Mandarin Chicken Salad

Okay, this salad is an addiction. I think about it. I think about making it. I think about eating it. It is such a simple dish, but so very good! I actually got this recipe from my wonderful friend Katharine who got it from her very sweet mom, Muriel. Thank you both for sharing this one!!!

Mandarin Chicken Salad
4 chicken breasts (or use a rotisserie chicken from the store)
1 16 oz box acini de pepe pasta
3 small cans mandarin oranges (or 2 large cans)
3-5 stalks celery, chopped finely
1/3 sweet onion, chopped finely
small bunch green grapes, cut in quarters (I prefer red but green taste great too)
2 pkgs. slivered almonds (1 cup)
1-1/2 cup mayonnaise (or to taste)
salt & pepper (to taste)
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. Johnny's Seasoning Salt

Bake chicken in pan covered with foil at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until done (or remove meat from rotisserie chicken). Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed and refrigerate. Once chicken is cooled, finely shred or cut into small cubes; toss with seasoning salt. Mix all remaining ingredients. Stir and chill before serving. Salt & pepper to taste.


TRY THIS ONE!!! It makes a ton but lasts for a long time so you can do what I did and eat it for lunch and dinner for 4 days in a row. Sorry I don't have a photo - I will try to be better about photos with my recipes for you visual people (like me!).

Mexican Cookies

I grew up eating these cookies a LOT, as my mom made them frequently. They are really, really easy and quick to make. And I can scarf down a plate of these things in minutes. Though I can't imagine that these are actually frequently eaten in Mexico! But with the tortillas, cinnamon & chocolate, they do have a Mexican "flavor". So this recipe isn't so much a recipe as it is just directions.

















Flour tortillas
Cinnamon & sugar (mixed of course!)
Softened butter (or margarine or whatever you prefer)
Chocolate chips

Spread tortillas with butter. Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon & sugar. Cut into triangles and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for....oh, just until they are crisp. While they are baking, grind or grate or finely chop the chocolate chips to a powder. You can put them in a blender or just use a food chopper, just try to get all the chunks out so it's pretty fine. Once the tortillas are crisp, remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with the chocolate. Let set so chocolate melts. Then eat them!! These are so good, really!

By the way, I tried them tonight with whole wheat tortilas since that was all we had ... and they were actually pretty good. I still prefer the white flour but hey, they were a bit healthier this way, right? Really, these aren't so bad for the old diet - you use very little butter & sugar & chocolate but they still satisfy a sweet tooth.

PW's Salad

Here is something a bit lighter and healthier than my last post. I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman's blog and have been wanting to try it ever since. Finally got my chance. SO yummy!!! And really pretty easy and pretty healthy (well, except the dressing maybe....).

I'm just going to post the link to the recipe as she has all the step-by-step instructions and pictures. TRY THIS!!! And invite a friend or two, it makes a TON.

Pioneer Woman's Salad

The veggies I used were baby spinach, red yellow and orange peppers, cucumbers (I peeled, seeded and sliced thin), shredded carrots (buy them pre-shredded!), purple cabbage, Napa cabbage, green onions....oh and I used whole-wheat linguine. And no hot peppers in the dressing, and toned down the cilantro a bit. You can really do whatever you want here, it's pretty versatile. Some extra salt is needed when you serve it....and the chopped cashews on top are yummy.

I think I'm going to eat it for lunch. AGAIN. Yum.

Sin in a Pan

I had to post another dessert recipe. This is goooooooood stuff. I got this recipe from my girl Detective Shel (holla! LOL). Anyway, my other girl Investigator Kat (NOT Kitty Kat) has dubbed this Sin in a Pan. Absolutely correct. And no it is not a typo, there IS that much butter in this recipe! But hey, you can use fat-free condensed milk, that should help the fat grams. Ha ha, yeah, right. This is soooo good, and oh so addicting. But wait! 3 cups of oats? That's healthy, right? I mean, come on, it has to count for SOMEthing, right? Try this. You'll love it. Just make sure to remember it when you pray and ask for forgiveness. Because it is truly sinful. And delicious!

