Chicken Cordon Bleu Salad

I truly am the worst blogger ever. I made this sooooo long ago but again it wasnt on the website right away so it never got posted. I only remember it because the page of the magazine was torn out and staring at me for the last few weeks. It was so worth blogging so I am happily posting it now. Such things wouldnt happen if I was on the ball. I am going to force myself to do better. If I dont stick with it, some yummy dishes will get lost in the shuffle again.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Salad

borrowed from Racheal Ray MagazineI

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound fingerling or small yukon gold potatoes, quartered lengthwise
• Salt and pepper
• 2 chicken cutlets (4 ounces each)
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for drizzling
• 1/2 pound 1/2-inch-thick ham steak
• 1 large shallot
• 1/4 cup grainy dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey or agave syrup
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/3 pound thick deli-sliced swiss cheese
• 1 celery root, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 1 bunch watercress, trimmed
• 1 baguette, warmed, for serving
• Butter, for serving
• 
  
• DIRECTIONS

1. In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, salt the water and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Rinse under cold water; drain well.

   
   Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat a drizzle of EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the cutlets and cook, turning once, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the ham steak to the skillet and cook, turning once, until browned, about 5 minutes.
   
   While the meats cook, grate the shallot into the bottom of a large salad bowl. Whisk in the mustard, vinegar and honey, then whisk in 1/3 cup EVOO. Season with the thyme, salt and pepper.
   
   Cut the chicken, ham and swiss cheese into thin strips and add to the dressing. Add the celery root, carrots and potatoes. Toss to coat well. Divide the salad among plates garnished with the watercress leaves. Serve with the baguette and butter.

   VERDICT:

   This is a GREAT salad. Really unique flavor. I loved the combo and this is perfect for an Easter buffet, I realize its June and summer but one day I will be looking for a great Easter luncheon dish and it will take me directly to this posting. It was such a complete meal and the leftovers were just as great. I dont cook RR often but the ones I do seem to pick are recipes that end up cooking again and again. This one is added to my keeper pile.

Greek Grilled Chicken and Vegetables with Pita

I started taking a photography class to learn how to take better pictures. Admittedly I used to take much better pictures for the blog, but I am always in such a rush I dont have time to make things look as pretty as I used too. I dont use the different colored plates anymore either. Maybe I will try to make that my 2nd year resolution. I truly do this blog for myself so the pictures dont really matter to me. I have had so many awesome recipes that I just dont want to lose any of them. I am much more selective then I used to be when posting. Only the truly great recipes seem to make it on, because it isnt worth my time if it was just eh. This one sadly has such a bad picture. I only took one when I had about 6 minutes to eat, grab my camera and drive to class in the pouring rain. Note to reader. DONT eat this salad if you are going to be in public. I used a ton of garlic and it STUNK!!!! But it was OH so worth every stinky bit.

Greek Grilled Chicken and Vegetables with Pita

borrowed from Rachael Ray via Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders, 2 packages from meat case
• Salt and pepper
• 8 pita breads
• 1 ripe lemon, zested and juiced
• 3 tablespoon red wine vinegar, eyeball it
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it ***I used maybe 1/4 cup***
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped oregano, 4 stems, stripped of leaves and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 hearts Romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1/3 seedless or English cucumber, diced
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, a couple of handfuls, chopped **I omitted**

Directions

Preheat grill pan over high heat. Place chicken in shallow dish and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Wrap pita breads in foil. Place in warm oven and heat until dinner is served.

Combine lemon zest, juice and vinegar in a bowl and whisk in oil. Add oregano, garlic and whisk again to combine into dressing. Pour half the dressing over chicken tenders. Turn tenders in dressing to coat.

Combine remaining salad ingredients in a bowl. Pour remaining dressing over salad and toss well. The salad should be very lightly dressed. Season salad with salt and pepper and transfer to a large serving platter.

Grill tenders 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Transfer hot tenders to the salad lined serving platter. Remove pitas from oven and unwrap. Cut pitas in half and arrange around the edge of platter.

To serve, each person can pile grilled chicken and veggies into pita halves, wrap up on either side and enjoy!

