Buffalo Chicken Dip

This week I was feeling extremely discouraged about cooking chicken again, but I decided to try again and see if I could fix mistakes from last week. This meal had a lot of pressure riding on it! I love buffalo anything and this meal was a big test for me after my dry chicken from last week. AND IT WAS AMAZING! My boyfriend and I loved this so much that it is already gone, and I will definitely be making it again. This meal being such a success really did boost my confidence a lot, especially after last weeks failure. This week instead of cooking small chunks of chicken I used four full chicken breasts, and they cooked perfectly. I think that I learned where I made a mistake... cutting the chicken before cooking it rather then waiting till after to separate it. Fixing the small mistakes from last week, and successfully cooking something that was enjoyable, was really uplifting and has encouraged me to cook the next meal and I'm looking forward to it. 

This weeks assigned reading presented many different definitions of occupation and its meaning in an individuals life. For me this journey of cooking as an occupation is very new and interesting, while also being extremely challenging and frustrating. However, I think that is why I am so interested in it. Once I find a task or something to do I have to learn to do it well, I've always been that way. So I think that this new occupation of crockpot cooking fits best with the definition of "occupation is the subjective experience of an individual, with meaning that is personally constructed (and only to the individual)." (Hasselkus, B. R., & Dickie, V. A. p. 20) I think this definition matches my new occupation best because, it is unique to my situation and position in life right now. Crock pot cooking allows me to cook while completing other tasks like going to school and leaving my chicken cooking for 6 hours. While also providing enough food for a couple of days of left overs, which I can eat for lunch. Other individuals who have free time to enjoy cooking numerous meals a day, wouldn’t necessarily benefits from crock pot cooking or enjoy it the way I am beginning too. Thus, the meaning is unique and special to me. This weeks reading also discussed the idea of "doing + being, becoming, belonging = survival and health"  which I believe suits my new occupation extremely well. (Hasselkus, B. R., & Dickie, V. A. p. 23) By cooking and doing my new occupation, I begin enjoying it and feel like I belong in the kitchen more each time I make a meal and it doesn't go horribly wrong. Then as I get more comfortable and enjoy cooking more I am able to gain more skills and confidence, in turn, becoming a better cook. Then once I am able to cook multiple meals and begin to add my own tastes and style to cooking I will eventually feel as though I belong to the cooking community. This then gives me purpose and drive to continue cooking while also allowing me to provide food for me and my boyfriend. 

Recipe: 

Ingredients: 

• Chicken ( shredded)
• 3/4 Cup of your favorite Buffalo Wing Sauce
• 1 Cup of Ranch dressing 
• 8 oz. of cream cheese 
• 1.5 Cups of Cheddar Cheese 

Cooking Instructions: 

• Place chicken breasts in crock pot, and cook alone for 3 hours on high.
• Remove chicken and drain crock pot.
• Shred chicken using 2 forks or mix master
• Add all ingredients back to the crock pot. 
• Cook for 1 hour stirring every 30 minutes 
• Serve with your choice of chips, crackers, or veggies.
• ENJOY!   

References

Hasselkus, B. R., & Dickie, V. A. (2021). The meaning of everyday occupation (3rd ed.). SLACK.