Crockpot Buffalo Chicken

(shown here with ranch dressing and shredded lettuce on a Hoagie roll)

This recipe is SO versatile! I stumbled upon it on Pinterest. Since my grocery store was out of the Frank's Buffalo Wing sauce, I substituted. We put it on hoagie rolls tonight, but it can be put in tortilla shells with lettuce and cheese for a chicken wrap. You can use it as a pizza topping, put it over pasta, mix with cream cheese for a buffalo chicken dip, combine with bleu cheese and put over a greens salad or serve with tortilla chips with melted cheese, chopped green onions and sour cream as buffalo chicken nachos. You can even combine it with onions, green peppers and Provolone on a hoagie as a Buffalo Philly. For those concerned about the spice, I'd give it a 5 on a scale of 1-10 for heat. It's got a little bite, but it's not totally intolerable, unless you think ketchup is spicy.

1 3lb bag thawed chicken breasts, skinless & boneless (Don't use frozen! Thaw them out first.)
½ bottle Franks Buffalo Wing Sauce (I used Cookies Wings & Things)
1 envelope dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix

Combine all three ingredients in a Crock Pot on low. Cook for 6-7 hours. Remove chicken breasts, shred them and return them to the sauce. Simmer for an additional hour. Serve as mentioned above.

***There's a LOT of sauce when this chicken is ready to serve. Make sure to use a slotted spoon to scoop it out of the pot so you don't get a watered down sandwich. I'd also suggest draining it before using it in other recipes, such as buffalo chicken dip or on nachos.

Mom's Macaroni Salad

2 c uncooked macaroni (or small shells)
3 ribs celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
½ onion, diced
2 T sweet pickle relish
2 tsp pimento, diced
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 T mustard (yellow or Honey Dijon)
¾ c Miracle Whip (If you use mayonnaise, add ¼ tsp paprika)
¼ tsp white pepper
¼ tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
¼ tsp garlic powder

Optional ingredients:
½ c petite sweet peas
½ c chopped chicken or tuna
¼ c chopped black olives
2 T Parmesan cheese

Cook the macaroni until right before it becomes al dente. If you cook it completely, when it absorbs the liquid, the pasta will become mushy.

Mix all the remaining ingredients and let sit while the pasta cooks.

Drain the pasta and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. When the macaroni is cool, combine with the salad mix. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. If you decide to add the Parmesan cheese, add it right before serving.