Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad

This is a salad at O'Charley's that I just love...so I decided to try and make it at home.

1 bag mixed greens
3-4 pcs. of skinless, boneless chicken
1 small can mandarin oranges
craisins (however many you want)
1 (4 oz.) container feta cheese
candied pecans
chopped pecans
buttermilk
flour
balsamic vinaigrette

First I cut the chicken up and dredged in the buttermilk and then the flour with the chopped pecans. I cooked the chicken in oil on the stove in a large non-stick skillet. Then you pretty much toss everything into a bowl - toss some more and serve. This would make about 3-4 servings.

To make the candied pecans I used a large non-stick skillet
first line a baking sheet with tin foil and butter the foil.
Put the following ingredients into the skillet
1 1/2 cups of pecans
1/2 tsp. of vanilla
2 tbls. butter
1/2 cup sugar
Cook over med-high heat, shake skillet occasionally, until sugar begins to melt. Do not stir.
Reduce heat to low. Continue cooking until sugar is golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove skillet from heat. Pour nut mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Cool completely. Break into clusters. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

This turned out so yummy! I do wish that I had a fryer - I think that would have made the chicken taste more like O'Charleys...mine turned out pretty good.

Appetizer Ideas

Hey girls,
Been awhile....It was wonderful to see everyone on Saturday (Erin, we missed you!)!

Okay, so Laura's graduation party is on Sunday and I wanted to make some fun appetizers for her. Problem: she doesn't like anything that's white. Yeah, and some people think my onion aversion is annoying. So, no sour cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese, ranch dressing, or anything like that. Any ideas? The only thing I've come up with so far are sausage balls (technically she doesn't like sausage, but she did try these one time and liked them...). All ideas are welcome, but I am in a bit of a time crunch. I'm leaving to stay up at the cabin tomorrow night (G's going out of town this weekend to O-town with work) and may not have internet. Let me know. Thanks girls!

Minted Melon Grilled Chicken

One of my friends here just had surgery and I took her family a meal. She asked for meals that were light, low-fat & with chicken. Hmmmm... I was going to have to search online. I found this one on Better Recipes (betterrecipes.com). It was a hit at her house & here in ours too! We really thought it was a great summer recipe because it was really refreshing with the relish. Hope you enjoy too!

Minted Melon Grilled Chicken
(by roxiechan submitted on Betterrecipes.com)

• Rub:
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 pound total
• Glaze:
• 1/4 cup mint jelly, melted
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• Melon Relish:
• 1 cup small dice cantalope melon
• 1 cup small dice honeydew melon
• 2 Tbsp minced red onion
• 2 Tbsp snipped mint leaves
• 2 Tbsp minced crystallized ginger
• 1 small stalk celery, finely diced
• 1/2 tsp grated lime peel
• garnish- mint sprigs

Method

Combine the ingredients for the rub and coat the chicken. Combine the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl. Put 1 Tbsp of the glaze into a medium bowl along with the ingredients for the relish. Mix well and place on a serving platter. Place the chicken breasts on an oiled grill rack over medium high heat 4-6 inches from the heat source. Cook 5-7 minutes per side or till the chicken tests done (165 degrees). During the last 2 minutes of cooking brush each side of the breasts with glaze and cook 1 more minute per side. Arrange the glazed chicken on top of the relish. Garnish wit mint sprigs.

Notes:

Number of servings: Serves 4

Leftover Goodies

I just had a fabulous lunch with some leftovers just now. And it was something that hadn't occured to me before, so I thought I'd pass it along in case you all need some new quick ideas!

We had taco salad for supper two nights ago, complete with meat, black beans, corn, and all the regular veggies. After supper I combined the leftover corn and beans and stirred in some store-bought salsa and taco sauce. Today for lunch I heated it up with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese on top. It was SO good. It was easy, and pretty healthy too! (although I'm sure it'd be fabulous with chips too- like a good corn & black bean salsa). So simple-I just wish I'd thought of this before!

shrimp on sale

Last night on my way home from work, I stopped by BiLo to pick up something to make for dinner. I was pleasantly surprised to find that bags of shrimp were on sale for $5.25 each. The sign said 2 for $10.49, and my receipt said they were each marked down $7.00 each! So I bought two and cooked them both last night (yes, two lbs of shrimp for dinner--as you can imagine, my man was in heaven). One bag just isn't enough for his liking, and two leaves some for him for leftovers since I won't be home tonight. Anyway, I just thought I'd share the tip that they're on sale in case anyone else is interested.

