Chicken Salad Wrap and Sweet Potato Fries

i've been craving chicken salad, and i found this creative take on it, so i decided to give it a whirl.  http://familyfeatures.com/feeds/food/featuredetail.aspx?id=4018.  the recipe is written to serve one, so i made some adjustments to make enough for dinner and leftovers for lunches, and i made some substitutions with ingredients.  the flavors were awesome, and it satisfied my craving.  my only critique is that because almond butter is thick, it was "thick" to eat, if that makes sense.  and if it doesn't, well, you'll have to try the recipe to see what i mean.  

Chicken Salad Wrap

3 c chicken, cooked and shredded

1 Fuji apple, chopped

4 Tbsp golden raisins

10 Tbsp almond butter

4 Tbsp mayonnaise

6 tsp honey

1 head butterleaf lettuce

Mix chicken, apple and raisins in a bowl.  Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well.  Spoon into a leaf of lettuce, roll and serve.

i was looking for a side to go with this already sweet and fruity meal, and i decided to go with sweet potato fries.  the sweetness would tie in well, but the salty would make a nice contrast.  i've tried a couple of different recipes for making fries at home in the oven. and this one is my favorite.  http://www.annies-eats.com/2010/02/25/baked-oven-fries/  the recipe calls for 5 Tbsp of oil.  in an effort to make this a little healthier, i reduce the amount of oil to 3 Tbsp, 2 on the cookie sheet and 1 tossed with the potatoes.

Broccoli Chicken Casserole

i had chicken, i had broccoli, all i needed was a recipe to use them.  off to the internet i went.  have you ever heard of the internet?  it's pretty amazing.  i have a feeling it's going to be a big hit.  in my search, i came across this gem.  http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/02/chicken-and-broccoli-noodle-casserole.html.  seemed easy enough, and i had all the ingredients, or a suitable substitute.

Broccoli Chicken Casserole

6 oz egg noodles

2 tsp oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

12 oz broccoli florets

1 Tbsp butter

1 med onion, chopped

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

2 c chicken broth

1 c milk

12 oz chicken breast, cooked and shredded

4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

3 Tbsp parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook noodles in salted water.  Heat oil in large skillet.  Add garlic and cook until golden, about 1 min.  Add the broccoli and a little salt, saute and cover the broccoli on medium heat until the broccoli begins to soften.  Set aside.  Preheat the oven to 375.  Lightly spray a 9 x 12 casserole with cooking spray.  In a large pot, melt butter and add the onion and cook until soft, 2-3 mins.  Add the flour and stir well, cooking an additional 2-3 mins.  Slowly whisk in chicken broth until well combined, then add the milk and bring to a boil.  Simmer on med heat, mixing occasionally until it thickens, about 6-7 mins.  Remove from heat and add cheddar cheese and 1 Tbsp parmesan.  Mix well until the cheese melts.  Add the chicken, noodles, and broccoli to the sauce and mix until evenly coated.  Pour into casserole dish and top with parmesan cheese.  Bake for 20-25 mins.

i thought this was pretty good.  some of the noodles on top got crispy in the oven, which was the best part.  mr. d liked it too.  although his review reminded me of my favorite 2-year-old.  this sweet girl loves to share whatever she's eating with you.  if you decline, she tells you, "but it's reelwee reelwee yummy!"  one night while she was gobbling up dinner, her grandma said to her, "is that really really yummy?"  so she thoughtfully said, "no, it's yummy, but not reelwee reelwee yummy."  mr. d. said that this casserole was good, but it would be delicious if it had peas in it.  when i asked if it's a recipe i should try again, he said, "only if you add peas."  so this might be on the blog again as Broccoli Peas Chicken Casserole.  we'll see.

Pepper's Pita

last week we went to lunch at pepper's pita.  i drive by it on my way home everyday, and the idea of pita sandwiches, soups, and salads was too good to pass up.  and an added bonus, i had a coupon!  you do too, if you got a happenings book this year.  i decided to go with the turkey club, on wheat.  the sandwich came with turkey, provolone, bacon, apple butter, lettuce, tomato, onion, herbed mayo.  the flavors were awesome.  the apple butter added a sweetness in perfect contrast to the bacon.  the pita was toasted, which made the "bread" on the hard side.  i'm curious if the white pita would have been softer.  the sandwich was served with coleslaw, that i quickly turned over to matt.  i wanted to order soup as a side to my pita, but i was disappointed in the soup choices.  they had clam chowder or lentil, neither of which sound appealing.  i was wanting a potato cheese, or a cream of broccoli.  i would still recommend you try pepper's, and this is a place that i would go again.  with the coupon, our total for 2 pitas and 2 drinks was under $10, barely under $10, but under nonetheless.  so it was a good meal for a great bargain.  and as always, the best part of lunch was the company!

