Buffalo Chicken Soup - Buffalo Wings in Liquid Form

Am I the only one who thinks it is strange to pay millions of dollars to men who run around on a field kicking/throwing/catching a ball, and yet we pay our teachers peanuts to tutor and care for the rising generation of Americans??? It just doesn’t make any sense to me.

But, here’s what I do love: I do love getting together with friends and family. And I do love eating waaaay too many calories of decadence. I do love a steamy, spicy bowl of soup on a winter day. And I love the flavors of Buffalo Wings. A few years ago, I even made a pilgrimage to the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, where Buffalo Wings were invented.

So to me it seemed a natch to make a soup that has those flavors all in one bowl. Hence, Buffalo Chicken Soup.

This soup is actually good for you if you use low fat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream.

It is so good, it’s even worth watching a little football on the side.

Check out some of our yummy noshes for Game Days past.

Fabulous food blogger Sarah at Sarah’s Cucina Bella did a fabulous roundup of superbowl foods by other bloggers, to which we say: CHEERS!

General Snackiness:

• Chili Cheese Dip on Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Brown Butter Garlic Snack Mix on Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Roasted Garlic and Artichoke Bread on Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Hot Spinach Artichoke White Bean Dip on Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Italian Gorgonzola Bread on Sweetnicks
• Roasted Asparagus Wrapped in Ham on Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Ginger Spice Mixed Nuts on The Perfect Pantry
• Bacon-Wrapped Apple and Sausage Bundles on Recipe Girl
• Roasted Pancetta and Herb Butter Crostini on Family, Friends and Food

Chilis:

• Autumn Vegetable Chili on Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Turkey Chili on Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Meat-Lovers Chipotle Chili on Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Texas Chili on Soup Addict
• Steak Chili on Food for My Family
• Chili con Carne on The Foodies Kitchen
• White Chicken Chili on Cinnamon Girl Recipes
• Chipotle Sauce Chili with Apple and Black Beans on VeganYumYum
• Cincinnati Chili on Framed Cooks
• Spicy Vegetarian Chili on Joy the Baker

3 tablespoons butter
3 cups diced celery
2 cups  diced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup cayenne pepper sauce (I like Frank’s)
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1/2 cup Greek yogurt

Garnishes: blue cheese crumbles, diced chicken, hot sauce, Greek yogurt

In a large stockpost, saute celery and onions over medium high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until softened.

Add garlic and saute another minute. Stir in flour and cook another minute or two, until flour is absorbed.

Add chicken stock and hot sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in chicken and Greek yogurt.

Serve warm. Garnish as desired.

Did you know the average American consumes 1500 calories during the Super Bowl? YIKES!

Never Fear! We here at FFF are dedicated to making classic super bowl recipes lighter and healthier! This week watch for healthy noshes galore- we’ll try to include your favorites!

These little shrimp bites are crispy and delicious, and they are BAKED, not fried. So, go ahead and eat them like popcorn!

Culinary Trivia Question of the Day: Can you guess which popular American restaurant chain is credited with the creation of “popcorn shrimp?” See the end of this post for the answer!

Use the three-step dipping method for a crunchy baked texture

HEALTHY BAKED POPCORN SHRIMP

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend, or more to taste*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
1 cup cornmeal
1 pound shelled uncooked shrimp, 60 to 90 count per pound
A little canola oil spray

Lightly spray a baking sheet with oil.

Mix together the flour, cajun seasoning and salt. Dip shrimp first in flour mixture, then in egg mixture, then in cornmeal. Spread shrimp in a single layer on baking sheet. Spray shrimp with oil. Broil for 4 to 5 minutes about 6 inches from heat. Remove shrimp from oven and turn over shrimp with a spatula. Spray with a little oil and then broil for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve at room temperature with your favorite dipping sauce.

* NOTE: If you don’t have any Cajun seasoning, use 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and a few dashes cayenne pepper.

Other food bloggers do Popcorn Shrimp:
Cajun Popcorn Shrimp, Life’s Ambrosia
Popcorn Shrimp, Yum Sugar

Culinary Trivia Answer: RED LOBSTER is credited with the creation of the wildly popular American appetizer “Popcorn Shrimp.”

–posted by Donna

What could be better on a chilly winter’s night than a bowl of smoky, earthy posole?

Posole is a spicy corn stew and an ancient food that originated in southern Mexico – it has withstood the test of time because it is so easy and flavorful. The native peoples considered corn to be a sacred plant and so posole was a popular and revered dish. I used poblano chiles in this, which are very mild. If you want heat, roast a few jalepenos, too!

This is an incredibly easy version – from grocery bag to table in 45 minutes!

