Buffalo chicken monkey bread

This is a sponsored post by Challenge, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Exactly one week until Stuff-Your-Face Sunday—I mean, Super Bowl Sunday! If you want to serve up a winning recipe, look no further! I combined two favorite classic snacks—buffalo chicken dip and monkey bread—into the ultimate crowd-pleasing creation. (And by "crowd" I mean "family members" because large gatherings are obviously discouraged this year.)

For those of you who aren't familiar with the concept of monkey bread, the recipe involves sticking biscuits in a bundt pan, pouring a buttery syrup on top, baking it, and then inverting the pan onto a stand. This is very similar, except instead if using a bundt pan, I made a football-shaped pan out of an aluminum foil casserole dish. Certainly, you could purchase a football cake pan, but this worked just as well. In the picture below, you can see how I bent the pan to look like a football.

In order to make a buffalo chicken version of monkey bread, I flattened each piece of biscuit dough, added 1.5 teaspoons of buffalo chicken dip to the center, and pinched and sealed the edges together before rolling them into balls. I used four 7.5-ounce cans of biscuit dough, and it was enough to fill the bottom of the football-shaped pan, plus a few extras in the center.

Like I mentioned, normally with monkey bread a buttery, sugary syrup is poured on top of the biscuits before baking. In this case, I mixed melted butter and buffalo sauce together and poured that on top of the biscuits before baking.

Once the monkey bread is done baking and it has cooled off a bit, there is one last finishing touch! Draw in the "football laces" with cream cheese.  I only use Challenge brand cream cheese because it's rich and tangy with no greasy aftertaste. Also, their products are 100% natural, without the use of the synthetic hormone rBST.

I recommend serving the monkey bread with ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, and / or buffalo sauce for dipping.

Buffalo Chicken Monkey Bread

Ingredients

• 6 ounces Challenge cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup buffalo sauce or hot sauce, divided in half
• 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4, 7.5-ounce cans refrigerated biscuit dough
• 1/2 cup Challenge butter, melted
• Optional: Ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, and / or buffalo sauce for dipping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
2. Mix together 4 ounces cream cheese and 1/2 cup buffalo sauce. Stir in chicken, blue cheese, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.
3. Separate and flatten the biscuits. Add 1.5 teaspoons of buffalo chicken dip to the center of each piece of biscuit dough.
4. Pinch to seal the edges of the biscuit dough and roll into ball. Arrange evenly in pan.
5. Mix together melted butter and 1/2 cup buffalo sauce and pour over the top.
6. Cover pan with foil and bake for about 1 hour, or until biscuit dough is golden brown and cooked through.
7. Let cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto serving platter.
8. Snip corner of plastic bag, fill it with cream cheese, and decoratively pipe "laces" onto football.
9. Serve with ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, and / or buffalo sauce for dipping.

Recipe inspired by Arlyn Osborne

Easy “fried” ice cream

This is a sponsored post by Hudsonville Ice Cream, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

There are two types of people in this world: those who delight in sweet breakfast treats and those who prefer savory ones. I’m sure this is no surprise to you all, but I’m definitely “Team Sweet.” Sure, eggs and bacon are tasty, but they’re certainly not as exciting as a big plate of thick French toast with maple syrup, cinnamon, and powdered sugar.

As we head into a long stretch of cold winter weather, kicking off your morning with a delicious breakfast treat is a surefire way to start the day in a good mood. 

You can even take your sweet breakfast treat to the next level on “Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day,” which is February 6. Hudsonville is celebrating in some creative ways, including the introduction of their newest Limited Edition ice cream flavor, Cinnamon French Toast. 

It is definitely my new favorite ice cream flavor, and I don’t say that lightly. It’s truly incredible, and I can’t get over how much it tastes like cinnamon French toast. It gets its distinct flavor from a caramel cinnamon ice cream base, cinnamon shortbread pieces, and ribbons of waffle cone and icing. I also tasted a hint of maple.

As you can imagine, it’s delicious on its own, but I knew it would be perfect for recreating one of my favorite restaurant desserts, fried ice cream.

As a child, I was thoroughly flabbergasted by the idea of fried ice cream. How can you fry ice cream without melting it? I later learned that a lot of restaurants actually cook the coating so it appears fried without actually sticking it in a deep fryer. And did you know the coating is actually just crushed cereal? I experimented with several types of cereal, including corn flakes, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Wheaties, Special K, and Frosted Flakes. They all worked really well, but corn flakes, Wheaties, and Special K cereal had the best texture.

