Tuesday Treats: Cheesy Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Bread

Looking for easy appetizers? Or TV munchies for when sports are back? How about just to eat because this recipe totally easy and totally quick and totally good. You need look no further than this recipe of yummyness. And that is too a word. Totally! 😉

Total Time: 50 Min.
Prep Time: 15 Min.
Cook Time: 35 Min.
12 servings

Make this Cheesy Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Bread for your next party. This Cheesy Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Bread incorporates three delicious cheeses.

What You Need
3/4 cup KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise (I substitute Miracle Whip)
1/4 cup KRAFT Classic Ranch Dressing
1/3 cup Buffalo wing sauce, divided
2 green onions, sliced, divided
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheeses
1/3 cup ATHENOS Crumbled Blue Cheese
1 French bread baguette (14 oz.)

Let’s Make It
1 – Heat oven to 375°F.
2 – Mix mayo, dressing and 3 Tbsp. wing sauce in large bowl until blended.
3 – Reserve 1 Tbsp. onions for later use. Add remaining onions to mayo mixture along with the chicken and cheeses; mix lightly.
4 – Cut baguette lengthwise in half. Remove bread from insides of both bread halves, leaving 1-inch-thick shells. Fill with chicken mixture; place on parchment-covered baking sheet.
5 – Bake 30 to 35 min. or until heated through.
6 – Drizzle with remaining wing sauce; sprinkle with reserved onions.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Make Ahead: This delicious appetizer can be prepped ahead of time. Fill bread shells with chicken mixture, then wrap tightly and refrigerate up to 2 days before baking (unwrapped) as directed, increasing the baking time if necessary until chicken mixture is heated through.

Tip 2 – How to Use the Removed Bread: Use pulsing action of food processor to process the removed bread into desired-size crumbs. Store in resealable plastic bag until ready to use as desired.

Tip 3 – Size Wise: Manage portions by using a smaller plate for your meals and snacks to help you stick to the recommended serving sizes of your favorite recipes.

As always, CLICK to check out all the nutritional info from My Food and Family. This is a particular favorite when the Wolves get together. While she might be a close second to Hannah when it comes to not cooking, this is a treat that former US Marshal DJ Collier introduced to the guys. Her mate, Antoine Fontaine, is Cajun. He likes his food spicy, even if buffalo chicken is a damnyankee dish. DJ’s first encounters the Wolves of the 69th in WOLF MOON but it’s not until BLUE MOON that she almost loses her life, is kidnapped to be an experiment, and learns her fate. Interested and haven’t read it yet? Just click on the cover or title to head on over to grab it for your reading pleasure. I’ll warn you–it’s book 8 so you might want to start at the beginning. 😉

Okay, folks, inquiring minds want to know… What’s your favorite regional dish?

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Monday May I?

I hope your weekend wasn’t filled with chaos. Mine was pretty quiet. So was last week. As boring as that is, I’ll take it. Basically, I did some stuff, read some stuff–okay I actually listened, watched some stuff, ate some stuff. Oh, and I wrote some stuff. I’ll break it down.

Let’s start with the good stuff–writing. I’m nearing the end of MOONSTRUCK: BETRAYAL. I’ve finished the brand new novella, MOON CROSSED, that falls between the two previously-written but now expanded with new stuffs novels. I need to reread ROGUE MOON and catch any typos that have slipped through and add in a bit here and there and then do a complete proofread. Then it’s cover, formatting, and uploading. With luck, by the end of the month if not before. You may 🤞 but don’t hold your breath.

Moving on to sports, and the lack thereof… You know I’m desperate when I watch a skins golf game for charity. I mean, what IS a skin? Yes, I can probably google it but why? 🙄 But it was Ricky Fowler and Matthew Wolff, both former OSU Cowboys. I also switched channels a few times to check out the NASCAR race. First crash happened in the first lap. Both are weird with no spectators, and even I could recognize that the pros were a bit rusty, no matter which sport. I’m waiting with “baited” for the Pro-Bass tour. Yeah. Right. However, there is a rumor that we may have baseball for the 4th of July. That would be fireworks-worthy news!

