my very favorite chicken salad recipe

 its summer. don't ya know?
and this is one my very favorite make in the summer and eat in the backyard sort of lunches.
Or a you spent the morning at art camps, swim lessons, outings, and thank the Lord the kids are down for a nap type lunches.... its just really yummy and my very favorite is to pile it high on rosemary olive oil bread... with a side of fruit.

anyways.. Enough babbling. My preferred chicken salad recipe...

2 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken

1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
1 cup chopped walnuts or 1 cup pecans (optional)
1 small minced onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup Miracle Whip

Directions:
1 Combine all ingredients; chill.

2 Serve with just about anything- crackers, chips, rolls, bread

la salsa inspired flautas

When I used to work prior to starting my own business it was next door to a little cal-mex place. La Salsa its a small chain over SoCal I believe. They make these taquitos that are not ultra crunch that are soft and delicious. I just love the fried flour tortillas. If only I could figure out the cheese they put on top of theres. We argued over wether they were taquitos or flautas, we have landed on flautas I think.

Here is Nicks creation....

1 Can of black beans
1 cup grated Monterrey Jack Cheese
1 cup Chopped cooked Chicken (we make them the night after griling etc with leftovers, or any leftover grilled meat)
Chopped Cilantro
Flour tortillas
Canola Oil

Heat Oil over med heat in frying pan (deep enough to rest the flautas in. Mix half a can of beans, with chopped chicken cheese and cilantro. Roll Tightly into flour tortilla slip a toothpick through them. Fry them up, flipping only once. Remove toothpick.

Serve with sour cream salsa or guacamole.

creamy tomatoe and shrimp chowder

Have you figured out yet, that I heart shrimp a lot.
I do.
Nicks words was... we would pay top dollar for this in a restaurant, the flavor is THAT awesome.

start to finish 20 minutes.. who doesn't like that.

8 ounces fresh or frozen cooked peeled shrimp
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 stalks of celery chopped (1 cup)
1 medium onion  chopped 1/2 cup
2 14.5 ounce cans diced toamtoes with basic garlic and oregano undrained
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup water
Silvered fresh basil optional
Focaccia, cut into wedges optional

1. Thaw shrimp if frozen. In a large saucepain, heat oil over med heat. Add celery, onion and stir until tender.
2. Stir in tomatoes, heat through. Add shrimp, whipping cream, and the water. Cook over med. heat just until heated through. Season with ground black pepper.
3. Ladle soup into four bowls. If desired garnish with basil and or serve with foccacia wedges.

Proscioutto Breakfast Sandwich

yesterday I wanted something different for breakfast, we had some pannini rolls, proscioutto, tomatoes, havarti with dill, and I whipped up some scrambled eggs, and wahhlah... a more sophisticated breakfast sandwich, it was really delicious...

other ideas for what to put in this thing are some pesto, basil, arugula, but this just the way it was was devine.... I put the cheese on the roll and put under the broiler... then added the rest... and ate. Fun little Sunday morning creation.

shrimp and pineapple fried rice

Shrimp and pineapple fried rice

2 eggs
1 small onion chopped
1 tsp canola oil
3 garlic cloves minced
3 cups cooked instant brown rice
1 can (20 ounce) unsweetened pineapple chunks drained and chopped in half again
1/2 lb cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup chopped cashews
1//2 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 green onions sliced
3 Tbs reduced sodium soy sauce
1 Tbs hoisin sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp pepper

1. in a small bowl whisk eggs. heat a nonstick pan with cooking spray over medium heat. add eggs, cook and stir until set; remove from skillet and keep warm
2.in the same skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the rice, pineapple, shrimp, cashews, peas, and green onions; heat through. Combine the soy, hoisin, sugar, seasame oil and pepper; stir into rice minxture. Stir in eggs.

*great lunch, flavors are great togethor. Enjoy.

bbq chicken chopped salad

we heart cpk. can you tell with my last few posts

here is a favorite dish of ours
now EASILY made at home
and pretty.. and delicious.

make it. you will not be sorry, ever.

corn tortilla strips
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 TB olive oil
1 TB garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 lb skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (I like Sweet Baby Rays)
10 ounces mixed chopped greens romaine and iceburg
1/8 cup fresh basil
1/2 lb jicima cut into strips
1 cup monterrey jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup black beans, drained
1/2 cup corn kernels, drained
1/2 teaspoon cilantro, chopped
1 lb tomatoe, diced
1/4 cup scallions, thinly diced (we leave this off sometimes)

Make the chicken: stir together olive oil, garlic, soy sauce and salt. Turn the chicken breasts in the marinade and let sit for 15 minutes. Grill the breasts until cooked through. Cut into strips, and toss with barbecue sauce. ** If you are extra lazy you can use some precooked chicken chop, and then toss with BBQ sauce.. Im just saying.

