Chicken Salad

I love good chicken salad. Ina's recipe is just that and more, it's a great chicken salad. This salad is delicious served over crispy lettuce leaves or on a delicious homemade bread! In my never ending effort to try and cut out bread whenever I can, I served this over lettuce leaves.


Ina Garten's Chicken Salad

• 2 chicken breasts (You can also use leftover rotisserie chicken)
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 1/2 cup walnut halves
• 1/2 cup good mayo (I used light)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (I used light)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves , divided (I used dried)
  
• 1 cup green grapes, cut in 1/2 (I used red grapes)
  
• lettuce leaves for serving
  

• Place the pecans and walnuts on a separate sheet pan and toast in the oven for 7 to 8 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool.
• For the dressing, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Fold in half the chopped tarragon leaves.
• Place the diced chicken in a bowl, add the pecans, walnuts and grapes. Pour the dressing over the chicken and toss well. Sprinkle the remaining chopped tarragon leaves on top, and serve on a bed of lettuce leaves.

I am linking this to Souper, Salad and Sammie Sunday's at Kahakai Kitchen, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday's, Tuesday's at the Table , Tuesday Night Supper Club and Eats and Treats Thursday at Bargain Hoot!

Pink Saturday

I am always looking for fun things for Pink Saturday! In a recent trip to Garden Ridge, I spotted this picture! It definitely brought a smile to my face.

Happy Pink Saturday!!!!!

Champagne Risotto with Leeks and Asparagus

We've been really busy these past couple of weeks. When I went to choose my recipe for today, I realized I had only one recipe in my drafts. Then I discovered I didn't have a picture! I decided to repost one of my favorites, Champagne Risotto with Leeks and Asparagus.

I posted this in my early blogging days when no one was reading my blog, so I don't even think it really counts as a repost. I love this recipe and it's one I've been making for years. Those of you who are leery of risotto, give this recipe a try! You won't be sorry, it's so delicious.


I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum!

From The Good Life

You may remember that Tim's son Michael has been spending his senior year as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student in Japan. Fortunately Mike was several hundred miles south of the earthquake area. However with all of the uncertainty around the nuclear plants, we felt Mike needed to return home. Last Saturday night, after almost 24 hours of travel and security lines of five hours in Tokyo, Mike returned to Nebraska.




We're glad to have him home and look forward to hearing all (or at least most) of the stories from his seven months in Japan.

Cumin Seared Scallop Tacos

I love food tv. I remember years ago when the Food Network was first on the air. A friend of mine in Florida told me about the channel. I couldn't wait until we were able to get the channel in the midwest. Food Network was all about Emeril and Sarah Molten in those days. Now there's more chefs than you can count and there's a sister network, The Cooking Channel. While I don't watch The Cooking Channel as much as Food Network, I do watch some of the programs. One of my favorite shows is Kelsey's Essentials. Kelsey was one of my favorites from the 4th season of Next Food Network Star. Do you have a favorite food tv star?

I am always looking for new and different ways to serve scallops. When I saw the episode where Kelsey prepared these, I knew it was a recipe I wanted to try. I have to admit I didn't make the salsa. I used the salsa we purchased at Whole Foods to go on the Maui Maui we had a few days before. This makes a quick, easy and delicious weeknight dinner!




Cumin Seared Scallop Tacos

Ingredients

* Tomatillo Guacamole, recipe follows
* Cilantro-Lime Rice, recipe follows
* Mango Salsa, recipe follows
* Cumin-Seared Scallop Tacos
* 1 1/4 pounds large sea scallops (about 8)

* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

* Tomatillo Guacamole
* 6 to 8 tomatillos, husked and coarsely chopped (about 8 ounces)
* 3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
* 1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
* 1/2 onion, coarsely chopped

* 1/2 jalapeno, coarsely chopped with seeds
* 2 cloves garlic, smashed and quartered
* Juice of 1 lime
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon salt

* Cilantro-Lime Rice
* 1/2 cup rice
* 5 sprigs fresh cilantro

* 1 cup chicken broth
* Juice of 1 lime

* Mango Salsa
* 1/2 cup diced mango
* 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
* 2 tablespoons minced onion

* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 teaspoons minced Serrano chile
* Zest and juice of 1 lime

Directions
First prepare the tomatillo guacamole, cilantro-lime rice, and mango salsa and set aside.

Remove the tough ligament from the side of each scallop and discard. Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Season both sides of each scallop with salt, and cumin.

In a large cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Allow the skillet to get as hot as possible without burning the butter.

Sear the scallops, turning once, until golden brown on each side, and just cooked through, about 3-5 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and quarter.

To assemble, toast corn tortillas, if desired, over an open flame just until slightly charred. Fill each tortilla with 2 tablespoons rice, 1 tablespoon guacamole, 1 seared and quartered scallop, and top with mango salsa. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
To make guacamole:
Combine the tomatillos, cilantro, avocado, onion, jalapeno, garlic, lime juice, cumin, and salt in a food processor or blender and pulse until combined.
To make the rice:
In a small saucepan, bring the rice, cilantro, broth, rice, and lime juice to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Remove the cilantro sprigs and serve.
To make the salsa:
Combine the mango, tomatoes, minced onion, cilantro, chile, lime zest, and lime juice in a small bowl. Allow the flavors to macerate. Serve as a garnish for the cumin seared scallop tacos.

