wish me luck!

Hey Guys! North Carolina Sweet Poatato Commission is hosing a recipe contest taking a stand against the marshmallow + sweet potato combination. I decided to enter my awesome brunch hash into the contest, wish me luck! Be sure to check out all of the great sweet potato recipes they have. 

What fun sweet potato recipes do you have?!

sweet potato + sausage hash
yields 4 servings


ingredients:
4 sweet potatoes (about 4 cups diced)

1 mild italian sausage link

2 spicy italian sausage links

1 onion diced
1 garlic clove chopped
1 t. onion powder
½ t. garlic powder
8 basil leaves
4 T. olive oil
salt + pepper


Preheat oven to 400º F. Dice sweet potatoes to your preferred size. Drizzle 3 T. olive oil and salt + pepper to taste over the potatoes and place on baking sheet. Roast potatoes for about 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the dish. 


Heat a skillet on medium and add 1 T. olive oil and the sausage links (casing removed) crumbled. Cook until browned. Next add onion and cook until translucent. Add in garlic and seasonings and cook for 1 - 2 minutes. Pull your sweet potatoes out of the oven and add them to your pan. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. Tear basil leaves and sprinkle over the top of your dish before serving. 


improv style:
there's a million ways you can improvise this dish. don't have sweet potatoes? you can use any kind you like: yams, yukon gold, red, fingerling, you get the idea... same goes with the sausage: breakfast, all mild, all spicy, chorizo, pork, chicken, jalapeno chedar. not a fan of sausage? bacon, canadian bacon, diced ham, or pancetta would all be lovely substitutions. this is a throw what you got in a pan and make it kind of hash. add in your favorite herbs. think oregano, chili powder, thyme, parsley. i think it would be even better if you topped it with a poached or fried egg with a slightly runny yolk (no eggs for me for another 23 days - sigh). also, you can cook the potatoes in the skillet if you prefer. i like the oven because i can get everything else prepared faster while the potatoes get nice and soft in the oven. 

family traditions

Where did the last 2 weeks go? I swear I had all of my posts lined up ready to share with you guys. Easter's coming up and Passover too… In my family we celebrate both. I wanted to share some of our family recipes with you guys and then things got crazy, like INSANELY crazy. I started a new job and I've been working like a madwoman. AND last week my little sister was in town. It was great, except I forgot to share my awesome family recipes with you guys… so sorry! So I'll overload you this week to make up for it, k?

Every family has their own traditions. In my family, early morning before a special holiday, we have Aunt Bobbi's Buns. We don't have an Aunt Bobbi, I have no idea who she is - but I'm thankful for her buns!!

It's an insanely easy recipe to make and the best part is it only requires you to turn on the oven in the morning. The rest of the prep is done the night before (if you can really call it that). Some people call this monkey bread and I'm sure tons of people have their own spin on it. This is how my family does it. For us, everyone fights over the center pieces (the extra soft, gooey pieces). My sister Carolyn and I always fight over our other sister's pecans (they're not into the nuts). I usually win - the joys of being the oldest sibling. 

What are your family holiday traditions?

aunt bobbi's sticky buns

my mother's recipe adapted from a newspaper clipping from long ago but I found it online here

yields 8 servings

ingredients:

1 package Rhodes frozen dinner rolls

1 box Jello cook-n-serve butterscotch pudding mix

¼ c. melted butter

½ c. packed brown sugar

½ c. pecan halves

¼ t. cinnamon

the night before:

Spray a bunt pan with non-stick cooking spray (I use PAM). Sprinkle nuts into the cake pan and then top with 14 - 18 of the frozen rolls. Enough to fill the pan but not so many that the balls overflow the pan. Pour the pudding mix over the frozen rolls.

