hot sauce Archives - One Delightful Life

Sometimes you just have to give yourself a break…from the kitchen. Enter the crockpot!

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps, by SkinnyTaste.com, is a recipe that’s sat untouched in my old school recipe box for awhile now, but boy am I glad I used it this week. Have you ever had one of those incredibly busy weeks? I just talked to a mom who was busy trying to run a business, rush her kids to and from activities, and be a doting wife. She’s a superwoman! But, let’s be real. Moms like her, like you, need a break from hovering over a stove.

This recipe is as easy as dropping items in the crockpot, setting it on high for four hours, and walking away! Ah, I love the digital “ding!” of my crockpot’s timer when dinner is done and so will you.

For this savory recipe, you will need three chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts, celery, onion, garlic, chicken broth, and Frank’s hot sauce. After the crockpot “dings!” you’ll want to remove the chicken and place it in a bowl so you can shred it using two forks. Afterward, add it back to the crockpot and add in Frank’s hot sauce, mix again, and turn to the warm setting.

When you’re ready to plate, simply tear large leaves of Bibb lettuce and put them face up on a plate. Pile a heap of buffalo chicken, shredded carrots, and sliced celery. A lover of bright colors, I also added thinly sliced red cabbage. Oh, and I like my lettuce wraps spicy so I drizzled more Frank’s hot sauce on top.

Add blue cheese or gorgonzola for added flavor richness.

Your family will thank you for this tasty, light dinner that was ready when they entered the door and you’ll thank yourself for not stressing out over another weeknight dinner fiasco. Just set it and forget it.

You can view SkinnyTaste’s recipe for Crock-Pot Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps here. What would you like me to recipe test for the crockpot next? Leave a comment in the space below.

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Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’ve got to take a moment to add this recipe back to its recipe box for later use.

If I say the word “buttermilk,” the word “diet” doesn’t usually follow it. Am I right? Well, when you’re making Atkins Diet recipes in your home, it turns out that buttermilk is A-OK acceptable and it is delicious too. The only thing better than buttermilk is Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing.

We’ve tried making homemade ranch using Hidden Valley Ranch’s powdered packet with buttermilk, but that was a rookie mistake. If you want to elevate your favorite condiment to restaurant quality dressing, you have to use only fresh ingredients. No cutting corners! Chop the herbs, buy the buttermilk. It’s so delicious I promise your kids will eat their vegetables faster if they can drizzle this homemade dressing on them. Heck. I don’t have kids and I’m eating it on everything.

Store your ranch dressing in an airtight mason jar. The recipe below will nearly fill it.

All of the culinary credit for this dressing recipe goes to Pioneer Woman. I’ve rediscovered her. Yes, I fell hard for her when she first graced Food Network, but then I became accustomed to watching a couple other chefs on the regular. Well, I’m back. I can thank my local library for that. When I need a break from the cubicle matrix that is my workspace, I head to a nearby library on my lunch break and rediscover my love for cookbooks. I usually leave barely balancing a tower of hard cover books with food covers.

The first step to making homemade ranch is to make a garlic paste with fresh cloves of garlic and kosher. You will definitely need to use some elbow grease when firmly crushing it. Now this is my kind of “exercise.”

After making a garlic paste, you’ll want to rinse and start chopping the fresh herbs. I used frilly parsley instead of flat leaf parsley. I’m all about making a substitute withe similar ingredients. When I was younger I would completely scrap making a recipe just because I was missing one ingredient. Once you make the garlic paste, add it to a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Stir well.

Lately, I’ve been geeking out over my container herb pots on the front porch. Fresh is best. I didn’t have as much fresh dill as I would’ve liked for this recipe so I added dried dill that I picked up from The Spice Merchant.

The Pioneer Woman’s recipe for Homemade Buttermilk Dressing calls for an optional dash or two of hot sauce, which I recommend. Just realize that the traditional bright white ranch you’re used will take on more of a tinge of orange and take on a zesty taste.

Note: When you make the garlic paste, be sure to crush the garlic until it is very fine. Nobody needs harsh garlic breath. If you prefer a thinner dressing, use more buttermilk.

Again, you can follow this link to Ree Drummond’s Homemade Buttermilk Dressing recipe. All of the photos in this post are my own. No affiliate links contained in this post either.

Now, grab that whisk. We’ve got ranch to make!