Chicken salad my way

I am fortunate to live only about ten minutes away from my place of employment and because of the fact Daniel works second shift I usually always run home for lunch so that I can spend a little bit of time with him. While I do have an hour for lunch I don't want to spend a lot of time preparing our lunch...I mean come on, have to get some Price is Right watching in there somewhere; so I like making quick fix items or items that I can prepare the night before. I first had chicken salad made this way a few years back, another one of those recipes that came from my Step-Mom Rhonda, even though I think she got it from one of her nieces. Since then I have added my own little touches to it and I must say, it is quite delicious and very easy to serve up when you are rushing around. This chicken salad is best made the night before, but isn't half bad when you eat it right away...I have done both!

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded*
1/3 cup of mayo
2-3 stalks of celery
1/2 cup of red grapes
1 tbsp. brown mustard

* You can substitute the boiled chicken breasts for two cans of the Tyson shredded white meat chicken you find in a can. I have made this both ways and can't really taste a difference.

1.) Cut your grapes into half or into quarters, depending on your preference. I cut my into quarters.

2.) Take your stalks of celery and cut in half down the center. Then take the two large pieces and dice into small pieces.

3.) In a bowl add your shredded chicken, mayo, brown mustard, diced celery, and quartered grapes. Mix together.

Normally when I make this or tuna salad I toast me up two slices of white bread, slap on a piece of swiss cheese, add a small handful of fresh spinach, and then add my chicken salad mix. Of course this all goes on between the two slices of bread. I call these my quick fix sandwich melts and I could honestly live off of them. I normally serve with a piece of fresh fruit (usually more grapes) and a handful of pretzels or potato chips. Substitute the mayo for low fat mayo and use wheat bread in lieu of white bread and you have yourself a pretty healthy lunch...or dinner:).

Fruit of the week- Boysenberry

A boysenberry is a type of glossy, large, juicy berry related to the North American blackberry. In addition to being eaten fresh during the brief growing season, boysenberries are also incorporated into jams, preserves, and syrups. Their flavor is somewhat reminiscent of a raspberry, with a more tart undertone, especially when the berries are not fully ripened. They are available from grocery stores and farmers' markets, but since boysenberries are not very stable off the vine, it is important to eat them within two or three days of purchase.

The inventor of the boysenberry is believed to be Rudolph Boysen, who experimented with various berry crosses in Napa, California in the 1920s. In 1923, his cross of a blackberry, loganberry, and raspberry successfully grew and bore fruit. The boysenberry was acquired by Walter Knott, a Southern California berry farmer, who started selling the fruit commercially in 1935. Boysenberries and boysenberry preserves helped to make Knott's business famous around the state.

The distinctly tart flavor of a fresh boysenberry makes them very popular in areas where they can be obtained. When selecting boysenberries to take home, look for evenly sized and colored specimens with no areas of mushiness. Keep the berries under refrigeration in a watertight container far from apples and bananas, which emit ethylene gas, and use them within three days. If the berries are not going to be used in time, you may want to consider using them to make jam. Boysenberries can be scattered fresh on pancakes and waffles, used as a pie filling, or added as a decorative accent to cheesecakes and tarts. They can also, of course, simply be eaten plain, or as part of a fruit salad.

Information provided by: Wisegeek.com

Health Benefits-
~High in Vitamin C and fiber both of which have been shown to help reduce the risks of certain cancers.
~Contain high levels of anthocyanins (120-160 mg/ 100g) that work as antioxidants to help fight free radical damage in the body and give Boysenberries their deep, dark color.

Information provided by: oregon-berries.com

Recipe for the fruit of the week, provided by recipezaar.com

Cinnamon-Wheat Pancakes with Hot Boysenberry Compote

Ingredients:
Compote:
2 cups frozen boysenberries
1/3 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Pancakes:
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
For Compote:
1.) Combine boysenberries and apple juice in a small saucepan; simmer for 5 minutes.
2.) In a separate bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch and add to berry mixture, gently stirring until it boils.
3.)Remove compote from heat and let it cool slightly until it thickens.
For Pancakes:
1.) Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk in a small bowl; set aside.
2.) In a larger bowl, combine flour, cinnamon and sugar.
3.) Add buttermilk mixture, egg whites and vanilla, and blend.
4.) Spray griddle with vegetable-oil cooking spray.
5.) Ladle pancake mixture onto griddle and cook until pancakes are light brown on both sides.
6.) Serve with boysenberry compote.