My book listening hasn’t been a lot this past week. I’m being doing some of the lighthearted stuff because my brain is starting to rebel over all the stupid stuff going around social media. As a result, I have no tolerance for the stupid and a short fuse on my temper. I give the TV and/or computer monitor a piece of my mind, upsetting the fuzzy critters. Then I calm down, turn off everything, and stare at the ol’ WIP. Which is why Rudy’s new additions turned out a bit darker. But books. They are normally my refuge. I’m digging for books because most of what I’m waiting for isn’t out in audio yet, or hasn’t been released at all. Anyway, I did finish up Jennifer Estep’s Crown of Shards trilogy with CRUSH THE KING. Her worldbuilding and chacracters are wonderful. I’ll miss the world though she has mentioned she might come back to the world with other characters. There were some intentional loose threads so I hope she makes it so! The rest of the books were so-so.

So…writing, sports, books…what’s left? Oh, TV! LIVE PD is back to 3 hours! Yayayay. And there was an awesome dog rescue in Richland County. Turned out the puppers was 17 years old. Maxine is home with her dog mom, being spoiled and coddled and the vet says she should be fine. She’d been down in the drainage pipe for quite some time–lost, dehydrated, hurt, and hungry. Yay for Richland County deputies and good Samaritans! “The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch” is heating up. Weird stuff, people. WERID stuff! And finally, “The Masked Singer.” I forgot to mention the unmasking from the week before last in last week’s update. The Kitty, aka Jackie Evancho (a finalist on America’s Got talent), was unmasked. This past week, it was Rhino, a personal favorite of mine and not only did I know who the celebrity was, but I’d correctly guessed him–Barry Zito, former major league pitcher. The dude can sing, people! We’re down to three this week, Night Angel, Frog, and Turtle. No clue who they are behind the masks.

So, that’s it for me. Today starts a new week filled with possibilities, even if we’re still under seige. That’s what it is beginning to feel like. Here’s hoping all of you and yours are still healthy and still safe. The James Gang is both. How was your weekend? Need to rant? Any tips for getting through this mess? We’re listening…Okay, reading. You know what I mean. 😆

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Friday Sinema: Roses and Seals

When I saw this video mentioned in my blog feed, I clicked. Because…SEALS! And I ❤ the song. I gigglesnorted so hard Lawyer Guy came running in to check on me. He didn’t find it quite as funny so your mileage may vary…

So now, from the ridiculasly cute to the sublime, because I do love the song and the way Seal sings. Plus, some bonus Batman footage. Hope you enjoy the official video. Have a great weekend, everyone!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Casting

Why do we meet certain people at certain times in our lives? Why do we lose people–for whatever reasons–at others? Karma? God winks? Fate? Just because? I have no clue and I’m open to suggestions. That said, as a writer, I control all those things. The Universe explains it pretty well.

Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Silver, have I mentioned that everyone knows exactly what you’re thinking?

How else could you draw new friends from the unseen? How else would your heroes, heroines, and scoundrels know when to appear, or move on? How else would your “stars” get their cues?

True, they think their own thoughts, too. How else would you know who to cast in each scene?

Just thinking of you, and your power to choose.

Enthralled,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

Yikes… even those thoughts, Silver!

Just like the process of building a world, writers build characters–the good, the bad, and the ugly. And, okaky…also the beautiful. As a character’s creator, it’s up to us to infuse them with personality, with dreams and aspirations, with flaws, and backstory. We need to stuff emotions into them so that they seem real on the page. We move them through the story like a movie director–or a chess master. We give them motivation, words, actions and reactions.

What happens if we don’t do our job? We get two-dimensional characters. Paper dolls that we dress up in cut-out close that are too limp to stand up. Yuck, right? I mean, I played with paper dolls as a kid. Not my favorite activity but I did. I want characters that I want to play with. I want them to be friends–or lovers. I want to dislike the bad guys and boo them, cheering when they get theirs because we all know Karma’s a bitch, right? As a writer, all that is on me. I have to give the characters mouth-to-mouth, breathing life into them so that my readers feel the same way about them.

