Saturday, August 27, 2011

Cooking : Buffalo Chicken and Ranch Wraps

Ingredients
1 pound thin-sliced bacon
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup Buffalo wing sauce
2 tablespoons butter, melted
12 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 cup diced fresh tomato
3/4 cup ranch dressing, divided

Directions
Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Crumble when cool.
Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings, and cook and stir the chicken breast chunks until browned, about 10 minutes. Cover the skillet and allow chicken to continue cooking until no longer pink inside and the juices run clear, about 10 more minutes. Stir in the Buffalo sauce and melted butter until chicken is thoroughly coated. Stir in the crumbled bacon. Keep the mixture warm.
Heat the tortillas, one at a time, in a large ungreased skillet over medium heat until they begin to form air bubbles and small brown spots. Fill each each warmed tortilla with about 1/3 cup of the chicken filling and a tablespoon or so of tomatoes; sprinkle the tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of ranch dressing. Wrap the tortilla around the filling; serve warm.

Cooking : Berries 'n' Cream Dessert

Ingredients
3/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup vanilla ice cream
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups fresh raspberries

Directions
In a bowl, whisk the sour cream and brown sugar. Stir in ice cream. Refrigerate. In a chilled mixing bowl, beat whipping cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Fold in sour cream mixture and berries. Pour into serving dishes. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Cooking : Bacon Dijon Cheddar Dip

Ingredients
4 slices bacon
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions
Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate, let cool, and crumble the bacon.
Place the cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, and Dijon mustard into a bowl, and mix on medium speed with an electric mixer until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Stir in the onion and crumbled bacon, and spoon into a serving bowl. Refrigerate for 2 hours to blend the flavors, and sprinkle with parsley to serve.

Cooking : Beefy Baked Ravioli

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1/2 (25 ounce) package frozen cheese ravioli
1 (14 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
Crumble the ground beef into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until no longer pink. Drain grease, then stir in the spaghetti sauce and tomatoes.
Spread 1/3 of the sauce in the bottom of an 11x7 inch baking dish. Arrange 1/2 of the ravioli over the sauce. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese and 1/2 of the Monterey Jack cheese over the ravioli. Repeat layers, ending with the last of the sauce on top. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top before serving.

Cooking : Baked French Swirl Toast

Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) Pepperidge Farm� Cinnamon Swirl Bread , cut into cubes
3/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins
3 cups half-and-half or milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cinnamon sugar or confectioners' sugar
Whipped butter
Pure maple syrup

Directions
Place the bread cubes and cranberries in a greased 3-quart shallow baking dish. Beat the eggs, half-and-half and vanilla in a medium bowl with a fork or whisk. Pour over the bread cubes. Cover the dish and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
Uncover the dish. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until golden brown and set in the center. Sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar. Serve with the butter and syrup.