In a small bowl, mix butter and brown sugar together and then pour over dinner rolls with pudding mix. Finally, sprinkle with cinnamon, cover with plastic wrap,  and set it in a cool oven overnight. I know this sounds crazy, but trust it… it works and it's awesome. 

in the morning:

Pull out your cake pan (this is REALLY important, don't forget like I have before). Preheat your oven to 350º F and bake your bobbi's for 18-20 minutes until the frozen dinner rolls are cooked. They should sound slightly hollow when tapped (you know what a cooked dinner roll should look like - you eat them). Place a large plate over the top and invert and let sit for a few minutes. Pull the pan off and you have yourself a gorgeous and EASY special breakfast! 

I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does!!

improv style:

i'm sure you could use any type of frozen dinner roll as long as it was a basic dinner roll and not a crescent, etc… if you try another brand, let me know how it works! maybe try a whole wheat brand? unfortunately, the pudding mix is kind of essential to this recipe but if you're trying to be healthier (calorie wise), you could use margarine instead of butter. i don't recommend this. and finally, how do you feel about nuts? not a fan? leave it out… only have walnuts, substitute it! i bet some crumbled dried fruit would be a nice addition as well. maybe a little drizzle of rum (2 - 3 T.) would give it an extra holiday kick?! 

3 irish men

I'm super excited to share this recipe with you guys. Two of my very good friends are dating Irish men so this year I wanted to go all out for my Paddy's Day post. A few years ago I was lucky enough to spend the day in Dublin for St. Patrick's Day with one of those friends. I wish we lived in the same place so I could share these cupcakes with them! I know both of my girlfriends would LOVE these treats. 

I figure if you're going to make a boozy cupcake, you might as well go all out. This is a rich, moist, flavorful dark chocolate stout cupcake, stuffed with a whiskey spiked ganache, topped with a tangy, not too sweet baileys cream cheese butter cream frosting. Sounds complicated but it's really not. Each bite hi-lights a different flavor and I love how they come together. Some might call this an Irish Car Bomb cupcake but I prefer 3 Irish Men. There may or may not have been a rough night in college during Whistler weekend that involved one too many Irish Car Bombs. I've never been able to drink one since. These cupcakes on the other hand are a different story! If you're a chocolate lover, this is the cupcake for you.

3 irish men cupcakes

adapted from pinch my salt originally adapted from david leberman

yields 15 cupcakes

ingredients:

for the cupcakes:

2 eggs

½ c. sour cream

6 oz (about ¾ c. not including the head) guiness 

2 t. vanilla

1 t. baking soda

½ t. baking powder

½ c. dark cocoa powder

1¼ c. flour

1 c. sugar

6 T. melted butter

pinch of salt

for the ganache:

6 oz bittersweet chocolate

⅔ c. heavy cream

4 T. Jameson Whiskey

2 T. butter

for the frosting:

1 stick of butter at room temperature

3 c. powdered sugar

4 oz cream cheese

4 T. baileys

Preheat oven to 350º F. Line your cupcake pan with cupcake papers and set aside. In a large bowl, mix eggs, yogurt, vanilla, and beer together. In a separate bowl, sift together your dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, powder, cocoa, and salt). The sifting is important because cocoa powder tends to be very lumpy. I just used a fine mesh sieve but use whatever you have on hand.

Add half of your dry ingredients into your wet and mix well. Once incorporated, add the remainder of the dry to your wet and stir until well combined. Melt your butter in the microwave and add this to your cupcake batter. Stir one more time until it's fully mixed and you're ready to drop the batter in the tins! 

I used an ice cream scoop so that each cupcake was uniform in size. Fill the cupcake liners about ¾ of the way full. Bake for about 25 minutes. You'll know the cupcakes are done when a toothpick comes out of the center clean. 

Let cupcakes cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. If you get impatient, you might end up with floppy cupcakes. They need time to cool down before you remove them from the tin!

While your cupcakes are cooling, get started on your ganache. In a small sauce pan, heat cream over medium heat until it's really warm but not boiling. Chop chocolate into small chunks and place in a medium sized bowl. Add butter in small chunks. Once your cream has warmed up, pour over the chocolate and butter. Stir until it melts and becomes cool. Finally add in your whiskey and set aside to firm up a little bit. 