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

yes, pizza, with a crust made from cauliflower, and it's actually good.  mr. d says it's better than california pizza kitchen.  i don't think it's that good, but considering the health factor, it's a good weeknight meal.  i found the recipe when i was browsing pinterest for recipes using cauliflower.  i'm not a huge fan of cauliflower, so i was trying to come up with a way to use it.  recipe girl http://www.recipegirl.com/2012/01/16/cauliflower-crust-hawaiian-pizza/ had what looked to be simple and delicious.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

2 c cauliflower, grated (about 1/2 of head)

1 egg
1 c mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp onion powder

Place the cauliflower crumbles in a large bowl and microwave them (dry) for 8 minutes. Give the cauliflower a chance to cool.  Preheat the oven to 450.  Spray a cookie sheet or pizza pan with nonstick spray (or use a nonstick surface). In a medium bowl, mix the cauliflower crumbles (about 1 1/2 cups since they shrink after cooking) with the remaining crust ingredients. Pat the "crust" into a 9 to 12-inch round on the prepared pan. Spray the crust lightly with nonstick spray and bake for 15 minutes (or until golden). Remove the crust from the oven and turn the heat up to broil.  Add whatever toppings you'd like onto your pizza, and broil 3 to 4 minutes, or until the toppings are hot and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

in making this in the past, i've used 2 egg whites instead of one egg, but this time i just used the one egg.  also, i thought it would be fun to try pepper jack cheese instead of mozzarella in the crust.  i was expecting it to have some spice, but it didn't really add anything.  i should have used the pepper jack as the topping cheese.

this is the crust before baking.  the mixture holds together pretty well, but not like a pizza dough consistency, so you really do just kind of pat it and push it around into a circle on the cookie sheet.  as for toppings, i don't use any kind of measurements, i just use however much looks good.  i used more of my grandma's homemade spaghetti sauce for the sauce, then a layer of mozzarella cheese, fresh sliced pineapple, and some chopped canadian bacon.  mr. d's request was to "load on" the toppings, so i added another layer of cheese, pineapple, and bacon.  i cut it into 6 slices when it was done and served with a green salad with cucmbers and ranch dressing, yummy!





Apple Crisp

I was raking leaves yesterday and picking up apples in my backyard when it hit me... an apple hit me on the head.  Then it hit me, I should use these apples for Apple Crisp, a treat my mom used to make all the time.  I gathered apples this morning and made the crisp for a Sunday sweet tooth cure.




Four cups sliced thin apples (I quarter cut them, cleaned out the cores, then cut the fourths into about four slices each)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour

In a 8x8 inch greased casserole dish (I used margarine to grease the pan) place the apples. Mix the cinnamon and the water and pour onto the apples.  Mix the sugar, butter, and flour in a bowl just until crumbly.  Sprinkle the sugar, flour, butter mixture on top of the apples.  Bake at 375 for 45 or 50 minutes or until top is brown and the bottom is bubbly.

(I didn't have an 8x8 pan handy, so I used this 7"x11")

Easy Friday Dinner

I cooked tonight, and after a busy week, I was ready to make something fast, and popular with the kids.  This is one of the easiest meals since Tuna on a Plate.  I boiled chicken in one big pot, just getting it to a boil, and letting it go for about a half hour.  In another large pot I put in a bottle of italian dressing and two of the empty bottle filled with water.  I quartered small round red potatoes and added the potatoes and some carrots to the dressing and water.  I boiled that concoction until the veggies were soft, then added the chicken.  A note on the chicken.  I always shred it after it is cooked to get out the gross veins and connective tissue and fat.  It is worth the burning fingers and the little extra time. Also, I like to cook up egg noodles and have it more like a soup.  I make a bed of noodles in a bowl, then spoon on the italian chicken.  About half the kids take it with noodles.

I am going to try posting a picture of tonight's meal.  Here's hoping.  If only I was good at computer.

For those of you wondering what "Tuna on a Plate" is, my twin brother and I were sleeping over at a friend's house (I'll leave out his name to protect privacy).  It was the middle of the night, and we were all hungry.  I would say we were about eleven years old.  My friend said "I can make us something to eat, it is so good, you'll love it; it is Tuna on a Plate".  My brother and I waited while he sneaked upstairs, and prepared his masterpiece.  After a few minutes, he came back downstairs with a plate that had nothing but an pile of tuna on it.  It was obvious he had opened a can of tuna, upended it and put it on a plate, like he was feeding a cat.  He still sold it like it was a meal, and something to be admired.

Friday Lunch at Pepper's Pita

The company and conversation was set this lunch break at Pepper's Pita in Downtown Salt Lake, just west of Main on 300 South.  The space is small but not crowded; inviting.  There were a mix of people, some in business attire and others with hardhats and reflective vests.  There was not a lot of time to people watch, however, because our order was prepared very quickly.

I ordered the wheat pita with mozzarella, tomato, and pesto.  The biggest reason I selected it off the menu was to see how it would stand up to a similar sandwich made by the beautiful and talented Mrs. Lloyd.  It was not as good as her homemade, but yummy nonetheless.

Balance is the best thing my sandwich had going taste-wise. The cheese was not cut too thick, thus overpowering the tomato and pesto.  I could taste the tomato, but like the cheese, it did not take over.  The pesto was a nice complement to the whole.

Appearance it lacked.  It came out on a small pizza pan, with a plastic cup of passable coleslaw, the bread was brown and looked from the top and the side like a tortilla cut in half then stacked on itself. The sandwich was only about a half inch tall, and none of the fixin's were visible, without picking it up first.  It was kind of like looking at a half of a frisbee.

We don't go to a place like Pepper's Pita for the look of the food, but the taste and ability to eat between court and court, and other meetings. The food was good and just right for busy people in need of food.  I recommend it.