Won Ton Chicken Salad

Before I get to this ever so delightful Won Ton Chicken Salad recipe and what an easy show stopper recipe it is, allow me to share some thoughts. Although I am not sure who reads blog posts anymore.

I am not sure if I really plan to jump back into blogging. I often think about it but I have been out of it for awhile, and even when I was "in" it I was loads behind what was necessary to be a successful blogger.

There is a lot that goes into putting out a blog and I am not sure whether the monetary or time investment is really right for me. When people ask me if I miss blogging, I almost always have the same answer. Not really, except that I miss that it GAVE me a reason to be creative. I really enjoy putting together a pretty meal or finding a really great recipe. I adore throwing a party. I like decorating my home. Blogging gave me an excuse to focus more time on all that.

I also like to read, rest, and watch a good chick flick. AKA I enjoy a bout of laziness. Like down time is necessary for my emotional and mental well being.

Add all that on top of now working almost full time. I can accomplish a lot in a little amount of time, but I absolutely can not do that on repeat. Blogging requires me to do that on repeat.

So back to the original conundrum. Can I really get back into blogging? The content, the posts, the collaborating, the negative, the positive, and everything else. Heck, my blog itself needs a technical revamp. Links are missing. Graphics are missing. Every time I see it I panic for a second and then go, "Eh, oh well." Definitely not the appropriate blogger response.

As I type this out I have had three of my family members ask in shock, "Are you blogging?"

So yeah. It has been awhile. But today I am writing. Here is why--

One of the things I ALWAYS loved sharing was recipes. I like food. I like pretty pictures of food. I like sharing food. So it was always easy to post about food. So today, I am posting this recipe for Won Ton Chicken Salad.

I have actually posted this recipe on the blog before. Alas it was before food staging and good cameras. So the post is SUPER sketchy. When I had a friend over for a girl's lunch recently, I took a couple of photos of this salad in all of it's yummy goodness (because that is what I do). I realized that I wanted to post about it on Instagram but I didn't really have a good post to link to.

So here I am busting out the computer, opening up blogger and actually typing it out. I even have a printable recipe (Not a widget link because well blogger doesn't do that. Refer to the aforementioned lack of blogging technology.).

What can I say about this salad? Well first it is good enough to bring me out of the once-was-a-blogger crypt and publish it. That alone should say something. But seriously, this is a pretty light tasting salad. The textures are to die for. The combination of chicken, lettuce, almonds, and green onions is delightful and then you add those amazing little won ton crisps and I can't even. The dressing does not overpower the salad, but definitely gives it a little bite thanks to the pepper and the rice wine vinegar.

So if there is anything you get from this very reflective post, hopefully it is at least this recipe. Like I said, I have been making it for about 15 years and it is always a crowd pleaser. 

Enjoy.

PRINT HERE

Homemade Croutons

It will be a cold day in you know where when I give up bread. Bread is grand. I know carbs are supposed to be evil, but I just ain't buying it.

Do you wanna know what is better than just plain old bread? A loaf of chewy, delightful French bread turned into croutons, that is what.

Months and months ago I was watching an episode of The Pioneer Woman on Netflix while I was up late prepping for Middle's Woodland Theme Baptism. In one of the episodes she was making a restaurant style steak dinner. One of the items on the menu was a delightful Caesar salad with homemade croutons. The concept was not a new one. Perhaps since it was late at night and I was feeling especially peckish it seemed brilliant and extremely necessary that I have homemade croutons. I told myself I would get right on that as soon as everything settled down.

 You know what I have determined? Nothing ever settles down. For whatever reason, today I decided I really wanted a Caesar salad with some homemade croutons. I wasn't sure how to go about it and the original show was completely out of my mind. So after searching out a few ideas and then changing things up a bit, I came up with this recipe.

First off let me warn you these are good enough that you will attempt to eat them without the salad. Try to save at least some for the salad. They really do make the salad spectacular. I promise.

These are so very, very easy to make.

You need:

French bread
butter
olive oil
salt
pepper
Parmesan Reggiano cheese

So easy. These are so yummy and take barely any time. They make any salad that much better.