Writers, do you have an tips on creating characters? Readers, what character do you love to hate?

 

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Wednesday Words: You’re So Punny

So, progress. Slow. Not too steady, but progress. Today’s snippet comes from the new novella, MOON CROSSED, which is the middle part of MOONSTRUCK: BETRAYAL. While it might be in middle, it also time travels a little, back to when Hannah was only a captain and before…well, just read it and you’ll see. Warning: This scene contains strong language because…Hannah is involved. Also, today’s Twitter #1lineWed theme is well…beware of shameless puns…

****
“Can we talk?”

Duke studied her. The captain was not afraid to take on Dr. Jacobson. More important, she’d taken the doc’s guard dog down a couple of pegs. He could appreciate her authority but he wasn’t about to give anything away until he decided to trust her. He pushed out of the tank and slithered down the glass side, rather than swimming over to the dock and using the stairs. She gave him a rolling-eyed look of disgust in response to his showboating. He fought the urge to flex for her. Once he stood in front of her, he was surprised at her height. She wasn’t as tall as he originally thought. Command presence. The captain had it in spades. Good to know. Maybe the SEALs had found an ally.

“Maybe.” He wasn’t ready to commit.

“Seriously?”

He shrugged, wondering how far he could push her. She was attractive and he’d been without female company far longer than he cared to consider. He felt the rest of his team gather behind him, water rolling off them to leave puddles on the concrete floor.

“Fine. Questions I have. Answers you will give.”

His turn to roll eyes but Dalton beat him to the punch. “First, you must come to the dark side. We have cookies.”

“What happened to your predecessors?”

The question caught him flat-footed. Predecessors? His team were the first. Weren’t they? There was Gardner, though.

“There were five Air Force jet pilots assigned to this facility eighteen months ago for some weird project that was supposed to enhance them so they could fly for extended periods at halo altitude with no pressure suits or external oxygen sources. I met them before they reported. Shit.” She brushed fingers through her short hair. “One of them was on the list for astronaut training. They’re still here.”

The men exchanged uneasy looks before Duke spoke. “We’re the only ones here.”

“How do you know?”

They traded knowing looks this time. “Just accept that we know.”

“Fuck!” Hannah stomped around in a circle wishing she had something to hit. Or kick. Preferably those two asshole scientists. She deep breathed—in through her nose, out through her mouth—several times, calming. “How long have you been here?”

“Six months.” Duke glanced at Dalton. “Except the kid. He’s only been here two.”

“Late addition?”

“Replacement.” Duke’s voice sounded flat in his own ears. Flat and final.

“Motherfuckingdammitalltohell.” Her temper flared again. She had a really bad feeling about the sailor who’d been replaced. More breathing before she calmed down.

Duke understood her outburst. His anger simmered on a low boil.

“Okay. Fill me in.” Hannah jumped in before the big SEAL could argue. “My security clearance is way higher than yours. And while I report to the Joint Chiefs, I can bypass them and talk directly to the Secretary of Defense.”

“In that case…”

***

Two hours later, Hannah climbed into the back seat of the SUV idling near the front exit of the underground lab. Her head swam—no pun intended—with facts and suppositions, most of which she could barely wrap that head around. There was so much wrong about what happened in that lab on so many levels. She vowed to stop the project, no matter what she had to do. The thumb drive tucked into her bra was full to the gills—okay, so she couldn’t help herself—with information about the failed Angel Wings project and the shift to the Atlantis experiments. One of Duke Reagan’s frogmen turned out to be a computer wiz. He’d downloaded all the files for her—along with a bit of trivia.