I don’t recommend using a food processor to create the coating. The crumbs will be too fine, and the texture will taste gritty. Instead, stick the cereal in a bag and use a meat pounder or rolling pin to create the crumbs.

It is very important to use a high-quality brand of ice cream because the consistency holds its shape better. That’s why I only use Hudsonville. The flavor profile of the Cinnamon French Toast ice cream is perfect for this recipe, but Creamery Blend Vanilla ice cream is another really great option.

All of Hudsonville Ice Cream’s Limited Edition flavors are seasonal and only available for a short time, so you’ll want to find them in your nearest grocery store as soon as possible! Use this Scoop Locator tool to find Cinnamon French Toast ice cream near you—it’s at Meijer stores in the Indianapolis area.

Easy “fried” ice cream

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 24 ounces Hudsonville’s Limited Edition Cinnamon French Toast ice cream
• 4 cups corn flakes cereal (or something similar)
• 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• Optional toppings: honey, whipped cream, maraschino cherries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Line cupcake tin with plastic wrap. Scoop ice cream into 4-ounce balls (about 2.5 inches in diameter) and place scoops in cavities. Freeze until hard.
3. Pour cereal into plastic bag and crush with meat pounder or rolling pin.
4. Combine butter, sugar, and cinnamon in medium bowl. Stir in cereal crumbs.
5. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour cereal mixture onto baking sheet and spread in even layer.
6. Place in oven and bake 10 minutes or until mixture is golden brown. Stir mixture every few minutes to ensure even baking.
7. Allow cereal to cool completely. Transfer to bowl.
8. Remove ice cream balls from freezer and roll in cereal mixture.
9. Place ice cream balls back in cupcake tin cavities and freeze until hard, about 30 minutes.
10. Before serving, drizzle with honey and garnish with whipped cream and maraschino cherries, if desired.

Bloody Mary Enchiladas

 

I love supporting local businesses, and recently I did just that when I collaborated with Amazing Hazel's to develop a recipe using their products. Amazing Hazel's makes chili sauce, hot sauce, Bloody Mary mix, and seasoning blends. It is a small batch, artisan company that uses recipes passed down from several generations.

You can find their products online, at many central Indiana farmers markets, and at Kroger stores in the Indianapolis area. They also have a brick and mortar store at 15 E. City Center Drive in Carmel.

Bloody Mary Enchiladas

Yield: 8 enchiladas

Ingredients

• 2 pounds chicken breast
• 1 cup Amazing Hazel’s Premium Bloody Mary Mix
• 1 teaspoon Amazing Hazel’s Bloody Mary Seasoning Mix
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 16 ounces Amazing Hazel's Gourmet Chili Sauce, divided
• 2 jalapeños, seeds removed, minced
• 8 ounces cotija cheese, shredded, divided 
• 8 corn or flour tortillas
• 4 ounces sour cream
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice (juice from 1 lime)
• Optional toppings: Cilantro, avocado, lime slices, green onion

Directions

1. Marinate chicken breast in Amazing Hazel’s Premium Bloody Mary Mix at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray baking dish with nonstick spray.
3. Place chicken breasts in single layer in baking dish. 
4. Season with Amazing Hazel’s Bloody Mary Seasoning Mix, cumin, and chili powder.
5. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Remove from oven and shred chicken.
7. Sauté or microwave jalapeños until softened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Mix with shredded chicken.
8. Spread 4 ounces Amazing Hazel's Gourmet Chili Sauce on bottom of 13-by-9-inch baking dish.
9. Add 2 Tablespoons cotija cheese and 1/3 cup chicken mixture in center of one tortilla and roll up. Place tortilla seam side down in baking dish. Repeat until you run out of chicken or space in baking dish.
10. Mix remaining 12 ounces Amazing Hazel's Gourmet Chili Sauce with 4 ounces sour cream and lime juice. Spread sauce over tortillas and top with remaining cotija cheese.
11. Place in oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and tortillas are light golden brown.
12. Serve with optional toppings.

Colts playoff snacks

 

The Colts are in the playoffs for the first time since 2019, so I wanted to share some fun team-inspired snack ideas you could serve during the big game on Saturday.

