Fun with Friends!

By Sandra Leesmith

As most of you know, my husband and I play pickleball every day.

The game is fast, fun and very social. Playing pickleball improved the health of both my husband and myself.  After retirement, hubby had quickly become a couch potato watching way too much television. When he fell in love with pickleball, our life changed. 

We are out every day getting exercise and socializing with friends. Since we are in our seventies, both of these factors have been proven to increase the quality of the aging process. And we can attest to that. Pickleball reversed my osteoporosis. Now that is a miracle in itself. 

Because we pretty much live in our RV, most of our playing is in RV Resorts. In the winter the resorts are usually Senior (over 55) Resorts. Because we are in resorts, pickleball players get together in the evenings. This is part of our socializing fun. The nice thing about pickleball happy hours is that we all get up to play in the morning so the parties are early and don’t last long. 

Another thing about being in the RV is that we are not close to a grocery store most of the time and we want things that are quick and easy. So I keep certain things on hand that are easy to pack. Don’t take up much room. And most important—are delicious.

Hot Wing Chicken Dip is a favorite:

Btw if you are vegetarian you can leave out the chicken and this is still YUMMY
Also: If you are on a high protein diet, this is perfect if you leave out the crackers.

Here is the recipe:

Hot Wing Chicken Dip

1   8 oz package cream cheese ( I use fat free cream cheese)
1 13 oz can chicken breast  (drained and shredded)
¼ cup Franks Hot Sauce
½ cup   Blue Cheese dressing  

Note:  You can sprinkle a layer of shredded cheddar cheese on top

Mix together and put in 8x8 inch cake pan. (I use an aluminum pan so can toss when party is over.)
Heat in 350 degree oven for twenty minutes

Spread this lovely dip on crackers (Triscuits are my favorite), celery sticks and/or cucumber sliced in rounds so they are like a cracker. 

Thanks for sharing this winner.  Speaking of winners. In the following photo, hubby and I had just won a gold medal in a tournament in Tucson, Arizona.

And Seeker friend Marianne Barkman and her mother came to watch me in a tournament in El Mirage, Arizona last spring. What a treat. (We didn’t win the game but seeing friends was a winner event in itself. Yay!!!)