Sara's Chicken Salad

My sister, Sara, can throw together a mean chicken salad. It's really "springy" with grapes and pineapple and makes for a light and refreshing lunch. Her chicken salad has a lot of texture that makes it fun to eat - and unexpected. She puts a little curry and soy sauce in the dressing, but it is just enough to make you wonder what that flavor is, not enough to overwhelm you. I also like her chicken salad because it's a nice twist on the traditional chicken salad my mom used to make.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my mother's chicken salad. My mom took her chicken salad to the next level by grinding up the chicken. She used this scary looking "machine" (I use the word machine loosely -- it was 100% manual) that she kept on the top shelf in our laundry room storage (essentially this top shelf was our kitchen gadget graveyard). Maybe once a year she would get a ladder to reach this mysterious grinder (while all the odd-shaped and seldom used Tupperware containers fell on the floor around her) and she would make chicken salad. All those years as a kid, I would look up on that high, high shelf (probably 8 feet up) and see this inexplicable device. To make it even more chilling, when mom was grinding the chicken she would warn me sternly to stay back. She told me to keep my fingers away or the grinder would, in effect, maim me for life and leave me disfigured, disfingered and dissatisfied with my unopposable thumbs. I didn't like that grinder.

Today we have food processors which have proved to be safer on one's digits, but for some strange reason, I don't grind my chicken when I make chicken salad. Go figure!

The Dressing: Sara's chicken salad requires a little forethought. If you have three kids, you don't need to do any forethinking. If you have only yourself to feed and worry about, you should mix the dressing the night before you plan to make the salad. And then go get a pedicure or have your bikini line waxed or do whatever it is people without kids do these days.

Here my 4 year old is mixing the dressing. Don't tell my mildly neurotic husband, but I didn't make her wash her hands first. Hee hee. Jokes on him!

Slice your grapes, otherwise you'll never be able to keep them from falling out of your sandwich.

I like to slice my celery small. The four year old did wash her hands by this point. Her desire to help wasn't as fleeting as it usually is, so she lathered up and got right to work....after we looked for her apron under her bed, searched for a barrette to keep her hair back, cleaned a dirty knife because it was her size...

I used some fresh pineapple this time, but really, you don't need too. Sara uses a can of pineapple tidbits and after tasting my salad, I like her version better. Honestly, hers is waaaaay better.

Although I skipped a few photographic opportunities in the assembly process, this is the final product. Yummy, slightly sweet, slightly savory chicken salad on whole wheat Italian bread.

Sara's Chicken Salad

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Juice of ½ lemon

Combine all dressing ingredients and refrigerate overnight so the flavors marry (they have no fears of commitment and will never be unfaithful...awe...young love).

Chicken Salad:

3-4 cups cooked chicken, diced
1 can pineapple tidbits
1 can water chestnuts, drained & slivered
2 cups seedless grapes, halved
2 cups celery, sliced
1 4-oz. pack slivered almonds

Lightly toast almonds in a skillet on med-high heat. Watch and stir to prevent burning. Combine all ingredients and eat as a sandwich on fresh French bread or by itself over a bed of fresh baby greens.


If you wish to add salt, do so only on individual portions right before consumption. Adding it earlier will draw out the moisture and make for a soggy salad.

Sara,
This chicken salad really lacked compared to yours. Am I doing something wrong? All I can figure is that I am missing the most important ingredient of all - good company! We miss you and will think of you with every bite.
Love,
Your sister, Kristy

This Chicken Soup Can Beat Up Your Mom's Chicken Soup!

You can't tell by just looking at the photo above, but there are a few "secret" ingredients in this Chicken Soup that make it extra special and extra delicious. You'll have to check the ingredient list to find out what they are or (even better)make it to taste the difference. P.S. Don't tell your mother, but I am pretty sure this Chicken Soup is better than hers. I can see the bumper sticker now: My chicken soup can beat up your mom's chicken soup!

Our house is full of sick puppies. The husband is recovering from (what I thought would be minor) surgery. In my attempt to nurse him back to health I worked myself sick and tired, but mostly sick. The baby has a severe ear infection that antibiotics aren't treating easily and in my attempt to soothe his cries at night I have rocked myself sick and tired, but mostly tired. And the other kids? They have the usual snotty noses, germy fingers and hacking coughs. This can only mean one thing for dinner tonight: Chicken Soup.

