Family favorites
This is a great summer salad! I know at this point in the winter we are all ready for a fresh salad! This salad has a couple steps but I would highly suggest DOUBLING the recipe for the sugared pecans as they are so tasty, we could not stop eating them!
I added chicken to this recipe and used the same chicken marinade and cooking method I did in the Thai chicken salad.
It made a wonderful lunch!!!
INGREDIENTS
Fresh baby spinach
Sliced strawberries
Fresh blackberries
Sugared pecans (recipe below)
Creamy poppy seed dressing (recipe below)
SUGARED PECANS
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups pecan halves
1/4 cup white sugar
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the pecans and stir to coat well.Sauté the pecans until they are fragrant, about one or two minutes. Sprinkle with sugar and continue stirring as the sugar melts and coats the nuts. This should take about five minutes. Remove from heat and place the pecans on parchment paper. Let cool and store in an airtight container.
POPPYSEED DRESSING
3/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup milk (I used 1%)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard
pinch of salt
Combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth. Transfer to a mason jar or other container and store in the fridge for up to one week.
Enjoy!
Slightly adapted from barefeetinthekitchen.com
This is one of the quickest and easiest lunch or dinner recipes. It can be made in just minutes using rotisserie chicken or rotisserie turkey breast from your grocer. This is a favorite and can be changed up slightly using sauerkraut (drained) instead of the coleslaw.
INGREDIENTS
Roasted turkey breast or rotisserie chicken (shredded)
Coleslaw or sauerkraut
Thousand island dressing
Pepperidge Farm swirl bread
Butter
DIRECTIONS
Butter one side of one of the pieces of bread and place butter side down in a panini press or skillet. Add as much or little as you like of thousand island dressing, add chicken or turkey, add coleslaw or sauerkraut, add the second piece of bread buttering the outside of the bread and place the top of the panini press down or use a heavy skillet on top of your pan pressing the sandwich down. Cook until golden on both sides turning once if using a pan.
NOTES
When using sauerkraut, drain well. I make a simple coleslaw mix using a shredded bag from my grocery store, slice one green apple and mix with your favorite coleslaw dressing. I also add a good amount of fresh cracked pepper.
Enjoy!
This cheesy party ring is great for an afternoon snack with friends or a great addition to your party table. It is also easily adaptable to your families taste!
INGREDIENTS
1 Pillsbury crusty french loaf
1 Tablespoon of all purpose flour
4 ounces of cheddar cheese
4 ounces of Monterey Jack cheese
4 slices of bacon, cooked and crispy
2 scallions (white and green sections)
1/4 cup (more or less) of pickled jalapeños
DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and spray a bundt pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle clean surface with flour. Unroll french loaf and roll it into a ring shape. Place dough ring in prepared bundt pan and bake for 18-20 minutes.
Remove and let cool for five minutes before turning the bunt pan over onto a cutting board. Continue to let the ring cool.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees
Using a serrated knife, cut the bread into sections NOT CUTTING ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE BREAD.
Mix all of the other ingredients together. Place loaf on a tin foil covered baking sheet and stuff the bread sections with the cheese mixture. Bake for ten minutes.
Serve warm with a side of ranch dressing.
Enjoy
Adapted from Tablespoon.com
This blueberry loaf is fantastic! Juicy blueberries with a burst of lemon…and oh so good!
This IS Jim’s FAVORITE blueberry bread, or really just his favorite bread. He could eat the entire loaf himself and if he had it his way… he would! It really is delicious.
This loaf has a few steps but it is all worth it. It has a lemon syrup ANNNNNDDDD….a lemon glaze!!!! Sweet and tart!
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups flour plus 1 Tablespoon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 container of yogurt (I used Greek lemon yogurt-Stonyfield 5.3 ounces)
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
LEMON SYRUP
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
LEMON GLAZE
1 cup confectioners sugar
3 Tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Spray three 3×5 mini tin pans with baking spray. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, lemon zest, eggs, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour and fold them into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan for ten minutes before removing to a wire rack that is placed on top of a baking sheet.
While the loaf is cooling make the lemon syrup. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, stir together lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is dissolved, then cook for 3-4 minutes and remove from heat. Set aside.
Use a toothpick to poke holes in loaf top and sides (while the loaf is warm) brush the top and sides with the syrup and let soak in, then brush again. Let the cake cool completely.
To make the lemon glaze mix the confectioners sugar and lemon juice , this should not be too thick as you want to drizzle it over the loaf.
If it is thick add more lemon juice. Pour lemon glaze over loaf and let dry for about 15 minutes before slicing.
Enjoy!
Notes: This recipe was adapted from Sweet Peas Kitchen.
The title says it all! This is hands down our favorite salad! BIG FLAVOR!
This salad does take some time for the chicken marinade, chopping, dressing AND a peanut sauce! All of that for just one salad! It is well worth the effort!
CHICKEN MARINADE
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons of rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 clove of garlic
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 lime, juiced
salt
pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
SALAD
2 Hearts of romaine, chopped
2 or 3 handfuls of already made coleslaw mix
1 cucumber (peeled and chopped)
1 red bell pepper
5 scallions
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 cup salted peanuts
DRESSING
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
salt
pepper
PEANUT SAUCE
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
4 Table spoons reduced sodium soy sauce
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup water
DIRECTIONS
In a ziploc bag , combine all the ingredients for the chicken marinade. Mush it around, then let marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Cook chicken on the grill until done or bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Allow the chicken to cool slightly and cut into bite size pieces.
Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
Mix dressing ingredients together .
Mix peanut sauce ingredients together
To build salad individually, place salad ingredients in a bowl , add some of the dressing and mix. Add chicken and drizzle with peanut sauce.
Notes: I like to make the dressing and peanut sauce in medium size mason jars mixing well.
Add water to the peanut sauce cautiously , you want to be able to drizzle it over the chicken. If you make this after the peanut sauce has been in the refrigerator warm in the microwave slightly to drizzle easier.
Recipe adapted from wwwtasteandtell.com
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