.buffalo chicken salad.

I have a confession.  I love (LOVE) hot wings.  It was probably the one benefit of low-carbing (when I low-carbed it) because I would eat them every day for lunch.  Mmmmm...   Tangy, zesty.. spicy!  

I bought a new cookbook a couple weeks ago that offer quick meals and this was in there.  I changed it up a little and it was so SO good!  The spicy chicken mixed in with the crunchy lettuces, carrots, and celery.. then drizzled with a homemade blue cheese dressing.  Nothing quite like it in the world.

I cheated by using the pre-seasoned buffalo chicken strips.  If you make your own hot wings and want to take that job on yourself, go right on ahead.  The nice thing about this recipe is that it is on your table in 30 minutes.  And if you use these?  I promise not to tell if you don't tell on me. :D

Bake according to the directions on the package.  When it's cooked, pull from oven and cut into bite sized pieces.

Chop up 1 head iceberg lettuce and 1 head romaine lettuce.

Slice up 4-5 stalks celery and put it in the bowl with the lettuce.

Slice 3 peeled carrots and put that in the salad bowl too.

Annnnd add some sliced red onion.

Chop up some tomato and put in a bowl.  I don't like adding it to the salad because that tomato slime gets all over the place.  Yuck.  (Am I strange?)

In a bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups mayo, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 cup crumbled blue cheese, 4 Tbsp white vinegar, salt and pepper, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 clove minced garlic.

This can be made up in advance.  In fact, the longer you let this sit in the fridge, the longer those flavors have a chance to marry.

To serve, put a pile of the lettuce/salad on a plate.  Sprinkle on the tomatoes (if you like tomatoes) and then put a handful of chicken around and spoon on some dressing.

Easy peasy and very delicious!

Printable version:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_148vp964sg5

.lodge salad.

Jim's been out in Seattle at a hiring conference so I haven't done much cooking. When he's gone though, it gives me the opportunity to make what *I* want because he usually isn't a big fan of it. I'm not sure why he doesn't like this salad.... but he said it was just "okay". HUH? LOL

There's a restaurant in town called Smokey Bones. It is a "lodge-y" type place where they serve ribs, brisket, smoked sausage, the BEST onion rings, donuts.... everything I've had there has been pretty good. My favorite thing to menu item is the Lodge Salad. It is so light and crunchy and has a little spice in it from the dressing. This is my adaptation of their salad. I had a hard time finding the exact items, but what I do use makes it pretty dang close to theirs. This is seriously a great salad!!!!!


Let's start by making the dressing. Put 1 cup mayo and 1 cup milk in a bowl. Add 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, 1/2 tsp dill weed, 1 tsp cumin, and 1 tsp chili powder. Mix it all up and put in the fridge while we make the salad.

The original salad has romaine and spring lettuce. I prefer spinach instead of romaine and they make these lovely half and half bags now! Perfect!

Dump this in a large bowl.

Dice up some cucumber.


Dice up some tomato. You remember my thing about tomatoes in salad.... I pull out all of the seeds and slimy crud before dicing. I can't stand that stuff on my lettuce! Ick!


This is a pack of Oriental Party mix. It has the toasted sesame crackers, roasted peas, sunflower seeds and roasted peanuts. It's the most perfect blend of crunchy I have found. If you can't find this exact brand, use what you do find. Make sure you get one with roasted peas and the sesame crackers!

Dump in some of this into your salad. For the pack of salad I used, you'll probably want about 3/4 cup.


Grate some cheddar cheese and asiago cheese. Make sure you use the small grate side. About 1/3 cup of each one.


Mix everything together in the bowl. If you want to add a little sliced red onion, feel free! I left it out that night, but when I made more for lunch the next day, I added a little onion.

Drizzle with a little dressing and toss to coat. Serve immediately.


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_85fpg57hvn

.layered salad.

I had mentioned in my previous entry that I would post the recipe for my warm potato salad, but after looking over the images on my computer, I'm missing a lot of the steps because I was in such a hurry to get things done before the wedding.

I did get all the steps for this though. We can always count on my sister, Ronda to bring this salad to our family dinners. It's a favorite and so fast to make.

Chop one head of iceberg lettuce and put in a casserole dish.

Dice 2 roma tomatoes and sprinkle on top.

Chop some green onion and put on top of the tomatoes.

Open a can of sliced water chestnuts.

Carefully arrange on top of the salad. You want to make sure you'll get some with every bite.

Cut up some bacon and fry it. You will only need half of what you see here. I used the other half for my potato salad.

You're going to need about 1 cup of peas too. If you make this salad up ahead of time (like the night before or a few hours before), you can leave them frozen. If you plan on serving the salad immediately, then thaw these by putting them in a sieve and running under cold water.

Sprinkle the top with the bacon and peas.

