Sonoma Chicken Salad Sandwich

Before all the hustle and bustle of the holidays hit, before the feasting, shopping and parties begin... don't you just want to sit down on a Wednesday night with a great sandwich, with fuzzy socks on and watch Office reruns?

Sonoma Chicken Salad Sandwiches - a most tasty, feel-good sandwich, the calm before the storm, the real reason people show up to wedding receptions. 

I just love the combination of ingredients in this recipe, and I happened to have all of them on hand.  

There are some things that will never come close to homemade. This sandwich would be one of them.  Toasting  the pecans is an extra step but adds incredible flavor and an unmatched tender crunch.  

My new favorite bread.  

I read the back of this package and turns out 'Dave' is a reformed felon who turned his life around after he hit rock bottom. Thought his story was so cool, I bought the bread just to support him.  It just so happens that the bread is nothing short of amazing and healthy.

Here's what I love about this recipe:

#1 - It has onion powder in it. Gives great flavor without the harsh bite of a raw onion.
  
#2 - Makes a yummy salad atop a pile of lovely greens. And by greens, iceberg lettuce is not included.  

#3 - A lovely way to use up leftover turkey or chicken, or just quick and easy by picking up a rotisserie chicken.  

I happened to make a huge bowl of this earlier in the day.

If you make it, they will come.

And if they don't, you won't be hatin' eating this for a few days.

 The nurturer in me won't let me send anyone out into the cold cruel world hungry, so when a couple of hungry guys (weird, both their names were 'Elder') stopped by I made a monster tray of these. 

Glass of cold milk, an empty tray and they were good to go. 

  

It's the simple things in life that bring the most joy.

Sonoma Chicken Salad Sandwich

3 1/2 cups diced chicken 
1 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup Craisins
2/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped
1 T poppy seeds

2/3 cup mayonnaise 
1/4 cup apple juice
1 t. onion powder
1 t. mustard
1/2 t. salt

Mix together the mayonnaise, apple juice, onion powder, mustard, and salt in a small bowl.  Add to remaining ingredients and mix gently.  Serve on croissant or whole grain bread.  Top with greens if desired. 

I used leftover turkey breast from here: http://flannerykitchen.blogspot.com/2013/10/turkey-french-dip-slow-cooker.html...   because a 7 lb. turkey, 2 people meant lots of leftovers.  

"Just any chicken salad?  FALSE. The best".

Posted by: Rona

Pomegranate Pear Salad

I'm a disaster in the kitchen.

Ask my mom.

She used to come home from work and apparently (so she says) there'd be things like honey on the door knobs, unidentified ooze dripping from the cupboards or a flour-covered winter wonderland.

I thought she was exaggerating, but now my own kids, my own flesh and blood who I birthed through my loins are saying the same thing.

They should have been here to see the pomegranate meteor shower.

I finally found a successful seed extraction method, which involved 'tapping'  (not striking apparently) the pom with a wooden spoon, over a bowl.  Stand back and watch.

For right-brained people like me, creative messes are daily occurances. But hey, I clean them up like an OCD germaphobe so itr all balances out.

This household's been making this amazing salad for many moons. 

Years, in fact...  And although the salad ingredients are subbed out on a regular basis, it's really all about that dressing.  That, that perfect dressing - I never sub (except maybe just a little just because I'm not the best conformist).

  

When you can find them, pomegranate arils make the most lovely addition.  

The red glistening jewels add such a nice tart crunch, 

plus they're a potent form of antioxidants. 

How do you know if a pomegranate is ripe?  

Well, they pick them ripe and ready, unlike other fruits (so I guess only the pom pickers get to know when they are truly ripe).  Just look for one that's heavy and smooth, and firm.  And if you really don't want to deal with it, use Craisins - you can't go wrong.

 So, enjoy this lovely combination of sweet, tart, crisp and crunchy.  It will bring an enlivening freshness to your fall menu.

Pomegranate Pear Salad
1 large head Romaine (or about 1/2 lb. any kind of greens)
1 cup Swiss Cheese - julienne strips
Arils from one pomegranate OR 1 cups Craisins (you're going for tart, small, and red here)
1 pear, diced (peeling optional)
1 red apple, diced (leave peel on)
1 cups cashews

DRESSING
1/2 cup sugar
2 t. finely grated purple onion (I sub out 1/2 t. onion powder all the time)
1/2 t. salt
2/3 cup canola or olice oil
1/3 cup lemon juice, fresh
1 t. Dijon mustard
1 T. poppy seeds

Combine sugar, onion, salt, lemon juice and mustard in a bowl or blender.  Whisk until smooth, slowly adding the oil. When blended, add the poppy seeds.

