I love Suddenly Salad, but it has WAY TOO MUCH salt in it to be a good choice for my dietary requirements... so I improvised my own version of this classic picnic standby.... I have added nuts to this also, but really I like it better without the nuts....
Ingredients
1 lb. grilled chicken, cubed
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1/4 cup sliced olives
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed... NOT cooked
Powdered Garlic, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 lb. rotini pasta, cooked to al dente and chilled
1/2 cup Crumbled feta cheese
homemade olive oil mayonnaise
Directions
Make the mayonnaise and chill overnight.
Combine all the ingredients EXCEPT feta and drizzle mayonnaise to taste sprinkle with feta just before serving....
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Chicken Bruchetta Bake
As I promised, here is my recipe for one of my most famous potluck meals...
INGREDIENTS
3-4 lbs chicken
1 tbs. olive oil
2-3 tbs. minced garlic
2-3 large tomatoes diced (or one 28 oz can of petite diced tomatoes with the juice)
6 cups of croutons
3-4 tbs. ittalian seasoning
1-2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese... or more
1 cup of water
DIRECTIONS
Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and thoroughly cook in 1 tbs olive oil and 2-3 cloves of garlic. Combine all the ingredients together with the cooked chicken in a large mixing bowl and mix well, (reserve enough cheese for the topping, the rest is mixed in before baking, I sometimes add another cup of cheese if I am having a cheese craving).
Bake at 375 till cheese is melty (not sure that is a real word)
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There really is NO WAY to mess this one up, unless you forget to add the water, but then you just get some really crunchy bites here and there.... It freezes fantastically, I don't know how long you could freeze it though as my hubby really likes this dish too and it usually doesn't make it more than a day or two.... I have made this with mozzarella when I didn't have cheddar and it is really good that way too.... I guess you could use just about any good melty cheese...
I recently found out that Kraft makes something almost exactly like my recipe, but I have been making this for YEARS before I ever even saw their recipe.... My recipe makes two 9x13 casseroles
INGREDIENTS
3-4 lbs chicken
1 tbs. olive oil
2-3 tbs. minced garlic
2-3 large tomatoes diced (or one 28 oz can of petite diced tomatoes with the juice)
6 cups of croutons
3-4 tbs. ittalian seasoning
1-2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese... or more
1 cup of water
DIRECTIONS
Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and thoroughly cook in 1 tbs olive oil and 2-3 cloves of garlic. Combine all the ingredients together with the cooked chicken in a large mixing bowl and mix well, (reserve enough cheese for the topping, the rest is mixed in before baking, I sometimes add another cup of cheese if I am having a cheese craving).
Bake at 375 till cheese is melty (not sure that is a real word)
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There really is NO WAY to mess this one up, unless you forget to add the water, but then you just get some really crunchy bites here and there.... It freezes fantastically, I don't know how long you could freeze it though as my hubby really likes this dish too and it usually doesn't make it more than a day or two.... I have made this with mozzarella when I didn't have cheddar and it is really good that way too.... I guess you could use just about any good melty cheese...
I recently found out that Kraft makes something almost exactly like my recipe, but I have been making this for YEARS before I ever even saw their recipe.... My recipe makes two 9x13 casseroles
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
V-8 juice bread
I LOVE THIS BREAD!!!!! It is sooooo good. And with spinach, v-8 juice, and garlic....it is good for you too, in moderation of course...
My 1 1/2 year old son loves this bread toasted with some feta cheese melted on top. I use the leftover bread (if there ever is any) to make croutons for salad or for Chicken Bruchetta Bake (I will post that recipe next week...)
It freezes really well, so you can make up a triple batch and freeze two loaves for later baking, just take the dough out of the freezer the night before you want to use it and let the dough stand at room temperature until completely thawed and allow it to rise for about 1 hour in a warm place after it is completely thawed, then bake as usual.
Ingredients
1 (11 1/2 ounce) can V8 vegetable juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash tabasco sauce
3-4 cups bread flour (you can also sub 1/2 of the white flour with wheat and add 1 tsp wheat germ per cup of wheat flour) IF MAKING BY HAND you will need more flour.
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary
3 teaspoons yeast
about 1 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves (stems removed)
3/4 cup dried tomatoes, chopped to about the size of raisins
FOR BREAD MACHINE BAKERS
1. In the bread machine pan, place all ingredients (except the dried tomatoes) in the order suggested by the manufacturer.
2. Use the'basic' bread setting and'light' crust color, for 1 1/2 lb loaf.
3. When the machine beeps during the kneading cycle, add the dried tomatoes a few at a time until they are kneaded into the dough.
