My Favorite Chicken Salad.

I love chicken salad for lunch.  I always set out to only have one sandwich, but I usually end up finishing however much I make.  Consequently, I make smaller batches now. :)  I don't follow a recipe for this, because I've found that I know my own taste best, and I like to adjust it each time I make it to what I want at the time. (Many thanks to Hubby for taking most of these pictures!)

Ingredients:

Mayonnaise

Chicken (I've made this with fresh cooked chicken, but this time I use canned. I prefer the fresh though...)

1/2 Apple

Grapes (I prefer red grapes, but any kind will do)

Celery

Green Onions (Usually I use chopped white or red onion, but I had some green I needed to use, and it works just as well, though I put a bit more than I would of the chopped onion.)

Marjoram

Savory

Dill Weed (This is the only one of the spices that remains constant...I love dill weed in chicken salad!)

Curry Powder

Black Pepper (not pictured...last minute impulse add)

Directions:

First, dump your chicken into a medium sized mixing bowl. (Drain it first, if you're using canned.) Canned chicken doesn't always look so pretty coming out of the can, but unless stated otherwise, it is cooked and quite edible. :)

Slice the grapes into the bowl.  I like to simply halve them, but if you want, you can cut them as small as you like. Whenever you do, be sure to cut slowly so the knife doesn't slip.

As grapes aren't exactly in season now, raisins do make an excellent substitute, if you don't mind the change in texture.

Next slice your onions and sprinkle them into the bowl, sparingly.  Onion is one flavor that will get stronger in this salad if you plan to store any of it overnight.  Much stronger.

Dice your celery to preferred size. I like mine fairly small, so I slice in strips first, then cut crosswise.

Same goes for slicing the apples.  I usually use a sweeter apple, such as a Gala, or a Pink Lady (my favorite!) but I had Granny Smiths on hand for baking, so they were subbed in.

Next, add your spices.  I usually go by scent on this one.  You want your food to smell good, or you'll have a hard time believing it tastes good; nothing should smell overpowering, but it should smell like more than just your onion.  Have fun with this.  Open random spice jars, ones you don't usually use, and just see what they smell like.  If it smells good, dump a little bit in.  A bit of advice though...decide on all your spices before dumping in. Some spices don't mix well.  (Think mint, cayenne, and fennel. Blech.  Then again, if you like it...)

After all your other ingredients are mixed together, add your mayo.  I like to add it last because I think it coats more evenly that way.  Start with a little bit, and increase the amount to desired consistency.  Its easy to get too much, so be careful!

Once all your ingredients are together, mix it up, and you're ready to eat!  If you want more potent flavors, let the chicken salad marry in the fridge for a bit first (a few hours at least) and everything will be a bit more flavorful.

I couldn't wait, though.  

MMMM, Delicious!

Spicy Black Beans and Rice.

My apologies to my readers, as I've put off posting for a bit.  I'm still cooking, just haven't stopped to photograph often.  I do have some photographs on reserve though, recipes I made awhile back and haven't gotten around to posting yet.  Here's one of my favorites.

I had been seeking a great black beans and rice recipe for awhile now, ever since a trip to mexico in high school.  For dinner one night we were served from a big bowl of rice, and a large bowl of beans.  That was all. I thought I was doomed.  Then I tasted it.  Delicious!  From that point on, I wanted to learn how to make the dish.  The ladies who cooked the meal tried to explain it to me, but the language barrier proved to be too difficult.  

Now, years later, I found a recipe in a newly purchased cookbook by chance, tried it, and here we are.  It's not quite like that delicious meal I had in Mexico, but it's delicious in its own way.  Even my Hubby, who is hesitant about such things, enjoyed this meal.  I hope you do too!

Spicy Black Beans and Rice

Ingredients:

1 med. onion, chopped (approx. 1/2 cup)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. olive oil or cooking oil

1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 14 1/2 oz. can mexican style stewed tomatoes

1/8 to 1/4 t. ground red pepper

2 c. hot cooked brown or long-grain rice

1/4 c. chopped onion (optional)

Directions:

Prep all ingredients before beginning to cook.

Begin cooking rice, if using slow-cooking rice.  If using minute rice, prepare when needed.

In a medium saucepan cook 1/2 cup onion and garlic in hot oil until onion is tender.

Carefully stir in the drained beans, undrained tomatoes, and red pepper. 

Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

To serve, mound rice on dinner plates; make a well in the centers.  Spoon black bean mixture into centers. If desired, sprinkle with 1/4 cup onion. Makes 4 servings. Enjoy!

Old-Time Applesauce.