Cabbage Roll Soup...Minus the Roll

I love cabbage and sadly it's one of those foods that a Crohn's patient shouldn't have in their diet, for dare I say it, gassy issues. Its really sad that I could care less what it does to me though because I love it so. My Mother-in-Law Sue makes the absolute best cabbage rolls and even though we took her and my Father-in-Law out on New Years...she was still kind enough to make a batch for Daniel and I, and man they were tasty. Now if you are like me then making cabbage rolls is out of the question during the week because of the amount of time and effort they take you. So what are you supposed to do when it's Wednesday and you have a hankering for a cabbage roll you ask?? You make cabbage roll soup that's what! This recipe was passed along to me from my Mamaw who showed my Step-Mom how to make it, who then showed yours truly!

Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground sirloin, browned and drained
1/2 onion, chopped
46 oz. can V8 juice
32 oz. can beef broth
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 medium head cabbage, chopped
salt
pepper

Directions:
1.) In a large soup pan, brown ground sirloin along with chopped onion. Drain any grease.
2.) To browned meat add V8 juice, beef broth, and diced tomatoes.
3.) Add cabbage, chopped into 1 inch pieces. Stir carefully. Cabbage will wilt down so do not be afraid to fill your pot.
4.) Simmer on medium heat for 1/2 hour or until cabbage is cooked.
5.) Add salt and pepper to taste.
Now if your like my Mother-in-Law, you add rice to your cabbage rolls, which is missing from this soup. We never made it with rice but it is completely up to you. If you do decide to add rice I would suggest adding about a cup or so of uncooked rice. It will cook in the broth, but it may require you adding more V8 juice to compensate for the broth that the rice will absorb.

Hope you enjoy!!

Fancy Rice Krispy Treats

My Husband absolutely adores Rice Krispy treats and to be honest with you, I am fond of them as well. A couple of weeks ago during one of our Christmas shopping trips we stumbled upon a booth at Traders World that was selling cupcakes, cookies, and an assortment of other delicious looking treats. One of those treats were chocolate covered Rice Krispy treats. Now we were on a mission to shop for family and I refused to pay what they were asking so we kept on truckin'. I promised Daniel that I would attempt to make our own at home for Christmas. Well Christmas has come and gone and I never got around to making them. To make matters worse, they were selling something similar to these at Wal-Mart in little gift boxes and after the holiday season they were 75% off so of course we grabbed one. These chocolate covered Rice Krispy treats were so good I could have cried tears of happiness. Unfortunately for us there were only three in the box so it was almost a tease and I have not forgotten about those yummy treats since then. Luckily I just clipped a coupon for Rice Krispy Cereal so I figured it was about time to settle down and follow through with the promise that I made to my Husband weeks ago. This time though I was going to kick them up a notch with the help of my friend, peanut butter.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
10 1/2 ounces mini marshmallows
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

5 cups Rice Krispy cereal

1 bag chocolate chips, melted

1 bag of Reece's

Directions:
1.) Melt butter in large saucepan over med-low heat, add peanut butter and vanilla, stir until combined.
2.) Stir in Rice Krispy cereal.

3.) Press into greased 13x9 pan. Sprinkle Reese's Pieces Candy on top, press into Rice Krispy treats.

4.) Melt chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat.5.) Pour melted chocolate over Rice Krispy mixture and spread, place in refrigerator to cool.
6.) Cut into squares and enjoy!!Verdict...who needs to buy these when you can make them at home. They were very tasty and I am glad I didn't make them sooner, because I would just be that much fatter. The true verdict will come tomorrow after I have received Daniel's thoughts on the matter.

One Lovely Blog Award

Today I received my very first blog award from Melissa over at Schweet N Savory. If you haven't stopped by her blog yet I highly suggest that you do as she has some very tummy pleasing recipes over there.
I am returning the honor by passing it on to Kaitlin over at Kaitlin in the Kitchen, another outstanding blog that you shouldn't miss out on.