NOTE:  This makes a LOT of dressing, sometimes I only make 1/2 that amount and it's still great.

What I do:  Make this is a quart sized mason jar, then add the diced pear and apple to the jar and shake up lightly to coat to prevent them from browning.  That way, I can make this a little bit ahead of time, which is always important in my book.

Combine salad ingredients and toss with dressing just before serving. As soon as you add the dressing, the fresh clock starts ticking.  

I subbed the cashews for some pecans that I toasted up in a little saute pan for about 5 minutes and used some Irish white cheddar instead of the Swiss, used spring greens instead of Romaine.

POM - it's what's for dinner.

Posted by Rona

Harvest Cobb Salad

It's fall!  

And as much as I love soups and stews, 

ya still gotta keep it fresh.  

Cooking rule #221:  Whenever you make something hearty or heavy, it is imperative that you add something light and fresh lest you feel like a big lump. 

Let me introduce a most lovely fall salad...

This beautiful daughter came to visit

and she LOVES salads.  

 Here she is holding her bowl of it. 

It's the roasted butternut squash that's walking the red carpet here.  It's different  (like bologna on a cinnamon roll), unexpected (your Grandma got a skull tattoo) gives a little bit of sweetness (like the Walmart greeter), yet has the perfect complimentary texture to all the other great condiments.  

Wait... The savory toasted pecans just might be the star of the show.    The hint of mustard perfectly highlights the Dijon in the vinaigrette.  

  

Although this is a basic vinaigrette, it's so light and fresh (like your prom date). It makes a generous amount so you may want to only pour on half of it on.

Yeah, there are no avocados on this.  

They were rock hard (like the spaghetti on your microwave ceiling) at the store. 

They remain in my fruit bowl until they can behave properly. 

Unlike traditional Cobb salad, there's no blue cheese,  but you won't miss it.  There's so much going on here (like the crowd at a rock concert), that there is quite an abundance of harvest flavors.

So enjoy this fresh fall salad...


Harvest Cobb Salad:

2 heads of romaine, roughly chopped
2 cups cooked chicken, cut into cubes (I had roasted turkey on hand, so I sliced that up)
2 cups roasted butternut squash cubes (I had sweet potatoes)
6 sliced thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 avocados, sliced
1/2 cup Craisins
3 slices Muenster cheese, julienne sliced
4 hard boiled eggs

Savory Toasted Pecans
1 cups pecans
1 T butter
1/4 t. ground mustard
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. paprika
1/4 t. salt

For the seasoned pecans: 
Heat a skillet to medium-low.  Melt the butter, add pecans.  Sprinkle with ground mustard, garlic powder, paprika, and salt.  Saute for 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly to toast.  

Assemble:  Place the lettuce in a bowl.  Layer the other ingredients in rows. Before serving, toss with vinaigrette. 


Vinaigrette:

3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1 T Dijon mustard
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Shake together in a jar. 

Tortellini Pasta Salad

Tortellini pasta salad

 

Beautiful, flavorful and best when made the day before.

 

This pasta salad is seriously missing nothing.  It's full of great ingredients that I almost always have on hand. It's a breeze to throw together and so convenient to be able to make the day before!

 

 

 

*Now when I made this, I did it for a huge crowd. Feel free to cut everything in half if it's just for your family.

 

Two bags of tortellini pasta

On the package, it says to boil for 6-7 minutes. I seriously boiled for maybe 2 minutes because I knew it would be sitting in the fridge overnight and would absorb liquid. Nobody likes a limp noodle. ;)

Drain pasta and immediately rinse with cool water so it quits cooking. Again, mushy pasta is gross.

 

2 cups of cubed, fresh mozzarella

1 cup halved, black olives. I'm sure green olives would be delicious also

2 cups halved grape tomatoes. (I had tomatoes from the garden so I used those instead, although grape tomatoes would probably be prettier).

1 jar of roughly chopped artichoke hearts

big handful of sliced green onions

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Salt, pepper (don't skimp)

 

Place the pasta and all of the above ingredients in a large bowl.

 

Put 2 cups olive oil and about 3 HEAPING spoonful's of pesto in a mason jar. Shake it up.

You can use a store bought pesto or make your own, it's delicious both ways.

*I REALLY like basil and wanted more of that flavor then the pesto offers, plus I have oodles of it in my garden, so I rough chopped about 1/4 of a cup and added it in. Plus some to garnish, of course.

 

Toss together the Pasta mixture and the EVOO mixture.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight if you wish.

*You may need to add a little more olive oil prior to serving it. Like I said, that Pasta will continue to absorb.

