Harvest Chicken Salad

After several days of nothing new, I finally have a great new recipe to post. This one has been whirling around in my head for a while now, just waiting for the right name and the right weather. It uses leftover cooked chicken. A roasted chicken is perfect. I used leftovers from a home-cooked rotisserie lemon-pepper chicken.

Harvest Chicken Salad

What You Need:

• 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped roughly
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 2 green onions, diced
• 1/2 of a large green apple (tart), diced (for color and texture, I leave the peel on)
• the juice of 1/2 a lemon
• a dash of salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt

How it's Done:

1. Simple: combine everything. Stir it up and serve on bread or with crackers. Store in the fridge tightly covered.

A Delicious Salad, a Crispy Crunch, and a Refreshing Dressing

Summer is all about cool and crisp and fresh, and salads epitomize those better than anything. I won't spend much time here on this blog talking about salads, because they're generally so simple to throw together that having a recipe for them is redundant. This one is worth sharing, because it makes my mouth happy. It has many flavors involved, including a light and healthy, refreshing dressing. Here's how I made it:

For the salad, I used butter lettuce, diced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, dried cranberries, pecan pieces, and dressing. I had baby carrots on the side because they taste so good dipped in the fruity dressing.

The Dressing:

Combine in a container with lid:

• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup apple cidar vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

Seal tightly and shake to emulsify. Drizzle over salad. Store extra dressing tightly sealed in the refrigerator. It's light, fruity, and full of good-for-you stuff.

Now, for a mid-day meal, I need more than just salad, even if it includes fruit and nuts. That's where these cheese straws come in. Cheese straws are commonly served in the south. If you've never had them before, I encourage you to try them. They taste a lot like CheezIts, only less salty and more wholesome.

Cheese Straws

What You Need:

• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (sharp or extra sharp is best)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 Tbsp salted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 Tbsp dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 tsp milk

How it's Done:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and get out a couple baking sheets.
2. Combine cheese, flour, butter, mustard, and pepper in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until it resembles bread crumbs.
3. Turn the food processor on and drizzle in the milk, processing until the dough forms a ball.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/8" thickness.
5. Using your pizza cutter, cut into 1" wide strips. Place strips on baking sheets (nearly touching is fine, as they won't exand outward much at all) and bake for 15 minutes.
6. Let your cheese straws cool completely on their baking sheets before moving them. They'll crisp up nicely sitting there.
7. Store tightly covered at room temperature. Cheese straws are even better on days two and three.

This post linked to Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays and

Some vacation pictures and salad

So... how've you been? I've been adjusting to home life once more, after a week and a half away. I'm ready to cook again. Last night, I made steak fajitas, and it was nice to eat home-cooked foods packed with veggies freshly snipped from my patio garden.

But let's rewind a bit. I'd love to share with you a few pictures from my trip to south Florida.

First, my Grampa. He's doing better. He's got a road of recovery ahead of him. But he's the sort of man who always puts on a cheerful face. Once he came home from the hospital, he was eager to show my his gardens, which are lovely and amazing.

Once I was fairly certain things were going to be all right with Grampa, I lightened up and we found ourselves some fun.

We visited the Loggerhead Park Marine Life Center, where we encountered injured and sick sea turtles being nursed back to health for re-release. This experience was incredible.

This is Turtwig. He was run over by a boater's propeller, which severed his spinal cord. He has no use of his hind flippers and cannot move foods through his digestive tract without medical assistance. He also sustained an injury to his upper shell, which causes him to retain gas. Because of this, he can't sink to the bottom to feed and hide like most sea turtles. So, he's looking for a permanent home somewhere. He can never be released. His story broke my heart, but I was so thankful for the chance to encounter him and the other turtles.

Another place we visited was Lion Country Safari. If you're ever in south Florida, head over to Loxahatchee and visit this drive-through safari experience. The price is a little steep, but there are always coupons available online, and it's worth the cost. The life experience you bring away from this place is astounding. Rhinos, zebras, ostriches, water buffalo, gazelle, and many more animals walk right past your car. One rhino got really close to us on our trip and made me very nervous. Here are a few pictures from Lion Country Safari:

Simply walking through nature in south Florida is lovely. Everything is lush and green and thick.