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Marshmallow Fruit Salad

I don't always make fruit salad, but when I do I make it with marshmallows.

Okay. Kidding. I always make fruit salad, and up until last week I hadn't put even one itty bitty marshmallow into my fruit salad. I seem to remember as a kid having something similar to this Marshmallow Fruit Salad. However, it was a distant, fuzzy memory. A memory that I didn't even realize I was missing.

When The Hubs came to me and wanted to put a new fruit salad on the Easter menu and that marshmallows were involved, I was hesitant. I mean let's be honest people, putting little fluffy bits of sugar into a fruit salad kind of defeats the whole fruit and salad thing.

He convinced me quite charmingly, so the Marshmallow Fruit Salad made it onto the menu. With a little army of reservation setting up camp in my noggin, the salad was made. I tweaked the recipe just a bit, but no worries I kept in the mallows.

You put the mallow on the graham....

Sorry I digress. Name the movie. We haven't played this game for a bit.

Okay back to the fruit salad.

The salad was a hit. We owe it all to that handsome husband of mine.

My fear of the salad being too sugary was completely ill founded, due in part to the "cream" used. It not being of the whipped or aerosol variety. Intrigued? You should be. This salad was practically perfect and was a great addition to a yummy Easter meal.

Point to you Husband. Point goes to you. I will even give him a bonus point because I ate the leftovers the next day. For those of you who might be new around here, that is a big deal because I tend to hate leftovers.

So go ahead and put this on your weekly menu. It is a crowd pleaser.

 

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Harvest Fruit Salad: Thanksgiving Side Dish

This is one of my favorite Fall fruit salads. In fact, I just made it for Middle's Woodland Theme Baptism Luncheon. This also makes a great side dish on Thanksgiving, because let's face it one of the hardest things about Thanksgiving dinner is deciding what sides to make. I mean we all know the main players. That is a no brainer.

Turkey-Check.
Potatoes-Check.
Gravy-Check.
Rolls-Check.
Pie-Check.

But alas, what to do with the other sides. There are so many to choose from. How does one narrow down what to make?

Well I am gonna help you at least narrow down one. This salad is nice to have on the Thanksgiving table. It pairs up great with my favorite Spinach Apple Salad.

This Harvest Fruit Salad is a great addition to Thanksgiving dinner.

Harvest Fruit Salad

6 cups diced apples
2 cups halved red or black grapes
1 pomegranate, seeds only
1 cup walnut pieces
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 water
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla

First prepare all the fruit.

Aren't pomegranate seeds gloriously lovely??

Place all of the fruit into a large bowl.

Now make the sauce.

Combine the sugar, flour, and water in a saucepan. Heat over medium high heat until it boil lightly and starts to thicken. When it thickens, remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

Let it cool for about 5 minutes. Then pour it over the fruit and evenly coat.

Then stir in the walnuts.

With everything all mixed and pretty all you need to do is serve it up.

Now that will make your mouth happy and your Thanksgiving dinner complete.

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Spinach Apple Salad (Thanksgiving: Let's Eat Week)

One week until Thanksgiving! Eek, I am so excited. I love Thanksgiving. I have been making menu plans and I have been getting some last minute Thanksgiving table stuff ready. My brain is fairly busting with things I want to do that are NOT going to get done in this next week.

In the long run, the extra stuff doesn't matter. I will be with friends and family. There will be yummy food. I have a lot to be grateful for. I have everything I need.

Life is good.

You know what else is good...

Do you like that lead in?

Today for Day 4 of Thanksgiving: Let's Eat Week I am sharing the recipe for my very favorite salad. I eat this salad all year long. For several years, this salad has made it to our Thanksgiving table. I am not always a fan of the heavy vegetables you tend to find at the Thanksgiving table. I added this salad to our menu because it gave me a chance to balance out the turkey and rolls (which I have an affinity for) with some veggies that are not warm carrots.

I rather loathe warm carrots...okay so I don't like any carrots...

I do love salad. Especially when that salad has candied pecans, apples, and bacon. Yum.