Werewolves. Fucking werewolves in the US Army. A whole special gawddamned unit of them hiding in plain sight and doing secret missions. Not even the CIA knew about them. But Hannah did. Now. And wished she didn’t. Her head truly was going to explode and she wondered how the hell she’d ever sleep again because…werefuckingwolves! And frogmen. With the ability to breathe underwater. Like gawddamned fish. And there was one more bit of information that kept cropping up. The name Black Root. She had a really bad feeling about all this shit. And for the first time, she wondered who she could trust? How was she supposed to distinguish the white hats from the black hats when they all wore green?
****
There it is. I hope you enjoyed. Writers, any puns in your WIPs? Readers, got any shameless puns to share?

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Tuesday Treats: Easy Homemade Donuts

Dude! I’d buy a pastry bag just to make these! I ❤ Bavarian creme donuts and how easy is this?!?!

Total Time – Prep and Cook approximately 20 Minutes
10 servings

What’s better than donuts? A recipe for Easy Homemade Donuts! Try your hand at this homemade donuts recipe to enjoy your favorite breakfast treat at home.

What You Need
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup cold milk
2 oz. BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, broken into small pieces
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
3 cups oil
1 can (12 oz.) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

Let’s Make It
1 – Beat pudding mix and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. (Pudding will be thick.) Spoon into pastry bag fitted with plain tip. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2 – Microwave chocolate and COOL WHIP in medium bowl 1 to 1-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 1 min.
3 – Heat oil in large saucepan to 375ºF. Add biscuits, in batches; cook 2-1/2 to 3 min. or until golden brown, turning after 1-1/2 min. Drain on paper towels. Transfer to wire rack; cool 5 min.
4 – Insert tip of filled pastry bag into side of each fried biscuit to fill with pudding. Dip tops of biscuits into chocolate mixture. Return, dipped sides up, to wire rack; let stand until firm.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Substitute: Prepare using your favorite flavor of JELL-O Instant Pudding.

Get all the details HERE at My Food and Family. Since this past Sunday was Mother’s Day, all the kids in Blaidd’s Gap got together and made big batches of these donuts for their moms. Liam, Micah, Cody, Joy, Gracie, and little Sally each appear in a book with their parents, but since they’re all living in Blaidd’s Gap, I thought we’d visit with them through MOON SHOT, the book where they all come together, Sally makes her entrance, and the Wolves finally find a home. Maybe. Anyway, this is a good time to reread MOON SHOT, if you already have it on your shelf. If you don’t, you might want to start at the beginning, but you can probably figure enough stuff out if you just jump into this on with both boots on. Trust me, it gets deep, so keep those boots handy! You can click on the title or the book cover and head on over to grab your copy! So…donuts. The big question of th day is: Creme-filled or plain?

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Monday 7 Come 11

What does that even mean? Yes, I know it has something to do with shooting craps. Why would anyone want to shoot crap? And how did craps get that name anyway? My brain very closely resembles a hamster on a wheel at the moment. But then, it IS Monday. What can I say? Other than this is the stuff that keeps me awake at night…

We’ve moved on to partial lockdown around here. All the smart people stayed home. All the stupid people got out–and they’ve all forgotten how to drive. I’m hoping that just maybe this is Karma’s way of playing Darwin and cleaning up the gene pool. I still wear a mask when I get out, which isn’t that often. I have mentioned that life pre-Covid wasn’t all that different, right? Speaking of partial openings, STARBUCKS DRIVE-THRU IS OPEN!!!!!!!!!!!! Starbucks is my reward for getting stuff marked off my writing to-do list. It’s also my nudge-the-Muse trip out into the world. Maybe, since I have incentives now, I’ll stay on track.