Pillsbury Bake-Off

In case you didn't know this about me, I love food competitions and no I am not talking about who can eat the most hot dogs in an hour. I love the ones where you create a new recipe and compete against hundreds of other hopefuls. Daniel and I have decided that when we get rich we are going to start competing in the BBQ circuit. We would also like to get a utility trailer and modify it so that we can begin entering these contests and on our down time start a BBQ catering business. We can dream can't we?? My favorite contest is the Pillsbury Bake-Off and this year will be my second attempt at hoping to score one of the coveted spots. I dreamt up Mexican Calzones a year ago for that attempt and this year I am still in the "thinking up" phase. There are four categories this year and whatever recipe I submit must have at least two ingredients off of their ingredients list. The categories are; Breakfast and Brunches, Entertaining Appetizers, Dinner made easy, and last but not least, Sweet Treats. Needless to say I am going to be scouring the Internet to come up with ideas that I can play off of and turn into something original and while I won't be posting any of the recipes until after the April 20th submission deadline, rest assured I will be sharing them with you at some point in time. I can not even begin to imagine winning as I am just not lucky enough, but boy what I could do with the million dollar prize. Lets see; I would pay off our house, then I would pay off our vehicles, then I would buy our utility trailer so that we can get to smokin', I then see granite counter tops in my future along with a nice little pick me up of a vacation to Disney World...family included! Anyway here is the link to the Pillsbury Bake-Off website in case you may be interested in entering your own original recipe, just click here!

Veggie of the Week- Tomatillo

I have decided, since I am trying to incorporate a variety of fruits and vegetables into my diet, that I am going to do a vegetable/fruit of the week. Every Monday I will be posting a fruit or vegetable along with details on what it is, where it can be found, and of course what sort of dishes can be made with it. I think it is important as a good cook to know your fruits and vegetables.Since the majority of these items probably cannot be found in the produce aisle at my local grocery store I won't be posting my experiences with them but I promise, if I can find them, I will use them and post about them. Today's vegetable is the tomatillo.

The tomatillo is a plant of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family, related to tomatoes, bearing small, spherical and green or green-purple fruit of the same name. Tomatillos, referred to as green tomato (Spanish: tomate verde) in Mexico, are a staple in Mexican cuisine.

The tomatillo fruit is surrounded by a paper-like husk formed from the calyx. As the fruit matures, it fills the husk and can split it open by harvest. The husk turns brown, and the fruit can be any of a number of colors when ripe, including yellow, red, green, or even purple. Tomatillos are the key ingredient in fresh and cooked green sauces. The freshness and greenness of the husk are quality criteria. Fruit should be firm and bright green, as the green colour and tart flavour are the main culinary contributions of the fruit. Other parts of the tomatillo plant contain toxins, and should not be eaten.

Fresh ripe tomatillos will keep in the refrigerator for about two weeks. They will keep even longer if the husks are removed and the fruits are placed in sealed plastic bags stored in the refrigerator. They may also be frozen whole or sliced.

Information provided by: Wikipedia

Mexican Take-Out Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients:
12 ounces tomatillos, husked and rinsed (6 to 10)
2 serrano chilies (I suggest using Jalapenos if you don't like things too hot)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 medium white onion, minced (1/2 cup)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more if needed
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:
1.)Preheat the broiler. Line a 13 x 9-inch pan with foil.
2.)Place the tomatillos and chiles on the foil and broil for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until dark brown spots develop on the chiles and tomatillos.
3.)Cool, then transfer to a blender, including all the juices that have run out onto the baking sheet.
4.)Add the cilantro, onion, garlic, lime juice, vinegar, salt, sugar, and 1/4 cup water. Blend to a puree.
5.)Heat the oil in a medium skillet set over medium heat. Add the tomatillo puree and bring to a boil. Continue to cook, stirring, until the salsa has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and taste for seasoning; adjust if necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve at room temperature or chilled.
6.)Make Ahead: This salsa can be made ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator for up to a week, or frozen up to 2 months.

*I found this recipe off of another favorite website of mine, recipezaar.com. It looks really yummy and I plan on trying it out as soon as I can find some tomatillos. Daniel and I are both really big salsa fans and we have never had one made from tomatillos. I can't wait!!