Oh, and I'm planning to post the recipe I used to fix them. They were so good! If you have The Joy of Cooking cookbook, it's in there. It's called something like "Becker's Barbeque Shrimp"--if you know me, you know I don't like barbeque, but this wasn't your typical barbeque. It's a bunch of spices all ground up together, some butter (I used low-fat), and some beer. I'll post the whole thing soon--just wanted to give you a little taste of what's to come. : )

starter question

Ok, I think I messed up! Yesterday on day 10, I was all ready to make my bread, and in keeping with how I usually do things, I sat down to print out the recipe and realized I didn't have the pudding! So, my question is, can I still make the bread on day 11? Or do I have to toss it out?

Brown Sugar Meatloaf ... dee-lish!

I got this recipe from the Easy Recipe link (thanks to who ever put that link on!) and made it tonight for dinner. Yummy! Josh really liked it ... he is a meatloaf lover. It has simple ingredients but a great taste.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf:

1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C ketchup
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
3/4 C milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt (it was a little salty so I think next time I'll use only 1 tsp)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 C finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs (about 10-15 crackers)

Preheat oven to 350.
Lightly grease a 5 x 9 loaf pan.
Press the brown sugar into the bottom of pan and spread with ketchup.
In a mixing bowl thoroughly mix all remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf.
Place loaf on top of ketchup.
Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hr or until juices run clear.

Question

How do you all freeze bread? Since I have my little "starter," I want to freeze one of the loaves, but I'm not sure about the best way to do that - wrap it in plastic and foil? or a zip-lock bag? Then, how do you thaw it - in the fridge or just on the counter? Thanks guys!

New recipes ...

I finally posted a new menu ... truly I did cook in the month of March! ... the menu making just didn't really come together very well and I had nothing to post. But it's the beginning of April and I feel like I have a fresh start on this springy Monday morning!

I plan to make a couple new recipes I found ... after this week I'll let you know how they were and if they're worth posting.

Website for amish bread directions

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,194,159178-231205,00.html

Basil Pesto

This makes about 3/4 cup of pesto.

3 garlic cloves (I sometimes toast it!)

2 cups packed fresh basil

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Blend first 5 ingredients together in a food processor until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

(You can substitute walnuts or almonds for the pine nuts if you can't find them.  And to toast the nuts, just place them in a stainless skillet over med heat just until they start to brown. Usually just a few minutes.  Be very careful not to burn them. But it IS an important step!)

To freeze: I usually add a little bit less oil, and put it into my containers, then cover with a thin layer of oil and then plastic wrap.  Then straight to the freezer. When I want to use it, I'll add a little bit more olive oil just to loosen it up.  

I have some friends who make tons of pesto every summer, and she freezes it in ice cube trays, then when they're hard, puts them into a ziploc bag.  I just put mine in small disposable tupperware containers.

I've heard people say not to freeze it with the parmesan cheese in it, but I've never had any issues.  

Does anyone want a starter for cinnamon amish bread?

I have three of these babies, ready to be mashed by you. Anyone interested? It makes two loaves of pretty tasty bread every ten days or so.

Basic Scones

I posted this on my blog at one point but I just made them again recently and thought I would post the recipe here. I found this recipe online after I tried two others...this one was my favorite by far. In fact, I think I'll go make another batch since I have some cream left over.

Blue Goose Inn - Basic Scones

• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2-1 cup filler of your choice
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut butter into dry ingredients with pastry blender. Do not allow the butter to melt or form a paste with the flour. Stir in chips/filler of your choice. In a separate bowl, mix together egg and cream. Add all at once to dry ingredients. Mix lightly until just combined.

Gather dough into a ball and knead it gently against the sides and bottom of bowl 5-10 times. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and pat dough into an 8-inch round about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 8 to 12 wedges and place at least 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet. Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 425 degrees until the tops are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

• My favorite combos are Chocolate Cherry Scones, White Chocolate Cranberry and just Plain with fresh whipped cream on top....yum, yum!

Sourdough Bread

Starter:

3/4 cups sugar

3 Tbs instant potato flakes

1 pkg active dry yeast

1 cup warm water (120-130 degrees)

Mix first 3 ingredients together, then stir in warm water.  Cover with plastic wrap; pierce wrap 4 or 5 times with point of sharp knife. Refrigerate 3 to 5 days.

Starter food:

3/4 cup sugar

3 Tbs instant potato flakes

1 cup warm water (120-130 degrees)

To make bread:

Remove starter from fridge and let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Stir well. Remove 1 cup starter to make bread, 'feed' the remaining starter -let stand 8-12 hours. Cover with pierced plastic wrap, refrigerate 3 to 5 days.  Repeat up to 3 times.

