Winging It

This past weekend, my husband and I were invited to our neighborhood's barbeque at the pool. On the invitation were the famous potluck words- Bring a dish to share.

Sounds easy, right? Not when your brain wants to go beyond the potato and macaroni salads that seem to overtake the classic American neighborhood BBQ. I wanted to make something different, but I wasn't sure what that would be.

For our housewarming party, my friend Anne made a fantastic Buffalo chicken dip that had me eating leftovers for two days. I decided to make that, along with Paula Deen's fabulous and easy Snickers pie (I'll have to post the recipe when I get home from work).

Buffalo chicken dip

1-10 oz can shredded white meat chicken breast
1 c ranch dressing
8 oz brick of cream cheese, softened
1 c hot sauce (use more or less to taste)
2 c shredded cheddar cheese, divided

*Note: it is quite easy to subsitute any and all of these ingredients with their lower fat/calorie counterparts- it still tastes wonderful (I think it's the hot sauce).*

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix everything but one cup of the cheddar cheese and pour into a smallish casserole dish. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the mixture is bubbling. Stir, and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Put back in the oven for about 5 more minutes or until the cheese has formed a crust on top.

Serve with Fritos/Tostitos (the blue corn ones are particularly nice) and celery sticks.

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