VERDICT

OH MY......Delicious. This was such a yummy meal. I am sad I ate it so fast I didnt enjoy it. But I will be making it again soon. As I have said before I tend to reduct the oil in my dressings to cut some of the fat. I also like things on the more vinegary side then oily. So far I have never been sorry I did this. I also used fresh herbs for the dressing and on the chicken and I think it really punched the flavor. My store just started carrying small single size fresh herbs for $1, so it doesnt bother me as much to toss out what I didnt use. But I used them entire thing on the chicken and I think it was worth the fresh oregano. This whole meal was really perfect for me. The salty, vinegar flavor was oh so good. This would be a great casual meal to make for a crowd.

Pretzel Chicken

I made this recipe on Nov. 2nd. I guess with the computer crash of 09' and then the holidays I never blogged it. I am doing this for 2 reasons. 1-Its a great idea that has a lot of promise 2-Its probably the most fattening meal I have made in 09' so it deserves to not be forgotten just for the 2 lbs I probably gained by eating it. AND silly me, I just found the entry I meant to post but never did with verdict and everything. Wish I knew that sooner. Oopsie.

Pretzel-Crusted Chicken and Zucchini Strips with Cheddar-Spicy Mustard Dipping Sauce

adapted from Rachael Ray Show Dec. 26 2006

Ingredients

• 1 bag of salted pretzels, any shape
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 eggs *** I ended up needing 3 eggs***
• 2 small, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips 1/2-inch thick
• 2 medium to large zucchini, cut in quarters lengthwise then into strips 3 to 4 inches long
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) (eyeball it) **I don’t know how ¼ cup of EVOO would be ¼ of the way up the skillet—I guess it was a small skillet***

I halved the sauce recipe because it was just the 3 of us. It was just the right amount.

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 pound (about 2 1/2 cups) sharp yellow cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 heaping tablespoons spicy brown mustard, such as Gulden’s
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 3 to 4-inch sticks
• 3 celery stalks, cut into 3 to 4-inch sticks
• 2 large sour dill pickles

Yields: 5-6 servings

Preparation

Preheat oven to 200°F.

Place the pretzels in a food processor or blender and grind until fine.

Transfer the ground pretzels to a shallow dish, add the thyme and some pepper, and mix to combine.

Crack and beat 2 eggs in a second shallow dish with a splash of water.

Coat the chicken breast and zucchini strips in the ground pretzels, then in egg, then in the pretzels again.

Preheat a large skillet with the EVOO, enough to go 1/4 inch up the sides of the skillet.

Add the pretzel-coated chicken breast to the hot oil.

Cook in a single layer, in two batches if necessary, about 3-4 minutes on each side, until cutlets' juices run clear and the breading is evenly browned.

Transfer the finished chicken strips to the oven to keep warm. Repeat the same process with the zucchini.

While the zucchini is frying, heat a medium saucepot over medium heat, melt butter and add the flour.

Cook flour and butter for 1 minute then whisk in the milk.

When the milk comes to a bubble, stir in cheese and mustard with a wooden spoon.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and remove from heat.

Transfer the fried pretzel-crusted chicken and zucchini pieces to a serving plate.

Serve the mustard-cheddar sauce, carrot and celery sticks, and pickle spears alongside

VERDICT
Ok so if you know me and you follow this blog you know we don’t really eat fried food in our house. This recipe is FULL of FAT. ALL OVER THE PLACE. You cant escape it. I didn’t realize when I chose this recipe that it was really just frying the entire meal in oil. A few carrotts and celery arent going to make up for it. BUT it was good. I cant lie. The cheese sauce was awesome and would be perfect for soft pretzels too. I need to work on a lighter version because I did like the pretzel crumbs. I guess if you made these for a party or a special treat it isnt so bad but wow, that was a lot of fried everything on my plate. I just wasn’t expecting it!!!!

Creamed Chicken with Gnocchi

Let's me start the new year off by apologizing for my horribly lazy blogging habits. In all fairness I am not sure how I would have fit it into everything else I had on my plate....oddly enough there want much good cooking on my plate since mid-November. I threw together a lot of dinners on the fly and used most of my go to really simple meals thrown together with my pantry staples. I will blog the ones worth talking about but mostly it was nothing I was really thrilled with but it got the job done. So now I am back and I hope you will check in with me from time to time and see what I have been cooking. I am only 10 recipes away from my 100th blog and I am trying to decide what that 100th dinner should be. Something fabulous of course.