Of course, we visited a few beaches while we were there.

No seaweed cleaning this time of year. It's sea turtle hatching time. :)

The kids caught crab, shrimp, and fish on the reef at low tide.

Building castles in the sand.

And, of course, we had our down time, relaxing with family.

Painting sea shells

Me with my mother

Curling up with good books :)

All good things must come to an end. So we're back at home, getting ready for school to begin. It starts in three weeks here. We've got a new middle schooler and a second grader, and we're excited for the new school year.

And now, for the reason you come to my blog, a recipe. This is something I made for my mother during my vacation. It seems wherever I go, folks want me to cook for them, and I'm always happy to do it.

Salad Nicoise for the Average Jane

Measurements are not exact. This will make a platterful of salad.

What You Need:

• lettuce (I used a spring mix) -- enough to cover a good-sized platter
• 2 to 4 cans of tuna, depending on number of people you're serving. (I used 2)
• a can of Italian green beans, rinsed and drained
• small red potatoes, quartered and boiled until cooked (I used 4 potatoes)
• hard-boiled eggs (I used 4 eggs), peeled and cut in halves
• sliced olives (I used black olives, about 1/4 cup)
• capers (optional due to cost, but they were available. I used 1 Tbsp)
• peppers (I used baby bell peppers, cut into rings, about 6 peppers)
• tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes whole, but sliced Roma tomatoes would be great)
• the dressing: 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar, and 1 cup olive oil

How it's Done:

• No hard and fast rules here. Simply lay the lettuce on your platter and arrange all the salad items on the lettuce in a way that appeals to you.
• Combine the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the salad.
• Cover and chill several hours to allow the flavors a chance to mingle before serving.

How to Host a Dinner Party

How to Host a Worry-Free Dinner Party

courtesy of All Home Cooking. All Year Long., Buitoni Riserva Pastas & Sauces, & FoodBuzz

1. Prepare. Invite guests. Plan a menu based on the number of guests, your chosen theme, and your time constraints. Be sure to choose an appropriate number of hot and cold appetizers, beverages, main courses and salads, and desserts. A theme makes this easier, as it gives you a place to start and keeps you on track throughout decorating, choosing menu items, and choosing music.
2. Be everywhere all at once. Be the cook, the server, the cleaning crew, and the enchanting, charming hostess. Stay clean, stay fresh, and stay on the ball. Remember, you're doing it all alone, but you must make it look easy!
3. Serve delicious foods right on time to a fawning crowd of appreciative diners.Keep smiling like it's effortless.

Before you throw your frying pan at my head, read on. Dinner parties can be home-prepared AND easy. Really! Thanks to Buitoni, I was able to single-handedly pull off a dinner for ten people without being frazzled, frustrated, and feeling left out of the fun. Here's how I did it:

I picked my theme. I knew my dinner would focus on Buitoni Riserva Pastas & Sauces, so I went for a charming, homey Italian dinner. I decorated in red and white and had Italian music playing softly in the background. I served on white plates.

I planned my menu. I chose a variety of foods I could either prepare ahead or that went together effortlessly minutes before serving. Here was my menu:

• A platter filled with marinated cherry peppers, kalamata olives, hot peppers, and bruschetta -- I bought the peppers and olives. The bruschetta I made from scratch. It took 15 minutes thanks to some prior planning and preparations.
• Toasted Buitoni Riserva Wild Mushroom Agnolotti: These took 15 minutes to fry.
• Pasta & Salad for the main course: I chose Buitoni Riserva Chicken 7 Four Cheese Ravioli with Alfredo Sauce, alongside the Spicy Beef & Sausage Ravioli with Marinara Sauce. I chose the Quattro Formaggi Agnolotti, with both sauces, for the vegetarians in my party. Keeping with the red & white theme, I served a stacked tomato-mozzarella salad drizzled with olive oil. The pairing was beautiful and delicious. Using prepared pastas and sauces makes a dinner party come together with simplicity and ease. Using prepared items doesn't have to mean sacrificing flavor, value, or quality. Buitoni pastas are high-quality, high-flavor, good value items. The ingredients lists contain all items I recognize and am comfortable serving. The pastas are stuffed to the gills with delicious fillings, allowing you to taste everything in them, unlike other ravioli products that have only a tiny bit of filling. The flavor combinations are unexpected, both simple and complex at the same time. A dance for your taste buds.
• For dessert, an assortment of classic yummies: cheesecake, tiramisu, cannoli, and strawberries with strawberry-pecan cream. Again, prior planning and preparations minimized kitchen time when I would rather be mingling with guests.

