Buffalo Chicken Calzones

What You'll Need:

1 can (8 oz) pizza sauce (I like Muir Glen)

2 tsp plus 1/2 cup hot sauce, divided

1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed

3 tbsp butter

A dash of Cajun seasoning (I used Emeril Lagasse's recipe, scaled down)

2 tubes (10 oz each( refrigerated pizza crust dough

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

2 oz very finely crumbled blue cheese, optional

Cornmeal

How to Make It:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine the pizza sauce and 2 tsp hot sauce; set aside. In a skillet, saute the chicken in the butter for 3-5 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink. Stir in the Cajun seasoning and the remaining hot sauce, cover the pan and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until everything is heated through. Unroll the pizza dough and divide each portion in half. On a floured surface, roll each dough portion into an 8 inch circle. Spread the pizza sauce mixture over half of each circle within 1 inch of the edge of the dough. Top the sauce with the chicken mixture and the cheeses. Fold the dough over the filling and pinch the edges to seal. Sprinkle a greased baking sheet (or two, if you need it) with cornmeal. Place the calzones over the cornmeal, and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

Baked Apple and Spice Cake Trifle

What You'll Need:

1 box spice cake mix

1 1/4 cups cinnamon apple sauce (I like Musselman's)

3 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 can apple pie filling

1 tbsp butter

7 tsp cinnamon, divided

3 cups cold milk

1 pkg instant vanilla pudding mix

1 envelope whipped topping mix

1 carton Cool Whip, thawed

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/ cup toffee bits, optional

How to Make It:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the dry cake mix, applesauce, eggs, and oil; beat everything on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour the batter into a greased 13x9 baking pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until done. Cool the cake on a wire rack. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cook the pie filling, butter, and 1 tsp cinnamon on medium-low heat until the butter is melted; stir well to combine. Let the apples cool. In a mixing bowl, combine the milk, pudding mix, topping mix, and the remaining cinnamon. Beat on high speed until thickened, about 5 minutes. Let the pudding stand for 5 minutes after that. Spread a third of the Cool Whip in the bottom of a trifle bowl. Cut the cake into cubes, and place half the cake cubes on top of the Cool Whip. Top that with half the apples, half the walnuts, and half the pudding. Repeat the layers, ending with the last third of the Cool Whip. Sprinkle the toffee bits on top. Cover the trifle and let it chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Everybody's Queso

Almost everyone has this queso recipe. Seriously. But apparently a few people don't, and they were at my open house this weekend and liked it. So here's the recipe (I didn't even get to eat any myself- by the time I was ready to eat, the slow cooker had been scraped clean of all cheesiness.)

What You'll Need:

1 2 lb loaf Velveeta

1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 lb sausage, cooked and crumbled

1/4 cup milk

How to Make It:

Cube the Velveeta and place it in a small slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker and turn the heat on high until the cheese is mostly melted. Add the tomatoes, sausage, and milk, and stir. Continue heating the queso, stirring occasionally, until everything is nicely combined. Then turn the heat to low.

Strawberry Fruit Dip

This stuff is so yummy, and it makes a lot!

What You'll Need:

1 container (8 oz) spreadable strawberry cream cheese

4 tbsp strawberry jam or preserves

1 carton Cool Whip, thawed

1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme

How to Make It:

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and preserves until well combined. Add the Cool Whip and marshmallow creme and beat on low until well combined. Cover the dip and refrigerate it until you're ready to eat it. Serve it with your favorite fresh fruit (I like it best with blueberries!)

"Elvis" Pie

I hear that Elvis liked peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Also bacon. This pie has peanut butter and bananas, and therefore, it was named for Elvis.

What You'll Need:

For the filling:

1 cup peanut butter

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup cold heavy cream

1 9-inch graham cracker crust

2 bananas, sliced

For the topping:

1 cup cold heavy cream

1/4 cup sugar

Chopped roasted peanuts

How to Make It:

In a medium bowl, cream the peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. In another bowl, beat the cream until soft peaks form (it will almost be the consistency of Cool Whip.) Mix the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture with your mixture set on low, until everything is smoothly combined. Pour half of the filling into the pie crust, and smooth it out with a spatula. Layer the bananas on top. Pour the rest of the peanut butter filling over the bananas and spread it out with the spatula. Cover the pie and refrigerate at least an hour, or overnight. When you're ready to make the topping, beat the remaining cream and sugar with your mixer until soft peaks form. Spread the topping over the pie, and top with the chopped peanuts.