I am going to try to start the new year off with some more healthy, low fat entires too. I also found some great new blogs and cant wait to make some of the yummy recipes I have saved up.

So for my 1st blog of 2010--I give you

Creamed Chicken with Gnocchi

Borrowed from Everyday with Rachel Ray

INGREDIENTS

One 1-pound package potato gnocchi

4 tablespoons butter

1 onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into thin strips

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup half-and-half

1 cup chicken broth

2 scallions, chopped

Directions:

Cook the gnocchi according to package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook until toasted, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the half-and-half and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until thickened. Whisk into the chicken mixture, then stir in the gnocchi. Bring to a simmer, then season with salt and pepper and top with the scallions.

VERDICT

I loved this recipe. it was sooooo easy. It s comfort food at its best. The kids loved it and I cant wait to make it again. I want to try it with the half and half next time but it was honestly nice and creamy using just whole milk. I really like this recipe because it uses many things I always have in the fridge and pantry so it will be a go to winter meal for this family.

Thanksgiving Turkey Meatloaf Burger

UGH! I cant believe I got myself a whole weeks worth of dinners behind again. I have a computer that likes to be temperamental, the Yanks have been keeping me up at night and I was prepping for a cocktail party I had for my ladies so that was "research" for the blog and it just happened. I cant wait to post about all those yummy recipes too.

I wont chit chat too much since I need to get through my stack of meals so I can catch up.

Thanksgiving Turkey Meatloaf Burger

Borrowed from Oct. 2009 Rachel Ray Magazine

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
1 small mcintosh apple, peeled and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small rib celery, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 pound ground dark-meat turkey
1 large egg
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning (about 2/3 palmful)
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
Sliced sharp white cheddar, for topping
1/3 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped chives
4 large sandwich-size sourdough English muffins, split and toasted
4 thin slices red onion
4 leaves red-leaf or red romaine lettuce

Directions:
1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter to melt, then add the apple, onion and celery; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the breadcrumbs, then transfer to a bowl to cool; reserve the skillet. Mix in the turkey, egg, parsley, mustard and poultry seasoning; season with salt and pepper. Form into four 4-inch patties.

2. Wipe out the reserved skillet and add a liberal drizzle of EVOO. Warm over medium-high heat, add the patties and cook, turning once, until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Top with the cheddar during the last minute.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the cranberry sauce, sour cream and chives.

4. Serve the patties on the English muffins with the onion, lettuce and cranberry-sour cream sauce.

VERDICT
I followed this recipe exactly and can I just say this is BY FAR one of my favorite recipes I have ever made. IT WAS AWESOME. Whichever of Rachel Ray’s employees created this recipe, they deserve a raise and a half. The flavor—UHhhhh!!! I wanted to eat this ever night last week. The leftovers were even awesome. You need to eat them on the big English muffin too. I don’t know why but I think a roll would be too much bread. Oh and the cranberry sauce---HOLY COW is it awesome. I seriously don’t know what else to say about this burger but, get yourself to the store and make these tomorrow night. It does seem like a lot of ingredients but it did pull together really quickly once you got all the chopping out of the way. Just typing this is making me want them again so I think Sunday afternoon we will be munching on these for sure!!!!!

Pork with Roasted Lemon-Apple Relish

So not every meal works out 100% and to prove this I will now post a picture of my burnt pan with the caramelized onions and lemons.....oopsie!

Nice right??? I spent a lot of time with a Brillo tonight trying to save my pan....and I spent a good chunk of time trying to make another side to serve with the pork
Pork with Roasted Lemon-Apple Relish--Kind of
from Everyday with Rachael Ray

2 pounds boneless pork loin roast, tied
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 lemon, thinly sliced crosswise and seeded
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup raisins
1 green apple, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425°.

Place the pork on one side of a large baking dish, rub with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

On the other side of the dish, combine the lemon, onion, 1 tablespoon olive oil and the sugar; season with salt and pepper and arrange in an even layer.

Roast until the pork registers 150° on an instant-read thermometer and the lemon slices are browned around the edges, about 30 minutes.

Tent the pork with foil and let rest.
Transfer the lemon mixture to a work surface and chop.

In a medium glass bowl, combine the apple juice and raisins; microwave on high power for 1 minute.

Stir in the lemon mixture, apple, vinegar and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Thinly slice the pork and serve with the relish.