In a large mixing bowl, toss togetrher lettuce, basil, jicama, cheese, beans, corn, cilantro, dressing and tortilla strips. Transfer to chilled plates.

Surround each salad with tomatoes and chips, top each salad with chicken and drizzle with barbecue sauce.Garnish with scallions and bacon. 

Tah Dah. Take a Bow.
 

whiskey river wrap

Whiskey River Wrap


Recently I had this dish at Red Robin with Ms. Katie, it was delicious. I like the flavors the crunch everything. So I recreated it at home..perfect for a Sunday after church. And a lot cheaper than the $10.00 price tag.

Spinach Tortillas
Ranch Dressing
Grated Cheese - I used cheddar
Shredded Lettuce
Chopped Cooked Chicken (drenched in a sweet BBQ sauce) we use sweet baby Rays.. yum.
Tortilla Strips
Chopped Tomatoes


Put a tin layer of ranch on tortilla
Grate a thin layer of cheese onto the ranch
add the chicken, lettuce and chopped tomatoes
add the tortilla strips (if you don't have any, you can fry some up with canola oil and corn tortillas)
roll up
cut. and eat.
yum.

CPK Wannabe - California Club Pizza

California Pizza Kitchen California Club Pizza

Are you a CPK fan like us.... we love to order this there. Don't knock it until you try it!! So we set out to recreate it. There is a dough recipe here but in a pinch, a canned dough or a Trader Joe's dough.. works great too.. but the avocado tomato, lettuce mix.. is awesome.. it sounds off.. but Lordy NO, its good good good. It will be a summer regular for us this year. For shortcuts, we also just cook the dough directed by the packaging, with precooked chopped chicken on it, and cut up precooked bacon and mozzarella. Remove from oven, let cool a tiny bit.. add the lettuce mayonnaise mixture, top with tomato and avocado.. and eat. Quickly. 

Pizza Dough:

3/4 Cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
1-1/2 Teaspoons yeast
2 Teaspoons granulated sugar
1-3/4 Cups bread flour
1 Teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil


1 cup cooked chopped chicken
olive oil cooking spray
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup cooked thick bacon, crumbled-about 6 slices
3 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 large roma tomoates-sliced into 8 slices each
1 avocado, sliced into 16 slices.
.
Pizza Dough:
Dissolve yeast and granulated sugar in 3/4 cup warm water in a small bowl. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes or until it gets foamy on top.

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a depression in the flour and pour the yeast mixture and oil into it. Stir the liquid and gradually drawing more flour in with the liquid, until you can form the dough into a ball. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes, or until the texture of the dough is smooth. Coat dough with oil, cover it and let it sit in a warm spot for 1-2 hours or until it doubles in size. Punch down the dough, cover it again and let it sit overnight in your fridge.
.
When ready to use pizza dough remove the dough from the refrigerator. Let it sit at room temperature to warm up. This will take about 2 hours. .
.
Place a pizza stone in your oven and crank the temperature up to 500 degrees F.
.
Divide the dough in half and rolling one-half into a 10" circle on a lightly floured surface. Place the dough onto a pizza pan or a pizza peel that will be used to slide the dough onto the hot pizza stone. Be sure to flour the pan or pizza peel liberally with flour so that the assembled pizza will slide off easily.
Bake for 9-10 minutes or until crust begins to brown.
.
Spray the pizza dough with a generous amount of olive oil spray. Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded mozzarella on pizza dough, followed by 1/2 of the crumbled bacon and 1/2 of the chicken.


Assemble The Pizza

Combine 1- 1/2 cups chopped iceberg lettuce with 1/2 cup chopped romaine lettuce in a large bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons mayonnaise and mix until lettuce well coated with mayonnaise.

(If making 2 pizza's mix all the iceberg and romaine lettuce with 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise and mix well).
Cut pizza into 8 slices. Place lettuce mixture evenly over the pizza. Top each slice of pizza with a slice of roma tomato and 1 slice of avocado.

Makes 2 pizzas, 8 slices each.

