Honey BBQ Chicken Strips

One of mine and my daughter's favorite appetizers is Boneless Honey BBQ Chicken Strips from Applebee's. The sauce is just perfect for us. My husband loves Parmesan Garlic Wings from Buffalo Wild Wings. So for the Superbowl we decided to attempt at-home versions of both flavors. Unfortunately, my husband's recipe was a flop, but the BBQ strips turned out perfectly. Not exactly like Applebee's, but we were good with that because this sauce was really great. It was tangy and sweet.

The strips we chose were Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips, I'm telling you... they are just right for this sauce. We had leftover sauce and strips so I had this meal for lunch 2 days in a row. Just thinking about them now makes me crave them. These little sweeties will leave your tastebuds yearning for more. You'll be totally set with ranch or bleu cheese dipping sauce and a small side of slaw or these delicious homemade potato chips.

Let's get saucy...

Honey BBQ Sauce

1/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C + 2 tbsp BBQ (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
1/4 C water
1 tbsp honey

Mix everything together and the sauce is ready to go!

Bake the desired amount of strips. The quantity of sauce was enough for the entire bag. We only made about of the half the bag and baked the rest when we ready to eat more. I like my strips extra crispy so I always bake them longer than the bag recommends.

Once your strips are done, give them a honey BBQ bath. Flip 'em and flop 'em around in the sauce.

 Now you are set to sit down and enjoy some tasty, tasty Honey BBQ Chicken Strips!!

Homemade Chips with Onion Dill Dip

Have you ever made your own chips? If you haven't, you really need to add it to your to-do list. They are amazing. I made them for the first time in December and have made them 3 times since then. It's pretty easy to do. Sure there are a few steps, but all in all, they are quite easy. And oh man, so delicious. You can make as little or as much as you like. The crispness and salty taste...yum, so satisfying. Be careful though... like the traditional saying goes "bet you can't eat just one" and that's very true for these chips. Once you add the dip - oh mama! Hold on! The dip is creamy and bursting with flavor. It's not an overwhelming onion/dill flavor. It's just right.

Let's get started...

Ingredients (copycat from Lauren's Latest):

4 large Russet Potatoes
A large bowl of cold water
2 pints peanut oil (vegetable oil works too)
Sea salt

Dip :

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/2 tsp dried dill 
Salt and pepper to taste

Grab your mandoline. I found a nice one at WalMart for $15. If you don't have one, you can slice them by hand too. It's just more work and takes more time.

Take a potato and start slicing. I like how the original blogger said "don't be a hero - use the guard". Made me chuckle so I'm bringing you her words of wisdom. Anyone else start singing "Biiilllyyy, don't be a hero". No? Just me. My parents had that song on the jukebox. I love that song.

Once you have the potatoes sliced, soak them in cold water for 30 minutes. This step removes most of the starch. It makes the chips light and crisp when we cook them.

While they soak, start making the dip.

Combine all ingredients, stir together and put in the fridge. Yeah, I know. Easy, huh?

Also, let's start heating up that peanut oil. Add the oil to a large skillet. Turn stove dial to high-medium.

When the potatoes are done with their cold bath, drain the water and dry them well. Water and oil don't mix well. We don't need any unnecessary burns.

Prepare a pan with a napkin and get your sea salt ready. Oh... we're so close to the goodness right now!

Let's start cookin'!

Take a handful of potatoes and drop them carefully into the oil. The chips should "dance" around in the hot oil. If things get crazy and oil is sputtering out of the pan, turn the heat down. They should start turning a darkish shade of brown in about 5-7 minutes. Note: if you like darker chips go a minute or two longer... lighter chips, cook a minute or two less.

Remove the chips from the skillet with a slotted metal spoon and place them in the pan you prepared with a napkin. Sprinkle on some sea salt right away. Sneak a chip. Go ahead, sneak another - I won't tell!

Grab the dip! The time has come to dive in.

Super Wife BBQ Chicken Nachos

Want a real crowd pleaser for your next party?  Whether its a late holiday family party or the upcoming Superbowl, these BBQ Chicken Nachos are so delicious and they disappear quite quickly!  The best thing is they are easy to make but look pretty impressive.  I don't really follow a recipe when I make them so the amounts below are just estimates - you should definitely adjust them to your taste.

BBQ Chicken Nachos

1 tub of bbq chicken - heated per instructions
1 package of shredded cheese of your choice - cheddar, colby, pepperjack (I like doing a mix)
1/2 bag of shredded lettuce
1 - 2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup frozen corn - heated
1 small can of sliced black olives
1 bag tortilla chips (I like the big restaurant style)

On a cookie tray or oven safe dish. spread desired amount of tortilla chips.  Sprinkle cheese on the chips.  Heat in 375 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes or however long it takes to melt the cheese.  Add the meat, lettuce, and remaining toppings.  Other topping ideas include onions, peppers, and beans.

Go Packers!

Pineapple Chicken Salad

Darling (14 yr/old daughter) was confirmed this past weekend. I was having a hard time coming up with food ideas for her party. I knew I wanted something different. Not weird just different. My family’s taste buds are not very… um, let’s say exotic. 

We played around with ideas of a taco bar and baked potato bar. Darling wanted a pasta bar. All are good ideas but they don’t work too well with kids and/or people that aren’t eating at a table. Kinda messy. 

Sandwiches always seem to go over well. But again, I wanted something different, something exciting. I often remember a chicken salad croissant I had at a wedding reception. It was years ago, in fact the couple is now divorced… I doubt it was because of the chicken salad though because that shiz was good. Anyway, chicken salad sandwiches are what we decided on. When I say “we” I mean me. 

The recipe I found on Pinterest turned out pretty great. I was happy I made them. Not everyone enjoyed them but I did and frankly, that’s all that really mattered. Oh and bonus, Cara was at the party too. She said she liked them and I believe her. 

Here’s what I used:

2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound). Please please please don't use canned chicken
1 1/4 cup mayonnaise (more or less depending on creamy desire)
½ cup finely chopped onions
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, drained

For what it’s worth, these are estimations. I am terrible at using the exact amount. They’re very close though.

I made half with pineapple and half without. I served them with tomatoes, lettuce and the choice of Swiss or Provolone cheese. I gave my guests 2 bread choices: mini French loaf or onion poppy ciabatta. I tried both and liked them both equally. 

The original recipe calls for a few more things that were sure to put a look of disgust on my boys’ face. Since I wanted them to eat, we skipped those ingredients.

And because you are curious, here’s some other items on our menu:

Slow cooked meatballs in cream of mushroom soup with a dash or two of milk.

Pudding parfait cups. chocolate and vanilla pudding with whipped cream on top.

Sliced green, red, yellow and orange peppers w/dip. Fill individual cups with a couple tablespoons    of vegetable dip and add long slices of peppers to the cup. 

The usually olives and pickles.

7-Up and sherbet punch with floating fruit.

There you have it!