OR

if you burn the thin slices of lemon and onion because your daughter was being quite demanding and you turned the timer off and never took the actual dinner out of the over. Peel and core 2 green apples. Cut into thin strip. Saute them in a tablespoon of butter for 5 minutes. Take 1/4 cup raisins and a 1/2 cup apple juice and microwave for 1 minute. Add them to the apples reserving about 3 tbsp liquid. Add a tsp of cornstarch and then add to the pan and stir. Try to pick off as much of the lemons and onions that aren't burnt and add them to the apples. Cook until softened.

VERDICT

After my little drama over burning the key parts to this dish I was a little worried. I was to say it was pretty delicious. I really liked my apple version although I don't know what the original was supposed to taste like but I would make it this way again. I have to say the pork was delicious. The best I have ever made. I usually over cook it but this was really juicy and tender. I think I used my mandolin slicer and made the slices too thin and that is why they burned so quickly. Next time I will used a thicker slice and see what I can make out of that! All in all a great fall meal. I even made my own mashed sweet potatoes...aren't you impressed. I was annoyed because they were out of the Ore Ida Steam and Mash this week. Making me work TOO hard for dinner!!!! It was a really quick dinner to put together...well it would have been if I hadnt burned it . Oh and if you want to get a toddler to eat anything put some mushy apples and raisins on it--worked like a charm

Caprese Lasagna

First things 1st I just realized that in the title were I was putting the date the actual blog was putting the date above it. And it was a clicky link and should have the recipe title in there. Have you ever looked at something so many times and never noticed? I feel kind of silly it took me this long. Did everyone else notice that and not say anything? Do I have toilet paper stuck to my foot? Spinach in my teeth--gee thanks :)
Next
How cute are these 2? Like mother like kids....and yes Jackson cooks with no pants on...like mother like...just kidding!

And finally the actual reason you read this crazy blog

Caprese Lasagna
borrowed from Lauren's Kitchen borrowed from that corn nut Racheal Ray
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken stock
A few grates of fresh nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 box oven-ready lasagna noodles
4 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
Half a bunch basil, chopped (about 30 leaves)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese--I used double this cheese easily

Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF.
Place a large saucepot over medium-heat and melt the butter.
Add the garlic to the pan and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute.
Sprinkle the flour over the butter and garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
Whisk the milk and chicken stock into the butter-flour mixture and bring up to a bubble.
Add the nutmeg, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and simmer until thickened, 3-4 minutes.
Assemble the lasagna by ladling a small amount (about 1/4 cup, just eyeball it) of the sauce into the bottom of a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish and laying three lasagna noodles over the sauce.
Top the noodles with about a third of the sliced tomatoes, a third of the basil, 1/4 cup of sauce and about a third of the shredded cheese.
Repeat until all ingredients are used up, topping the lasagna off with a final layer of sauce and shredded cheese.
Cover the pan with foil and bake the lasagna for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil from the baking dish and bake another 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.
When ready to serve, top with the remaining chopped basil leaves.

VERDICT
When Lauren posted this recipe on her blog she said, don't read the rest of this entry just go to the store, buy the ingredients and make this. So I did. I peaked at her comments and they were rave so I figured I best try this recipe. HOLY CRAP!! This is so good. I did mess it up a little bit. I made the sauce too thick (cooked it down too long) so there wasn't as much sauce as there needed to be so the top layer got a little burned and crunchy but it was still delicious. I cant believe how simple it was but how tasty. I am sad there are no leftovers. Next time I will double the sauce and add maybe 2 more layers to it. It was pretty thin when it was finished. You could easily add spinach & artichokes to this also. So now I am saying it, go to the store, but the ingredients and make this dish now! Or tomorrow or this week at least!

Chicken Piccata Salad

While I was trying to get dinner on the table tonight the kids were both being a bit needy. Thankfully they have almost returned to my normal sweet babies after being away and off their routines. But needy at dinner cooking time is nothing out of the ordinary. So I was getting flustered & slightly annoyed because I had to keep stopping and then the recipe was bugging me because I kept loosing my place and I was thinking “WHY am I cooking this, why am I bothering?”