Normally I would cool my stock in the refrigerator overnight so that it wouldn't be so fatty, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Tonight we will sacrifice our long-term health and well-being for immediate health and gratification and thus artery-clogging-soup it is!

My Chicken Soup Can Beat Up Your Mom's Chicken Soup Chicken Soup

adapted from The Lady's Chicken Noodle Soup

Stock portion:

2 1/2 to 3-pound chicken, cut up (this particular time I used 6 thighs & 2 small breasts)

3 1/2 quarts water

1 onion, sliced in half with skin and all

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning

3 cloves garlic, smashed

4 bay leaves

2 chicken bouillon cubes or 2 t. of bouillon granules

Salt and pepper

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Soup portion:

2 cups sliced carrots

2 cups sliced celery

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/3 cup cooking sherry

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup heavy cream

salt & pepper

1. Add all of stock list's ingredients to a big soup pot. Bring to a boil then simmer until chicken is tender, about 35 minutes. Skim top throughout process to remove the scum that rises. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. When chicken has cooled enough to touch, but is still warm, pick the bones clean. Set chicken aside.

2. Remove and discard bay leaves, onion and garlic from stock. Pour stock through a strainer (I line my strainer with a cheesecloth) to remove small yuckity-yuck and to have a beautiful, clear stock.

At this point you have stock and can use it to make a million different things. I like to put mine in the refrigerator over night so I can skim off the fat and have Low-Fat Chicken Stock for this delicious, creamy chicken soup or for future dishes like PW's Chicken Spaghetti and Ashley's Cheesy Orzo and Creamy Asparagus Soup and Balsamic Glaze for my chicken thighs. Store stock in two-cup increments inside Ziplock freezer bags. They're the perfect size for all your chicken stock needs and they thaw quickly. Now back to the soup...

3. Bring stock back to a boil, add carrots, and cook for 3 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook for 10 to 20 minutes. Add chicken, parsley, sherry, Parmesan and cream. Cook until warmed through (about 5 minutes). Taste soup and add salt and pepper as needed (it tends to be under salted at this point). Also check doneness of celery and carrots.

Enjoy!

Stock's ingredients (below): The Maggi product (with the yellow lid) is Chicken bouillon granules. A Colombian student recommended it to me a few years ago. I used to use Knorr, which I loved, but this stuff is found in the Hispanic section of the grocery and is cheaper than Knorr. Plus, I feel cultured using a product that is labeled in Spanish. Ironically, MSG is spelled the same in Spanish. Who knew?

By the way, do you know of a chicken base that doesn't contain MSG because all of a sudden I am feeling really guilty and bloated and head achey and...whoa...is this... is this an asthma attack I feel coming on?

And below are the soup's ingredients. Can you find the "secret" ingredients? Where's Waldo? I normally like using regular sized carrots, but the Easter Bunny ate all of ours. These little ones will have to do, but don't peel them like someone I know once did (I won't mention any names, but she makes Cheesy Orzo).

Throw these in for good measure. Sister Schubert's Yeast Rolls. I love yeast. In my rolls.

Below the stock is simmering. Bubble. Bubble. Bubble. I learned something new about simmering in last month's Bon Appetit magazine. When simmering the bubbles never break at the top. They are small and rise slowly, but don't bubble and break. Read more about simmering vs. boiling here or just go about your merry way and continue simmering the same way you have always simmered.

Strain the stock to get a pretty, clear stock.

Or don't strain it and just eat this yuckity-yuck scum. I'm sure it tastes delicious.

That's all of the cooking process pictures folks. Some friends showed up to visit the patient and I thought it would look funny if they saw me paying more photographic attention to our food than to our children. But the food never sasses me and always smiles pretty when I bring the camera out. Who can blame me?

But I was able to sneak this photo in when the visitors weren't looking. I pretended like I was aiming the camera at the kids, then did the ol' switch-a-roo technique. "Oh, kids. You are so cute the way you turn your noses up at the food I serve you. Here let me get your picture while you look disgusted and are stomping your feet and demanding macaroni and cheese. I love the way you do that!"

