you swallow your bite this wonton will kick your tastebuds into heat overdrive! I used a mixture of spicy jalapeños and carrots to really add heat. Perry gave these 5 stars and here is why:

“The only way these could be better is if they were served with a sauce. I really like the “after heat” of these wontons. Its tricky because at the first bite you don’t think its too hot but after that first bite you can definitely taste the spice. I also like that they weren’t dripping in oil. I’m used to wontons being fried and leaving my stomach in knots. Kelsey baked these ones which saved not only my stomach but also the flavor because I believe fried foods just taste like burnt oil. I’d like to have a ton of these in the freezer to throw in the oven for a snack.”

Makes: approx 20 wontons   Calories: 84.25/wonton   Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
• 1 (4oz) can of sliced jalapeños, chopped (I used a can of jalapeños and carrots)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 package of wonton wrappers
• cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a large bowl mix together cream cheese, monterey cheese,  jalapeños, garlic and green onions.
3. Fill wonton wrappers with approximately 1 teaspoon cream cheese mixture each. Fold wrappers into triangles and press the edges with wet fingers. 
4. Arrange wontons on a baking pan and spritz with a little bit of cooking spray. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges turn golden brown. 
5. Let cool for a minute and enjoy!

*Recipe belongs to http://www.allrecipes.com

**Photo is an original taken by me

 

 

Crockpot Chicken Potpie – ★★★★★

Its getting colder which means it’s about time to start making soups and stews in the crockpot. We’ve also been feeling a bit under the weather so I decided it was time for me to try my hand at chicken potpie. I stumbled on a gem of a recipe at allrecipes.com and was shocked to find out that you can make potpie in the crockpot. I changed so much of this recipe so I am adapting it as my own but want to give allrecipes credit for giving me the idea and the base. This is my dream recipe because it has little mess, little fuss, it is delicious and perfect for the chilly weather. Perry gave it five stars and this is why:

“I really liked this diner because it was creamy, full of veggies, and hit the spot after a long day of work. I think the best way to eat it is with the biscuit on the bottom with the soup poured overtop. Kelsey tried making it with the least amount of added salt so you may need to add a little if you like your soup salty like me. We had leftovers for a few days and it got better each day we reheated it.”

Serves:8           Calories:  263 (without biscuit)         Time: 6 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, washed/ trimmed and cubed (about 1in cubes)
• 2 bags mixed frozen vegetables (we used corn, peas and carrots)
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 cans cream of chicken condensed soup
• 1 can cream of celery condensed soup
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1.5 tsp black pepper
• Biscuits

Directions:

1. Combine everything but the frozen veggies in the crockpot. Cook on high for 5 hours
2. Add the frozen veggies and cook for an additional hour.
3. Serve with biscuits and enjoy!

*Idea adapted from http://www.allrecipes.com

*Photo is an original belonging to me

Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers – ★★★★★

I have the greatest neighbors. We frequently share tastes of what we are making for dinner with each other and share recipes. Recently they shared a stuffed bell pepper with me and I cannot even describe how delicious it was. It reminded me of how often I used to make stuffed bell peppers when Perry and I first got married and put me in the mood to give it another go. I didn’t want to make my traditional beef and cranberry peppers because we ate them so much I doubt I’ll ever make them again haha! I found this recipe on Betty Crocker’s website and I absolutely thrilled with how they came out. Perry gave these 5 stars and here is why:

“I used to love when Kelsey made stuffed peppers because they were tasty and I had leftovers for lunch three days after she made them. This recipe exceeded my expectations. I thought they might be overdone with taco flavor taking away from the actual pepper, but it was quite the opposite and I hope Kels will make these more often. Stuffed bell peppers are one of my favorites and she nailed it with this recipe. If you work and like to take home cooked lunches, like I do, you will like this recipe. I had lunch for two days and we also got two dinners out of it.”

Serves: 8        Calories: 340          Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sized bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded (We used red and yellow)
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• l pkg taco seasoning (I used chicken taco seasoning b/c I like the taste better)
• 2 (15.5 ox) cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar or mexican mix cheese. 
• OPTIONAL: Taco toppings such as sour cream, chopped tomato, guac, etc. 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350. In a large saucepan bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add bell pepper halves and boil until softened, approximately 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large skillet cook meat and onion over medium high heat until the meat is cooked through. Drain and stir in taco seasoning, kidney beans, and tomato sauce. Heat until boiling. Reduce heat to a simmer for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
3. In and 8-inch glass baking dish arrange the pepper halves and spoon taco mixture into each one.
4. Top with cheese and bake for 10-12 minutes until peppers are tender and cheese is melted.
5. Top with optional fixings and serve
6. Enjoy!

*Original recipe belongs to Bettycrocker.com

**Photo is an original belonging to me