In a bowl, put 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp lemon juice.

Put globs of it on top of the salad and then use a spatula to spread it over the entire surface. This seals in the salad underneath and keeps it fresh.

Grate some cheddar cheese and sprinkle it on top. This salad can be made the night before you need it. It holds up really well.

.santa fe chicken salad.

When we lived in Hawaii, we were on a low carb diet and this was when this salad was born. It has since morphed into what it is today, with a delicious corn and black bean salsa, fried tortilla strips, and a southwest ranch dressing.



I have made this for a lot of friends and family and it has become a favorite. In fact, whenever I would fly home, my sisters would have all the ingredients bought so I could make it for them while visiting. They love it that much!



While this salad may look tedious to make, much of it can be made a day or two in advance. It's a delicious dish that I hope your family will enjoy.



We'll begin by making the corn and black bean salsa and dressing.



corn and black bean salsa



Seed and dice two roma tomatoes. Put in a bowl.



Finely dice half of a red onion. Put that in the bowl too.









Take a can of black beans. Drain and rinse well. I let them sit in a sieve for a while to "dry" off a little. I don't like them horribly wet when I add them to the bowl.















Normally I pull out frozen corn from the freezer, thaw and add to the bowl, but I surprisingly didn't have any! I did have fresh corn so I steamed up 2 and cut off the kernels and added it to my salsa.



If you don't want to go to that much trouble, use a cup or so of frozen corn.



Seed and pith a jalapeno then dice. If you want it spicier, leave the seeds or add another pepper to the mix.



Chop up some cilantro.



Squeeze in half a lime. Season the salsa with a little salt and pepper.



Stir well then cover with saran and put in the fridge.



This can be made a day in advance. I wouldn't make it too far ahead because the onions will lose their flavor. Yummy and the colors are gorgeous!



southwest ranch dressing



Take one package ranch dressing mix. Dump the dry mix into a bowl.



Add 1 cup mayonnaise.



Add 1 cup milk. Mix the dressing together.



Add 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce. I eyeball it. If you want this spicier, add a little more.



Add 1 tsp garlic powder.



Add 1 tsp chili powder.



Add 1 tsp cumin.



Squeeze in half of a lime.



Mix everything together. This dressing can be made days in advance. In fact, the longer it sits, the better the flavors will have a chance to marry and balance out. It's a wonderful dressing.



Now to make tortilla strips!

Take 4-5 fajita sized tortillas and cut in half.

Cut them into thin strips.

Heat some oil in a pot and fry the strips up. When they're nice and golden, pull from the oil and place on some paper towels.



As soon as you pull the tortilla strips from the oil, season lightly with salt. These *can* be made the day ahead. Put the strips in a ziploc or any airtight container so they don't get stale or soft.

Now it's time for the main body of the salad!



Take a package of McCormicks Grill Mates Southwest marinade. My sister, Marcia, was here visiting in March. When we were at the commissary she bought almost their entire stock. I looked at her inquisitively and she told me they can no longer find this in their grocery stores back in Seattle! I can't even believe it. So.. I hope you guys don't have trouble finding this. If you do, use any southwest marinade you can find. This one, in my opinion, is the best though.



Put 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a ziploc. Dump in the marinade (as prepared according to the directions on the package). The packaging says you only need to marinate for 15 minutes. Personally, I like it a little more seasoned, so I let them sit in that marinade all day, overnight if possible.



Now I normally grill these on my bbq, but when I went to go start the bbq, the flame was very small, then extinguished itself. Out of propane. Dang. So, I had to use a skillet on the stove.



Cook until the breasts are slightly firm. This means they're cooked perfectly. If they're squishy when pushed in the center, leave them on a little longer. They're not done!

Remove from the grill or pan and let cool.



Using two forks, start pulling the meat apart. The shredded meat goes a long way vs. cutting into cubes.

Yummy shredded chicken breasts. Mmmm...

Put the chicken in a large bowl.



Chop up 1 head of iceberg lettuce and add to the bowl.



Grate some cheese. I grated more than this. I actually used some cheddar and some monterey jack. Put all the cheese in the bowl too.



Slice up one avocado. You can dice this and add directly to the lettuce bowl if you want. Since I like to make it fancy, I leave them in slices and use on top. You're about to see.



Toss everything in the bowl together. If your family likes olives, you can add some sliced black olives. I'm the only one who likes them here, so I don't put any in. :( Poor me.



Begin by putting some of the salad on the plate.



Put a big handful of corn and black bean salsa on top in the middle.



Put slices of avocado around the plate.



Put a small stack of tortilla strips on top like a haystack. These will be your "croutons" for the salad. I break them up with my fork and mix everything together.



Drizzle on some of the salad dressing and you're done! Time to eat up.

Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_71dgmfndhn