Eat. Enjoy.

Pasta Fagioli

Pasta Fagioli

from my Aunt T, who got it from her dear friend Lynette (isn't that how the best recipes come about through a friend of a friend!)

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3 cans low fat Progresso Minestrone Soup
1 can Ranch style beans
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes

Brown ground beef and onion in dutch oven.
Add other ingredients.
Heat thoroughly.
Serve.

* Freezes well, and so easy. I have taken this to church potluck on several occasions. Very hearty and perfect for winter.

Honey Lime Shrimp Tacos

8 corn tortillas
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican seasoning

marinate shrimp
saute shrimp
cook shells
make tacos! :)

Shrimp In Love Pasta

Shrimp In Love Pasta

4 oz. linguine, uncooked
1 cup cleaned medium fresh shrimp
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Spread
1-1/2 cups torn cleaned spinach
COOK linguine as directed on package.
MEANWHILE, heat large skillet on medium-high heat. Add shrimp, tomatoes and cream cheese spread; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through and mixture is well blended.
DRAIN pasta; place in large bowl. Add spinach; toss lightly. Stir in shrimp mixture.

*we enjoy the base of this recipe from Kraft foods, however it could use some spice it up, red peppers, something, it could use a kick, but this Incredibly fastmeal has a good base, we add different stuff to it, everytime... plus shrimp defrost so fast, literally from pulling shrimp from frezer to make. 15 minutes top.

Easy Parmesan Garlic Chicken

Easy Parmesan Garlic Chicken

½ cup Grated Parmesan
1 envelope Italian Salad Dressing Mix
½ teaspoon garlic powder
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Preheat oven to 400. Mix Cheese, salad dressing mix, and garlic powder.
Moisten chicken with water; coat with cheese mixture. Place in shallow baking dish.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly 170 degrees.

* I like to serve this over the boxed Parmesan Noodles you can find a rice a roni brand also with some fresh veggies. VERY easy!

Easy Jumbalya

1/2 a link of kielbasa
1/2 lb of shrimp
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 pkg of Zattarains Jumbalya Rice


Heat oil, Cook Kielbasa for 3-4 minutes
Add can tomatoes and 1/2 cup water and bring to boil.
Add rice. Follow instructions on rice. Add shrimp
Cook 3-4 minutes.

TIPS-
Ummm EASY. I would double this is plenty for me and husband. Easy a little spicey, and way yummy. Total time from start to finish is probalby 15-20 minutes.

Bruschetta Minute Steaks

Bruschetta Minute Steaks

1 Tbsp. oil
6 thin boneless beef steaks (1/4 to 1/2-inch thick, 1-1/2 lb.)
2 large tomatoes, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 yellow pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken, prepared as directed on package
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
HEAT oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add steaks; cook 1 min. on each side or until lightly browned on both sides.
MEANWHILE, mix tomatoes, peppers and dressing; spoon over steaks. Top with prepared stuffing; sprinkle with cheese.
REDUCE heat to medium-low; cover. Simmer 3 to 5 min. or until cheese is melted and steak is cooked to medium doneness (160°F.)

Tips:
We leave the pepper out cause we aren't crazy about them. This recipe may not look good to you, and even made my husband raise an eyebrow, but trully is a good flavor. The Italian dressing is actually yummy.

Florentine Shrimp & Pasta

Florentine Shrimp Pasta

2 boxes (9 oz each) frozen boil-in-bag creamed spinach
12 oz penne pasta (31/2 cups)
1 lb peeled, cleaned large shrimp

Serves 4

Active: 5 min/Total: 15 min

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add spinach pouches; return to a boil. Add pasta; cook as pasta package directs.2. Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and 1/8 tsp pepper. Cook 3 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from heat.3. Scoop out 1/2 cup pasta cooking water; remove spinach. Drain pasta; return to pot. Add spinach, shrimp and 1/8 tsp pepper; toss to mix, gradually adding reserved water if needed to moisten.

TIPS- I buy whatever creamed spinach is on sale, off brand or that Jolly Green guy.. :) If its the one in the bag I follow those directions, if its microwavable I just start in while the noodles are cooking. This meal is literally about 15 minutes begining to end, no lie. I also add some garlic powder, and lemon juice to the shrimps while they are cooking. Also as a silly side note, I do this meal the night before trash day, since I don't like shrimp tails, in my trash for long...! This recipe is from www.womansday.com