Speaking of writing, I finished a short story (can’t be longer than 5,000 words) and submitted it to an open call. Basically, if I’m picked, the story goes into an anthology of 20 stories that will be featured in the publisher’s newsletter as a free read, and on a 3-month limited free run. Then the anthology comes down and the rights revert to the author. I’m doing this for a couple of reasons: 1) I’d love to get my foot in the door and be invited to submit a full novella/short novel for publication (it’s my understanding that it IS by invitation only), and 2) if nothing else, it opens up my work to a HUGE number of new readers. I can’t lose. I plan to take INTO THE NIGHT and turn it into a Nightrider novella, much like I did with REMEMBER THE NIGHT, which was originally a 10K story written for an RWA anthology. I made it all the way through to the very final cut and then realized I was glad I’d been cut because Lucky and Gemma deserved a full story. Anyway, I find out August 14 so fingers crossed. 🤞

In reading news, I have a big ol’ sad because I finished Jennifer Estep’s CRUSH THE KING, which is the final book in her Crown of Shards trilogy. LOVED IT! I’m singing that. LovelovelovedITTTTT. Loved all the three books. Loved the characters. Loved the plot. Loved the world. It’s fantasy. With a kickass heroine. A sexy love interest. Magic. Gladiators. Intrigue. Plots and secrets and…and…it’s amazing. Go forth and check it out if that’s your catnip. Listened to a couple of books from the library. Eh. Glad I got them from the library.

TV is still mostly blah. Except LIVE PD is back to 3 hours! Yayay! I know. I’m rolling my eyes at myself. You don’t have to do it for me.

Yesterday was Mother’s Day. It was quiet around here. We did “break” quarantine to meet the Kids (Only, Baseball Boy, and Stormy) at our favorite Mexican restaurant on Saturday night. They’ve opened for limited dining room service and we went early to make sure we got in. I ❤ that place so much! It's our "First Saturday" routine back when life was normal. The first Saturday of the month, after siren test, we'd all meet for lunch. Yum! Anyway, we'd all missed it and we all ate waaay too much. 🌮🐖 Totally worth it!

Sadly, there's not a whole lot else going on in my world. I'm hoping to get back in a serious writing groove starting this week. I'm hoping me and mine remain healthy. Only is back in her office part time but Baseball Boy is mostly out of school and the state's school athletic organization hasn't made a determination about summer baseball. Stormy does start soccer in a week or so. Spectators will have to socially distance and it's advised to wear masks but hey! Sunshine and "kids swarm" soccer. Yay! At this point, I'll take whatever sports I can get!

What about y'all? Any good, bad, or ugly going on in your world? This inquiring mind wants to know. In the meantime, stay safe and stay healthy. Do what you can, can the rest, and get on with life. Have a great week!

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Friday Sinema: LOTR on Facebook

I gigglesnorted. A lot. I couldn’t help myself. Y’all know, if you follow me on Facebook, that I have a love/hate relationship with the platform, but I would friend these people. Immediately. I hope it brings a giggle to you. Also, have a good weekend!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Worldbuilding

For many people, their world has narrowed to the small space they call home. Social interaction with anyone but family or roommates is at a minimum and it’s much the same with the outside world. I’d probably be pretty frantic if I lived in a big city. I don’t, though. I live in the ‘burbs. I can look out my window and see trees and flowers. I can go into my yard or walk through my neighborhood. But I’m also a writer. I create worlds with a flick of my imagination.

I’m curious. Yes, that helps with being a writer, but that’s not what I’m curious about at the moment. I wonder if readers realize how much goes into worldbuilding? How much time we spend, how intricate it can get. I mean creating characters and plot is just a small part of the whole. It all has to mesh together in a cohesive whole so that the story makes sense. This is true no matter the genre but becomes especially so in fantasy–urban and epic, SciFi, paranormal, horror, and historical. Don’t get me wrong. Worldbuilding goes on in contemporary too.

In some ways, writers are like a minor god. We create our worlds and everything in them–places, things, people, and events, maneuvering everything from Prologue to Epilogue. Just like the Universe…

I have to tell you, Silver, that one of the greatest things about being the Universe, is knowing absolutely everything.

Well, that and making dreams come true.

I also love being eternal… and having no limits.

Creating worlds simply with thought.

Knowing that reality is unfolding just exactly as it should.

Having it all, being it all, doing it all.

And I like being perpetually in love… and loved.

