Featured Recipes: Stir Up Some Fun

May 22, 2011

Who says entertaining guests has to be a lot of work? Whether it’s a dinner party or a casual get-together, with the right recipes you can stir up some crowd-pleasing dishes in hardly any time at all. From delicious dips to a cool twist on classic hot wings to a simple and savory casserole, these recipes make it easy to deliver fun and flavorful food.

(Scroll down to see all of today’s recipes.)

KING RANCH CHICKEN

Ingredients

  • 1 packet ranch seasoning mix
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 medium white onion, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil
  • 18 6-inch yellow corn tortillas
  • 1 1/2cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
  • 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies, such as Rotel; drained
  • 1 4-ounce can green chilies, drained
  • 1/2 pound chicken, cooked and cubed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Put the drained tomatoes and drained chilies in a medium bowl. Sauté the onions and bell peppers in the 2 teaspoons of oil until the onions turn translucent and the peppers are tender (2 to 3 minutes). Add to the bowl of tomatoes and chilies and mix to combine.
  3. Blend chicken stock, sour cream, dip mix, salt and black pepper until smooth.
  4. Spray the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray and cover the bottom of the pan with 6 yellow corn tortillas. Sprinkle 1/3 of the chicken and 1/3 of the vegetable mixture on the layer of tortillas. Pour 1/3 of the sour cream mixture over the vegetables and top with 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Repeat twice, beginning with tortillas and ending with a layer of cheese.
  5. Cover with foil and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until hot in the center and cheese is melted.

Serves
Makes 6 to 8 servings

HOT CHICKEN WINGS WITH CUCUMBER RANCH DIP

Ingredients

Wing Sauce
  • 3/4 cup hot sauce
  • 1 tablespoon butter
Cucumber Ranch Dip
  • 3 tablespoons ranch seasoning mix
  • 1 cup Daisy brand sour cream
  • 1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro
  • Pinch pepper
Wings
  • 16 chicken wings
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil

Preparation

  1. Wing Sauce: Add hot sauce to a pot and bring up to medium heat.
  2. Add butter and whisk until melted. Set aside.
  3. Cucumber Ranch Dip: Add ingredients to a bowl and mix thoroughly using a rubber spatula. Set aside.
  4. Wings: Preheat oven to 425°F.
  5. Add wings to a sheet tray and toss with oil. Bake for 20 minutes.
  6. Once the wings are done in the oven, remove them from the sheet tray and dump them into a bowl.
  7. Add the hot sauce and toss until wings are evenly coated.
  8. Serve the chicken wings along with cucumber ranch dip for dipping.

Serves
Makes 4 servings

CREAMY GREEN ONION MINI MEATBALLS

Sauce for Meatballs
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup Daisy brand sour cream
  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 packet garden onion seasoning mix
Mini Meatballs
  • 2 tablespoons garden onion seasoning mix
  • 1 pound ground beef (preferably 80/20 ground chuck)
  • 3 tablespoons Italian bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon green onion, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1 egg
  • Pinch salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons green onions, chopped – optional garnish

Preparation

  1. Sauce for Meatballs: Add heavy cream, sour cream and cream cheese to a sauce pot on medium heat. Whisk until ingredients are melted. Then add one packet of dip mix and whisk until smooth. Hold over low heat.
  2. Mini Meatballs: Preheat oven to 425°F.
  3. In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Roll the meat mixture into golf ball size meatballs. Place the meatballs on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes.
  4. Once baked, add the meatballs to meatball sauce and toss to coat. Serve hot. Garnish with chopped green onions if desired.

Serves
Makes 4 to 6 servings

EASY JALAPENO PEPPERS

Ingredients

  • 8 medium sized jalapeños
  • 4 ounces (1/4 pound) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
  • 8 slices of bacon
  • 8 short wooden skewers or wooden toothpicks
  • 1 packet guacamole dip prepared according to instructions
  • 3 avocados

Preparation

  1. Create a slit in one side of the jalapeños using a small sharp knife. Do not cut all the way through the ends. Remove the seeds and membrane for a milder popper.
  2. Stuff a pepper with 1/8 of the cheese. Wrap with a slice of bacon and secure the bacon with a skewer. Repeat with the 7 other peppers.
  3. Preheat oven to 425°F. Sear poppers on all sides over high heat in a nonstick pan until bacon is golden brown. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.
  4. Serve hot with the guacamole on the side.

Serves
Makes 8 poppers

Comments

One Response to “Featured Recipes: Stir Up Some Fun”

  1. Stacey on May 23rd, 2011 12:07 am

    Oooh, the meatballs and the chicken casserole sound really good! AND, I can tweak them to be low carb!! YUMMY :)

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FEATURE TOP STORY, Features, News