The first recipe involves one of my favorite treats: puppy chow. If you’re not familiar with puppy chow, it’s Chex cereal coated in peanut butter and chocolate and then showered with powdered sugar.

In order to make the snack more appropriate for a Colts viewing party, I separated the cereal into two bowls, and I used half blue candy melts and half white chocolate chips. I didn’t add as much powdered sugar to the blue Chex pieces because I wanted them to remain blue. I also turned almonds into little footballs by using melted white chocolate to draw “laces” onto the almonds.

Going along with the Colts theme, I used my leftover blue candy melts and white chocolate to make Colts players out of Nutter Butter cookies. I was inspired to make the football players after seeing a pin on Pinterest that showed 40 different treats you could make using Nutter Butters. Who knew these little cookies could be so versatile?!

The last recipe I made is a savory addition to the sweet treat offerings. I cut a football shape out of a sheet of puff pastry, and then I used a pizza cutter to cut strips all along the football, taking care to not cut through the center so it remained intact. I then spread my favorite spinach artichoke dip onto each of the strips and twisted them. I baked the puff pastry until it was golden brown before using cream cheese and sour cream to draw the football laces. The little strips reminded me of the parmesan twists I made in culinary school. It’s so tasty! For a sweet option, you could coat the strips in melted butter and cinnamon sugar or spread Nutella on them. You can’t go wrong with puff pastry. My favorite brand of puff pastry is Wewalka. I promise this isn't an ad—I just really love it. I can't taste a difference between Wewalka and the homemade puff pastry I made in culinary school. Look for it in the refrigerated section, not frozen!

Horseshoe chow

Ingredients

• 6 cups cereal
• 1/2 cup blue candy melts
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips + 2 Tablespoons
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup whole roasted almonds

Directions

1. Separate cereal into two large bowls. Set aside.
2. Melt blue candy melts and 1/2 cup peanut butter together in medium microwave-safe bowl. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
3. Melt white chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter together in medium microwave-safe bowl. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
4. Pour blue mixture over 1 bowl of Chex cereal and stir gently with spatula until cereal is evenly coated.
5. Pour whit chocolate mixture over the other bowl of Chex cereal and stir gently with spatula until cereal is evenly coated.
6. Let the mixtures cool to room temperature, about 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Add 1 cup powdered sugar to each bowl and mix until evenly coated.
8. Let cool another 15 minutes and add more powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, to each of the mixtures until it’s coated to your liking.
9. Melt 2 Tablespoons white chocolate and pour into sandwich bag. Cut very, very small corner of bag and draw football laces on almonds. Allow white chocolate to dry before adding to the rest of the mix.

Recipe inspired by The First Year Blog

Colts Player Cookies

Ingredients

• 6 ounces blue candy melts
• 12 Nutter Butter cookies
• 2 Tablespoons white chocolate
• 24 mini candy eyes
• 2 Tablespoons dark chocolate

Directions

1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick aluminum foil and set aside.
2. Melt blue candy melts in small microwave-safe bowl.
3. Dip the bottom half of each of the cookies in the blue candy melts, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl. 
4. Place cookies on baking sheet to harden.
5. Repeat with the other end of the cookie, taking care to only dip the cookie about halfway toward the center. 
6. Place cookies back on baking sheet to harden.
7. Melt white chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl. Pour into plastic bag and cut small piece off one bottom corner of bag. Use bag to pipe helmet line, collar line, and numbers onto cookies. Also, make two small dots where the eyeballs should go, and adhere the mini candy eyes onto the cookies.
8. Melt dark chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl. Pour into plastic bag and cut small piece off one bottom corner of bag. Use bag to pipe 2 horizontal lines and 2 vertical lines in empty space to resemble face masks.