This soup is so good and if it weren't for it, I would never make Chicken Soup at all. I tend to think the Sherry and the Parmesan cheese (and the cream) are the secret ingredients, so please, whatever you do, DO NOT leave them out!

Kid Tested, Mother Approved Chicken Nuggets

Chicken Nuggets are so unphotogenic. They could never make it on a cat walk or in Hollywood or in New York for that matter. What these nuggets lack in beauty, they make up for in taste and nutrition! Don't take my word for it, try them.

Sometimes a mother just wants to be loved. Instead of making my children my own personal taste-testing guinea pigs, tonight I made them what they want...chicken nuggets. There was no mutiny at the table. There were no tears. There was just lip smackin', finger-lickin' and wild begging for seconds. Alas, a harmonious dinner table!

Are you ready for the shocker? These chicken nuggets are good. They're so good, I think I may actually bake them for myself when my nest is empty and chil'ren are all grown (if I make it that long, God help me). Not only are they good, they are good for you. By adding some unexpected ingredients into the breading, they taste yummier than your standard chicken nugget and they have some nutritional value.

Tomorrow, I'm having leftovers for lunch Shhh! Don't tell the kids.

My recipe is a compilation of various recipes I have used in the past, but with an emphasis on Jessica Seinfeld's chicken nuggets from her book Deceptively Delicious.

Baked Chicken Nuggets with Lite Honey Mustard Dip

(or baked chicken breast for grown-ups)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped into 1" to 1 1/2" pieces

1 cup buttermilk,

1 T. hot sauce (Tabasco or the like)

1 cup bread crumbs or panko crumbs

1/2 cup flaxseed meal

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 t. paprika

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. salt

1 egg

1/2 cup broccoli puree (optional)

1/4 cup dijon mustard

2 T. lite mayo

2 T. honey

1. Mix buttermilk and hot sauce in one gallon Ziplock bag. Add chicken and marinate overnight in refrigerator or at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Mix bread crumbs & next 5 ingredients (through salt). Set aside.

3. Beat egg and broccoli puree in small bowl.

4. Dip chicken nuggets into egg mixture and then into crumb mixture until completely coated.

5. Arrange chicken on large cookie sheet or two 9x13 pans being careful to not crowd chicken.

6. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

7. While baking, mix mustard, honey and mayo for a yummy dipping sauce.

Serve on paper plates, with paper napkins and with the T.V. on. You will be nominated for mother-of-the-year! (We don't really eat dinner with the T.V. on... that would defeat the purpose of all this cooking I do to make my family sit down and talk to me.)

This is powdered buttermilk. It is good to have on hand and lasts a long time. Don't just buy it for the chicken nugget recipe, make these pancakes with it.

The kids asked that I take a picture of their plates after they ate. I guess they are proud and since an empty plate is usually praised around here, why not take a picture? They must really be confused when they see me taking pictures of their dinner before we eat.

This is the honey mustard dip. Loooove it! Sweet and tangy. It is for the adults because the kids just use ketchup. Go figure.

Basil(less) Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce

I want to expand my culinary repertoire. I really, really do. Despite a few obstacles - dirty diapers, loads of laundry, no groceries, lack of willing taste-testers, hair that needs washing - last night I was able to get one step closer to actualizing this dream of mine. I printed this recipe a month ago and have looked it over several times, but the list of ingredients contains things I've never knowingly eaten or purchased. What the hey is cardamom? Will I even like it? And what does coriander taste like? If it tastes like black licorice I'm screwed. Is this Indian food? Honestly, I don't know, but I think it may be Indian. You tell me. Please. You tell me, is this Indian food?

So to make a short story long, cardamom spice costs $10 at Wal-mart. That means it is now an optional ingredient. I opted to leave it out since I have no idea what it will taste like and since I play the lottery each week and never win I figure my luck ain't so good. The basil was wilted and black at Wal-mart, Even though it is important enough to be listed in the recipe title, it is now optional, too. I skipped the Worcestershire for two reasons: (1) I don't love it and (2) if this is an Indian dish, I doubt Indians use Worcestershire (unless they live in Texas).