So I stopped what I was doing and appeased my two sweeties and then started to think about why I do this every night. I am a stay at home mom and I always thought that meant that I should have a good dinner on the table. We always ate dinner as a family when I was young and I think its important. I also like to feed my husband a nice meal at the end of his long work day. Then I started thinking about my kids. I cant say that I don’t serve store bought chicken fingers, turkey meatballs and other child friendly things from the freezer a few times a week. But on a night like tonight when I was just rushing to get it done, and then Jackson loved the dinner I made, and asked for more, that is really why I am continuing to do this. If I didn’t introduce him to new flavors and new foods, he would be stuck in the kid food rut and I want better for him then that. I hope that Mia Grace is the same way. She started eating puffs on Monday all by her self and judging from her pure joy from just puffs I think she will be another adventurous eater. I don’t want to look down the road and complain about my picky eaters when I had the power to make sure they tried lots of new things but I was too busy to make it for them.

Ok its Rachael Ray time. I used to be obsessed with her and watched her show everyday at 6pm….before I had kids that is. But I really never made any of her dishes. I have a few of her cookbooks too and I was never overly impressed with anything she cooked. I am not sure why, because she does cook things that always look great on Tv but when I make them its just kind of eh-
But I picked up her magazine because I had never bought it before so I thought I would check it out. I bookmarked 3 recipes and stayed tuned for the RR verdicts!!! Hint—I might subscribe (or just read them online)

Chicken Piccata Salad
Borrowed from Rachael Ray Everyday magazine



INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
1/2 pound green beans, halved crosswise
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped capers
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Grated peel and juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper
1 large egg **doubled**
1/4 cup flour **doubled**
Two 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, lightly pounded ** I used 4 thin sliced breasts totaling a pound**
1/4 cup chicken broth

· In a large saucepan, add the potatoes and enough salted water to cover by 1 inch.

· Bring to a boil and cook until almost tender, about 10 minutes.
· Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a colander.
· Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
· Drain in the colander with the potatoes; let cool slightly.
· In a large bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon capers, 3 tablespoons parsley, the lemon peel and half of the lemon juice.
· Add the potatoes and beans and toss; season with salt and pepper.
· In a shallow bowl, beat the egg. In another shallow bowl, season the flour with salt and pepper.
· In a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat.
· Coat the chicken breasts with the seasoned flour, then dip in the egg, allowing any excess to drip off, and coat with the flour again, shaking off the excess.
· Add to the skillet and cook, turning once, until golden, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into strips.
· Add the chicken broth to the skillet; cook over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits.
· Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon capers, 1 tablespoon parsley and lemon juice.
· Top the salad with the chicken and drizzle with the pan sauce.

VERDICT
HOLY COW! I know, I know you get sick of hearing me say you have to make this but I swear you will email me to thank me for introducing this dish into your life. It was so good. Doug told me three times how much he liked it and Jackson asked for more….Toddlers don’t eat anything let alone ask for seconds. It was really fresh and flavorful and it was a really great all in one type meal/salad. I would make the veggie again as a side for something else too. I did Double the chicken because I didn’t feel like 2 breasts would be enough for us. I have hungry boys in my house. I also did use the capers even though I thought I didn’t like them. If you don’t usually like them or are scared just smush them up and chop them really, really small and they blend but add a touch of different flavor. The one thing I found annoying was when you see the amount of ingredients in the list but then you don’t add it all at once. I find it confusing and annoying to have to keep looking back to see how much I was supposed to use. But it isn’t the piccata salad’s fault just my own pet peeve.


This dish would be great for a brunch because it is best at room temperature and it looks kind of fancy and you could stretch lots of cheaper ingredients. The recipe was in the magazine for recipes $10 and under and I think for the money this is a keeper. I will be making this one again soon

Rachael Ray Chicken Salad Sandwich

Cooking dinner nightly with 2 small kids being pretty demanding just got easier with the introduction of puffs. Miss Puff Princess Amelia Grace could eat them for hours upon hours and be perfectly content. She is quite good at delicately placing them in her mouth...only 1/2 of them end up on the floor or down her shirt

So you are wondering where August 10th went huh?