Bread:

1 cup starter

6 cups bread flour

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 Tbs salt

1- 1 1/2 cups warm water

Combine all ingredients together. Cover and let rise 6-12 hours.  

Shape and place into greased pans.  (3 loaves)  Cover and let rise 6-12 hours.

Bake at 375, 30-40 minutes.  

Tips: 

*When I make the starter like this, it rises the best for the first batch of bread. If you want to make it 2 more times, add 1 tsp yeast to the warm water when mixing the bread.  (let it sit in the water a few minutes to let it start reacting)

*When I cover it to let it rise, I spray Pam on some plastic wrap, and put it on the dough,  just to prevent sticking, then cover it with a towel

*I usually let it rise longer than 6 hours each time.  I'll mix up the dough in the morning, shape it in the evening, bake it the next morning.  

*I cover the bread loosely with foil for the first 20 minutes of baking to avoid too much browning on top.

Request for Jocelyn

Joc, is your sourdough bread recipe a secret family recipe (I mean, I'm like family, aren't i)? Gerald's parents are coming in this weekend and I wanted to make it with shells for Sunday lunch. Thanks!

Pesto Ravioli with Chicken

Jason announced last night that this is his favorite meal that I make...and if you knew how picky Jason is about food, you would know that really means a lot. People always ask for this recipe when I make it...so thanks to Betty Crocker Easy Weeknight Meals. And it's quick and easy to make...another plus.

• 2 t olive oil
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast strips (about 2 chicken breasts)
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 package refrigerated cheese-filled ravioli (I use spinach or mushroom)
• 2 small zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/4 cup basil pesto
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired (I think this ingredient is necessary unless you just don't like Parmesan)
• *it also calls for a sliced red bell pepper but because we aren't fans I have never put one in.

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken about 4 minutes until brown. Remove chicken from skillet. Add broth and ravioli and heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 4 minutes or until ravioli is tender. Stir in zucchini (and bell pepper if you are adding it) and chicken into ravioli. Cook over medium-high heat about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Toss with pesto. Sprinkle with cheese. About 4 servings.

quick pan-fried catfish

I got this recipe back in the day when I used to get Southern Living magazine. It's one of Ken's favorites. I usually get my catfish from Walmart, and I think we've decided that we like the nuggets better than the fillets (probably b/c they are smaller pieces and there's more breading).

3/4 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tbs Old Bay seasoning
1 to 1 1/2 lb catfish fillets or nuggets
1/2 cup Ranch dressing (I use light)
3 tbs veggie oil (I use 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 Enova)

Combine Bisquick, cornmeal, and Old Bay in a shallow bowl. Pat catfish dry with paper towels; brush both sides of each piece evenly with Ranch dressing. Dredge in cornmeal mixture; lightly press cornmeal mixture onto catfish pieces.
Cook catfish in hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 3-5 minutes on each side or until fish just flakes with a fork. Serve immediately.

Peanut Butter Pie

I got this recipe from a girl in my class. She made it one night when we all brought stuff to have dinner together. And then I made it a couple weekends ago for the sweetheart dinner at church only to find out that the email requesting desserts meant to bring them for the next weekend's lady's retreat--it just didn't specify which event was needing desserts donated. So I ended up sending those pies w/ Ken to work and making another two for the lady's retreat the next weekend. I'm sure you can imagine that the guys at the station weren't too upset about my mistake. : )

This recipe is really good and so easy to make. I've made it w/ low fat cream cheese and light Cool Whip a few times, and it still tastes good. I have to say though that of course, the full-fat version is best. The light version has a little different taste--I can't figure out if it's the cream cheese or the Cool Whip though. Oh, and FYI--this recipe makes 2 pies.

8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
16 oz tub Cool Whip (that's the large one)
2 graham cracker crusts

Mix cream cheese and peanut butter w/ a mixer until combined. Gradually add powdered sugar. Mix in Cool Whip one large spoonful at a time beating on high until mixture reaches a moosy consistency. Add to crusts. Chill until served.

finally made it

It's about time! I have finally posted a week of meals at our house. Granted I only cooked 3 out of 7 of the meals, but this gives you all an idea of what our weeks look like. And this past week I was home on Thursday instead of either being at girls' night w/ you all or taking a test. I'm really looking forward to this summer, when I can fix meals for us on a more regular basis!

Mexican Polenta Pie

This is great as a meal or an appetizer and chips. It is a favorite in our house.

