Chicken and Potato Casserole with Hot Sauce

2 large chicken breasts, cubed
6 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 tsp. salt, divided
1 tsp. pepper, divided
2 tsp. garlic powder, divided
6 Tbsp. Frank's hot sauce, divided
2-3 red potatoes, cubed
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
2 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 green onions, chopped
blue cheese, crumbled

In a small bowl, mix together the chicken, 3 Tbsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and 3 Tbsp. hot sauce. Make sure the chicken is coated. Then let marinate for 1 hour in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 500 F.

Grease a medium sized baking dish. Set aside.

In a bowl, add the potatoes, 3 Tbsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and 3 Tbsp. hot sauce. Make sure all the potatoes are coated. Place the potato mixture in the greased baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes of baking. Remove from the oven.

Lower oven temperature to 400 F.

Pour the marinated chicken and sauce over the potatoes. Stir to mix everything up. Cook for 20 minutes.

Add the cheddar, bacon, and onions to the top. Bake for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Sprinkle a bit of blue cheese over the top. Serve hot.

Here's the recipe original recipe I altered since recipes are more like guidelines: http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2014/11/buffalo-chicken-potato-casserole.html

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Super quick dinner to make. 

1/2 lb. pasta (I used bowtie)
6-8 oz. chicken breast, cubed
garlic powder
basil
dash of coriander
dash of cumin
dash of onion powder
2-3 sprigs of cilantro, chopped
2/3 c. blue cheese dressing
1/2 c. Frank's hot sauce

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain.

Cook the chicken over medium heat. Sprinkle with garlic powder, basil, cumin, coriander, and onion powder. Add in the cilantro. Cook until chicken is cooked all the way through.

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the blue cheese dressing and the hot sauce.

In a large bowl, add the pasta and chicken. Toss. Add the dressing mix, and stir all together, making sure to coat all the pasta and chicken. Serve hot.

Here's a link to the recipe I adapted: http://www.divaliciousdishes.com/recipes/dinners/56-buffalo-chicken-pasta

Focaccia Cambozola

1 garlic bulb

Garlic before baking

olive oil
Salt
1 uncooked pizza dough (if you want to make your own dough, follow this link to my calzone recipe, and follow the directions for the dough: Pizza dough )
dried basil
1/2 c. Parmesan, shredded
1 wedge Cambozola cheese (or any blue cheese or Gorgonzola will do)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Wedge of Cambozola

Cut off the top of the garlic bulb. De-husk around the outside of the bulb, then put in a pie dish. Drizzle with olive oil then sprinkle with salt. Cover with tin foil and bake 40-45 minutes, until tender and mushy.

When the garlic is almost done baking, roll out the dough like you would for pizza, put on a pizza baking sheet. Brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with the basil and Parmesan.

Before baking the dough

Use a fork to poke the dough all over, about 1-2 inches apart.

When the garlic is done, put in the pizza dough and bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Focaccia bread after baking

Meanwhile, remove all the garlic cloves from the bulb, being careful not to burn yourself. Put them all in a bowl and mash them. Add in the blue cheese wedge, and continue to mash until it is somewhat smooth and spreadable.

Garlic cheese spread

Slice the dough into bread slices. I used a pizza cutter still to cut the slices. I served it so that everyone could put their own garlic Cambozola spread on their individual pieces. I suppose you could also spread it on the whole bread before serving it. It's up to you.

Next time I think I will use a stronger cheese like Gorgonzola with the garlic to see how the flavor changes. This was definitely a crowd pleaser, and there were no leftovers.

Recipe courtesy of Carla Pieplow

Crispy Buffalo Chicken Roll-Ups

4 chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. Gorgonzola, shredded
1/4 c. Frank's hot sauce
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 c. crushed cornflakes

Flatten chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper; sprinkle with blue cheese. Roll up each from a short side and secure with toothpicks.

In a shallow bowl, combine pepper sauce and mayonnaise. Place cornflakes in a separate shallow bowl. Dip chicken in pepper sauce mixture, then coat with cornflakes. Place seam side down in a greased 11x7 inch baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 400 F for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Discard toothpicks. Next time I may try to add bacon...

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home magazine August/September 2011

Bacon, Blue Cheese, and Courgette Soup

Courgette = zucchini in British language

I'll post the recipe as it is in the cookbook, and then I'll write about the changes I made. It was delicious.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
5-6 rashers, diced (or if you live in America, then bacon will have to do)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium zucchini, sliced, and a few reserved for garnish
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 c. chicken broth
4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
2/3 c. half and half
ground pepper to taste (that means a lot!)
3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, minced (I used cilantro)

In a stockpot or large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the bacon and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until nearly crisp. With a slotted spoon, remove a few pieces and reserve for a garnish. Stir in the onion, zucchini, and potatoes. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, for 5-7 minutes, or until the onion and zucchini are soft but not browned. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 12-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

Working in batches, transfer the soup to a food processor or blender, and puree until smooth. Return the soup to the pot, whisk in the cheese and half and half, and season with pepper. Simmer until heated through. Ladle into bowls and garnish with reserved bacon and zucchini slices, and the parsley.

Okay, I do not usually puree my soups, and I don't boil the bacon because I think it tastes better crispy. So... I cook the bacon separately, and then set it aside. I cooked everything else the same as directed in the first few steps, except that I put the cilantro in with the zucchini, potatoes, and onion. And instead of letting the soup cool in order to run it through the processor, after the potatoes are tender, I skip ahead to the adding of the cheese and half and half. It turned out pretty well.

From The Irish Pub Cookbook

Steak with Onion Blue Cheese Sauce

This recipe is pretty much to die for. We served it with pasta and hamburgers. The recipe says blue cheese, but gorgonzola is fine as well. So good! Here is the link:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/09/grilled-ribeye-steak-with-onion-blue-cheese-sauce/

Blue Cheese Toasts

1 baguette or another type of French bread
1/3 c. plus 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. blue cheese (maybe a little more...)


Preheat the broiler.

Cut 1/2 inch thick slices from the baguette.

Toast the slices on a rack under the broiler about 4 inches from the heat, turning them once, or until lightly toasted. Remove from the broiler and brush the slices on each side with the 1/3 cup of olive oil.

In a small bowl, mash the blue cheese with the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Spread the mixture evenly over one side of each slice of toast. Broil the toasts on a baking sheet for 1 minute, or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

From The Irish Pub Cookbook