Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Poppers

I usually record the Rachel Ray show every day during the week. One day, she mentioned these buffalo chicken jalapeno poppers and she really got my attention! My husband and I both love spicy foods and we LOVE the flavor of buffalo sauce on anything. Not to mention, we always have rotisserie chicken on hand for my little guy and my mom keeps giving me jalapeno peppers from her garden. I knew I was going to be making these immediately.

I started thinking about Rachel's ingredients and decided that I could really lighten up this recipe. I cut out some of Rachel's ingredients and made these with about four ingredients: jalapeno, chicken, Monterey jack cheese and a little buffalo sauce.

Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Poppers - adapted from the Rachel Ray website, found here.

• 16-20 jalapeño peppers
• 1/3 cup hot sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot brand
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed, shredded
• 1 rib celery, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles, divided

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 425ºF.

Working lengthwise, slice off the top quarter of each jalapeño. Using a small spoon or paring knife, scrape the seeds and ribs out of each jalapeño.

Place a small saucepot over low heat. Add the hot sauce and whisk in the butter until melted. In a medium size bowl, combine the pulled chicken, celery, Monterey Jack cheese and half of the blue cheese.

Scoop some of the chicken mixture into each of the peppers, filling them all up. Lightly mound the chicken into each pepper. Place the peppers in a baking dish and top with the remaining blue cheese.

Bake the peppers until tender and heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Notes/Results: I had homegrown jalapeno peppers and they were much smaller (and hotter) than what was available in stores. Since they were so small, I had to scale down the filling. You pretty much have to eyeball the amount of filling you will need. I sliced the top half of the pepper off so I could create a cavity for the filling. I saved the top halves of the peppers, diced them up and added them back to the filling. I adapted this recipe to use less ingredients and tossed my shredded chicken with some bottled buffalo sauce. I used a light hand with the sauce, mainly because buffalo sauce is comprised of hot sauce and butter. I wanted these to be light appetizers that I could eat and not feel guilty about. I topped them with some monterey jack cheese, and didn't really have to use too much cheese. I baked them in the oven at 425 for about 15 minutes. They were really hot and spicy little bites, but they were delicious! I ate them until my mouth was on fire :D

On a personal note, my little guy will be turning three years old in about a week. Lately he has gotten himself into quite a bit of trouble just by being a "little boy". Last night, he clobbered me in the face with a toy and naturally I got mad. A couple of minutes later he told me "mommy, you're eyebrows are not angry anymore". After that he asked me if my eyebrows were happy. I thought it was so funny and cute that I had to share. It's funny to me that he notices all the expressions people make and how their eyebrows show their emotions. If only he could stay this cute and little forever!!

Dont forget.....

Dont forget to have a go at this months dottydivas ad challenge.

This AMAZING prize from the super american kit club LABEL TULIP is up for grabs.

Woops for those of you who got a quick glimpse of the last ad I had up here you have had a sneaky peak of next months ad, sorry this is this months ad.

Here is the Ad inspiration again, send your layouts to scrapmad@hotmail.co.uk, before the 20th November to be in the running, hope to see your layout there very soon.

have a lovely Thursday

No-Churn Pomegranate Ice Cream

This week's theme at I Heart Cooking Clubs is Autumn Harvest. It seems absolutely crazy to post an ice cream recipe for an autumn harvest theme, but pomegranates are in season! I debated about whether or not to choose this recipe, but in the end I decided just to roll with it. The pomegranates have just started popping up in the markets and I haven't had one in a really long time.

In fact, the last time I had a pomegranate I was thirteen years old! I was in seventh grade and our home economics teacher was showing us "unique and exotic fruits". None of us had ever seen a pomegranate before. We didn't even know what it was. She cracked open that pomegranate and we all looked at each other like it was an experiment or something. Nobody wanted to eat it, especially when she told us that we were suppose to eat the seeds. I can still remember biting into one of the seeds with skepticism. I remember thinking that it tasted okay, but I was totally wierded out.