Yep, this is the kind of veggie I like. No comments about if this really can be considered a veggie side with all that bacon. Don't burst my bubble. Let's just call it a vegetable.

See, there is lots of spinach. Yeah, it counts.

Seriously so yummy.

This salad is a nice surprise at a Thanksgiving table, and it is a crowd pleasure.

Spinach Apple Salad

 printable recipe

salad ingredients:
1 bag of baby spinach
1 red apple, diced
1 cucumber, diced
3/4 cup craisins
1 cup pecan pieces, candied*
4 strips bacon, cut in pieces and cooked

dressing ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

Combine all of the salad ingredients.

To make the dressing, combine sugar, vinegar, paprika, onion, Worcestershire, and oil. Shake the dressing until the oil is completely mixed in. Then add in the poppy seeds. Shake again.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad. Serve immediately.

*To candy the pecan pieces, cook them in a small frying pan with 3-4 Tablespoons of sugar. Stir the the pecans constantly, coating the pecans in the sugar while the sugar melts. When the sugar liquifies, and coats the pecans completely, they are done. From the pan, dump them out on a cutting board and let cool. Breaking the pieces up if necessary.

Come back for more Thanksgiving: Let's Eat Week tomorrow.

I think it is finally time for some dessert!

See ya tomorrow for some pie.

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Wedge Salad with Garlic Ranch Dressing

I remember the first time I had a wedge salad.

I was out with my girlies at a fancy little Italian restaurant for a GNO. They had all been to the restaurant before and were rapidly firing off their orders. I, however never having been there was just short of having an anxiety attack about what to order.

I get like that at new-to-me restaurants. I am totally that person that orders the same thing every single time I go to a restaurant...I like what I like, and if I am going to expend all those calories, I have to know it is going to be worth it.

Know what I am saying??

So at about this time, the waiter is getting closer and closer to taking my order. I am still pretty much undecided, however I have heard one thing repeated over and over again by all my friends...

"I would like the Wedge Salad with that."

To this day I don't remember the entree I ordered. What I do remember?

The Wedge Salad.

Who knew a half a head of lettuce smothered in dressing, brought to me on a teeny tiny wooden cutting board with a steak knife could rock my salad-eating world.

Sadly I moved away from that set of girlies.

Happily, I have made some lovely friends here. They even introduced me to a new restaurant and a new Wedge Salad.

If I thought the first wedge salad was awesome, well this new one was more awesomer.

Yeah, I said it, AWESOMER.

Pretty much because that is the best way to describe it.

Oh how this salad made my day. Love everything about it. Ever little lovely thing.

At my last visit to this particular restaurant, I found myself making mental notes about all the ways I could recreate the salad at home.

Recreate it I did.

I have kind of eaten it several times now.

This salad is eat every bite, scrape every morsel, lick the plate fantastic. I lightened up the dressing. I also used reduced-fat blue cheese. I however, did not scrimp on the bacon.

That would be blaspheme.

We can't have that.

What we can have...

Well, we can have this delightfully AWESOMER salad.

In the words of my Hubby, "Here's a salad. Eat it. It's good!" (This was his response when I told him he should write my post for me).

I totally agree with him. You should eat it because it is SO, SO good.

Wedge Salad with Garlic Ranch Dressing
serves 4

Print Recipe Here

salad:
2 heads of iceberg lettuce, cored and cut in half
4-5 strips of bacon, cut up and fried
1 cup pecan pieces, candied*
1 granny smith apple, cored and cut in slivers
2 Roma tomatoes, diced up
1 1/2 cups crumbled Blue Cheese

Garlic Ranch Dressing:
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
3 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried parsley
3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

 First mix all the ingredients for the dressing and then store in the fridge while preparing the salad.

Place half of the head of lettuce on the plate. Pile on the bacon, pecan pieces, apple slivers, tomatoes, and cheese.

Drizzle dressing over the salad.

Serve with a fork and a steak knife.

