Crescent Dogs

One item my husband did request for his poker night was crescent dogs. I guess his Mom made them all the time so that's what he wants. I can't stand hot dogs so he never gets them in our house. Until now. I made these for him and though I didn't eat any myself, I hear they were pretty good.

Crescent Dogs
Adapted from pillsbury.com by my mother-in-law

3 rolls crescent rolls
2 packages bun-length hot dogs

1. Cut hot dogs into thirds.
2. Unroll crescent rolls and separate into triangles along perforated lines. Take eaach triangle and cut in half to make 2 triangles.
3. Place hot dog section on top of crescent roll triangle half and roll up. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

We hosted two other couples at our house on Saturday night and over the next few days I will be highlighting the recipes that we served.

I selected one of my favorite dip recipes to start with. Buffalo Chicken Dip. I had gotten this recipe from one of my friends a couple of years ago and everytime I have served it people have enjoyed it.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

1 (10 oz) can of chicken, drained
1 (8 oz) bottle ranch dressing
1/2 to 3/4 cup hot sauce (I typically use 2/3 cups)
2 (8 oz) bricks cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (this time I used a mix of sharp cheddar and white mild cheddar)

Heat chicken and hot sauce in skillet until heated through. Add ranch and cream cheese and mix until well blended. Add 1 cup cheese and stir until blended. Place in crock pot and cover with rest of cheese. Cook on low until it bubbles and is ready to eat (I skipped this step altogether. Since I already had stuff cooking in the oven I transfered my dip to a casserole dish, covered with remaining cheese and heated in a 350F oven until bubbly). Serve with celery, tostitos, or crackers. (I prefer tostitos with this dip, but I ate some leftovers the other day with Fritos and they were FABULOUS!)

Bruschetta

My parents were up this weekend. It was so wonderful getting to see them. I also was excited to prepare them a (hopefully) wonderful meal. Since we had thoroughly enjoyed the Boursin Spinach Stuffed Chicken I knew I wanted to make that for them.

I also decided to try my hand at Bruschetta. I personally do not care for tomatoes, but I want to like them so I figured why not. My parents LOVE bruschetta and always order it when out at Italian restaurants.

This recipe was good (I liked it as well as I could like anything with tomatoes) and very easy. In fact my Mom commented once she saw how simple it was that she would just make her own bruschetta from now on and not buy store bought (YAY Mom!)

Here is our creation:

Bruschetta

3 1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp garlic powder, divided (I didn't have minced garlic on hand)
1 loaf Italian bread sliced in 1-inch thick slices
1 Tbsp dried basil
4-5 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Put oven rack in middle position. Heat to 450F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place cut pieces of bread on pan.
2. Mix 1 1/2 Tbsp oil, 1/2 the garlic powder, and 1/2 the Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Brush top cut side of bread with oil mixture. Bake 5 minutes or until lightly toasted.
3. Meanwhile, combine remaining oil, garlic powder, the tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper.
4. Place tomato mixture on top of bread slices and top with remaining Parmesan. Return to oven for 1-2 minutes to warm through.