Double Fudge Oatmeal Bars (aka Sin in a Pan)

Filling:
6 oz chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk (you CAN use fat-free)
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
Melt these ingredients together in a saucepan until creamy, and set aside.


Dough:
2-1/2 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
3 cups oatmeal
1 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups softened (or melted) butter (YES! it IS 3 whole sticks!!!)
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
Mix all ingredients together until crumbly. Press half of the dough into a greased 9x13 pan. Pour chocolate filling over the dough. Put remainder of dough over filling to cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.


This stuff is soooooooooooooooo good. Try it. But exercise some moderation. Because it didn't get it's nickname of Sin in a Pan for nothing. :)

Inside/Outside Chocolate Chip Cake

I'm back!! Sorry it's been a while since my last recipe - I was just feeling the pressure to come up with something wonderful!! But I decided to go with something EASY and wonderful, so here's a simple for those of you that like easy recipes with very few ingredients (and you KNOW who you are....). I love this one, but I am a big chocolate fan. Really really like it. And this one is easy and very chocolatey - yummmmmmm. I don't know who I got this recipe from and I would love to give someone credit (Sharon?) but I don't know where it came from! So whoever you are, let me know! :)

Inside/Outside Chocolate Chip Cake

1 small box instant chocolate pudding
1 Devil's food cake mix
12 oz chocolate chips
2 eggs
1-3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together by hand, adding chips last. Pour into well-greased bundt or tube pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes - do not overbake!! Let cool in pan 15 minutes, then remove from pan. **once cake is cool, make sure to cover in plastic or the outside gets a little hard/chewy.
Easy-peezy and yummy!!!

Crispy Cinnamon French Toast

This is a popular recipe in our house - usually for dinner. In fact, tonight's dinner! This recipe is also great for a group since it's all done at the same time, unlike normal french toast where someone is always waiting to eat! Try it - it's really easy and I think you'll love it. Even those of you that don't like soggy bread, and you KNOW who you are. ;)

Crispy Cinnamon French Toast
3 cups corn flakes -- coarsely crushed
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 1" thick french bread slices

Preheat oven to 450°. Combine crushed cereal, sugar and cinnamon in pie plate. Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and salt in another pie plate. Let bread soak in egg mixture about 30 seconds on each side; coat with cereal mixture. Place on cookie sheet sprayed lightly sprayed with non-stick spray. Drizzle 2 Tbsp. melted butter over slices. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Serve with warmed maple syrup. (Bacon and sausage optional.)

Asian Noodle Bowl

We are having this for dinner tonight so I thought I would add it to the list. The girls and I both love this recipe - Dan is learning to like it the more often I make it. :) Which is frequent! I got it from a Pampered Chef cookbook and really, it's just yummy and easy. Oh, and I even have a picture I can add!

Asian Noodle Bowl

2 cups diced cooked chicken (I always use a rotisserie chicken)

2 cups thinly sliced bok choy

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

8 ounces sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup julienne cut carrots (I buy a bag of pre-shredded carrots)

1 1-inch piece peeled fresh gingerroot, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups water

1 can (14 oz) vegetable or chicken broth

2 Tbsp soy sauce (I use a bit more than this)

1 package ramen noodles (any flavor you prefer)

Dice, slice and chop ingredients as according to recipe. Place mushrooms, carrots, gingerroot and garlic in 4-qt (or larger) pan**. Add water, soy sauce, broth, and seasoning packet from ramen noodles; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, bok choy, green onions and noodles. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 3 minutes. Serve immediately. Yield: 8 servings.

**Sometimes I saute these in a bit of sesame oil, just adds some flavor. You can also increase the amount of noodles if you prefer more. And for those of you that like a little heat, you can spice it up with some asian hot sauce or something.