I doubled the amount of meat that was called for in the original recipe. I wanted the new flavors, but I wanted them less condensed. The end result was pretty good.

Basil(less) Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce
adapted from Elise Bauer's version at Simply Recipes

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon tumeric

2 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs (you can use breasts, but the thighs are more flavorful)

1 large red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
2 Tbsp olive oil or grapeseed oil

1 14-oz can coconut milk
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger


1. In a small bowl, mix together the salt, ground coriander, cumin, ground cloves, cinnamon, ground cardamom, black pepper, chili powder, and tumeric. Set aside.

2. Rinse chicken, pat dry. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Put into a bowl and sprinkle the spice mix over all the pieces. Coat well and let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.

3. Add 1 Tbsp oil to large skillet and heat on medium high heat. Add one half of the chicken pieces, spreading them out on the pan so they are not crowded. Brown for a few minutes on each side. When the chicken pieces are cooked through, and no pink remains, remove from pan, add to the bowl with the onions. Cook the second batch of chicken pieces the same way. Remove from pan, set aside. Use the same pan for the next step.


4. In same skillet heat 1 Tbsp oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and jalapeños and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Remove the onions, peppers and garlic from the pan and put into a medium sized bowl. Set aside and add to chicken.

5. Add the coconut milk, minus a couple tablespoons, to the skillet. In a small bowl, mix the remaining coconut with the corn starch to dissolve the corn starch. Add the corn starch mixture back to the skillet with the coconut milk. Cook on medium heat and scrape pan for crusty brown bits leftover from chicken. Stir till thick and bubbly. Mix in the Worcestershire sauce. Add chicken mixture, basil, and ginger. Cook 2 minutes more to cook through.

I served mine with Jasmine Rice and sugar snap peas. The Jasmine rice is so yummy.


(above) I cooked the chicken in 4 batches.

This is right before I took it off the heat to serve.

Confession: After I bought the ingredients for the Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce, I reread the recipe. Where the heck is the curry in this ingredient list? Oh good gravy, what have I got myself into? I did a little research (i.e.: I read the ingredient list on the curry powder jar) and apparently we are making homemade curry. I guess that makes this a really fancy recipe. Maybe the curry powder would have been easier and tasted just as good? Maybe not. Who knows!

Did I mention that this meal was good? It was. It was good when I ate it with the family last night, it was better when I ate it for lunch today. Alone. Without interruption. In silence.

** This is not a kid friendly meal.

Balsamic Glazed Chicken Thighs (or Breasts)

Balsamic Glazed Chicken Thighs (or Breasts)

1 1/2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 stick butter
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
3 T. balsamic vinegar
1 c. red wine (or substitute chicken stock)
1 T. capers
1/4 c. kalamata olives, pitted
salt and pepper
parsley for garnish

Heat oil and butter over high. Add the chicken thighs to the skillet careful not to crowd pan. Sear each side until the chicken is golden, about 1 minute per side. Remove to baking dish.

Add the onion and garlic to pan, until the onions are soft. Add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, red wine (or stock if you are substituting), capers, olives and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Bring to a slow simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour the balsamic glaze over the chicken and place in a 350° preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the chicken has just cooked through. Remove from the oven, garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve.

The Whole Enchilada

I know this isn't really Mexican food. I am sure it isn't even close. But it makes a decent meal that my kids like and my husband loves. We aren't from Mexico so we don't really care if it is authentic. In fact, I buy my margaritas premade from a bottle too. Shameful? Maybe. Really yummy and potent? Definitely! Actually, if I were you, I'd skip the recipe below and just have the margarita for dinner.

Cream Cheese & Chicken Enchiladas

Adapted from Paula Deen Celebrates!

4 cups chicken, chopped

One 8 oz. package (1/3 less fat) cream cheese

One 10.75 oz. can cream of chicken soup

One 4 oz. can diced green chilies, with juice (use two cans if you like a mild kick)

One 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

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10 (approximately) tortilla shells, 7-inch diameters

One 10 oz. can enchilada sauce

2-3 cups shredded cheese (I use Fiesta Blend, use what you like)

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Garnish:

3 green onions, chopped (include the pretty green tops too)

chopped cilantro

shredded lettuce

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Pour a little enchilada sauce on bottom of 13x9 pan to prevent sticking.