*Before serving, sprinkle with parmesan and top with sliced tomatoes if you want.

 

 

 

 



And lets bring it in for a close up

 

MMMMMMMMM!

 

Posted by Cambria

Melon Ball Cocktail

As much as I love love love FALL, 

I find that I have to breathe into a bag if I think too hard about the short melon season. 

When we lived hundreds of miles from civilization, we would drive through Green River to get school clothes and I would bring a huge knife and some spoons.  We'd stop and load up the trunk with melons, cut several in half, scoop out the guts, and dig in. 

 We were juicy messes.  We were in heaven.  

Why isn't this melon ball cocktail in balls you ask?

Well, I can't find my baller. 

Not that baller.

It was probably used as a weapon.

A juicy, ripe melon is so sweet and luscious.  It really doesn't need any dressing up. But when you want to bump it up a notch, here's a great recipe.  The lime rind is the perfect compliment to melons, especially honeydew.  And the rum flavoring adds a touch of warm butteryness to offset all that tart.  
  

Enjoy this fresh fruit cocktail.  It's a good one.



Melon Ball Cocktail
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 t. grated lime rind (get the rind BEFORE you squeeze the juice)
1/2 t. Rum extract
6 T fresh lime juice

1 honeydew, balled
1 cantaloupe, balled
1/2 watermelon, balled
1 cup blueberries


Bring sugar and water to a boil, simmer for a few minutes.  Add lime rind.  Cool and add, lime juice and rum extract.  Chill a few hours.

Note: Any fruit works, I subbed strawberries for the watermelon, but the honeydew works especially well with the lime and rum. 


So what do you do with the melon scraps after the balls are made?

A) Get a spoon and a towel and sit down to Duck Dynasty.
B) Put in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for smoothies, mixed with Greek yogurt and frozen banana.
C) Blend up, add to some lemonade.
D) All of the above


Posted by: Rona

Greek Bulgar Salad

Fall's a comin'.  You can smell it in the air.  

But it's not here YET!

Summer loving, had me a blast.  

And that is due in part to fresh main dishes

such as 

Greek Bulgar Salad

A little bit of hearty, a lot of fresh. 

Plus it comes together so quickly, you can get where you need to be - OUTSIDE!

Tastes really great the next day, but don't put the spinach in until you're ready to eat it.  

Summer days, drifting away.

But ah, oh those SUMMER NIGHTS.

wellawellawella

Greek Bulgar Salad

3 c. cooked bulgar, al dente and cooled (this cooks up really fast and easy - cook in salted water)
3/4 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced thin (in olive oil)
1 cup feta cheese, large crumbles
1 English cucumber, diced
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, halved
handful of roasted cashews (optional)
4 cups spinach leaves, thinly sliced

Greek Vinaigrette
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t. dried basil
3/4 t. onion powder
1 t. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil 
Salt and Pepper to taste

If necessary, cool down cooked bulgar by rinsing in cold water.  Mix with olives, cucumbers, spinach, and oven dried tomatoes.  Add the dressing and then gently (trying not to break it up) add the cheese.  Serve at room temperature for better flavor.

For vinaigrette, mix together all ingredients except the oil until blended.  Lastly, whisk in the oil. 


Posted by Rona



Adapted from Studio 5

Blackberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Quite lovely if I do say so myself...

I wanted to make a vinaigrette that tasted fresh and light, but didn't make you pucker like a spinster's first kiss. The blackberries at the store looked extra plump and called my name, hence this tasty dressing was born.

 Spring greens, feta, toasted walnuts, blackberries get dressed with 

Blackberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

An easy way to toast walnuts is to bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes.  

Bumps it up a notch for sure. 

 Spring greens, pumpkin seeds, bleu cheese, blackberries.

  A little bleu cheese goes a long way. 

It's the perfect match with this vinaigrette. 

 Most nut and cheese combinations will be mmmmmm with this.   

I draw the line at Velveeta.  That is not cheese, it's cheese flavored adhesive.

And yes, I use Velveeta for stuff sometimes.

Blackberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
handful of blackberries (sorry, but you're welcome for measuring the rest of the ingredients)
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 t. Dijon mustard
2 T honey (if you want a sweeter dressing, double this)
1 bunch sliced green onions (perfect flavor, not in your face)
1/2 t. salt
pepper

Blend until smooth.  You could strain out the seeds, but I didn't. Makes enough for two honkin' huge salads. It will keep in your fridge for a few days.

Toss with chilled greens right before serving, then put the other stuff on top (because if you toss the other good stuff with the greens, they sink to the bottom and your last bite will be a casserole).