While your ganache is cooling, use a small circular cookie cutter (or in my case a melon baller because I didn't have one) and remove a small portion out of the center of each cupcake. If you don't have either of these tools, carefully use a pairing knife and a spoon to remove the center. It doesn't have to be a perfect circle. You're going to fill it with ganache and top it with frosting so no one will know anyway. 

The ganache should have this consistency to it (still soft but holds it's shape). It will take about 15-20 minutes to cool to this texture. 

Once all the centers are removed, fill a ziplock bag and cut the tip off or piping bag with the cooled ganache and stuff your cupcakes with the filling. 

On to the frosting! In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Slowly add in your powdered sugar about a half a cup at a time. I've found by doing this it helps melt the sugar better and it makes the frosting a lot less grainy! Once all of your sugar is incorporated, add in your baileys. I used a piping bag to frost the cupcakes but you can use any method you like. Ta-da! Super fancy cupcakes for your Paddy's Day celebration! Or any day really, lets be honest! 

improv style:

i wanted an authentic irish cupcake to celebrate st. patricks day. you can use any stout beer and whiskey you like for this recipe. you can also leave out the whiskey from the ganache if you don't like it. you can adjust the amount of booze by a TBSP or two less if you want a VERY subtle flavor. however this recipe probably won't take more booze... i packed it with as much flavor as possible. if you don't have sour cream on hand you can use non-fat yogurt or greek yogurt. just make sure it's plain flavored. i know it probably sounds like a weird ingredient for cupcakes but it helps make them really moist, keeps it lower in fat, AND balances out the sweetness. it's the miracle worker of the cupcake! 

checking in

Have you given up on your new years resolutions yet?! I'm kinda just getting started. I TRY to be healthy - key word being try. I have a hard time because I love food SO MUCH. After the 90 day detox I was feeling rebellious. I over indulged and I've realized that I'm heading down a path I don't really want to go. The past few months have been tasty and glutinous. So I'm back on track - for now. I got back into my Barre Method classes and it has me wanting to eat healthier and make better choices (you know, minus those paddy's day themed cupcakes I'll share with you next week). All about moderation, right?! 

I came across the idea for this dish back in July when a blogger I follow posted this recipe. I love asian food but I'm not a fan of peanut sauce. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of peanut sauce... creamy, salty, and oh that texture!!! BUT I HATE peanut, absolutely can't stand it. So when I saw that she made the dish with cashew butter instead of peanut butter, I immediately thought, GENIUS! I of course had to put my own spin on the recipe and I have to say, it rocks! A little bit of tang from greek yogurt and fresh lime juice really make the dish. I add in some siracha for a subtle kick and a pinch of brown sugar to balance it out. This was my go-to recipe while we were on the detox (minus a few ingredients that weren't permitted) but I have to say I prefer it MUCH better with the dairy and citrus. I hope you give this easy asian dish a try! 

Side note - don't be turned off by some of the ingredients if you've never heard of them. Edamame is a tasty vegetable that's actually an immature soybean. That might sound a little scary but it's not. It's a very mild flavored bean with a creamy texture. Siracha is that red sauce you see at most asian restaurants. It's just a hot sauce so it's easily substituted if you don't have any. See all the improv suggestions below! Also, this is great cold the next day for lunch as leftovers!

asian noodles with edamame + tangy cashew lime sauce

adapted from very culinary inspired

yields 4 - 6 servings (depending on your appetite)

ingredients:

for the sauce:

½ c. cashew butter

¼ c. greek yogurt

1 t. grated fresh ginger

2 scallions (white + green parts)

2 T. lite soy sauce

2 T. rice vinegar

1 T. Siracha

2 limes

1 T. brown sugar

for the dish:

8 oz - 1 package soba noodles

¼ c. pasta water

¼ c. cashew pieces

½ c. frozen shelled edamame

2 T. chopped scallions

1 red bell pepper thinly sliced

2 T. basil thinly sliced

lime wedge (optional)

In a food processor, dump your sauce ingredients and blend the heck out of it. If you don't have a food processor, that's ok. You can finely chop your ingredients and mix by hand, use a blender, or even egg beaters. Just make sure if you do the latter that you chop your scallions and ginger as small as you can first. Once mixture is smooth and creamy, set it aside.

