Buffalo Chicken Rolls {I Heart Hot Sauce}

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Disclaimer - The following list was revised before final publication.
90% of my first choices were food related. Maybe I'm hungry - but then again I just ate. Maybe I just like food.


Things that make me smile:
Puppies source


Flowerssource


Hot Saucesource
(I know this hot sauce isn't clean and I'm trying to eat as many clean foods as possible but, hey, I'm human.)
I crave hot sauce.
Call it buffalo, hot, or wing sauce - whatever. I love it..
I don't like other condiments (mayo, mustard, ketchup, etc) so I give myself a little freedom here.
I wanted hot wings the other day but decided against the high-fat, fried version for this lower cal one.
Plus, with just four ingredients I could get my hot sauce fix without much fuss.

Classy blog pic huh? 
I'm especially fond of my wing sauce + ranch swirl. 
Not to mention my high-end plate. 

The original recipe called for stinky, gross blue cheese. I nixed that and added part-skim mozzarella instead.
In retrospect I would have been a little more free-handed w/ the mozz. because I didn't really taste it much.
But the egg roll wrapper was a great crunchy variation on a tortilla (with fewer calories too.)
The original recipe said these were only about 100 calories per roll.
I think mine might be less (or at least close to the same w/ the mozzarella adjustment). But that's just a guess.  Don't hold me to it.



4 ingredients. Let's get cookin'.

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Buffalo Chicken Rolls
adapted from: Can You Stay For Dinner

2 cups shredded chicken (I used white meat only)
1 cup hot sauce, I used Frank's (NOT salsa)
1 pkg egg roll wrappers (you will have leftovers)
part-skim mozzarella - optional, amount to preference

You will also need small bowl of water and cooking spray.


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix chicken and hot sauce. (You may adjust the amount of sauce depending on your preference.) Place 2 Tbsp of chicken mixture diagonally across the wrapper. Layer sprinkling of mozzarella on top of chicken to desired amount. Be careful not to overstuff.  Fold into envelope-looking pockets.


To fold:

1. Layer ingredients diagonally as described above.2. Fold bottom corner up.3. Fold corners in 4. Wet flap at top with water and flip/fold over to secure. 
Place roll on sprayed cookie sheet and continue assembling wraps until baking sheet is full (mine held 13).Spray wraps generously with cooking spray and place in oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy (mine took almost 20).
Serve on fancy styrofoam w an extra side of Frank's +  Ranch.


Anyone else love the spicy stuff? 
Who's digging my fancy plate? 

When the DVR accuses you of being old and other 21st century travesties

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Today's short exercise will teach us all a critical lesson about stereotyping.
 If you're the type of person who judges others by the shows they watch, you're probably about to assume I smell of Aspercreme and mothballs.I don't by the way. My favorite show just happens to be flanked by commercials for life insurance and catheters. I don't understand why.
Fact: I'm only 28. Fact: I like laughing.Fact: Frasier makes me laugh. 
Now where's my cardigan, it's getting chilly?(disclaimer: proud cardigan lover here) 

Before you watch this clip, maybe you should know that I think it's my background in psychology that makes me especially prone to this type of humor. 
boom.

You just judged me didn't you? ;)

Friday Flashback

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It was 73 degrees in Dallas the other morning. 73!! 
When something nice like that happens my grandpa says things like, "this weather is magnanimous". I really think he means "magnificient" but you get to be a certain age and people just let stuff go. 
But that morning, the 73 degree morning, I was thinking to myself, "this weather IS magnanimous". Thanks Gramps. 
Grandma, Me, Grandpa.Cuties.
Fall is the best season. Let's just be honest. It just is.
I'm about to burst waiting for the full season change.
Candles, scarves, jackets, hot tea, baked goods, cozy nights.
Oh yes!

view at my Dad's last fall.
Today I decided to break out a little blast-from-the-past recipe. I whipped up these Snickerdoodle and Pumpkin Cream Cheese Sandwiches last fall and they've been {by far} the biggest hit here. Thought I'd share it again with you in case you're breaking out the fall candles and pumpkin-spice-whatevers too. 
***
Click the link below to open the worm hole and read the original recipe post:Snickerdoodle and Pumpkin Cream Cheese Sandwiches
***
Anyone else eagerly anticipating Fall? What's your favorite thing to do during the season? What does Fall look like where you live?

Pompom, Mint, & Pumpkin Happies

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So something happens when the calender turns November:

• Hallmark movie channel starts promoting their newest batch of unapologetically cheesy holiday films (that I inevitably fall for every year).
• Target starts sending me catalogs full of children's toy ideas which I think is strange considering there are no children in my home.
• And I start telling myself I need to start holiday shopping...every week...until Dec 20th.

The holidays are a'comin folks. They are a'comin.



source

Most commercial wrapping paper bores me to tears. If I see one more crudely drawn Santa or arrowhead masquerading as a Christmas tree, I'm going to scream.
Last year's gift wrap was divine but I made the glitter error. Oh my, what a pain. That sparkly stuff got everywhere. I think I even found some in the kitchen last weekend.
This year I'm digging those gorgeous pompoms.
They'll probably fall off too but that's what hot glue is for.



Source: jcrew.com via Faith on Pinterest

My 29th birthday is at the end of this month (cue sobs).
This mint green coat is atop my bday list (Christmas too - I won't discriminate).
Gimme gimme.



