Tasty Tuesday #4: Slow-Cooker Buffalo Chicken Nachos

I will admit this here, and it shouldn't be much of a surprise, I'm a HUGE sports fan! I cheer for the Redskins, Red Sox, Spurs, Jeff Gordon, and a number of PBR Bull Riders. No lie!

And on any given Sunday, you will find my Mom and I relaxing, in front of the TV. Catching some sort of game, race, or rodeo. Munching on snacks. And crocheting. You see, we don't really eat a big meal. As much as we graze. On snacks. ALL. DAY. LONG!!!

But we're not the "typical" fan, eating Buffalo wings and drinking beer. No. We're more on the side of salsa and chips. Maybe some fresh fruit. Hello, anything in the slow cooker! Until this past Sunday. And Dr. Baseball came over. All of a sudden, our quiet household of 2, became a booming, household of 12. Watching the playoffs!

And because I hadn't been expecting anyone, I almost panicked. Then I got ahold of myself. And took to the internet. Where I found this recipe. Gooseberry Patch's Recipe of the Week!

Slow-Cooker Buffalo Chicken Nachos 

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts garlic salt to taste salt and pepper to taste 12-oz. bottle buffalo wing sauce 1/2 c. ranch salad dressing 1/2 lb. pasteurized process cheese spread, cubed 10-oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles 12-oz. pkg. tortilla chips Directions: Place chicken in a slow cooker; sprinkle with garlic salt, salt and pepper. Pour in enough buffalo wing sauce to cover chicken. Cover and cook on low setting until very tender, about 4 hours. Shred chicken with 2 forks and drain off any excess liquid. Stir in salad dressing. In a saucepan, combine cheese and tomatoes with green chiles. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Layer tortilla chips on a large serving plate. Spoon cheese sauce over chips; top with chicken. Serves 6 to 8.

You see, my Mom isn't a big fan of Buffalo chicken. I could go in either direction. But Dr. Baseball, and his parents, love the stuff! So does another friend, who happened to stop by. I actually cranked the slow cooker to high. And in about 90 minutes, the chicken was cooked. And it was yummy! You just have to watch it a bit more. I added a bit of chicken stock, so that it would stay moist and tender. Worked out great!

My Mom ate her nachos, without the chicken. She enjoyed them. The guys added the chicken to some hamburger buns, and went to town! It must have been good. Oh, I did double the recipe. It just seemed necessary for our crown. Another important bit. To cook it quicker, I started with raw chicken. Not frozen. Keep that in mind.

We also had a spread of guacamole, salsa, lots of yummy veggies, fruit, and some cookies that I'd baked on Saturday. There may have been some imported beer, Sangria, and Rootbeer floats. It was a great impromptu football day. With plenty of friends. And I lots of yummy food. Without losing my mind! ❤

Tasty Tuesday #3: Potato-Bacon Chowder

There are just times, when you want to curl up with a bowl of soup. And not the canned stuff! Recently, it's been so cold around here! And I've been sick, since the day after Christmas. Soup has been my bestie!

Over the last few weeks, my slow cooker has been working hard. Mostly to bring warmth and comfort, to my belly. I've made green chili stew, vegetable beef stew, and a Mexican chicken soup. My Mom has also pitched in, with caldito, more than once!

It's soup and stew season. And now that I'm feeling a little better, I'm wanting more flavor. With the same ease and comfort, that soup brings. Thank goodness, for the Gooseberry Patch Recipe of the Week!

Potato-Bacon Chowder

Ingredients:  2 c. potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 c. onion, chopped 1 c. water 8 slices bacon 10-3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup 1 c. sour cream 2 c. milk 1/2 t. salt 1/8 t. pepper Directions: In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook potatoes and onion in water until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Do not drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp; drain and set aside. In a bowl, whisk together soup, sour cream and milk. Add soup mixture to potato mixture along with crumbled bacon, salt and pepper. Heat through over low heat; do not boil. Makes 6 servings.       I made this on Sunday. We kind of just bummed around the house all day. Honestly, I took one of those hours long naps. After church and breakfast. When I woke up, my Mom was into her crafts. And it was kind of cold. This Potato-Bacon Chowder sounded so good! And let me tell you, it didn't disappoint! What a nice change of pace! I actually made a couple of changes. I boiled the potatoes, but not the onions. When I cooked the bacon, about halfway through, I added the onions. I really like the flavor they get, this way. I also threw in a couple of cloves of garlic, with the onion. Then to make it a little more figure friendly, I used a low fat cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and milk. Worked great! And had some chopped green onion, a little crumbled bacon, and some shredded cheddar cheese to top it with!   This honestly, reminded me of a soup, that a friend used to make. I had a friend in college, that liked to cook. And one day, in the dead of summer, she made something similar. I used to think about it a lot, because it was good. Honestly, I think this might have been better!   This would be a good recipe to add to your, Game Day Favorites. I can even imagine, adapting it to a slow cooker. It would be nice to throw everything together, and forget about it. Only to sit and watch the game, with a warm bowl!   Lastly, I can imagine serving this up, at a Family style dinner. You know, I'm trying to include more family meals into our regular schedule. I'm thinking, I need to whip up a pot for my auntie. Who is headed to surgery this week! I know she'll enjoy it! ❤