Posted by: Rona

Caprese Salad

I first fell in love with this at a wedding. While others were "well-wishing" the happy couple, there I stood all night in front of the Caprese Salad, scooping, dipping, moaning.  

With cheeks-a-bulgin'  I tried to muster polite smiles to the other guests who were hoping for a taste, yet I knew full well that this was one time I just had to pull a selfie.  I couldn't stop. 

 It was a beautiful experience and I shall never forget it.

Thank you Cassie for tying the knot. 

Caprese Salad

Fresh Mozzarella - sliced or the small balls
Tomatoes - any kind, garden are obviously best
Fresh Basil - can be whole or sliced thinly, or even torn
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar Reduction (optional)
Fresh ground Salt and Pepper

General rule of thumb: Use equal amounts of Mozzarella and tomatoes
 
For the version pictured below I used: 1 container of the small mozzarella balls cut in half, container of grape tomatoes and heirlooms grape tomatoes cut in half and a package of fresh basil rolled up and sliced thinly.  I served it bruschetta-style atop toasted baguette slices which I had drizzled with olive oil and baked until crisp.

Sometimes simple flavors come together and make
MAGICAL THINGS

 Oh yes they do.

I made this version below with the balsamic reduction. 

Gives a whole new flavor sensation.

To make Balsamic Vinegar Reduction, bring Balsamic Vinegar to a boil and simmer gently, uncovered until thick and syrupy.  Watch this, I've made Balsamic suckers on accident many times.  Gives a great flavor addition but not necessary. 

Easy peasy.  And beautiful.  So good.  

Heck. 

I just licked my screen.

Posted by: Rona

Crab Pasta Salad

So I have this son, he's pretty awesome.

He's a fitness freak and strong as an ox.

He eats Elk and veggies.

Disclaimer: I did not take this picture, that would be weird and creepy.  Nor does Scoot know I stole it.

But when he wants carbs, this is his most requested summer salad. 

Being an overloaded BYU student, he couldn't join up with the rest of the family for the 4th of July, so I made this in his honor.  And because I go the extra mile, I mailed him a tub of it.  

Should've sent it overnight though.

You're welcome, Scoot.

Normally,  I would use a more fun shape of pasta, rotini or some kind of tini.   Could these be any more bahhhring?  But whatcha gonna do when you're far from civilization and these are the only ones on the store shelves?

Crab Salad

1 lb. box of pasta
2 lbs. crab meat - well it was actually "Krab"
3 cups mayo
3 cups buttermilk
1 T Old Bay Seasoning
2 T. Ranch dressing mix
pepper
1/2 bunch celery, finely diced
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

Cook the pasta in salted water (note: this is your only chance to get salt INTO the pasta, and flavor comes in layers!), al dente.  Drain and rinse in cool water until cool. Then it will all be cool.

Mix together the mayo, buttermilk, and seasonings.  Break up the crab into smaller chunks and combine together the pasta, crab, celery, and green onions. 

Even better the next day. 

Note:  I use fake crab for this. It's what you do when you make a salad big enough to feed a small country, as I have a tendency to do (yes the recipe posted here is half of what I actually made. It took two grown men to hoist it onto the counter).  Crab cakes?  Use the real thing. 


Posted by: Rona

Rainbow Slaw

Gotta say, I loved this colorful salad!!  Some are just perty - but this really is a good conglomeration of flavors.  Plus, the crunch was so.... well crunchy.

Rainbow Slaw

Gave the knife a quick whack at the sharpener, then sliced these veggies like a ninja:

1/2 head red cabbage
3 peppers ( I wanted a red, orange and yellow but my store only had huge red peppers on steroids, so I just got 2 of those)
1 8oz. pkg of snow peas

Then grabbed a handful of cilantro and gave it a rough chop.

Toasted about a tablespoon of cumin seeds (use less if that scares you).  Gotta watch these little morsels of flavor, it's kind of hard to tell when they're toasted cause they're so tiny, but the aroma is amazing!  I probably let them toast for about 5 minutes, giving the pan an occasional shake.

Now... I'm anti-bottled-dressing.  Kind of think they all taste like crap, but this was delightfully tasty. 

Champagne Dressing

In a small bowl, I whisked together the cilantro, the toasted cumin seeds, probably about 1/2 cup (or a little more) of the Champagne dressing, the juice of one lime, and a hefty grind of salt and pepper.

After it mixed and mingled for a bit and the flavors got acquainted....  It was good to go. 

 Even though it's a totally different taste than traditional slaw, it makes a great refreshing summer salad.

Enjoy!

Posted by:  Rona