Buffalo Ranch Chicken Dip

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My sister and her family arrive on Monday!! I'm so excited, I might not sleep until then. I figured out this week that there will be 8 people and a dog in a 900 square foot house for one week.

That means that we will each get about 100 square feet each of living space! :) haha... And that doesn't include closets and the bathroom! (yeah, we only have 2 bedrooms and one bathroom!) They will be ready to go to China at the end of the week. The forty hour plane ride will seem like heaven to them!

I'm very excited to show them around, give them a tour, let them see where I live (they haven't been to California since we moved here), have them meet my friends, come with us to South Bay, and spend some great time with them before this big venture! I can't wait for my nephews to see the train right out front of our house, or the airport on the other side! :) And I'm going to take my sister out for a fun surprise day... I can't tell you what we're doing because she might read this! ;) I'll give you all the fun details after we go.

In the mean time, here's another recipe you can use for Sunday for the Super Bowl... if you're interested in that sort of thing. We, on the other hand, will only know the score the next day when someone tells us. ;)

This recipe is one of those things that sounds super fattening, and gooey, and maybe kind of gross, but I'm telling you, it's super addicting. Every time I've made this, everyone comments how they just can't stop eating it!! The Frank's hot sauce really makes this dip, so DON'T skip on this and try some other kind of hot sauce. You can find this in the same aisle as all the hot sauces. The sauce makes the dip very spicy, but in a good way - and I'm a wimp when it comes to spice. If you think it will be too much for you, just add less, and you can always add more at the end to spice things up. Or if you like things on the spicy side, just add more to taste.

You can definitely make this dip for you - including adding blue cheese dip instead of ranch, or even some crumbled blue cheese! YUM. I might have to try that... Inspiration on the spot. :)

Buffalo Ranch Chicken Dip (Adapted from Frank's)

Ingredients:

2 cans 12.5 oz each canned chicken breast (like Swanson's), drained

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup ranch dressing

3/4 cup Frank's Buffalo RedHot Sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Heat drained chicken and Frank's Buffalo Sauce in skillet until heated through.

2. Add ranch dressing and cream cheese and heat until through until cream cheese is melted.

3. Mix in 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese and stir until melted.

4. This is the part where it doesn't look so good, but it will sure taste good soon! Transfer mixture to a crock pot and place remaining cheddar cheese on top until dip is heated through. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers or fresh veggies.

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Not Your Mama's Mac and Cheese

My husband and I have started a new tradition in our dates. Yes, we still go on a date weekly (at least we try REALLY hard to go weekly).

We decided that each week we would switch and each be responsible for planning a date for the other based on what they would want to do and enjoy. It really makes you think about what the other would really like, makes you listen to them really hard throughout the week about what they have mentioned they really want to eat or do, and in general has been really fun for us to be creative with each other.

This past week was my turn, and I wanted to take my husband to the Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton here in San Jose. He's said several times he's wanted to go there, and he's a loyal fan of the History Channel, where he found out that Albert Einstein has actually studied there in order to create part of the theory of relativity. Pretty amazing.

So, we went on Saturday, because it's only open during the daylight. It takes an hour to drive up the mountain in the most nausea-inducing curves you've ever seen! Apparently it was created for horse and carriage so they could deliver materials, and it couldn't be too steep, so I'm pretty sure we did at least 3 or 4 FULL u-turns, even though we were just following the road. Did I mention I'm scared of heights!

After the fun at the observatory, we came home and I cooked dinner rather than going out. I have been wanting to try this amazing macaroni and cheese recipe listed in the Top Chefs cookbook my friend Patrick gave me for my birthday last year. I've been kind of chicken to try it though, mostly because 1) every time I try a form of mac and cheese it ends up really dry and 2) this is one of the signature recipes from one of the guys on Top Chef - not just something he came up with on a whim during the show - he cooks this at his restaurant, etc. Scary stuff.

Like I mentioned, it's definitely not your mama's mac and cheese - Truffle and Cognac Cream Macaroni and Cheese - amazing! Seriously, amazing! How can you go wrong, why was I so stinkin scared! :)

I changed it up a little, because the recipe actually calls for black truffles, which run up to $1,000/pound - yeah right! I love my husband and all, but date nights are usually pretty inexpensive - like I would buy them EVER! Maybe if someone paid me $2,000 to eat it. HA.

So I used white truffle oil which my hubby bought me for Christmas as a stocking stuffer. Hadn't used it yet, and was super excited to give it a shot. I added shiitake mushrooms to the dish to make it feel like truffles. I also substituted part romano cheese for the parmesan, because I only had half the amount of each, so I just combined them. Lastly, I also substituted half the amount of cream with fat free half and half. I would love to say that it was for health reasons (it really was! ), but it was because I didn't have enough cream. Be prepared, this makes ALOT!!!

What do you do for date night? Do you plan it, does your spouse? What's your favorite date night activity? I'm always looking for new ideas!

White Truffle and Cognac Cream Macaroni and Cheese (Adapted from Chef Dave - Top Chef Season 1)

Ingredients

Unsalted butter for the baking dishes

1 cup cognac

1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1 small shallot, minced

6 garlic cloves (roasted)

1/2 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms, if desired

1 Tbs. sherry

2 Tbs. white truffle oil (can be purchased at Whole Foods)

+ 1 Tbs. white truffle oil for bottom of baking dishes

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups fat free half and half

1 cup finely grated Parmesan (plus more for sprinkling)

1 cup finely grated Romano cheese (you can do just Parmesan or just Romano if desired)

2 tsp. Tabasco sauce

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound penne - cooked al dente

2 1/2 cups finely grated fontina cheese

2 cups sourdough bread, cubed

DIRECTIONS

1. Place small amount of truffle oil in bottom and sides of 8 medium sized ramekins or 9x13 baking dish

2. Place the cognac in a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Finely grate cheeses and set aside.

4. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic, and mushrooms and cook until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Add the sherry and stir until evaporated.

5. Add the cream and reduced cognac. Then add the truffle oil.

6. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced by half and the truffle flavor is infused, about 20 minutes. Add more truffle oil if desired. Watch the pot carefully, so the cream doesn't boil over.

7. While the cream is reducing, cube bread, drizzling enough olive oil over to cover each piece of bread, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

8. Bake in single layer on baking sheet for 15 min.

9. Place croutons in food processor or blender and process until broken down into crumbs.

10. Once cream is reduced, add Tabasco, Parmesan and Romano cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine until cheese is melted.

12. Add the cooked pasta and fontina cheese and stir until all cheeses are melted. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

13. Divide the pasta among the baking dishes and top with the crouton crumbs and grated cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees for ~ 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned on top.

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