In a large pot, bring your water to a boil. Dump your noodles in (make sure you remove the paper wrappers around them... I didn't see them, doh). While your noodles are cooking, slice up your red bell pepper. I like mine nice and thin so they're easy to eat. Dice 'em, chop 'em, whatever you want! In a small pan, place your cashew pieces and toast them up. Make sure you don't let them go too long. They'll start to turn golden brown in places and you'll smell them. That's how you know they're done. Right before the noodles are done cooking, drop in your frozen edamame. Cook for one minute more (or whenever the noodles are done to your liking).

Grab a bit of that pasta water before you drain the noodles. Dump the noodles and edamame back in the pot after you've drained them. Pour the sauce over and give it a good toss. Add in the reserved pasta water a little at a time until you've got a nice creamy sauce. Remember, you can always add more so go slowly! 

Top with scallions, bell pepper, basil, cashews, and a lime wedge! Ta-da! Easy asian noodles. So easy in fact, you can make the sauce a few days ahead and assemble the rest later. I make a batch on the weekend for a quick weeknight meal. Once the sauce is made it literally comes together in 15 minutes. Talk about convenient! 

improv style:

soba noodle?! who keeps that on hand? not to worry, you can use your favorite noodle... even spaghetti noodles will be just fine! if you're gluten free try it with a rice noodle and tamari instead of the soy. rice noodles are little more delicate but it still works just fine! cashew butter is spendy. if you like peanut butter, use that instead! you could also try this with any other nut butter (almond?!). if you do, let me know how it turns out! if you don't have greek yogurt you can use plain non-fat yogurt or even sour cream (light, fat free, full fat) whatever you want. if you're dairy free you can leave it out. that's what i did on the detox. i really like the tang and consistency that the yogurt gives the dish though. no fresh ginger?! i think this is a pretty important ingredient. i buy a big hunk of it and keep it in the freezer so it doesn't go bad. if you don't have any you could try dried ginger but i really recommend you go out and get yourself a hunk of the fresh stuff! same goes with the rice vinegar. you could use another type but rice vinegar has a nice subtlety to it. in a pinch i would use white wine vinegar. if you don't have siracha you can use dried pepper flakes, your favorite hot sauce, cayenne, or if you're not into spicy, leave it out. you can adjust the heat to your liking. this version is VERY subtle on the spicy front. if you don't like scallions, leave them out. you can put your favorite veggies into the dish. it's really flexible. 

tutti

My youngest sister Carolyn LOVES potato soup. She requests it multiple times a week. So earlier this week when it was freezing and I was missing home and my family, I turned to this soup. 

My potato soup is slightly different from my moms due to my picky sister's preferences (love you tutti). I have a feeling this is the version my mom would make IF she didn't have to deal with so many people to please. It's a chunky potato soup with salty chunks of ham and a subtle sweetness from caramelized leeks and onions. I like my soup on the hearty side but this recipe is easily adapted to your soup preferences. 

potato soup

yields 7 cups

ingredients:

2 leeks

1 large onion

4 T. butter

1 T. olive oil

¼ c. flour

1 c. white wine (i like chardonnay)

4 c. milk

6 potatoes peeled and diced

16 oz (1lb) ham diced

In a medium sized saucepan, add oil and butter and melt over medium heat. Once heated up, add your diced onions and leeks and cook them down until they're transparent. 

While your onions are cooking down, peel and dice (cut into cubes) potatoes. I've taken the lazy route and skipped the peeling part to much regret. I think it would probably depend on the type of potato you use. If it's a yukon gold or red potato it might work. I say take the extra step and peel those babies! 

