Before I headed off of my mini work/vacation with my family, I treated some friends to a fun dinner out at Buffalo Wings & Rings. It was Cinco de Mayo and I think all Americans are contractually obligated to head out that night. I’m not sure what the penalty for staying home is, but I wasn’t willing to risk it.
We grabbed a few margaritas because…Cinco de Mayo. But we also tried out their new ballpark inspired menu. It’s for a limited time and we did not want to miss out. We started out with the Ballpark Pretzel Bites, which come served with queso. They’re similar to pretzel bread, in toasted bite form. So good. 
Now I’m going to confess my fear of the Jack’d Up Wings. Thai chili and sea salt caramel wings served over caramel corn? I was curious but I wasn’t going to order it. Luckily Stephen did and he let me give them a try. Oh. My. Gosh. They’re amazing. Seriously. Don’t be scared…give them a try. 
We finished off our meal with Battered-Up Funnel Stixx. Now I’m sure you’ve had funnel cake before and this is basically the same thing. But where the magic happens here is in the dipping sauce. Oh. My. Gosh. Yes, I’m repeating myself. But wow. The sea salt caramel sauce was delicious, just as I expected. The crème anglaise, though? It’s on my “must figure out how to make this at home” list. The only reason we didn’t fight over who got to finish it off was the fact that we were completely stuffed. Every Buffalo Wings & Rings serves fresh food, not frozen, and has a chef on staff in the kitchen to assure quality. They’re not going to let you leave without loving what you ordered.
Different locations will have different things going on throughout the week. My Buffalo Wings & Rings has Team Trivia nights, Karaoke, Poker Nights and more. While we were there, it was Opinionation night. Basically it’s a survey game sort of like Family Feud that you play on game console at your table and monitors throughout the restaurant. That’s in addition to sports…if there is a game on, you can be sure it’s on a screen at your restaurant. They’re going to make sure you have fun. As if the Funnel Stixx weren’t enough…
Now let’s talk leftovers. You could have them, especially if you order as much as we did. (What can I say, we wanted to try it all!) You could also order some extra boneless wings to make sure you have enough for the next day and to make this dip. Your call! I’d say about five boneless wings is perfect, so you can adjust your recipe up and down accordingly based on how many you have. This is definitely not a recipe you can mess up. You know, unless you fall asleep while it’s in the oven and you burn it to a crisp. But outside of that…it’s flexible.
- Leftover boneless buffalo wings, shredded
- 8 oz. softened cream cheese
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (add more or less depending on how wet your leftover wings are)
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine all ingredients in an oven safe dish and mix well.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
Inspired by the pretzel bites, I served my leftover buffalo wing dip with pretzel spoons. I have made my own pretzels before, but that’s a lot of work. These? I just bought them at the store. You know, since the whole point here is to extend the fun you had at Buffalo Wings & Rings into the next day and homemade pretzels aren’t the most fun way to spend your time.
Pretzels and buffalo dip? Trust me. You want to try this. Also, wanna have a fun game night at home or when you’re out? Play “bet you don’t know it” trivia. Here’s how it works: 
Take your favorite trivia game-and bet on it. See, if you’re like me and you’re a total know-it-all, no one will play trivia games with you. Hey…I own it. This makes it fun again. Set your betting limits. Take your favorite trivia game or use an app. Take turns answering questions and play the game according to normal rules….but before they’re answered, everyone places their bets on yes, they know it/no they don’t. So you have a trivia winner and you have a bet winner. Keep up with the bets using paper or whatever is on the table. Sugar packets, toothpicks…it all works. Loser pays the bill or washes the dishes. Just kidding…those stakes are way too high. Keep it fun…make up your own rules!
The next time you’re at Buffalo Wings & Rings you can plan your own “bet you don’t know it” trivia night with friends, right at your table. Just promise me you’ll order the Funnel Stixx, too. I swear you’ll thank me.