Buffalo Chicken Meatballs w/ blue cheese dressing

You've got two opportunities in the very near future to kill it with these meatballs.

This is the ultimately perfect football watching food.  Superbowl... check.

And if you are looking for someone to fall in love with you on Valentine's (or stay in love with you) these will do it.  They are that serious.  Perfect appetizer.

Back in my high school days, I had a short run of being really into wings.  I loved the taste of the barely spicy tangy chicken wing dipped in cool blue cheese dressing.  And then one day, I stared right at that wing and imagined the little chicken I was gnawing on.  It was over, right then and there.  Couldn't do it anymore.

 

And let's get real, if you can get past the idea of gnawing between those bones, you still don't look pretty doing it.  Enter these mini buffalo chicken meatballs that have all that good flavor without the carnage.

 

FYI... Mr. Hungry has updated his favorite thing I have ever ever made to this right here... I told you it was serious.

From my little kitchen to yours... Enjoy.

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Adapted from Glamour Magazine February 2012
Recipe Notes
I used nonfat greek yogurt in place of the sour cream because I had it on hand.  It makes for a healthier dressing, but if want the full richness of a blue cheese dressing, use sour cream.  If you plan on doubling or tripling a recipe for a big party, you do not need to double the dressing.  One batch is plenty.  Use leftover dressing on a wedge salad.  If you are unfamiliar with ground chicken, it can be found in most grocery stores near the ground turkey or ground beef.  You could also have a butcher freshly grind a few boneless, skinless chicken breasts if you cannot find it anywhere.  Leftover meatballs can be stored in the refrigerator and reheated in the oven or microwave.
Ingredients
1/2 stick (4 tbsp.) butter
1/4 cup Frank's RedHot hot sauce
1 lb. ground chicken
1 tsp. salt
1/2 stalk celery, minced
1 large egg
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
For the dressing
1 cup sour cream (or nonfat greek yogurt)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
(makes 2 1/2 cups of dressing)
Step by Step
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  In a small pot, combine butter and hot sauce over low heat, whisking until butter is melted.  Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.  Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place remaining chicken meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix by hand, adding the hot sauce butter mixture as well.  Make sure the ingredients are combined throughout.  Using a teaspoon, roll the meatball mixture into marble sized balls.  Place balls in rows on the parchment paper.  Roast until firm and cooked through, about 15 minutes.  Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes.

To make dressing, combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and whisk until blended.   Refrigerate until ready to use.

For an extra kick, drizzle extra hot sauce onto meatballs.  Serve with dressing and extra celery.

Makes 65 mini meatballs.

Avocado Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing

There are certain recipes that are responsible for my love of cooking.  I have such vivid memories of tasting  certain meals and thinking how could I have lived this long without knowing about this!  I would immediately forget about the time that went into the preparation and be taken away to some foodie euphoria.  This is what keeps me in the kitchen... this is one of those recipes.  It was one day in college that my friend Allison and I decided to take a "personal day" and do lots of cooking.  At this point, I had made a few things that were tasty, but I knew Paula Deen's avocado chicken salad was going to always be one of my favorites from the first bite I took.  If you love chicken salad and avocado as much as I do, I would bet my crepe pan on the fact that this will be one of your favorites too! Enjoy!

I made this for my sister-in-laws baby shower last weekend and it is a definite go-to recipe for any brunch or luncheon.   It takes a little bit of time, but is definitely worth it for a special occasion!

Avocado Chicken Salad
Adapted from Paula Deen
Recipe Notes
One of the unique things about this chicken salad is the dressing that goes on top.  It is really what makes the dish pop.  Serve it alongside the chicken salad and drizzle over before eating.  This also goes great with your favorite cracker or some crusty french bread.  The chicken salad can be made the night before if you leave out the avocado chunks.  Add avocado up to 30 minutes before serving.  The dressing can be made the night before as well and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
For the Chicken Salad
3 cups cooked, diced chicken (click here for instructions)
3 cups cooked white rice
2 avocados, peeled, diced and tossed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup mayonnaise
1 to 2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
For the Avocado Dressing
1 small avocado mashed with 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
Dash cayenne pepper
Step by Step
For the Chicken Salad
1.  Mix all ingredients except for avocado chunks.  Mix until ingredients are well combined.
2.  Add chunks of avocado and toss lightly.
3.  Chill until ready to serve.
For the Dressing
1.  Combine all ingredients into a food processor.
2.  Blend until completely smooth.
3.  Chill and serve alongside the chicken salad.