Once your onions are cooked down, add in the flour and stir until the flour turns to a thick paste. Cook for about 1 minute and then add in your white wine. Give it a stir and then add in your milk. Add your potato cubes and cook at a gentle simmer until potatoes are fork tender about 20 minutes depending on the size of your chunks. 5 minutes before serving, add in your diced ham chunks. My first thought was to add it in the beginning so it would flavor the soup but it actually dries out the ham and that ain't cool. 

improv style:

if you don't have leeks, you can leave them out. i like doing a mixture of the onion family for the subtle flavor variants but it will taste just fine without. if you want to lighten up the soup a bit you could make it with chicken or veggie stock instead of milk and add a hint of cream at the end or greek yogurt. i think this soup would be even more awesome if you made it with buttermilk. you can leave the ham out if you want it to be vegetarian. sometimes i throw in frozen corn or peas into the mix and that's good too. 

if you like your soup on the thinner side, add more liquid. you can also puree the soup before you add the ham chunks if you're not into the chunky thing. i like my potato soup rustic. this is an easy recipe to adjust to your taste. you could even do a twist on a loaded baked potato and do bacon and chives with cheddar cheese on top, mmmmm!

a sweet for your sweet

Valentines Day is coming up soon. I've never been a big fan of the day until I met my current boyfriend. Honestly, V-day was notoriously a HUGE disappointment for me before him. I dated the typical jerk who didn't ever go out of his way to do special things for me. So when I met Matt, I told him NO VALENTINES DAY BULLSHIT. We're not celebrating, we're not doing anything, I might give you a call, that's it. Ha! Even long distance dating (He was in Singapore, I was in Miami) he wouldn't let me get away with that. February 13th not one, but two bouquets of gerber daisies (my fav flower at the time) showed up at my door with a card that said "Happy non-valentines day" - very funny. In fact, it kind of melted my heart, but also made me a little cranky. This guy thought he was so clever with his little loophole. The next day, some of Ina Garten's pancake mix showed up with a note. Not only did the dude not listen to me, he sent me a gift of food... I know the saying goes that a way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but it's so true for me too! 

To this day Matt and I have never had a "typical" Valentines Day celebration. Going to a fancy restaurant, paying for a crazy expensive pre-fixe menu, dealing with everyone and their mother's brother being out that day, AND all of the overly mushy crap? It's just not us. We take turns every other year "running the show". One year I made a big comfort food meal and topped it off with a pumpkin brioche bread pudding with crème anglaise and a bourbon caramel sauce. He's been asking me for it ever since. I really need make that again and share it with you, it was to die for! Last year it was Matt's turn and our first year in Chicago together. He took one from Oprah and did "Mo's Favorite Things" (in the awesome high pitch Oprah voice). This year it's on me again and I'm not exactly sure what my full plan is. But I do know one thing, it will definitely make our bellies happy. 

When I think of a typical V-day dessert my mind goes to chocolate, heart shapes, and red velvet. Matt likes chocolate alright but it's not his #1. He happens to love crème brûlée - me too for that matter! So this dessert was with him in mind. But I couldn't just do plain crème brûlée... I'm usually a purist but I wanted to give it a twist, do something a little extra special. And that's when it hit me... I love cream in my tea in the morning. Naturally the custard base would pair beautifully with my favorite earl grey. And with that I give you earl grey crème brûlée. It's a fun twist on a classic (when you're looking for something just a little different). If your Valentine isn't a chocolate person, maybe give this recipe a try! And if they are a chocolate person, try my quick molten chocolate cakes. They're easy, gooey, and hit the spot every time!

earl grey crème brûlée

adapted from paula deen

yields 4 - 6 servings (depending on your dish size)

ingredients:

1 pint (2 c.) heavy cream

2 tsp. loose leaf earl grey leaves (or 1 tea bag - I used teavanas earl grey creme)

1 vanilla bean split lengthwise 

4 egg yolks

¼ c. sugar + 4 - 6 TBSP for the brûlée top

In a medium saucepan, heat cream, tea, and vanilla bean over medium - medium low heat for 10 minutes. You want it to heat up the liquid but not simmer or boil. Basically you're warming the cream so that the flavors can infuse. Set aside to cool for another 10 minutes. 

