Buffalo Chicken Dip: Monday Made It

There's really nothing better than a good fall weekend.  Street fairs, sweaters, boots, and football...what more could you ask for?  My husband is a huge buffalo chicken fan (is yours?) and made a special request for the Giants/Eagles game this past weekend.  We had plans to go to our neighbors, so I needed something that would carry well and last through the night.  Believe it or not, I'd never made buffalo chicken dip before this.  I've made wings a few times, but nothing compares to the local places around us.  I'm pretty glad I tried this recipe, though, because it was a huge hit!

 Buffalo Chicken Dip
Adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients:

8 oz softened cream cheese, divided
2 to 3 cups colby-monterey cheese, shredded
1 bottle of buffalo wing sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
1/2 bottle of buffalo ranch dressing
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded or chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Layer half the cream cheese on the bottom of a 1 qt baking dish.  Layer in half the chicken, wing sauce, ranch, and cheese.  Repeat process.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.  Serve with chips or baguette slices.

I was craving something sweet, so I whipped up my favorite chocolate-pumpkin cake.  Instead of the mascarpone topping seen in this recipe, I added Salted Caramel Sauce from Trader Joe's.  When the cake came out of the oven, I simply poked holes throughout (like you would for Tres Leches cake) and drizzled the sauce over.  When it cooled, I flipped it onto a plate (not a fancy one...just easy to carry) and drizzled more sauce over the top.  The cake absorbed the sauce, so after about 10 minutes you couldn't even tell there was a glaze on top.  This cake is the lightest, airiest chocolate cake I've ever had, and it's because of the pumpkin.  I may need to make another one soon!

What's your go-to dish for football parties?