How ’bout you, Silver? What’s your favorite thing about being the Universe?

Tallyho,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®
Silver, don’t we rock!? Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ooooooooooooooooo!

Yes, Universe, we do rock. And my favorite thing is being a writer, in using my imagination to create. I love the worlds and characters I create. I love making their dreams come through–after making them work for it because that makes for a good story. It’s all in the details, and as writers, it’s up to use to fine-tune the details, get them right, and entertain the reader. Writers, do you have a worldbuilding trick or tip? Readers, what’s your favorite part of a story?

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Wednesday Words: A Word to the Wise

Are you looking for some WISDOM? Or ENLIGHTMENT? This probably isn’t the place, even if those are the #1lineWed theme of the day. Just a word to the wise, if you are working from home and have no little eyes, keep reading. Otherwise, you might wan’t to save this snippet for “alone time.” Who remembers Dancer, the Irish Wolf who is the VP of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Nightriders? 🙋‍♀️ This is a scene from his story. Talk about a light bulb moment…
****
She stared up at me, a stinking cloud of ammonia surrounding her. She was bloody terrified. Of me. She should be. I was a nightmare stalking her world, and on some primal level she recognized the truth. I focused on the man next to her.

“F-for you,” he stuttered. “And I brought the information, just like you asked.”

The sickly-sweet scent of rotten apples overrode the ammonia. Asshole was lying.

“Adam?” Little bitch found her voice. “Wh-what’s going on?”

The prick shoved her my direction then scurried off like a rat. The cunt fell flat on her face as I stepped around her. Three strides later, I had the asshole. I’m a Wolf. I don’t lose prey, especially not this pissant. He thought he could screw the Nightriders. Not happenin’ on my watch.

“Gonna put you down you lie to me again.”

“N-not lyin’, man. Swear. Take her.”

The girl wasn’t moving. One-handed, I picked up the prick, held him, feet dangling. “Who is she?”

“Peace offering. For the Russian.”

“From who?”

“You know who.”

We were at war with the Hell Dogs. They didn’t make peace offerings. They made death. So did we.

“Enlighten me, boyo.”

“Joe Tex.”

Ah, and that would explain things. Joe Tex, the local drug dealer. He’d picked the Dogs, pissed on the Nightriders. Fatal error. We had a kill order out on him.

“Who is she?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care. I’m just the messenger. Joe said she has the info you’re lookin’ for.”

I tossed him in the Dumpster, strolled back to the girl. She’d managed to sit up. Her face was dirty. I smelled blood and scorched hair. She was panicking.

“What’s yer name, girl?”

“M-m-m…” A tear rolled down her cheek but she managed to spit out her name. “M-Meredith.”

“And why should I be keepin’ ya?”

Her eyes got huge as she gawked at me. “I-I don’t know.”

“I should just slit yer throat and walk away.” More tears fell. I ignored them, despite an ache growin’ in m’chest. “Just as soon kill ya both as stand here in the cold.”

“P-please. This is like a bad movie. I keep waiting for it to fade to black.”

“That happens, you’d be dead. Give me a reason t’take ya home and fuck ya.”

She clutched her jacket closed. “You’re crude. I don’t understand any of this.”

Her essential scent hit me. Well fuck me runnin’. A virgin. What the hell was goin’ on? I squatted in front of her, tilted her chin so she had to look at me. “Who are you, little girl? What makes you important to the Nightriders?”

“N-Nightriders? Oh, god.”

Her eyes rolled back as she passed out. I caught her head before it bounced on the pavement, pulled her into my arms.

“Fuck me. That’s Meredith Conroy, Dancer.”

I stared at Tinker, my backup. Bug-eyed, the MC’s enforcer stared back. Feckin’ hell. She was the enemy’s daughter. And m’mate.
****
Hope y’all enjoyed this NSFW peek into Dancer’s…personal problems. 🤣 Writers, do you have any wisdom or enlightened words to share? Readers, when–and what–was your last light bulb moment?

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