While the liquid is cooling, beat your egg yolks in a bowl until they turn fluffy and light. It will take about 5 minutes on high speed. Once it turns a pale yellow and thickens, slowly add in a ¼ c. sugar. Beat for another 2 minutes until it's well combined and the sugar dissolves into the eggs. 

After your cream mixture has fully infused, strain it through a fine mesh sieve. You don't want any tea leaves getting into your beautiful custard! Discard the vanilla bean, it's done its job. Slowly pour the cream into the egg mixture while beaters are on. If you're not coordinated enough for that, pour a few small batches at a time into the bowl (it's called tempering). You just want to make sure you don't scramble the eggs at this point. 

Once mixture is combined, strain it one more time to make sure you get any cooked egg pieces out (cautionary measure to make sure you tempered properly). Place your ramekins or whatever dish you want to use in a baking pan with deep edges. You're going to cook the custard in a water bath so that it cooks evenly. Pour custard mixture into ramekins or dish. Place warm or hot water half way up the sides of the dish and pop into the oven for about 30-40 minutes depending on how deep your dish is. You'll know it's done cooking when the custard just wiggles a bit but doesn't look runny. Let them cool to room temperature and then pop them in the fridge for at least 4 hours and up to 2 - 3 days in advance. 

Right before serving, pull out of the refrigerator and top with about 1 TBSP of granulated sugar. You want to get a nice thick sheet of brûléed sugar on top. I found when I lightly dusted the sugar I didn't get quite as much of that crunch. Use a blowtorch and gently graze the flame across the surface of the custard in a circular motion. I find that when i quickly move the torch over the sugar it melts more evenly caramelizing the sugar instead of just burning it. If it starts to get a little too deep in color, pull the torch away for a few seconds and then start again. This will make sure you end up with crunchy, tasty sugar and not black, burnt flavored brûlée. 

improv style:

you can make any tea flavored crème brûlée you like. this recipe is a great base custard to impart your favorite flavors into. if you omit the tea leaves, you'll have your basic vanilla crème brûlée. from there you can go crazy... tea, liquor - think gran marinier or chamboard, citrus - grapefruit, lemon, orange, coffee, chocolate... you get the idea?! you'll be able to tell how your custard will taste by dipping the tip of your finger in and checking*. If the flavor isn't strong enough, add more. remember, you can always add but you can't really take away. the first time i made this recipe i used WAY too much tea and the custard tasted like a tea leaf. 

*since raw eggs are used in the custard, taste at your own risk. 

if you don't have vanilla beans you can use 1 tsp vanilla extract instead. you can also use raw sugar or brown sugar for the top. 


if you don't have a blowtorch, that's ok too. you can put the broiler on it's highest setting in your oven and place them for a few seconds underneath to melt the sugar. i will say that i don't like the results as much because it warms up the custard slightly. you could always try popping them into the freezer for a few minutes before to prevent that. i bought a cheap blowtorch from the hardware store for $10 and it will last WAY longer than one of those expensive/fancy "chef" torches you get at a cooking store. also, if you don't have crème brûlée dishes, a standard ramekin will work just fine. if you don't have those either, any oven safe bowl or dish will work. you could make one giant casserole dish if you wanted to be all romantic and share a dish. this would never work in my family as we're all dessert hogs :)

if you want to cut the recipe in half and make it for 2, just steep the tea back for slightly less time so that you don't overpower the mixture. i personally like making a batch for 4 so that i can eat it 2 nights in one week :) that's just me...

gooooooo GIANTS!

I'm going to be honest, I've recently become footballed-out. Yep, I'm not "the cool" girlfriend who enjoys watching football on the weekends and having to live my life around the playing schedule. Don't get me wrong, I root for my teams (Huskies and Seahawks) and I'll watch the big games (and even enjoy them). BUT EVERY WEEKEND FOR MONTHS ON END?!?! I'm over it. 