I served my guests. Since Buitoni did part of the work, and most of the rest was done ahead of time, I was free to have fun with my friends and family. Easy as a pizza pie. ;)

Thank you, Buitoni and FoodBuzz, for this unique opportunity. It was amazing.

Toasted Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti. Simple to make. Just dip them in egg, then Italian breadcrumbs. Fry in hot oil 3 minutes. Drain. Serve with Marinara Sauce. This was a favorite among guests. The agnolotti is absolutely stuffed with pieces of mushroom. The aroma is excellent and the flavor is mouth-watering. Perfect!

Appetizer platter with cherry peppers, hot peppers, olives, and bruschetta

These cute tomato dishes from Pier One made the perfect server for my Pesto Bruschetta. To make this appetizer, simply slice a baguette into 3/4" slices and toast under the broiler until crispy. Top with pesto (either homemade or prepared)m sliced, seeded tomato, and fresh mozzarella. Place back under the broiler for a minute or two to melt the cheese.

Want a salad that looks great, tastes great, and goes well with red & white pasta? Try this simple tomato stack. Simply slice a ruby red tomato. Alternate tomato, fresh mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil. Drizzle with olive oil and serve! It's eye-catching, fresh, and delicious, but simple enough so as to complement, not overpower, the main dish. Bonus points: It uses the same cheese as the appetizer, cutting your entertaining costs a little bit.

The main course. For our vegetarian guests, Quattro Formaggi Agnolotti in place of the Chicken & Four Cheese and Spicy Beef & Sausage Ravioli. Both groups were served this way, with red & white next to one another. It made a stunning presentation and was gobbled up quicker than I could snap pictures!

The pasta & salad together. A stunning presentation of red, white, and green, don't you think? The flavors worked wonders together. Simple red & white place mats and white cloth napkins kept the mood casual and inviting.

Strawberries & Cream. The cream is simply cream cheese, sugar, strawberries, and pecans blended together.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

A crust of rich chocolate on the tiramisu

Tiramisu. Yum!

*note: I was compensated for my efforts and provided with free Buitoni Riserva pastas and sauces. However, that in no way impacted my opinions, nor was I, at any time, told what to write. My opinions are genuine and completely my own.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad

Day 43.

This recipe was born of use-it-up necessity. Here's what I had that needed to be used up:

• a whole cooked chicken, which I had stored in the fridge a couple days ago, intending to cut up and use in several recipes. I finally cut it up this morning and it's ready for about 4 recipes.


• a package of bacon. Yeah, this stuff lasts a long time, but it's begging to be used Right Now.


• cheese. Not in need of being used up before an expiration date, but I needed a reason to get it shredded.


• sour cream and mayonnaise and chives. For the dressing.


• bagged salad and some arugula.

It was pretty obvious what I needed to do. I needed to make a salad with chicken and bacon and ranch dressing. So here it is.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad

servings depend on amount of ingredients used.

Ingredients:

• cooked chicken (diced into bite sized pieces)


• cooked bacon (2 strips per person ought to do it)


• shredded cheese (I used cheddar)


• lettuce/greens for salad (about 2 cups per person)


• ranch dressing (recipe follows)
  
  

How it's Done:

1. Simple! Place greens on a plate. Toss chicken with ranch dressing. Put chicken and bacon on bed of greens. Top with cheese. Serve with more dressing on the side. Tomatoes and onions are optional add-ins.

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sour cream


• 1 cup mayonnaise


• 1 cup buttermilk


• 1 tsp sea salt


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice


• 3 tbsp finely minced chives


• 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley


• 1 tsp dried dill


• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  
  

How it's Done:

1. Whisk all ingredients together. Store in the fridge, tightly covered.