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 T olive oil

1 lb. uncooked ground turkey

3 T chili powder (I use 2 because we are wimps)

1 T ground cumin

1/4 t cayenne pepper or less

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup bottled salsa

2 tubes refrigerated, cooked polenta (I use only one)

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

2/3 cup chopped fresh tomato

1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro

Cook onion and garlic in 1 T hot oil until tender. Add turkey, chili powder, cumin and cayenne. Cook until turkey is no longer pink. Add beans, undrained tomatoes and salsa. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer gently 15 minutes. Meanwhile, grease a 3-quart baking dish with the remaining 1 T oil. Cut tube of polenta into 1/4 slices; press half of the slices into prepared dish. Set the other slices aside. Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese over polenta in dish. Top with meat mixture. Arrange other slices of polenta over meat; sprinkle with remaining cheese and fresh tomato. Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes (or until bubbly) at 375 degrees. Sprinkle with cilantro. Let stand for 15 or 20 minutes before serving.

Cream Cheese-Banana-Nut Bread

I found a Banana Nut bread recipe that my sister gave me that doesn't have shortening. It has a few extra steps than my grandma's recipe but it is oh, so yummy. Maybe I can substitute shortening for cream cheese in my grandma's recipe?

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

3 cups flour (1 1/4 cup white flour, 1 1/4 cup wheat and 1/2 cup ground flax seed is my version)

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4)

1/2 t. vanilla extract

Beat together butter and cream cheese. Add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured loafpans. (I did one loaf pan and 24 muffins) Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour (15-20 for muffins) or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool bread for 30 minutes before slicing.

*some topping suggestions for this recipe were orange-pecan, toasted-coconut, cinnamon-crisp and peanut butter streusel. If you're interested let me know and I'll put the recipe here.

Poppy Seed Chicken

Sorry it took a while for me to get this on here...we've had a lot going on around here! Here is the recipe, Erin:

4 or 5 chicken breasts, cooked (and I cut them up into bite-sized pieces)
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. sour cream
1 stick of butter, melted
1 tube of Ritz crackers (I break them up in a zip-lock bag)
poppy seeds

I mix the cut up chicken in a bowl with the soup and sour cream and pour it in a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle the crackers over the mixture. Pour the butter over the crackers. (Sometimes I don't use a WHOLE stick of butter.) Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Serves 4-6, but serving with rice makes this spread even farther.

fruit salsa

This is a recipe I got from Erin back when she lived in Chattanooga. It is so good! It's rather labor intensive b/c of all the chopping, but it's well worth it. She may have the exact proportions, but it's one of those recipes that I end up just doing a little of this, and a little of that. So Erin, feel free to correct the measurements if I'm way off base. The recipe below is typically what I do when I make it just for me:

Fruit Salsa:
1/2-3/4 pkg of strawberries
1 small apple, pealed--I usually use Rome or Gala
1-2 kiwis
spoonful of jelly--I think the recipe calls for apple, but I use whatever's in my fridge
spoonful of honey

Chop fruit in very, very small pieces. Stir in jelly and honey. (When I visited Erin in Hawaii, we made this a few times. As it turns out, the recipe calls for brown sugar instead of honey, but for some reason when I got the recipe from Erin the first time, I had it in my head that it was made w/ honey. It seems like it might be a little heathier w/ honey, so that how I've kept making it.)

Cinnamon/sugar chips:
3-4 medium sized flour tortillas
Pam cooking spray
cinnamon/sugar mix

Preheat oven to 425-degrees. Spray tortilla with Pam. Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture. I usually go back and spray the areas where the cinnamon/sugar is not wet so it will stick to the chip better once it's cooked. Use a pizza cutter to cut the tortilla into wedges before cooking. Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes. Ken likes them a little chewy, so I put his in for less time than mine. When it's for me, I usually cook them the whole time, but you may want to check after 8 minutes to see if they look done.

And then just use the chips to scoop up the salsa, and enjoy!

recipe request from Lisa

Lisa can you post your Poppy Seed Chicken recipe. It somehow was misplaced with all of our moves over the past 3 years.

in need of suggestions...

I know you all know that Ken and I have a weird schedule these days, and we're often not home on the same nights. Either he's at work when I'm home or I'm in class while he's home. Well I'm wondering what you all fix for dinner when you find yourself at home alone. I just don't feel like fixing a meal when it's just me, and I'm trying to get more ideas of things I can make for myself or even things I can keep on hand for Ken to fix.

A few of the things I usually end up doing are either that fruit salsa with the homemade cinnamon/sugar chips that Erin showed me (a personal favorite, by the way) or some kind of bruschetta. Lately I've been making a grilled brie and turkey sandwich when it's just me. And that's pretty good too. It seems to me it's harder to eat healthy when I'm making dinner for one, or maybe it's that I'm just not motivated to steam up some veggies when I'm alone. I was wondering if you all had any suggestions. Thanks!