Pintertest : Loaded Baked Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole

I saw this recipe a few weeks ago after bringing home Zach and knew I wanted to make it. I swear its a fact that every nursing mama wants comfort food that first month and I just so happened to pick up that dip a few weeks before having to stock my pantry up with snacks and such. 

Mine

the pin

Loaded Baked Potato and Buffalo Chicken Casserole

Recipe source

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (roughly 2 lbs)

2-3 large potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (or 6-8 small/med potatoes)

1/3 cup olive oil

1 1/2 t. salt

1 T. fresh ground pepper

1 T. paprika

1 1/2 T

. garlic powder (I used half McCormicks Garlic & Herb Grill mates) 

3 T. buffalo wing sauce (I used 6 T. I like sauce)

3 T. Loaded Baked Potato Dip*

*

You could use Ranch dip or salad dressing in the place of the dip I used

Topping:

1 3/4 cups cheese 

of choice

 (

I used 1 cup sharp cheddar, 1/2 cup Monterey Jill and 1/4 cup blue cheese)

1/2-3/4

 cup real bacon bits (I like the pepper kind)

1/2 cup

 diced green onion

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. In a large bowl mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, buffalo sauce and dip/dressing (I added the dip after to remaining sauce to coat the chicken only). Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat.  Pour potatoes into a sprayed 9 x 13 baking dish, reserving as much sauce as possible for the chicken. Bake the potatoes at 500 degrees for 45-50 mins, stirring every 10-15 mins (I did every 15 and only took mine about 35-40 minutes to cook), until potatoes are cooked through and crispy & browned on the outside.  While the potatoes are cooking, add the chicken to the bowl with the remaining sauce.  Stir to coat.  Once potatoes are done, remove from oven and lower oven temp to 400 degrees. Add the chicken to the top of the cooked potatoes.  (I know, raw chicken on top of cooked potatoes seems a little weird, but it all heats back up and cooks through.)  Cover raw chicken with cheese, bacon bits and green onions in an even layer.  Place assembled casserole in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. 

You can serve this with extra hot sauce, ranch or blue cheese dressing if desired.

My Verdict:

Winner! I could eat this everyday if it was healthy but its not, so I will save this for special events.

Linked up to: 

Garlic Knots

My Garlic Knots - coming soon to a Northern California Super Bowl party :)

I've seen a few different recipes in the past for garlic knots... 

but I didn't bother doing the logical thing by trying to find the ones I may or may not have pinned.

Here is a picture of some I pinned to be on the up and up. However I'm crazy and created my own recipe.

You'll Thank Me Later - Garlic Knots

I made my dough in a bread maker but you can do it by hand too. This recipe makes approximately 3 dozen medium sized knots. 

Prep time: 2 1/2 - 3 hrs (depends on rise time of dough)  Bake time: 15-20 min

Dough:

• 1 1/2 cups of water

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• 2 teaspoons of salt

• 2 teaspoons of sugar

• 4 cups of flour (I used white all purpose)

• 1/2 tablespoon of rosemary

• 1/2 tablespoon of basil

• 4 teaspoons of fast rise or bread machine yeast

Topping:

• 3 tablespoons of butter, melted

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced or grated

• 1/2 tablespoon of parsley(I used dried)

• salt, your preference to taste

Directions:

1. Measure all dough ingredients and place in bread pan, in the order listed. Select dough setting and start machine. I believe my dough setting has 2 rises not all bread machines are made this way - you want 2 rises for extra puffy dough.

2. Once the last rise is almost done - mince spices and melt butter.

3. Combine and stir all topping ingredients together in a small bowl.

4. Once dough is done - lightly flour a surface large enough to roll out your dough to cut. I rolled out my dough to be about 1/4 inch thickness and cut it in 1 inch strips, vertically and then each strip into thirds. They ended up being approximately 7 inches in length before tying.

5. Cover cookie dough sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Then fold over the knots and tie them. Place knots about an inch apart, I fit a dozen on a 9x13 pan.

6. Then brush or pour some of topping mixture on knots, saving at least half for the finish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden on top and bottom. (I rotated mid-way through to get them evenly browned)

7. Pour remaining topping mixture over the knots. Plate & devour!

Warning: These are highly addictive!!

Now you Pintertest it!

Crafts & Crap

Before marriage and baby I was a crafting queen and recently I decided I need to get back to crafting.. because I'm kind of a craft supply hoarder I needed some friends to join in depleting some of those supplies.

So I created Crafts & Crap! 

Simple request: Bring 2 sheets of felt, embroidery thread, a journal, some scissors and a Fall sweet or treat. 

I ended up making

these

and

this

, please excuse the blur I was busy detangling from marshmallow

-

Fall Leaf Garland

-

Friendship Bracelets

-

Thankfulness/Prayer Journals

and since this night was a night of Pinterest successes I'm linking up at Craft & Crap night attendee Jessica Johnson's monthly Pintertest Kitchen... 

Yum- oatmeal chocolate chip pumpkin cookies

So my friend Jess told me about her idea to do start a linky party (group of people linking to another blogger with theme of post) about things that you've pinned on Pinterest . What?! Such an amazing idea right. As a person that invited all my friends into Pinterest I have an excessive amount of pins and have I done anything with them... Um No. So now was the time to bake, cook or create and boy was it hard to decide which to do. I ended up choosing to bake

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

... What a mouthful!

Left: Pinterest cookies Right: My cookies

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

• Mix ingredients in order given.

• Drop by tablespoons on an ungreased cookie sheet.

• Bake for 13-15 minutes and remove from oven. (Cookies won’t look completely done) Let them sit on cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes before removing onto a cooling rack.

  Ingredients:

• 1/2 cupButter

  1. 1/2 cupWhite Sugar

  2. 1/2 cupBrown Sugar

  3. 1/2 cupPure Pumpkin

  4. 1 wholeEgg

  5. 1 teaspoonBaking Soda

  6. 1/2 teaspoonCinnamon

  7. 1/2 teaspoonPure Vanilla

  8. 1 1/2 cupsFlour

  9. 1/2 cupQuick Oats

  10. 1/2 cupChocolate Chips

I halved the original recipe since I only had 1 stick of butter, which ended up making 18 cookies. I sent some to a friend for her birthday and sort of ate the rest. They were delicious and gooey and fluffy! Next time I will make more and only things I would do differently are add more oats and use chocolate chunks instead of chips.

Best part about Jess's link-up is that it is only once a month, how easy is that! So go and check out all the other fun and yum projects people are linking.