I have made many varieties in my day, and I like using chicken thighs best in this recipe instead of the traditional pork. The dark chicken meat is full of flavor and stands up to the simmering required for this recipe. And, chicken thighs are one of the best bargains in the grocery store these days – they are usually less than 50 cents each. I used 3 thighs for this recipe, so the whole pot full of posole – which feeds at least four people – was less than $10.

Dicing the roasted poblano chiles

Adding hominy to posole

WEEKNIGHT CHICKEN POSOLE

3 poblano chiles
Meat from three chicken thighs, diced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground oregano
4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cups reduced sodium chicken stock
2 tablespoons regular or ancho chile powder (or more taste)
1 tablespoon smoked paprika (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon cumin (or more to taste)
2 cans (15 ounces each) hominy, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
A few dashes Tabasco sauce,  to taste

Cut poblano chiles into strips and place skin side up on a baking sheet. Lightly brush the chiles with a little canola oil. Broil chiles about 3 inches from heat for 2 or 3 minutes, watching closely so as not to burn, until chiles are browned. Remove from oven, let cool and dice.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large stockpot.  Mix together the flour and oregano, and then toss the chicken pieces in that mixture. Cook chicken pieces in two batches over medium high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until well browned. Remove chicken pieces from pot.

Add remaining oil to pot and add onions, stirring constantly and cooking for about 2 minutes, until onion begins to be transparent. Add garlic and cook another minute.

Add in all remaining ingredients. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve hot garnished with cilantro, avocado, cheese or sour cream, as desired.

Posole has been popular on food blogs recently, so here are some other recipes in the last few weeks by other food bloggers:
Red Posole Recipe, 101 Cookbooks
Pork Neck Posole, Serious Eats
Red Posole Stew, Serious Eats
Red Posole, Homesick Texan
Posole Pork and Hominy Stew, Chaos in the Kitchen
Pork Green Chile Posole, Erika’s Kitchen

– posted by Donna

WHAT?! How can shrimp be featured on a frugal food blog???

The answer: Buy medium sized shrimp, and make your presentation so that each guest only eats ONE shrimp. Whether you’re making this for a special birthday dinner, or as a super bowl recipe, or the in-laws are coming over, or any other festive event – I promise your guests will think you are the next Martha Stewart – they are incredibly easy and they look so pretty on a party platter!

I saw something similar served once at a fancy wedding reception, and wanted to try my own version. The trick is to set the shrimp on top of a little shot glass and fill the glass with a little drink to “chase” the shrimp. I like V-8 juice mixed with a little cocktail sauce. I used some votive candle holders that I had left over from my daughters’ weddings a few years ago, and they worked perfectly. The bonus: this is one of those dishes that will make you seem like a fabulous chef who has slaved for hours, but in reality this is one of the easiest appetizers I have ever made! Only six ingredients and about 20 minutes to make!

ONE-BITE SHRIMP COCKTAILS with Zesty Vegetable Juice Shot

NOTE: You will need 12 small shot glasses or other small glasses to serve this dish the same way it looks in the photo. If you don’t have any of these sized glasses, just serve the top part on a platter without the vegetable juice shot!

12 peeled, uncooked medium sized shrimp
4 corn tortillas
Canola oil for frying
2/3 cup purchased cocktail sauce, divided
1/2 cup minced flat leaf parsley
1 cup V-8 vegetable juice

Cook the shrimp any way you like. (I brushed the shrimp with a little oil and grilled them on a very hot grill pan.)

Cutting tortilla circles

Heat oil in a small skillet to medium high heat. Cut tortillas with a round cookie cutter that is slightly bigger than the circle of the top of your shot glasses. Cook tortilla circles in oil for about 20 seconds on each side, until lightly crispy but not hard. Press cooked circles with paper towels to remove excess oil. Let cool.

Frying tortilla circles

Mix together 1/3 cup of cocktail sauce and the V-8 juice. Pour a little liquid into each glass so that there is about 1/2 inch in each.

Spread cocktail sauce on tortilla circles

Spread on top of each tortilla circle in the following order: 1/2 tablespoon of remaining cocktail sauce; a little parsley; one shrimp.

Topping the tortilla circles

Place topped tortilla circle on top of each filled glass and serve so that guests will pick up and eat tortilla and shrimp and then drink the liquid in the glass.

Other food bloggers’ unique shrimp cocktails:
Real Deal Shrimp Cocktail, Simply Recipes
Ina’s Roasted Shrimp Cocktail, Yum Sugar
Shrimp Cocktail with Low Sugar Cocktail Sauce, Kalyn’s Kitchen
Asian Shrimp Cocktail, No Recipes
Drunken Spicy Shameless Shrimp Cocktail, Use Real Butter

– posted by Donna