Tapa: Crema de Cabrales (sorta...)

• ¼ pound blue cheese (the Spanish variety is cabrales, but gorgonzola or roquefort may be used)
• 2 teaspoons raisins
• 1 Tablespoon white grape juice or cider
• 1 Tablespoon cream
• 2 Tablespoons apple, finely chopped (about half a peeled apple)
• 2 Tablespoons walnuts, finely chopped
• ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme

Procedure

1. Remove blue cheese from refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature (let it sit on the counter for an hour or more).
2. Soak the raisins in the fruit juice for 20 minutes.
3. Using a spoon, remove the raisins from the juice and set aside.
4. When the cheese has reached room temperature, place it in a small mixing bowl.
5. Add the cream and fruit juice.
6. Using a fork or wooden spoon, combine ingredients until smooth.
7. Stir in raisins, apple, walnuts, and thyme.
8. Serve with crackers.

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Found this on the internet while searching for spanish foods. Okay, so the ONLY thing I did differently was use goat cheese instead of bleu cheese, mainly because a few of my friends don't like bleu cheese. But this came out wonderfully! It's a little rich with the goat cheese, but well worth every bite.

Buffalo Chicken Empanadas

Buffalo Chicken Empanadas

• 1 cooked chicken breast cut finely (leftovers are awesome I found out)
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 2 tbsp buffalo sauce
  
• 2 tbsp finely diced celery
• 2 tbsp finely diced onion
• 1 refrigerated pie crust

Instructions:

1. Mix cream cheese, chicken, celery, and onions in a bowl.
   
2. roll out the thawed pie crust. Cut into 3 by 3 inch squares.
3. add a SMALL amount of the mixture on the pie crust. Seriously, overstuffing is bad...
4. before folding, dip your finger in water and trace along the edges, this acts as a glue for the pie crust
5. fold over and seal edges with a fork.
6. bake for 8 minutes in a 400 degree oven.
   

OVERALL: This recipe was inspired by One of Paula Deen's and an early afternoon due to a canceled biochemistry class (canceled meaning there was a review Q&A session...). So I got home, having leftover chicken and half a pie crust left to use. Since the original recipe had some ingredients that my fridge lacked, I changed the idea around, playing with my favorite flavors.

It was very good. The only off putting thing was the pie crust was a little heavy. Maybe using wonton wrappers or egg roll wrappers would be better, but the whole ratio of filling to bread was off... Also, I made this mean for just me, it was very simply to make, the most time consuming thing being assembling the empanadas. Also, I forgot to add cheese... i might do that next time=)

Look at that overflowing filling.... Need to be more conservative!

Sandy's Buffalo Dip

Sandy's Spicy Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients:

• 2 Packages of Cream cheese
• 1 bottle hot sauce (not sure on size of bottle)
• 1 bottle Ranch dressing
• 2 cups Shredded chicken
• Shredded chedder cheese
  

Directions:
1. Put all ingredients into a pot. Stir until melted.
2. Spread the mixture into a 13x9 baking dish or split between a 13x9 and 8x8 if you have extra
3. Add the chedder cheese on top.
4. Heat in the over at 350 until cheese is melted.

OVERALL: So this dip is absolutely amazing. I asked her for the recipe because I know I am FOR SURE making this. I would recommend "scoop-able" chips to get all the yummy goodness. Sandy also told me that celery in this dish is optional if anyone was looking for an extra crunch. This dip can get a little hot, so if you are concerned with heat add hot sauce in intermittent amounts until you get the right heat. This is great for football games & general party appetizer.