Employee Party 2012

With the employee party looming, I had discussed with some co-workers my desire to bring a dish, since I just get tired of the same old food all the time. I wanted to bring a crock-pot, and start it when I got to work, then it would be ready in time for the party. I threw out the idea of chili, but the girls thought that might not work well with all of the drinking that would happen. So, we decided on chicken and dumplings. I combined a few recipes I found on-line, and here's how I made my very first Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
  
• 2 T butter
  
• 2 medium carrots, cut up (about 1 cup)
  
• 2 celery ribs, cut up (about 1 cup)
  
• 1 cup frozen corn
  
• ¼ c chopped onion
  
• ½ t garlic powder
  
• ½ t dried thyme
  
• ½ t kosher salt
  
• ½ t black pepper
  
• 1 can cream of chicken
  
• 1 can cream of mushroom
  
• 1 can buttermilk biscuits
  
• ½ c frozen peas

Directions

1. Put all ingredients except biscuits and peas in crock pot. Stir well to combine (I also decided to add one can of milk and one can of water).
   
2. Cut biscuits into quarters, and add to crock pot, stirring until just combined.
   
3. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on Low setting, or 3-4 hours on High.
   
4. About two minutes before serving, add peas.

With more discussion, we thought a dish with bread would be good, because of all of the alcohol that would be consumed. A few days ago, Wanda had told me about a recipe she tried for Crack Bread, which was fashioned after a recipe found on Plain Chicken. So, I had to try it. Of course, slight modifications were made, and here's what I came up with.

Cheesy Bacon Ranch Pulls

Ingredients

• 1 round loaf unsliced sourdough
  
• 2 cups shredded cheese
  
• 2-3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  
• 1 stick butter, melted
  
• 1 T dry Ranch dressing mix

Directions
Using a sharp bread knife cut the bread going both directions. Do not cut through the bottom crust. Place shredded cheese in between cuts. Sprinkle crumbled bacon on bread, making sure to get in between cuts. Mix together butter and Ranch dressing mix. Pour over bread. Wrap the entire loaf in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

The employee party went pretty well. Employees ate, drank, danced, played beer pong, and participated in a Chinese Gift Exchange. The people who tried out my food said they liked it. The Chicken and Dumplings turned out really well, with just a teeny bit too much pepper. I left the Crack Bread to one of the chefs to bake for me, and he overcooked it a little. It was mostly tasty, but as hard as I tried to distribute it evenly, I did get a piece with an uncomfortable amount of powdered ranch on it.