Fast forward twenty years and pomegranates are no longer "unique and exotic". In fact, this time of year, they are everywhere. For years I thought about buying them, but never really knew what to do with them. Not to mention, every time I saw them it reminded me of seventh grade, and let's face it.....who wants to be reminded of seventh grade?

However, I had to bite the bullet and buy a pomegranate for a recipe in Stirring the Pot and I'm glad I did. I made two recipes with that one pomegranate and I really liked both of them. The pomegranate seeds look like little red ruby jewels, they are so pretty.
No-Churn Pomegranate Ice Cream - adapted from Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson
2 pomegranates
1 lime
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups heavy cream
Note: You only need 3/4 cup of pomegranate juice. I used Pom juice in place of juicing my own fresh pomegranates. I used my pomegranate for a garnish only.

Juice the pomegranates and the lime, straining the juices into a bowl. You will have approximately 3/4 cup of pomegranate juice. Reserve the pomegranate seeds for garnish. (Or take the easy way out and just pour in 3/4 cup juice, like I did)

Add the powdered sugar and whisk to dissolve.

Whisk in the cream and keep whisking until soft peaks form in the pale pink cream.

Spoon and smooth the ice cream into a rigid plastic container with a tight-fitting lid and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight. Scatter with pomegranate seeds when you eat it.

Serves 8

Notes/Results: What a fun and easy recipe to make. I love the color of this ice cream, such a pretty pale pink. The ice cream was sweet and the pomegranate seeds added that certain tart and juicy pop in your mouth. It is stunning with the ruby red pomegranate seeds on top for a garnish and would make a very festive and stunning part of your holiday dessert table. I did notice that it took a little longer than four hours to set up, so I would definitely let it set up either overnight or at least 6-8 hours. I couldn't help but be reminded of my thirteen year old self when I was eating this. I felt like I was really eating a "unique and exotic" treat!!

Head on over to I Heart Cooking Clubs to see what everyone else is cooking up. Better yet, cook along with us. I really love Nigella's recipes. I haven't met one that I didn't like!

Big boy undies

Addison is finally toilet trained !

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Picture a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and then divide it into fourths. Can you imagine eating such a large portion? I was surprised to find out that the serving size for these green chile chicken enchiladas was so big. You can literally eat one-fourth of a 9 x 13 inch pan for only 456 calories!!

I would actually refer to this recipe as an enchilada bake instead of individual enchiladas. I used some rotisserie chicken for the filling. The green chile sauce is made with two roasted and peeled poblano peppers, cilantro, chicken broth and lime.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas - Cook Yourself Thin
Serves 4 huge servings at 456 calories each
2 roasted poblano peppers, peeled
1 bunch of cilantro leaves, washed, stems discarded
1 lime, zested and juiced
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 corn tortillas
1 cup canned nonfat refried beans
3 cups of leftover roast chicken
3/4 cup reduced-fat shredded cheese, such as Mexican-style, Monterey Jack, or Cheddar
2 scallions, thinly sliced

For the garnish: chopped fresh cilantro and 1 lime - cut into wedges

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray or teaspoon olive oil. (I think I forgot this step and mine turned out fine). In a food processor or blender, puree the roasted and peeled peppers, cilantro, garlic, lime zest and juice, chicken stock, salt and pepper until smooth.

Spread 1/3 cup of the sauce in the prepared baking dish. Top with an overlapping layer of 6 tortillas. Spread refried beans evenly over the tortillas. Top the beans with the shredded chicken mixture, and add 1/3 of the sauce, followed by the remaining 6 tortillas. Pour the remaining sauce over the tortillas. Cover with foil.

Bake the enchiladas until they begin to bubble on the sides, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil; sprinkle cheese and scallions on top. Continue baking until heated through and the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes more. Top with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Notes/Results: I didn't look at the serving sizes until we were ready to eat and couldn't believe how generous the serving size was. This is a great recipe if you are really hungry!! We really liked this dish and would make it again, especially considering the calorie count and the heartiness of the recipe. The book says that you can add a jalapeno to the green chile sauce for more heat. I wished I would've done that because the poblano peppers weren't very hot. In the case where you do not like spicy food, you can also use two roasted green peppers for the sauce. I loved the taste of this enchilada bake. You could really taste the flavor the the corn tortillas, and it was packed with all kinds of flavor. Definitely a must make for anyone who wants to eat healthier.