Makes 8 servings.

Rosemary, Oil & Vinegar Dipping Sauce

My sister-in-law, Elise, is one of my "idol chefs."  If you are wondering what I mean by that I will gladly share my definition and I am sure everyone knows a few people that are like this in the kitchen.  No matter what dish she is cooking, she will add a dash of this, a dash of that and then taste it.  Almost every time she does this, she will then follow with, "hmmm, I should really add some ginger root (or any ingredient I could never imagine enhancing the dish).  Sometimes it's soy sauce in the asparagus or Dr. Pepper in the meat marinade.  Anyway, I'm sure you catch my drift that she doesn't really follow recipes and comes up with magical dishes.  I dream of cooking like this one day and have just lately started trying to add my own flare instead of rigidly following recipes.
All that to say, I would like to share this wonderful dipping sauce I had last time I was at her house.  I know this is nothing too out of the ordinary, but I do hope to share more of her recipes in the future (I just have to follow her around in the kitchen and write down every "splash of this and pinch of that").  Now olive oil and vinegar is something most everyone has had at a restaurant, but the addition of rosemary and sea salt makes this wonderful.  This is a great dipping sauce to serve as an appetizer to almost any meal.

Rosemary, Oil & Vinegar Dipping Sauce
Recipe Note
My favorite bread to serve with this sauce is the Rustic Loaf from Central Market.
Ingredients
1/2 olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1-2 teaspoons finely grated sea salt
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
Step by Step
1. Combine all ingredients and lightly stir.
2.  Serve with a crusty loaf of bread.  My recommendation: Central Market's Rustic Loaf

Roasted Corn and Avocado Dip

If you would like to be a popular guest for any summer soiree, bring this dip along.  I promise you will be a hit.  The combination of sweet roasted corn, creamy avocado, plump tomatoes and fresh cilantro is undeniably wonderful. With just a few other ingredients, you will have a dip that is sure to please.  I had this once in someone else's home and knew it had to be in my cookbook.  I used the same main ingredients and added a few of my own.

You can also see below how I used this dip to spice up steak fajitas.  Of course it pairs well with mexican food, but is tasty with most any summertime meal or barbecue.  Enjoy!

Roasted Corn and Avocado Dip
serves 2-4

Recipe Notes

You can use either fresh corn cut off the cob or frozen corn.  Whatever you have on hand works great, but I will say you can hardly beat fresh, sweet summer corn cut off the cob.

Ingredients

1 cup corn cut off the cob (or 1 cup frozen kernels)
2 teaspoons canola oil (or olive oil)

1 avocado, cut into small chunks

1 large vine ripened tomato, cut into small chunks (or two small tomatoes)
3 tablespoons fresh red onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fresh jalapeno, minced
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 pinch of salt and pepper, extra to taste
Step by Step
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.  Spread corn kernels onto baking sheet;  toss with oil and sprinkle with salt.
3.  Roast corn for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned.
4. In a medium bowl, combine all remaining ingredients.  Mix gently to combine.
5.  When corn has cooled, add to dip.
6.  Serve with favorite tortilla chips or as a topping to fajitas.

Works great as a fajita topping as well!

Fresh Basil Pesto

I cannot say enough wonderful things about fresh basil pesto.  The possibilities are endless!  Stir it in pasta, spread it on a sandwich, use it as a dipping sauce or spoon it over chicken.  Basil is actually one of the few things i grow (and trust me, if I can, you can too).  Just a small pot and when it's in full bloom, I make a big batch of pesto.  Sure there is store bought pesto, but the strong and fresh flavor of making it at home is worth the effort!  Check back later this week for a tip on how to freeze the pesto so you will always have it on hand!

Fresh Basil Pesto
Ingredients
2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + 1 tablespoon
Freshly ground black pepper
Step by Step
1. Combine basil, pine nuts, cheese, garlic and salt in a food processor.  Grind for a few seconds until mixed. 
2.  While the motor is still running, slowly pour oil in and blend until the mixture is incorporated.
3.  Add pepper to taste and extra salt if needed.
4.  Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days tightly covered or freeze for up to a month.