2009 May — Cooking During Stolen Moments

Simple Curry Chicken Salad

May 21, 2009 By Kate 7 Comments

I love chicken salad, but I haven’t always. Up until a few years ago, I avoided it at all costs. The main reason being that I do not like raw onions. Then I saw our local gourmet market carried onion-free chicken salad. I thought it was worth a shot. I fell in love instantly.

Since that time, I’ve had fun playing around with chicken salad and making it all kinds of different ways. I’ll be making chicken salad all throughout the summer. It’s such a great and easy lunch to be enjoyed with all the fabulous summer fruits and veggies. Plus, our whole family loves it too.

Simple Curry Chicken Salad

1/2 lb. cooked chicken, shredded or diced
1/4 c. diced celery
2 T. diced green pepper
2 T. sliced green onions
1/3 c. mayonnaise (you can add more if you like your chicken salad creamier)
1 T. curry powder
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. each cayenne pepper and coriander, optional

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Refrigerate until serving.

Easy as can be, but SO very good.

This post is being linked to:

Hooked On… at Hooked On Houses
Food On Fridays at Ann Kroeker’s
Family Recipe Fridays at Vanderbilt Wife
Recipe Swap at The Grocery Cart Challenge
Friday Feasts at Mom Trends

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Breakfast Puffs w/ Chocolate & Vanilla Drizzles

May 20, 2009 By Kate 6 Comments

I needed a quick snack to make the kids this afternoon and I felt like baking for some reason. I’m not sure why I thought that was a good idea on a nice, sunny day. But at least heating up the kitchen and losing out on some sunshine were worth it. These turned out delicious. Plus, I was smart enough to double the batch so that we would have enough for breakfast tomorrow.

This recipe is based on The Happy Housewife’s No-Rise Cinnamon Roll recipe, which she just shared on Happy To Be At Home. Up until about 6 months ago, I made yeast cinnamon rolls on a weekly basis. We’ve been a bit burnt out on them since then. So I decided to go a little bit different with this yummy recipe.

Breakfast Puffs w/Chocolate & Vanilla Drizzles

2 1/3 c. flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. butter, cut into pieces
1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 T. cinnamon
1 1/4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1 – 2 T. milk
1/4 c. chocolate chips

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the 1/2 c. butter until crumbly. Stir in milk and mix until combined. Knead for 1 minute.

2. Roll all of the dough into walnut sized pieces. In a small bowl, combine the sugars and cinnamon. Roll each ball of dough in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 3 balls of dough into each cup of a greased muffin tin. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned.

2. Cool for 5 minutes then remove from tin to a wire rack to finish cooling.

3. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 T. milk. Whisk until fully combined, adding more milk if needed to achieve drizzling consistency. In a second small bowl, microwave chocolate chips for 25 seconds, stir and microwave in 15 second intervals until completely melted. Drizzle the vanilla glaze and the melted chocolate over the breakfast puffs.

This batch makes 1 dozen breakfast puffs. If you want to double the batch, you can freeze the baked puffs. To reheat, thaw on the counter overnight.

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Fruity Pasta Salad

May 19, 2009 By Kate 12 Comments

Here is the second salad recipe for National Salad Month. Salads encompass so much more than just lettuce and dressing.

This salad might sound a little unusual, but once you taste it, you’ll find that the flavors all work perfectly together. And it is a fantastic option for entertaining. Say you’re torn between making a fruit salad or a pasta salad for your barbecue…make this fruity pasta salad and you’ve got all the bases covered. This recipe works for me, and it can be working for you all summer long too!

Fruity Pasta Salad

2 c. cubed cantaloupe
1/2 lb. strawberries, sliced
1 8oz. can diced pineapple, 2 T. juice reserved
1/2 lb. pasta, cooked and drained (I used gemelli. Other good options would be: cavatappi, fusilli, or rotini.)
1 6oz. container peach yogurt
3 T. sour cream
2 T. reserved pineapple juice
1 T. lemon juice

1. In a large bowl, combine cantaloupe, strawberries, pineapple and pasta. Toss and refrigerate.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate.

3. To serve, either drizzle the dressing over individual servings or combine the fruit and pasta with the dressing and stir to coat.

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