*To candy the pecan pieces, heat the pecan pieces in a small frying pan with a 1/2 cup sugar. Continue to stir the pecans and the sugar over medium heat, while the sugar dissolves and coats the pecans. First the sugar will clump, then it will melt and coat the pecans. DO NOT over cook. When the pecans are covered, dump them onto a cutting board and spread out to cool.

Enjoy!!!

Chinese Coleslaw

Me and Coleslaw....

I have discussed it before HERE.

I well just "can't stend heem" (okay people does anyone but me know that is from Singing in the Rain...anyone...please someone tell me you know that part).

Insert awkward silence here.

Okay, so the truth is out.

Old movies...check.
Old movies that are musicals...check.
Coleslaw...uncheck...wait is that possible to uncheck an item. Officially making it possible.

With all my coleslaw hate out of the way, I now must issue a disclaimer.

Ready for it.

This Chinese coleslaw...oh for heaven's sake...make my serving a double.

Seriously people. I loved it. Loved it so much I just ate it straight out of the bowl. Not the individual serving size bowl. The big bowl. You know the big bowl you mix everything together in before you serve it up.

Yup, that bowl.

Just imagine it with me. Hubby and I bent over said giant bowl greedily shoveling forkfuls of Chinese coleslaw into our mouths.

To.Die.For.

So old movies...check.
Old movies that are musicals, like for instance Flower Drum Song...check.
Chinese coleslaw...CHECK.

The prepared coleslaw mix used in this recipe totally gets an upgrade thanks to the sunflower seeds, almonds, green onions, ramen noodles, and a pretty awesome dressing.

Match this up with some grilled chicken.

Instant Summer meal. Instant yumminess.

Chinese Coleslaw 
The Browneyed Baker


2 (16oz) bags coleslaw mix
1 cup sunflower kernels
1 cup slivered or sliced almonds
1 bunch (5-6) green onions, sliced
2 (3oz) package of Ramen noodles, crushed (seasoning packets set aside for dressing)

Dressing:
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
2 seasoning packets from Ramen

In a large bowl, mix coleslaw, sunflower kernels, almonds, green onions, and noodles.

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.

Pour the dressing over the coleslaw and toss until the salad is evenly coated.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Mango BBQ Chicken Salad

Summer is here people. I have said it before and I will say it again...for me Summer means salads.

I love...

love, love...

LUUHHHVE salads.

Nothing is yummier to me than a heaping plate full of salady goodness (okay maybe I also like a big bag of Starbursts).

On Father's Day, this was on the menu. I think that I might have enjoyed this meal more than the Man of the House. Don't get me wrong, he enjoyed it. I just pretty much "yummed" and "oohed" the whole time while eating. I was just shy of licking my plate, and I can probably attribute my good manners to the fact that I don't want my Little Men licking their plates for every meal thereafter.

The homemade mango bbq sauce marinates the chicken to perfection. The grilled chicken was SO good. SO good you guys. I am pretty sure I ate half a chicken breast before I even assembled my salad.

The grilled corn was insane. It added such a good flavor and texture to the salad. The dressing was a perfect topping to such a fresh salad.

Yeah I liked it...did you guys get that already?

Go get your Summer on and enjoy a salad or two for me.

Mango BBQ Chicken Salad 
adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

Mango BBQ Sauce:

1 mango, chopped

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, plus 1 teaspoons of the adobo sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup apple juice

1/4 onion, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

juice from 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

The dressing:

2 tablespoons prepared mango bbq sauce

2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

1-2 teaspoons lime juice 

3 tablespoons light ranch dressing

The salad:

2 chicken breasts

2 ears sweet corn, shucked

1 vine-ripened tomato, diced

1 cup of reduced-fat Mexican Blend shredded cheese

1 head of Romaine Lettuce, cut into bite-sized pieces

Directions:

To make the BBQ sauce: Combine all ingredients for the sauce into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring often. Let cool then transfer to a food processor or blender, and process until smooth.

To make the dressing: Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Taste, then add more lime juice if you want.