Recipe inspired by Snack Works

Spinach Artichoke Puff Pastry Football

Ingredients

For the spinach artichoke dip

• 2 cups baby spinach
• 7 ounces artichoke hearts, drained
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dill
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce

For the football

• 1 sheet puff pastry (I only use Wewalka. It's very high quality, and it's refrigerated, not frozen.)
• Egg wash (1 egg + 1 Tablespoon water)
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

For the spinach artichoke dip

1. Place spinach in bowl with 1 Tablespoon water and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
2. Microwave on high for 1 minute; leave covered 15 minutes to cool. Drain spinach well and add to medium bowl.
3. Chop artichoke hearts and add to bowl.
4. Add remaining dip ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

For the football

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Remove puff pastry sheet from packaging and place on parchment paper.
3. Cut corners of puff pastry with pizza cutter to resemble football.
4. Use pizza cutter to make 12 cuts (about 1 inch apart) across football. Repeat on the other side. Important note: Do not cut all the way through the center. Leave at least 1 inch in the center so everything stays together.
5. Spread spinach artichoke dip on each of the strips.
6. Twist the strips in the same direction.
7. Brush egg wash over the entire football. Bake for 15 minutes.
8. While it’s baking, beat cream cheese with sour cream until smooth. Place mixture into plastic bag and cut medium piece off one bottom corner of bag.
9. Remove football from oven and use bag to pipe on football laces.
10. Return to oven and bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes, or until puff pastry is golden brown.
11. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to platter to serve.

Recipe inspired by It’s Always Autumn

Lemon cardamom bars + food trends for 2021

 

This is a sponsored post by Challenge, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

And just like that, it's 2021! Happy New Year! Somehow 2020 both dragged on and flew by. Regardless, I am ready to kiss it goodbye! Or should I say quiche it goodbye? (Bad pun!) As we enter the new year, I'm sharing some food trends we can expect to see, as well as some recipes for incorporating the trends into your cooking at home. 

1. Bigger emphasis on breakfast: As more people continue to work from home and no longer have to worry about a long commute, they're finding they have extra time in the morning to focus on breakfast. So long are the days of grabbing a piece of toast or a bagel "to go." Pancakes, waffles, and omelets are no longer just for the weekends. 

2. Kicking up home cooking with gourmet condiments: As more people prepare meals at home and try to replicate restaurant experiences, cooking with gourmet condiments will be a big trend. Condiments are an easy way to add flavor to simple ingredients, plus they have a long shelf life. You can buy the condiments or find a way to make it yourself.

A recipe that combines the first two trends is this southwestern quiche with hot honey!

3. Coffee beyond the mug: Coffee-flavored products will pop up more and more in 2021. You will soon be able to get your coffee fix in the form of granolas, yogurt, and even alcohol. You'll find the flavoring in both sweet and savory treats.

4. Global flavor exploration: International travel is still a no-go, so more home cooks will experiment with global flavors at home. Eastern Mediterranean, North African, East/Southeast Asian, and Indian cuisines are the top influencers for trending ingredients. Personally, I've seen cardamom popping up more and more in the past month. Cardamom is an ancient spice native to Southern India. It's made from the seed pods of various plants in the ginger family. It's incredibly diverse and used in both sweet and savory dishes.

This recipe for coffee cardamom nuts combines the previous two trends!

I also wanted to showcase a sweet option for using cardamom. My mom used to always make cardamom bars to give out to neighbors during the holiday season, and they were so good and unique. Recently, I tried a lemon cardamom roll from my new favorite Indianapolis bakery, Leviathan Bakehouse, and the flavor was combination was heavenly! Cardamom is a high-impact ingredient that brings a level of warmth and earthiness to the sweet-tart notes of the lemon. The pastry inspired me to incorporate lemon juice and zest into my mom's cardamom bar recipe, and I'm so glad I did. 

Lemon cardamom bars

Ingredients

For the bars

• 1 cup (2 sticks) Challenge unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar
• 1 egg, white and yolk separated
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped raw pecans

For the glaze

• 2 Tablespoons Challenge unsalted butter
• 1 cup (125 grams) powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• Lemon zest for topping, if desired

Directions 

For the bars

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cream butter and sugars together. Add egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, and mix until combined.
3. In separate bowl, combine flour, cardamom, and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix until combined.
4. Spread mixture evenly in 7-by-11-inch baking dish.
5. Brush mixture with beaten egg white and sprinkle pecans on top.
6. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.

For the glaze

1. While the bars are baking, melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Continue to heat the butter until you notice light brown specks at bottom of pan. This should take around 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar, milk, and lemon juice.
3. Glaze should be drizzling consistency. If it is too thick, add more milk.
4. Immediately after removing bars from oven, drizzle glaze over top.
5. Allow to cool before cutting. Top with lemon zest before serving.