****If you want to make up a double or triple batch for later use, set your machine on "dough" cycle and follow the above instructions through to when you add the tomatoes, then when they are mixed in, take the dough out of the machine and let it rise in a large mixing bowl. Punch the dough down and form into loaves, you will need more flour to make the dough handle well. Wrap extra loaves in saran wrap or freezer paper and freeze. Put the loaf you will bake now in a GLASS loaf baking dish and let it rise till doubled again, bake at 325* for about 1 hour
FOR HAND BAKERS
1. Put yeast and 1 tsp of sugar or honey in a 1/4 cup of warm (NOT HOT) water and set aside to proof.
2. In a large bowl combine all ingredients EXCEPT flour and tomatoes.
3. Add the foamy yeast water, stir well.
4. Add flour, stirring with a large spoon, at about 1 cup at a time till the dough is too hard to stir with the spoon, then get your hands involved. Keep adding flour and kneeding till you have an elastic, but firm dough.
5. Place dough in a large oiled bowl and cover, allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk.
6. Punch the dough down and kneed in the sun dried tomatoes.
7. Form into loaves, you will need more flour to make the dough handle well. If making extra, wrap extra loaves in saran wrap or freezer paper and freeze.
8. Put the loaf you will bake now in a GLASS loaf baking dish and let it rise till doubled again, bake at 325* for about 1 hour
My 1 1/2 year old son loves this bread toasted with some feta cheese melted on top. I use the leftover bread (if there ever is any) to make croutons for salad or for Chicken Bruchetta Bake (I will post that recipe next week...)
It freezes really well, so you can make up a triple batch and freeze two loaves for later baking, just take the dough out of the freezer the night before you want to use it and let the dough stand at room temperature until completely thawed and allow it to rise for about 1 hour in a warm place after it is completely thawed, then bake as usual.
Ingredients
1 (11 1/2 ounce) can V8 vegetable juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash tabasco sauce
3-4 cups bread flour (you can also sub 1/2 of the white flour with wheat and add 1 tsp wheat germ per cup of wheat flour) IF MAKING BY HAND you will need more flour.
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary
3 teaspoons yeast
about 1 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves (stems removed)
3/4 cup dried tomatoes, chopped to about the size of raisins
FOR BREAD MACHINE BAKERS
1. In the bread machine pan, place all ingredients (except the dried tomatoes) in the order suggested by the manufacturer.
2. Use the'basic' bread setting and'light' crust color, for 1 1/2 lb loaf.
3. When the machine beeps during the kneading cycle, add the dried tomatoes a few at a time until they are kneaded into the dough.
****If you want to make up a double or triple batch for later use, set your machine on "dough" cycle and follow the above instructions through to when you add the tomatoes, then when they are mixed in, take the dough out of the machine and let it rise in a large mixing bowl. Punch the dough down and form into loaves, you will need more flour to make the dough handle well. Wrap extra loaves in saran wrap or freezer paper and freeze. Put the loaf you will bake now in a GLASS loaf baking dish and let it rise till doubled again, bake at 325* for about 1 hour
FOR HAND BAKERS
1. Put yeast and 1 tsp of sugar or honey in a 1/4 cup of warm (NOT HOT) water and set aside to proof.
2. In a large bowl combine all ingredients EXCEPT flour and tomatoes.
3. Add the foamy yeast water, stir well.
4. Add flour, stirring with a large spoon, at about 1 cup at a time till the dough is too hard to stir with the spoon, then get your hands involved. Keep adding flour and kneeding till you have an elastic, but firm dough.
5. Place dough in a large oiled bowl and cover, allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk.
6. Punch the dough down and kneed in the sun dried tomatoes.
7. Form into loaves, you will need more flour to make the dough handle well. If making extra, wrap extra loaves in saran wrap or freezer paper and freeze.
8. Put the loaf you will bake now in a GLASS loaf baking dish and let it rise till doubled again, bake at 325* for about 1 hour
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Mandarin Salad
I made this salad for a church potluck.... it went so fast, it was gone before I got to it!
Ingredients
Salad
1 bag of fresh spinach
1/2 bag baby greens salad mix
3 mandarin oranges or 1 small can of mandarin oranges in light syrup
1/4 cup blue cheese
1/4 cup walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Dressing
3 tbs red wine vinegar
2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper, or to taste
1 tbs orange juice
2 tbs pesto (recipe follows)
Toss salad ingredients together and set aside. Put dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend till smooth. Toss dressing with salad just before serving.
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Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tbs pine nuts
1 or 2 large cloves garlic
2 tbs olive oil
Add all but the olive oil to a food processor and chop till fine. Add oil and process till combined.
Pesto freezes well, so you can make lots to use in various recipes.
Ingredients
Salad
1 bag of fresh spinach
1/2 bag baby greens salad mix
3 mandarin oranges or 1 small can of mandarin oranges in light syrup
1/4 cup blue cheese
1/4 cup walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Dressing
3 tbs red wine vinegar
2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper, or to taste
1 tbs orange juice
2 tbs pesto (recipe follows)
Toss salad ingredients together and set aside. Put dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend till smooth. Toss dressing with salad just before serving.
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Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tbs pine nuts
1 or 2 large cloves garlic
2 tbs olive oil
Add all but the olive oil to a food processor and chop till fine. Add oil and process till combined.
Pesto freezes well, so you can make lots to use in various recipes.
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