To make the salad:  Marinate chicken breasts in some of the prepared mango bbq sauce for 2-3 hours. Grill over medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes per side until no longer pink in the middle, until internal temperature is 165 degrees. Allow to rest for 5 minutes off the grill before slicing. Here is where I snagged myself a couple of itty bitty bites. YUM. Grill corn alongside the chicken, rotating every few minutes until charred on all sides. Let cool for a few minutes, then cut kernels off the cob.

Next, divide lettuce between two plates, then top with grilled corn, tomatoes, shredded cheese, and grilled chicken. Drizzle with prepared dressing.

Now, admire your beautiful salad seconds before you inhale it.

BBQ Chicken Salad

Super sweet and to the point today. I am about to lose my ever lovin' mind over here. We are about 8 days from packing it in and driving out of the great state of Ohio. AHHHH!

I am feeling the time crunch. I am feeling the rush. My heart is all a flutter, and not in the way me, myself and I a sixteen-year-old girl feels when she sees Robert Pattinson. The kind of flutter that leads to an anxiety attack. Ya' know...that kind of flutter.

The good news is...a girl still has to eat. So I might as well make something yummy.

Today I am sharing this pretty simple recipe I tweaked from one of my recipe pinterests. This recipe comes together quick. The only special ingredients you might need are in the dressing. You all know how I feel about salads for the Summer.

I hope you enjoy. I sure did. It was a bright spot in the crazy of my day.

BBQ Chicken Salad ...I know original name


ingredients
2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup your favorite BBQ sauce for marinating the chicken

1 head romaine lettuce
1 head green leaf lettuce

corn-black bean mixture:


1/2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lime
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili pepper
1/2 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2-2/3 cup frozen corn, thawed
salt & pepper to taste

dressing:

2/3 cup mayonnaise1/3 cup buttermilk
2 Tablespoons milk
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 to 1/3 cup BBQ sauce


extra sauce for grilling chicken


Marinate chicken for 4 hours. At the same time, make your corn-black bean mixture. Mix the first five corn-black bean ingredients in a bowl. Then stir in the beans and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and let set in the refrigerator the same time as the chicken.


Combine all the ingredients for the dressing by either whisking vigorously or in a blender. Refrigerate until ready to serve.


When chicken is done marinating, grill. Brush with extra BBQ sauce.


Once chicken is done, let rest for five minutes. Then slice.


Combine lettuce and corn-black bean mixture. Then lay chicken over the top. Drizzle with dressing. 


Serve and say, "YUM". Okay so you don't actually need to say "YUM", but everyone will be thinking it.

Spinach Salad

Shut up...I did Recipe Thursdays 2 weeks in a row. I know it is a miracle and this time I will try to avoid the inappropriate misspelling disaster of last week.

I made this salad yesterday for an afternoon luncheon with a friend...but as you can see from the picture it is also a salad I make for Thanksgiving. In fact, I have already posted this recipe in one of my recipe blogs (which if you remember are D.O.A now). I am posting it again that is how much I love this salad. It is fairly easy to pull together. It isn't the cheapest salad because of the pecans and craisins but if you need a yummy impressive salad for a lunch, a shower, a church event, a holiday, a Friday, well then this is your salad.

Spinach Salad

1 bag of baby spinach

1 cucumber, sliced

3/4 cups craisins

1 red apple, diced dipped in lemon juice

1 cup pecans, sugared (2 TBS sugar)

Dressing:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp paprika

2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp Worcestershire

1 TBS poppy seeds

1/2 cup light flavored olive oil

Sugar pecans by heating with 2 T sugar in small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir constantly. Sugar will melt and coat pecans in a delightful little sugar crust.

Combine all salad ingredients except pecans in large bowl.

Combine all dressing ingredients BUT poppy seeds and olive oil. Blend ingredients in blender/food processor/magic bullet. Slowly add in the oil. Add poppy seeds last.

Top with pecans just before serving. You can pour the dressing over the salad just before serving OR what I do is serve them separate and let the eater decide how much dressing she wants. Plus this way if there is left overs they store better.

As a funny side note...I caught a misspelling before posting...I almost said poopy seeds instead of poppy seeds...is there a 12 year old boy hiding within trying to get someone to laugh by spelling things wrong???