I was going out with the ladies so I cooked the guys some quesadillas again. Recipes already on here so no need for a re-post

Onto dinner...from last week shhhhh I am still playing catch up

Here is another Rachael Ray Day. Again I find her pretty annoying but I am always on the look out for new inspiration and I had not tapped into her magazine yet. I refuse to call a sandwich a Sammie, I will put that out there from the beginning so I have to change the name of this recipe but if you would like to see the given name, click on the link for now I will simply call it

Rachael Ray Chicken Salad Sandwich
Adapted from the lady herself Rachael Ray

INGREDIENTS

1 large shallot, finely chopped
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Salt and pepper
3 cups shredded poached chicken or skinned rotisserie chicken
3 ribs celery from the heart, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped or grated
A handful of butter lettuce leaves, torn or chopped ** I love Boston Bidd for Sandwiches**
4 sprigs tarragon, leaves stripped and chopped **After I bought it and chopped it I omitted—I HATE tarragon**
1 large Pullman-style white or whole wheat bread loaf, unsliced ** I used ciambatta rolls** a nice Italian loaf will do.


In a bowl, combine the shallot, vinegar, mustard and honey.

Whisk in the EVOO and season with salt and pepper.

Add the chicken, celery, carrot, lettuce and tarragon; toss.

Trim the ends off the loaf of bread, then slice the loaf into six 2-inch-thick slices.

Using a serrated knife and starting at the top, cut a pocket into each bread slice.

Fill the bread pockets with the chicken salad….Or just use a roll and eat dinner like a normal person

VERDICT
While I find her annoying, If I ever meet her I will thank her for hiring people who can write such great recipes. This salad is amazingly delicious. I love that it is no mayo. It is so fresh tasting and really delicious. I forgot to take a picture of it last night when we ate it, but thankfully we had a bunch leftover so I could recreate the picture….and eat the extremely yummy sandwich again. I think this would be a great addiction to a brunch buffet, tail gating, the holiday leftovers, just make it and you will get what I am saying. I have a favorite chicken salad recipe that is my old faithful but I have to say this one might be taking over the top spot! It scores high marks for using ingredients I usually have in the house.

Oh and I didn’t use the tarragon because ew! I don’t like tarragon. I wasn’t sure but when I chopped it and smelled it and then put a small bit in my mouth I remembered I don’t like it. It smells like black licorice or anise and I don’t like either of those things. I almost added it to be fair to the recipe but I was really hungry and didn’t want ruin a whole giant batch of yummy goodness. So if you like it use it, I am sure you will be happy with the end result. Come on, I like cilantro now, so I had to find another offensive herb to protest against.

And I didn’t get the whole stuffed Sammie thing. I just used a normal ciambatta roll (which I love) and it worked out just fine. No need to stuff anything or make it harder then it needs to be. It’s a sandwich not an art project. Shoprite makes the most delicous Ciambatta rolls which is why I use them often. Its hard to believe they make the best rotisserie chickens AND the best rolls right in my local grocery store

I paired with this

Summer-Strone

adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe--I added to it and I think made it better

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Israeli Couscous **I used small little tube pasta because I couldn't find this kind of couscous**
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound kirby cucumbers—peeled, seeded and sliced **I used English seedless**
One 15-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 cups vegetable broth
1 zucchini, shredded
1 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped **could also use basil**
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Grated peel of 1 lemon

optional--I also used 2 ears of fresh corn off the cob

Directions:
In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the couscous (or pasta) until al dente, according to package directions.

Drain and rinse with cold water.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat.

Add the cucumbers and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and paprika.

Using a food processor, and working in batches, puree the mixture. **I used my immersion or hand blender if you don't have one its a kitchen must have in my house**

Return to the pot and stir in the vegetable broth, couscous and zucchini. AND fresh corn if you would like to make it even better

For cold soup, refrigerate until chilled. I liked it hot with cheese on top

In a small bowl, combine the parsley, Parmesan, lemon peel and remaining 1/4 cup olive oil.

Serve the soup drizzled with the parsley pesto. **I skipped this step because I was starving and didn't think Jackson would like it and didn't feel like cooking anymore**

VERDICT:
Loved this soup. As I have said before I could eat soup everyday and this one is sure to please. Jackson loved it and so did I. It was heavy enough to make a meal out of as well. I loved the corn in it and was glad I thought to add it. I also liked the veggies grated up so it wasn't too chunky. It is the perfect light lunch soup too. Will be making this one again soon. Never did find the right couscous and I am glad I didn't use the regular small grain one, I think that would have ruined it. You could use ditalini, pastina, or achi de pepe also.