Buffalo Chicken Mac N' Cheese Bites

This is a perfect example of why America has an obesity problem. We reinvent dishes like macaroni and cheese to make them more tantalizing, irresistible and heart-stopping over and over. Fried oreos, bacon sundaes, chocolate covered corndogs, and now - buffalo chicken mac n' cheese. This is terrible. This is wonderful.

We had a Finger Food Challenge in my office last week, so I wanted to make something cheesy but easily portable. I ran out to buy a mini cupcake tin, which I now need to find a hundred other recipes for because they make everything bite-sized and adorable! My love of sliders and miniature food items made these mac n' cheese bites a no-brainer. My coworkers made two different buffalo chicken dips (3 TIMES the buffalo chicken!!!), bruschetta on toast, and two potato samplers with smoked salmon and dill sauce.

The food

Contestants with their prizes

Needless to say, we were all winners.

Buffalo Chicken Mac N Cheese Bites
Makes: 36 bites  Prep: 20 minutes  Total: 30 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 lb elbow macaroni
3 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup crumbly blue
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper3/4 cup milk
2 eggs yolks
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
1 tbs hot sauce
2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions
Cook macaroni al dente and set aside.
In a large pot, melt the butter on low heat and add flour. Add mozzarella and crumbly blue cheese, and stir until completely melted. Pour in salt, pepper and milk and heat on high for 3-4 minutes until the mix is fully incorporated. Remove from heat and mix in egg yolks.
In a separate bowl, combine shredded chicken, hot sauce and buffalo wing sauce. Mix well, then transfer into mac n cheese pot. Toss mac n cheese with chicken and spoon into lightly greased mini cupcake tins, pressing down to fill the tins completely. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Baked Shrimp Spring Rolls with Mango Dipping Sauce

Happy Superbowl Sunday! I've been working all morning on these spring rolls since the avocado I bought yesterday wasn't ripe enough to use yet. (Note to self: never go grocery shopping the day before the Superbowl. Ever. Again.) This was my first attempt at Asian food and they were really fun to make! I'm excited to try a lot more combinations with my leftover spring roll wrappers. I also used my new food processor for the first time! Despite the fact that it's a pain in the ass to clean, it's pretty awesome.

I'm pretty bummed that I'm away from Boston when the Patriots are in the Superbowl, but luckily I get to go back next weekend and visit all my friends! I told them that if the Pats win, they better jump in the reflection pool for me. Since most people here in New Jersey are Giants fans, I might be the lone Boston fan at our party tonight (but hopefully bringing these spring rolls will make up for that in their eyes). Anyway if you're looking for a fun, healthy game day snack and all the veggie trays are sold out, try these rolls instead.

Baked Shrimp Spring Rolls with Mango Dipping Sauce
Makes: 24 rolls Prep: 30 minutes  Total: 45 minutes

Ingredients
24 spring roll wrappers
12 ounces frozen shrimp, uncooked
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
3 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups shredded carrots
6 scallion greens, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1 egg
1 tbs honey

Mango Dipping Sauce:
1 1/2 20-ounce jars canned mangoes
1/2 tbs lemon juice
1/2 tbs honey
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp hot sauce

Directions*
Defrost frozen shrimp and saute until pink. Let cool, remove tails and chop into small pieces. Season with cayenne pepper and salt and toss.
In a large saute pan, heat cabbage, carrots, shrimp and scallions. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, then add avocado. Remove and let cool.
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Begin rolling by placing spring roll wrapper in a bowl of hot water, and lay flat on a dry towel. Lightly pat and place a heaping tablespoon of shrimp mixture 3 inches from the bottom edge. Lift edge over mixture and tuck, rolling until halfway up the wrapper. Lift horizontal edges to close the ends of the roll, and finish by rolling up to the top and tucking the edge underneath. Lay on a greased baking sheet and repeat with all rolls.
Before baking egg rolls, beat together egg and honey. Use a pastry brush or hands to lightly coat the outside of each roll. Bake for 10 minutes and store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
For mango dipping sauce, blend canned mangoes in a food processor. Add in lemon juice, honey, salt, vinegar and hot sauce. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*For help, see this great visual tutorial for how to roll egg rolls at Steamy Kitchen.

Buffalo Chicken Dip with Banana Peppers

Perhaps this is a phenomena that exists only amongst my girl friends at home, but we love dip. We can polish off a bowl of dip so fast that we barely even remember eating it. I decided to come up with my own recipe for buffalo chicken dip, a favorite of my friends, for a girls night at my house. Because really, what goes better with a box of Franzia than steaming hot cheese?

Alright, so this is definitely not the healthiest post I've ever done. However, being from Upstate New York I need to recognize the glory that is buffalo chicken (wings, pizza, sub, you name it - I've tried it). Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York is credited with the creation of buffalo chicken wings, but I didn't discover buffalo chicken in other forms until I entered college. Buffalo chicken of every variety is my #1 guilty pleasure food.

This dip is perfect for a tailgate or lazy night with friends. Just make sure to wear your turkey pants!

Buffalo Chicken Dip with Banana Peppers
Serves: 10-12 people  Prep: 10 minutes  Total: 30 minutes

Ingredients
1 rotisserie chicken (about 2 cups of chicken meat)
1 8-ounce package of cream cheese
1/2 cup blue cheese dressing
1/2 cup Original Anchor Bar Buffalo Wing Sauce
1 cup banana peppers, chopped or whole
1/2 cup crumbly Gorgonzola
Tortilla chips and celery

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Remove all the meat off of a precooked rotisserie chicken and chop into medium cubes. Set aside.
In a 9-inch pie dish, combine cream cheese, blue cheese dressing and buffalo wing sauce. Add chopped chicken and banana peppers and mix well. Sprinkle Gorgonzola on top and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips and celery.