Source: beta.abc.go.com via Faith on Pinterest


Ok, any other Top Chef fans out there remember sweet, southern Carla?

source
This lovely little lady is now a co-host on a daytime food show called The Chew.
Who knew? (I did not mean to rhyme).
Today she whipped up this delicious pumpkin cake with pumpkin mousse layers and chocolate ganache topping.
Mario Batali told her it was the best thing she's ever made. With a statement like that I have to try this recipe people...and soon.
Have to. 

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Any other wrapping paper snobs out there? Share your favorites with us. 
How about funky colored winter coats? Who's with me?
Btw- who else has seen The Chew? Thoughts? I for one really like it. Love me some Clinton and Carla. 

Happy Friday friends!!

Fun Food Ideas for Halloween

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Each year I find myself getting a little more excited about Halloween than the last. I think it can be blamed on the blogging world. A couple of years ago, I had no clue about all the ways a person can frost, pipe, and decorate festive Halloween treats. Making my own homemade peanut butter cups last year was basically the nail on the crafty coffin. Ever since I have been quietly bookmarking projects, setting up a list of super cute, hilariously detailed ideas for this year. 
Here’s some of my Halloween favorites!

• A big, orange monster cake with cake pop eyeballs from Makoodle.
• Adorable Spooky Ghost Cakes from Parenting.com.
• A beautifully arranged bowl of candy from One Charming Party that would make a great centerpiece for the grown-ups.
• Taste of Home’s vine-covered pumpkin cakes.
• Ghostly toppers from A Beautiful Mess let you turn any cake instantly Halloween.
• These Dracula’s Dentures cookies from The Girl Who Ate Everything almost left me kinda spooked, until I saw the yummy marshmallow filling.
• Super cute monster cookies from Tell Love and Chocolate (they’re wearing bows for goodness sakes!).
• Dash Recipes gives Kit Kats a Frankenstein makeover.
• Nestle Kitchens’ Graveyard Pie had me at the piles of chocolate cookie crumbles.
• These brightly-colored marshmallow-monster-topped cupcakes from Chef Julie Yoon are delightfully non-spooky .
• Martha Stewart’s got a cool idea for jack-o-lantern style oranges with a sorbet filling.
• White chocolate covered Strawberry Ghosts from Taste of Home are simple and sweet.
• Again with the intricately decorated cookies, My Kitchen Addiction’s Dark Cocoa Molasses Cookies are a beautiful (and yummy) project for the artsy-fartsy among us.
• Finally, for all that leftover Halloween candy, Chocolate and Carrots’ Chocolate Candy Bark is the perfect solution.

What about you? Any amazing Halloween foodie finds??

Personal Chef dinner for 8....

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After a whirlwind trip to NYC( which I'm going to write about soon, I swear) I returned on Friday. I had no time to relax, as I had a personal chef dinner for 8 on Sunday. Thankfully, the clients had picked a menu that I'd made a few times before. The salad was a new addition, but I made it last week before we left in order to test it. It's a wonderful really simple salad from Cook's Illustrated. Arugula w/ dried apricots, pears, goat cheese and almonds. The main dish was also from CI, but I made a couple changes. I added fresh rosemary and used a cherry jam from France instead of the orange marmalade the recipe calls for. If you have a CI membership, its called Pork tenderloin with a dried cherry port sauce. I mashed sweet potatoes to go with the meal. The client raved and raved about the sweet potatoes. I used 1 stick of butter, a few tbls of heavy cream, 2tsp of brown sugar and salt and pepper for 7 potatoes. They were very good!!

I used a nifty little tool to french cut fresh green beans. I blanched them and then sauteed them with pine nuts and butter. I used a garlic/cheese finishing butter I picked up at Wegman's in Buffalo. Dessert was chocolate fondue w/ assorted fruit and amazing shortbread cookies. I used the recipe from Ina Garten( half w/ pecans) and cut them with my maple leaf cutter. I also made a batch of Peanut butter rice krispie treats. There was NOT one of those left on the platter.

I was hired thru the Canadian Personal Chef Alliance. I was required to provide a 3 course bistro dinner, but I also threw in an appetizer( forgot to take a pic) of an artichoke and white bean dip. I also threw in my famous( actually Peter Reinharts) overnight foccacia. If you want an amazing bread w/ little effort, seriously make that bread!!

Chicken and dumplings and Oatmeal Butterscotch bars( Cook's Country)

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On November 20, 2001, I walked off the airplane in Toronto and met Robin for the first time in person. We'd been emailing/talking on the phone since the end of September. Yep, we met online : ). We met on a diary writing website, where we both kept journals. I'm so thankful for that website, because I probably would have NEVER met Robin in my lifetime.

We were married on June 19th, 03, but November 20th is always a special day for me. Its also my baby Harley's birthday : ). I made this chicken and dumpling dish from Cook's Country. It was really good and comforting, and as a plus, it uses white meat chicken. The recipe calls for fresh carrots and frozen peas. I used 1 leftover fresh carrot, but also threw in a bag of frozen mixed veggies( I'm working on clearing out the freezer in preparation for Holiday Baking).

I was busy yesterday, cooking for a client so I forgot all about making a dessert. Robin said " don't I get a special dessert?". I whipped up these butterscotch Oatmeal bars from Cook's Country as well. Very good and easy!!