2. Combine first 5 ingredients and scoop 3/4 of mixture into each tortilla shell. Roll shell and place enchiladas side by side in dish.

3. Pour remaining sauce over entire dish of enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese.

4. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes.

5. Sprinke tops with lettuce, cilantro and green onions and serve.

Note some changes to the original recipe:

~ I only use one can of green chilies because of the kids, but if I was making it for myself I'd...well...I'd probably just go to a real Mexican joint and forget about this pseudo-Mexican-home-cooked-bologna. Or I'd stick to the original recipe and use 2 cans of green chilies plus add some jalapenos and habaneras for good measure.

~ The original recipe calls for 6 cups of cheese. Yes, I said SIX cups of cheese. Do you think that was that a type-o in the cookbook I used? I am sure it is delicious that way, but I like my ass to fit on this chair while I pound out this delicious blog entry. I sprinkle maybe 2 cups of shredded cheese over the top. It's enough to cover the whole enchilada (and then some).

~ And don't forget the most important ingredient to this meal. See below.

Roasted Chicken Legs with Caramelized Onion Sauce

Roasted Chicken Legs with Caramelized Onion Sauce

1. Melt only a 1/2 stick butter (for about 20 legs) and mix in 1 Tablespoon of Paula Deen's House Seasoning (House Seasoning: 1 cup salt 1/4 cup black pepper 1/4 cup garlic powder Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months).

2. Cut the skin off the legs (to eliminate some fat) and place legs on broiler pan, brush with butter mixture and sprinkle more seasoning on top of the legs. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

3. Pull out legs and rebrush tops with butter. Broil for about 10 minutes until brown.

4. Pull out legs again, flip them over and brush bottoms with butter and sprinkle with seasoning and broil for 10 more minutes.

While the legs were acookin', start Ashley's Caramelized Onion mixture from this delicious recipe she published on her blog. Follow her directions (sans chicken), and add about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of chicken broth in step 2, then reduce. Turned off heat and set aside.

When the chicken legs are out of the oven, put about 6 or 7 or 8 or 9 legs into the caramelized onion mixture and heat through. Set aside the rest of the chicken legs you baked for a future meal (in our case, we are making Chicken Enchiladas tonight and possibly Chicken Pot Pie another night).

Ashley's Cheesy Orzo Recipe

Make it! It is awesome and a HUGE kid hit! I have to admit I burn the bottom every time, but I am blaming it on my electric range (I prefer gas). I am going to start adding stuff to it. I think it would be good with some frozen green peas mixed in and maybe some mushrooms.

Mixed Green & Toasted Walnut Salad with a Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette
Adapted from Cooking Light magazine (December 2005).

I made 1/2 this dressing recipe and still had entirely too much.

Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette
1 (15-ounce) can pear halves in juice, undrained
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Real Bacon Bits and a dash of ground red pepper

1. Drain pears, reserving 1/3 cup pear juice.
2. Combine pears, juice, vinegar, and remaining ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.

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1 cup vertically sliced red onion
2 (10-ounce) packages Mediterranean-style salad
2/3 cup Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

To prepare salad, combine onion and lettuce mix in a large bowl. Add Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette, and toss well. Sprinkle with walnuts.

I am not a baker. I do not bake, nor do I make dessert on a regular basis. But this cake is easy, fast and fortified with pecans for good health. I first made this recipe on Christmas morning, 2007, and the hubby loved it. He does not usually eat dessert and does not have a sweet tooth. So for him to rave over it...it is worth making again.

Fake Birthday Cake (aka: Sour Cream Cinnamon Breakfast Cake)I got this recipe off some lady's blog. She said it came from The Bridge Street Inn Bed and Breakfast in Charlevoix, Michigan.

4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup oil
1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup chopped pecans

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T cinnamon

1. Beat eggs until fluffy. Add sugar and beat again. Blend in cake mix, sour cream, oil and nuts.

2. Pour 1/2 batter into greased bunt pan.

3. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over batter. Swirl lightly with a knife.

4. Pour remaining batter on top.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.Tonight we are having Cream Cheese & Chicken Enchiladas. They are so easy! I'll be back with that recipe later!