Sunday, January 27, 2008

Won-Ton Chicken Salad

I'm not exactly sure where Sarah go this recipe, but I absolutely love it. This is one of my favorite salads, and it's not that hard to make. Now this recipe makes quite a large salad, so you better share it because it does not keep very well. Also, if you like more chicken, just serve everyone else first. You should then have plenty of chicken, as most of the chicken tends to hide at the bottom of the bowl.



Ingredients

2 heads of lettuce
6 grilled boneless/skinless chicken breasts
6 small green onions
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1 can Mandarin oranges
6 oz won-ton wrappers

Dressing

1/2 cup vinegar
1/8 cup sugar
1 cup canola oil
3 tsp salt
3 tsp pepper

Procedure

1. Fry won-ton wrappers in oil so they are golden brown when done ( Remove from oil before turning brown and they will brown up without being over cooked)
2. Grill chicken breasts brushed with olive oil. Cut cooked chicken breasts into bit size chunks and set aside.
3. For dressing, heat vinegar and sugar until dissolved. ( Don't boil ). Remove from heat and add canola oil, salt and pepper.
4. Mix all ingredients except dressing together in a large bowl.
5. Just before serving, add dressing to salad and toss.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Wassail

Here is a great recipe for a warm, winter drink. Our neighbors shared this with us on Halloween a few years ago while we sat outside around a fire pit. I loved it and asked them for the recipe. Thank you Davis family for sharing this with us.

Ingredients
1 quart Apple cider
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup orange juice
2 tbsp red hots ( or handful of hot tamales )

Procedure
1. Mix all ingredients in sauce pan.
2. Heat over medium heat to combine flavors.
3. Serve warm.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Clam Chowder

My family usually has this for dinner on Christmas Eve. This makes a lot of chowder and is great when you have a few guests over. We usually serve this delicious chowder in freshly baked bread bowls. Make sure you save the insides of the bread bowls to dip in the chowder. I tend to like a lot of potatoes in my chowder, but feel free to reduce this if you want.

Ingredients
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 small onion, chopped
5 lbs potatoes, cubed
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups flour
1 quart half and half
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper, coarse
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
3 cans clams, minced

Procedure
1. Place potatoes, onion, celery, and carrot in large pot. Cover with water and cook until tender.
2. Melt butter in large sauce pan. Mix flour in with butter.
3. Slowly blend in half and half a little at a time. Add spices.
4. Drain clam juice into white sauce. Set clams aside. Continue to cook white sauce on medium heat, stirring constantly until sauce starts to bubble.
5. Add white sauce to potatoes with water. Let simmer.
6. Add clams just before serving.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Belgian Waffles

This has to be one of my favorite recipies. I absolutely love these waffles, especially with some good sausage and eggs. They are light and fluffy and have a great taste. I personally like these with some blueberry syrup and a dollop of whipping cream. They are great for breakfast, brunch, or even for dinner. The past two Sundays we have had guests over for dinner and they loved these waffles. Sarah gave me another belgian waffle maker for Christmas, which makes making a double batch of these go much faster.

Yield: 10

Ingredients
1 pkg dry yeast
2 cups milk, luke warm
4 eggs, seperated
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter

Procedure
1. Seperate eggs and beat whites until fluffy.
2. Warm milk. Sprinkle yeast over warm milk.
3. Beat egg yolks and add to yeast mixture with vanilla.
4. Sift together flour, salt, and sugar. Add to liquid mixture.
5. Stir in melted butter or vegetable oil and flour. Combine thoroughly.
6. Carefully fold beaten egg whites into batter.
7. Let mixture stand in a warm place about 45 minutes or until mixture doubles in bulk.
8. Use 3/4 to 1 cup mix per waffle.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Speedy Chicken Stir-Fry

I received this wonderful recipe in the Kraft food & family magazine (Fall 2007). It's really easy to make and tastes great. The roasted peanuts really add the final touch, so make sure that you don't skip those.

Yield: 4 servings
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 25 min

Ingredients
8 oz Angel hair pasta (capellini), uncooked
2 cups broccoli florets
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/3 cup chopped Planters Dry Roasted Peanuts

Procedure
1. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 to 8 minutes
or until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and crushed red
pepper; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
2. Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the boiling water for the last 3 minutes of the pasta
cooking time.
3. Drain pasta mixture; place in large bowl. Add chicken mixture; mix lightly. Spoon evenly into serving
bowls; sprinkle with the peanuts.
***Substitute whatever vegetables you have on hand, such as snow peas, sliced bell peppers, sliced
carrots or chopped red onions, instead of the broccoli.
*** Original recipe from Kraft Food & Family magazine Fall 2007 ( kraftfoods.com )