Week 5 - Buffalo Chicken Bites

With the Super Bowl tomorrow, I knew I wanted to try something fun with the chicken tenders we had in the refrigerator.  I absolutely love buffalo wings and wanted something similar but not exactly like them.  I came across a link for these Buffalo Chicken Bites on the website What's Cookin', Chicago?

At first I was skeptical as to how they would taste since Joelen's bread seemed so simple.  It turned out delicious.  I will openly say that I had to make a couple of alterations to the recipe to suit my family - we left the blue cheese out completely, and I forgot to add the melted butter.  (I apologize for not having step-by-steps pictures like I normally would - I was in a hurry to get them done.)

Since my recipe wasn't exactly as hers, you can check it out on her website, but let me say that they were so yummy served up with some cold ranch dressing.  We'll be having leftovers for dinner while we watch the Big Game tomorrow night!

Week 2 - Spaghetti Bread

For Week 2, I finally attempted a dish I have been wanting to try for many weeks (like ever since i came 

across it).  We had some friends over to watch the BCS National Championship game on Monday night, so that became my excuse to make the spaghetti bread.

The original recipe for the Spaghetti Bread can be found here.  It's featured on the Rhode's Bake N Serv website.  I, myself, have never tried the Rhode's bread dough products.  I'm not sure if they're actually sold in my area since I wasn't able to locate them in the grocery store.  I decided to make the dish with a recipe for homemade italian bread and it worked great.

The first step was, obviously, to prepare my spaghetti.  I'm one of those people that likes to make my sauce early in the day and let it simmer.  Once I knew the sauce was ready, I boiled the pasta and started the bread dough.  After letting the dough rise for the last time, I rolled it out and filled it, topping with some shredded mozzarella.  I cut the side into strips and braided the dough according to the directions provided by Rhode's.  From there, I did the egg wash and sprinkled on some oregano, parmesan, and garlic.

Here are the photos of how things went:

 

 

This dish was a lot easier to make than I expected.  I actually used leftover spaghetti to make it again a couple of nights later.  The best thing about this Spaghetti Bread is that it's light enough to be a snack for times when you have friends or family over, but also hearty enough to be served as a stand-alone meal.  And just a tip, you don't have to skimp on the amount of spaghetti you put inside the bread.  The second time I made it, I used almost twice as much spaghetti and it still turned out great!  I also rolled the dough out a little thinner on the sides so it wasn't as thick on top after baking.