Happy Monday!!

An award

I received this award from the lovely Amy thanks so much for a lovely award.

Here are the rules of this award:
1. You can only use ONE word!!!
2. Pass this along to 5 of your favorite bloggers!
3. Alert them that you have given them this award!
4. HAVE FUN!!!
These are pretty hard to answer with only one word, but I did my best! Hopefully you understand them!
1. Where is your cell phone? bag
2. Your hair?curly
3. Your mother? worrier
4. Your father? strong
5. Your fave food? chocolate

6. Your dream last night? none
7. Your fave drink? water
8. Your dream/goal? love

9. What room are you in? kitchen

10. Your hobby? Scrapbooking

11. Your fear? death
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years?teaching
13. Where you were last night? party
14. Something that you aren't? relaxed
15. Muffins? chocolate
16. Wish List Item? weightloss
17. Where did you grow up? Sydney

18. Last thing you did? dinner

19. What are you wearing? PJ's
20. Your TV? on
21. Your Pets? fish
22. Friends? fabulous
23. Your Life? wonderful
24. Your Mood? happy
25. Missing Someone? Husband
26. Vehicle? SantaFe
27. Something your not wearing? bra
28. Your fave store? flourish
29. Your fave color? yellow
30. Last time you laughed? afternoon
31. Last time you cried? Friday
32. Your best friend? Cheryl
33. One place that I go to over and over? Northlakes
34. One person who emails regularly? Taryn
35. Fave place to eat? home

It truly is hard to pick just 5 fellow scrapbook bloggers to pass this award on to, but I had to choose only 5 :-(

Taryn , my very good friend, neighbour and fellow scrapper who inspires me to step out of my comfort zone every now and then !!!!!

Mistra , have only just met her online but I just love her grungy style!

Tracey A true lady and inspiration !

Anne a lovely friend and lovely scrapper !

Sandra A fellow scrapper who has a wonderful way with paper !

Happy Halloween & Spooky Treats

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! I hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween. We started our morning with a spooky treat courtesy of Nigella. For breakfast we had Nigella's Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Sundaes. We rimmed our sundae glasses with orange sprinkles and filled them with ice cream. We topped them with Nigella's chocolate peanut butter fudge sauce, Halloween sprinkles, and scary monsters! I don't think I need to tell you that Nigella's chocolate peanut butter fudge sauce was delicious. How could it not be? It consisted of heavy cream, milk chocolate, smooth peanut butter, and corn syrup - yum!! If you like a decadent ice cream sauce, this is the one! This week's theme over at I Heart Cooking Clubs is spooky treats and spirits. Go check out all the other spooky posts!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Sundae - Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 oz milk chocolate, chopped
1/2 smooth peanut butter
3 tablespoons golden syrup or light corn syrup

Cook all ingredients on low heat until melted and glossy.



Earlier in the week we made Paula Deen's snake bites, recipe found here. This is a great Halloween treat, but can be made anytime of year. I am submitting this to Deb over at Kahakai Kitchen for Souper Sundays.

The snake bites are made with canned crescent dough that is flattened out and filled with sandwich fillings. Paula's recipe calls for ham, salami, bologna, Monterey jack cheese, and mustard. The crescent roll is rolled up into the shape of a snake, coated with egg yolk, and painted with food color to resemble a snake. Paula uses pimento-stuffed olives for the eyes, cloves for the nose, and a red pepper for the tongue.

I improvised and used black olives for the eyes, capers for the nose, and red pepper for the tongue. I filled my snakes with pizza sauce, fresh mozzerella, and pepperoni. I made another snake with pesto sauce and fresh mozzarella. The pizza themed snakes were tasty, but the filling was too much and spilled out the sides. I think you need to have a light hand with the filling. Other than that, they are really cute treats that make everyone happy. You can customize them adding any ingredient you like. Each snake makes about 8 little sandwiches.


Happy Halloween!!