I am linking this to Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday's at The Table and Tuesday Night Supper Club.

Spiced Chipotle Honey Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Today's recipe is courtesy of an amazing blogger, Joanne of Eats Well With Others. Joanne is in medical school, is a runner and still maintains one of the best blogs on the blogsphere. Her blog has amazing recipes and some of the funniest and best stories out there. If you haven't been to her blog, run on over there!!! You won't be sorry!!

If you're looking for a new chicken recipe, give this one a try. The flavors are delicious. I am not a huge fan or spicy dishes but I loved this one. The flavor of the sweet potatoes goes so well with the spice of the chile's. If you find it a little too spicy, you can cut back a little on the chile's or even scrape them off your piece before eating!


Spiced Chipotle Honey Chicken Breasts with Sweet Potatoes
Serves 4,
Courtesy of Eats Well With Others, adapted from Melissa Clark's
In The Kitchen with a Good Appetite

20 oz butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
20 oz sweet potato, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
chopped cilantro or basil for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Toss the sweet potatoes and butternut squash with 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Spray a roasting pan with cooking spray and then spread the sweet potatoes and squash over it. Roast for 15 minutes.

2. While the sweet potatoes and squash are cooking, in a small bowl, mix together the remaining tbsp of olive oil, chiles, garlic, honey, cider vinegar, salt, cumin, and cinnamon, until they form a paste. Rub the paste all over the chicken. Carefully place the chicken on top of the sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Put back in the oven and continue to roast until the chicken is just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Serve garnished with cilantro or basil.

I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.

Irish Soda Bread & A Celebrity Cook-Along!!!

When I realized it was going to be my turn to pick the recipe for Sweet Melissa Sunday's in March, I immediately turned to Irish Soda Bread. A perfect March recipe and a bread we so enjoy. I made Irish Soda Bread for the first time last year. Melissa's recipe includes currants and raisins, while the recipe I made last year did not. Curious, I did some research on the history of Irish Soda Bread. I was interested to find out the ingredients in the traditional recipe. As it turns out, currants and raisins are a later addition to the traditional recipe.

The instructions in Melissa's recipe are to knead the dough lightly, adding a little more flour if necessary. I found this dough to be VERY sticky, so I chose to add a little more flour and use the dough hook on my Kitchen Aid. Much as I've tried, I've never mastered the art of kneading by hand. After kneading for a minute or two and adding a few tablespoons of flour, I still found the dough to be sticky. Rather than make this bread in round loaves on a cookie sheet, as Melissa suggests, I used a loaf pan. As I turned the dough into the pan, I was really hoping the bread was going to turn out. After all I was hosting and I didn't want to be posting about one of my flops!

I checked the bread after 30 minutes and it wasn't done. I continued baking in 5 minute increments until at 45 minutes the wooden skewer came out clean. After the bread cooled, I made a cup of Chai Tea and tried a slice. It's a delicious, hearty bread that would pair perfectly with soup, stew or even Corned Beef and Cabbage.


This is our SMS recipe for March 20th. Yes, I am posting a little early. You'll find the other SMS baker's results here on the 20th. I am also linking this to the St. Patrick's Day Blog crawl at Cuisine Kathleen's, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday's, Tuesday's at the Table.

Irish Soda Bread

From: The Sweet Melissa Baking Book
Yield: One 3-pound Loaf

Ingredients:

1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup black currants
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional)
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

In a medium bowl, combine the raisins and currents. Pour boiling water over to cover and set aside to reconstitute. In a bowl of of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and cloves. Add the cold butter pieces and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the caraway seeds, if using, and mix to blend. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk.

Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl to combine thoroughly. Do not over mix. Drain the raisins and currants thoroughly. Add them to the dough and mix on low speed for 20 seconds.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Kneed the dough gently, until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Using a little flour, if needed, form the dough into one large round - or divide it in half to form two small rounds.

Place the round (rounds) on the prepared baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut the traditional "X" cutting about 1 1/2 inches deep into the top. Bake for 20 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes for the large loaf, or 10 minutes for the smaller loaves. The loaves will be golden, and a wooden skewer inserted into the center wil come out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Irish soda bread is best eaten the day it is made, but it can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for two days. For longer storage, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to five days, or freeze well wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for up to three weeks. Defrost still wrapped at room temperature.

Last by not least, I am joining Lynn at Happier Than A Pig in Mud for her Celebrity Cook-along. Her cook-along is featuring the recipes of Ina Garten. I enjoy Ina's recipes and had a hoped to find the time to make a new one for this event but out of town guests and daylight savings time got the best of me. I'm linking to an earlier recipe I made, Ina's Granola Bars. If you haven't made them, give them a try. They're delicious!