I made this for breakfast when my in-laws were in town for a visit.  Chris made pancakes, and we ate it both as a topping for pancakes and separately as applesauce.  Mmmm.  This recipe comes from my 1930's cookbook. My apologies for the images being a little fuzzy.  I was too excited to try this to focus well! 

Ingredients:

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/2 T. flour

1/3 c. water

2 apples, sliced

Directions:

Mix brown sugar, flour and water in sauce pan.  Add apples, and cook till it bubbles.  Serve hot.

So simple! It will look as though there is not enough sauce for the apples, but never fear!  The apples will cook down and help to make their own sauce.  Stir occasionally and you'll be fine.  Enjoy!

Moroccan Spiced Chicken.

Ok, Hubby and I made this for dinner a few days back, and I have to apologize for not getting this to you sooner, because you must make it as soon as possible!  It is so delicious.  Don't be afraid of the dates, they perfect the dish.  I found this recipe in SousChef, one of the recipe management systems I'm currently reviewing, and the one I actually own.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4-1 1/2 lbs.) or boneless skinless chicken thighs

2 T flour, divided

1 1/4 t. ground cinnamon

1 t. seasoned salt

1/2 t. ground cumin

1/2 t. ground turmeric

2 T. olive oil

1 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. pitted whole dates, sliced

1/3 c. whole almonds (with skins on)  (Note: We prefer slivered almonds, and so used those, to no detriment to the recipe, I believe.)

Optional Cooked Couscous or rice (Highly recommend the couscous!)

Directions:

Place chicken in self-closing plastic bag.

Combine 1 T. flour, cinnamon, seasoned salt, cumin, and turmeric; sprinkle over chicken and toss well to coat. (Note: Be sure to combine spices first, and THEN add to bag.  Adding them to the bag individually could result in uneven coating of the chicken.)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté chicken about 5 minutes per side.

Mix remaining 1 T. flour and broth, add to skillet. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

Stir in dates and almonds; simmer, covered, 7 minutes, or until chicken is done.  Serve over couscous or rice.

Delicious!!!

Making Simple Food Pretty.

Dinner doesn't have to be complicated to taste good, and it doesn't have to be difficult to prepare to look good.  Sometimes the only difference between a dish prepared at home and one in a restaurant is the look. (And that wonderful little fact that you didn't have to prepare it....but that's beside the point!) Take spaghetti for instance.  Have you ever ordered spaghetti at a restaurant?  It always looks so good.  There's just something about the way its set in front of you with that little sprig of parsley or basil on the side, and the sauce perfectly centered on that mountainous heap of pasta.  It simply inspires your taste buds.  This is not unattainable by any stretch of the mind.  Here are a couple of examples on how you can plate your pasta. (We had asparagus as a side, and had fun with it too!)

As a side note, Chris and I had a competition for plating our meals this night.  Vote for the one you like best in the comments!

Pasta or not, your dinner can look nice.  In general, take time to put your meals on your plate.  If you want that extra touch, take a paper towel and wipe around the edge of the plate to pick up any drips when you are done, and it will look extra special.  Put thought into how you serve your meal, not just what you serve, and you will enjoy the end product that much more. 

On to dessert.  Whether you're making dessert for your family, company, or yourself, it doesn't have to be complicated to be nice.  I decided to take box pudding and see what I could do with it. 

Prepare pudding according to package directions.

When you've got the pudding ready, and ideally cooled a bit, carefully spoon some into the bottom of whichever serving glass you've chosen. (I used our zinfandel glasses, which turned out to be a bit large for the project, but still worked rather well.  Any clear glass will work for this, though generally a narrower, straighter-walled glass works best.)

I sprinkled nutmeg on top of this layer.  Be sure to place your fingers to the edge of the inside of the glass so that the spice is seen from the outside of the glass when placed.  When you've sprinkled your spices, very slowly add more pudding on top of the first layer.  If the pudding breaks through the spice layer, it needs to cool more first. 

I put cinnamon atop the next layer.  Again, be sure to get the spice as close to the edge of the glass as possible so as to be seen through the side as a clearly defined layer.  Place the rest of your pudding on top of this layer, being careful not to get the edges of the glass.  When you've finished, sprinkle a very light mixture of the spices used on top of the pudding in the center.  Wipe around the inside edges of the glass with a paper towel if you got the sides messy.  If you want, top with whipped cream.  

(Unfortunately, I didn't reserve very much pudding for the final layer, but you get the idea.)

You can get creative with almost every step.  Try different puddings, spices, glasses, toppings, whatever you like.  Perhaps chocolate pudding with powdered sugar layers?  Butterscotch with pumpkin pie spice?  Coconut cream pudding with coconut shavings layers?  Whatever you wish.  Have fun, and make dinner pretty again!