Franks RedHot buffalo chicken dip

This dip goes great with beer and is perfect for that superbowl party.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup Franks RedHot buffalo sauce
• 1 cup ranch dressing
• 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 cup shredded cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place cream cheese into a baking dish. Stir until smooth.
2. Mix in salad dressing, Frank's RedHot buffalo sauce and cheese. Stir in chicken.
3. Bake 20 min. or until mixture is heated through; stir. Garnish as desired. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers or vegetables.

 

pistachio chocolate chip bundt cake

Very moist pistachio cake recipe that I got from my co-worker.
 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 box of french vanilla cake mix
• 1 box of jello instant pistachio pudding
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons almond extract
• 1/2 bag mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix all ingredients, except chocolate chips, with an electric mixer. Stir in mini chocolate chips by hand.
3. Spray bundt pan with Pam and add cake batter. Bake 50 minutes.
4. Cool and remove cake from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar (if desired).

hong's potato salad

A favorite amongst my family and friends. This recipe is super simple and great for any barbeque.

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 lbs potatoes 
• 12 eggs
• mayonnaise
• 1/4 onion, very finely minced
• salt
• granulated sugar 
• ground black pepper 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Wash potatoes thoroughly. If the potatoes are large, cut them in half to speed up the cooking time. Boil the potatoes with the skin on. In a separate pot, boil the eggs.
2. Once cooked, peel the eggs and potatoes. Cut the potatoes and eggs into approximately 1 inch size pieces.
3. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs and minced onions. Sprinkle in salt, pepper and sugar. I find it easier to mix these ingredients together before adding the mayonnaise.  This ensures everything gets incorporated evenly.  
4. Add mayonnaise to achieve the desired consistency. Add additional salt, sugar, pepper to taste.

Note: I like to mix everything when the potatoes are still hot, so I don't wait for the potatoes to cool before peeling and cutting them. Be forewarned, this is not easy on the fingers. 

banana muffins

A super easy recipe that I can quickly whip up when I have overly ripe bananas. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped. 

peanut butter truffle brownies

Chocolate and peanut butter all wrapped up into one indulgent bar. Start with a no-fail brownie mix, then add layers of peanut butter and melted chocolate chips. This brownie is ultra rich, so a small piece goes a long way. 

INGREDIENTS:

Brownie Base

• 1 box brownie mix
• Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on brownie mix box

Filling

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons milk

Topping

• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 8-inch or 9-inch square pan with cooking spray or shortening. (For easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom only of pan.) Make brownies as directed on box. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
2. In medium bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over brownie base.
3. In small microwavable bowl, microwave topping ingredients uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds; stir until smooth. Cool 10 minutes; spread over filling. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set. Cut into desired size.

chewy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

If you like peanut butter, this cookie is soft and oh so peanut buttery.

YIELD:

24 cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup (optional)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the corn syrup, water, and vanilla. 
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roll into 2 inch balls and press down with a fork.
5. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Note: If you don't have shortening, substitute the shortening for 1/4 cup butter. I also used less than 2 cups of chocolate chips (quantity and type of chips depends on your liking). For extra peanut butter flavor, substitute some of the chocolate chips for peanut butter chips.

ghirardelli double chocolate cookies

This recipe can be found on the Ghirardelli website and is to die for! Slightly crusty on the outside and rich and gooey on the inside. If you like chocolate, this cookie is worth every calorie. 

YIELD:

24 cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 ounce(s) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 10 ounce(s) 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cups chopped walnuts (optional)   

DIRECTIONS:

1. In double boiler over hot water, melt bittersweet chocolate chips and butter. In large bowl with electric mixer or whisk, beat eggs and sugar until thick; stir into chocolate mixture. In small bowl, stir together flour and baking powder; stir into chocolate mixture. Gently mix in semi-sweet chocolate chips and walnuts (optional). 
2. Using a sheet of plastic wrap, form dough into two logs, each 2 inches in diameter and about 12 inches long. As dough will be quite soft, use plastic wrap to hold dough in log shape. Wrap tightly; refrigerate at least 1 hour or until firm. 
3. Heat oven to 375°F. Unwrap dough; with sharp knife, cut into 3/4-inch slices. Place slices 1 1/2 inches apart on greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet.
4. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until shiny crust forms on top but interior is still soft. Cool on baking sheet; store in airtight tin up to 1 week.   

Note: I found that using the suggested amount of semi-sweet chocolate chips made the cookie too rich, so reduce the quantity as necessary. Also, to make a different variation of this cookie, substitute half of the semi-sweet chocolate chips for peanut butter chips.  

soft oatmeal cookies w/ chocolate chips & raisins

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and tweaked it slightly. These oatmeal cookies are soft and delicious. Slightly salty and not too sweet. Even Linh (who does not usually save room for dessert) likes this cookie.

YIELD:  

24 cookies 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown suger, packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 1/2 cups quick cooking oats (or 2 3/4 cup for a thicker consistency)
• 3/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional) 

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. 
2. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. 
3. Mix in oats, chocolate chips, and raisins. 
4. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roll into 2 inch balls and press down with a fork.
6. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.