Pinterest Tested: Cheesecake Factory “Buffalo Blasts” Copycat Recipe

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Who doesn’t love fried food? I mean- talk about classic Americana. I know, I know, its so bad for you but it’s sooo good that sometimes that I just can’t resist! One of my favorite places to eat is the Cheesecake Factory (Fun Fact- did you know their menus cost $12 each to make? Thats why they have ads.) I digress. Hubs hates it there… I don’t know why… its soooo yummy! The only thing he likes loves about Cheesecake Factory is their Buffalo Blasts. I have to admit, they are not my first choice on the 3 page appetizer menu but they are pretty good. When I found this copycat recipe from Tasty Kitchen on Pinterest I knew I had to give it a try. Hubby was so excited that I was making these along with my homemade blue cheese dip. How did they check out? Find out below!

Overall rating: 9.5

Cost$$ (scale: $-$$$)

Difficulty level: Advanced (scale: beginner, moderate, intermediate, advanced)

Thoughts: Umm… how to put this lightly… these were a pain in the butt! They literally took me a few hours from start to finish! I would definitely recommend just grabbing a rotisserie chicken from the store and shredding it up rather than buying raw chicken breasts and baking, then shredding them. You will not notice a difference and it will save so much time. In any case, my biggest peeve with this recipe was the wonton wrappers. They were so small it was hard to get as much chicken mixture into each little wrapper as possible without overflowing and then causing a big mess when trying  to seal the edges together. I had wing sauce all over me. Next time I will try to find larger wrappers for these so its less of a mess and also less tedious work. It took for-ev-er to get a bunch of these scooped, sealed, and dipped in the coating to fry. I’m not sure what type of wrapper the Cheesecake Factory uses because their Buffalo Blasts are larger than these but I highly suggest trying to find out. If I do, I will post an update to save you time too! In the end, I finally got these plated and we really liked them. Or should I say, hubby L-O-V-E-D them. I liked them a lot but after all the time I put into them I was a harsh critic. I probably would’ve loved them too if someone else made them for me. In any case, I will definitely be making these again if I can find the larger size wrappers. I’m not sure how these would go over at a party unless you made them on the spot because typically fried foods don’t travel well. However, take my recommendation and do give these a try with my minor adjustments, you will be glad you did!

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Leftovers: Guacamole

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Nothings worse than having leftovers that “go bad” fairly quickly and, sadly, guacamole is definitely one of those items. But fear not- there is something you can do with your day-old guacamole so as not to waste those precious & expensive avocados.

Seven Layer Dip

It’s easy to make, vegetarian, and can even been vegan (if altered a bit) so it is sure to please many picky palates. Best of all, since your fresh, homemade, guacamole is sandwiched between two layers, it extends it’s fridge life a bit. Hubs and I enjoyed ours for a good 3 days until I felt it was time to throw out any leftovers.

Now I’m sure there are many delicious Seven Layer Dip recipes out there but this one is my all-time favorite – the only change I make is that I put the guacamole layer on top of the refried beans layer, then top that layer with the sour cream mixture. This way the guacamole is between two other heavy layers, which keeps it away from any air exposure and stops it from rotting so quickly.

Your wallet and tastebuds will thank you!

Use that day-old guacamole in your Seven Layer Dip recipe to extend it’s fridge-life!

Delicious!

-J 

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