But I'm really exicted, for two reasons: 

1. football is ALMOST over

2. The Giants made it to the Super Bowl!!! 

This is the boyfriend's team and therefore my secondary team. The Seahawks were out a long time ago, so I've been trying to be "the cool" girlfriend by supporting my man and rooting for the g-men. Usually this means me sitting on the couch next to him while the game is on reading food magazines but it's the thought that counts, right?! And I am actually excited that they made it to the biggest game of the year. It's something I can get amped up about and it's an excuse for me to make fun treats for us while we watch the game. Also, our good friend Tom is a die hard Patriots fan. It's sure to be a good game considering the last time they were in the Super Bowl together, the Giants stole the Patriots undefeated season for a win, oooooooo! Wanna see how the bet between the boys turned out last time?! Sorry Tom.

I wanted to do something a little different but familiar for the Super Bowl this year. After lots of thinking, I decided (with the help of my friend T) to make buffalo chicken won tons. A play on the classic wings without the mess or dealing with chicken on a bone (I'm not a fan of the fat, grizzle, and slime of this type of meat - I know, I know, I'm un-american). Plus I used chicken breast and baked the wontons instead of frying so they're healthier, you know, if it weren't for the cream cheese. But then again, cheese is dairy and dairy is good for your body :) 

I love these won tons because they have what I call the wow factor. Something that sounds fun and tastes good.I hope you enjoy them. What's on your menu for the Super Bowl this year? 

buffalo chicken won ton's 

yields about 50 - 60 wontons. Packages vary by weight, not count which is totally weird. You'll have enough filling for about 60 wontons.

ingredients:

1 - 8oz package cream cheese at room temperature

3 large chicken breasts cooked and finely shredded 

¼ c. blue cheese crumbles

¼ c. franks wing sauce

2 green onions finely chopped

1 package wonton wrappers (about 50 - 60 sheets)

Preheat oven to 400º F. In a mixing bowl, add cream cheese, chicken, blue cheese crumbles, franks sauce, and chopped green onions. Combine until thoroughly mixed. If you want, you can combine it in a food processor to make it quicker. I would add the chicken chunks about halfway through if you're doing it this way. 

Next, get a small bowl of water and set up your assembly station (wrappers, mixture, water bowl, baking sheet). Take a damp paper towel and place it over the wonton wrappers - you don't want them drying out while you're making them all. 

Now to assemble. Place ½ TBSP of the chicken mixture in the center of the wonton. Gently rub a little water around 2 of the edges and fold to make a triangle. Press the edges tightly to seal them. If the mixture comes out of the seam, you know you have a little too much filling in there, use a little less of the mixture. Next fold one corner into the center and the other corner on top of that. You may need to secure those corners with a small drop of water too. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat for the next 59 wrappers. 

Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to cool. Then bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the outside is golden brown. Serve with celery and carrot sticks and a side of ranch or blue cheese. Eat any leftover mix with some tortilla chips.

improv style:

you can use canned chicken, or cook up some chicken thighs instead or do a dark/light meat combo. to save time you could buy a rotisserie chicken and just shred the meat, then you're guaranteed nice juicy chicken. or you could use ground chicken or turkey as a last resort. you can use any kind of "wing sauce" you like. franks is a classic which is why i used that but i think going forward i'd use my own hot sauce. also, green onions are optional. i think the richness of the mixture needs a little sharpness to cut through it. if you don't have any you could use chopped celery instead or leave it out. 

if you wanted to be indulgent, after-all, it IS the super bowl, you could fry these babies in some oil. these can also be made a day or two ahead of time and then baked right before serving. just make sure you store them in an air tight container with a slightly damp paper towel to keep them from drying out. you could even pop them into the freezer and defrost and serve as you want... this is a very easy recipe, it just takes a little time to fill and fold all those wrappers! 

too much work to wrap all those won tons? i don't blame you... it's not for everyone. if you can't be bothered, try making buffalo chicken dip instead! use one less chicken breast and add a little heavy cream or half and half to thin the mixture up a bit. place in a casserole dish and bake in the oven at 350º F for about 20 minutes until it becomes bubbly and warm. serve with pita or tortilla chips and carrots and celery sticks. dip away!