The Weekday Chef – Page 16 – Featuring Chef Pattie

Chicken Salad Sandwiches with grapes and almonds

My daughter-in-law, Wendy, asked me to post this recipe that I truly love and everybody else, apparently does too. I got it from a friend, who got it from a caterer, who was serving it at a wedding reception.

CHICKEN SALAD WITH GRAPES AND ALMONDS
Recipe from my neighbor Maryann’s caterer…..
2 1/2 cups cubed, cooked, white chicken breast meat
3/4 cup slivered almonds
1 cup sliced celery
1 1/4 cups seedless red grapes, sliced in half
3/4 to 1 cup Hellmans or Best Foods mayonnaise (depending upon your preference)
Oneida seasoning salt to taste
A few shakes of Pepper to taste

Chicken salad on a Jimmy John’s white roll cut in half….yummy!

It is a simple chicken salad recipe.It is a great summer sandwich recipe and it is fresh and low calorie. I’ve used it at 2 of my kids’ wedding receptions. I think I doubled the recipe for about 65 mini sandwiches.

Here we used Costco White Dinner Rolls (package of 36) cut in half. It was so easy and the chicken salad went a long way. It is also great on mini croissant rolls.

I start with white chicken meat and dice it up into chunks. You can use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store too. Or just white meat breasts boiled or broiled, cooled and chunked. Add mayo and then add finely chopped celery, red grapes sliced in half and SLICED almonds. (or slivered if you love crunch)

Some people love the crunch of slivered almonds but I like the sliced better and they look pretty in the sandwiches. Add fresh fruit or a fruit smoothie to your chicken salad sandwich for a yummy, healthy treat!

I love a good berry smoothie

Now the secret ingredient in these sandwiches is ONERA SEASONING. It is usually found in the market near the fresh fish or near the butcher area. It is kind of a seasoning salt.

Onera Seasoning- look for it next to the fresh fish. .I always get the original one but they have 4 or 5 others. I think
these are Salt Lake City based seasoning products.

One more thing. Be sure to use fresh and a high quality mayo like Hellman’s or Best Foods. The creamier your mayo the better the sandwiches are. I’ve used Costco rolls cut in half (the 36 package) or small croissants for buffets because they will make your salad go a long way.

Jimmy John’s long rolls are delicious breads to serve with this chicken salad also. I buy them for 50 cents day old at the shop, and go home, cut them in half, and put them in freezer bags. They are great to have on hand to use for steak sandwiches or albacore tuna or deli turkey. This is a picture of one long roll cut in half.

It’s a delicious summer sandwich. Add a slice of lemon meringue pie for dessert and THAT’s what I’m talking about!

Cinco de Mayo Homemade Corn Tortillas and Tacos

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I made some homemade corn tortillas and tacos tonight! Ole! Ay ayay!

I remember when I taught school in Long Beach, California and I had kids bussed in from downtown. I had many monolinguals in my class who had come straight from Mexico and didn’t speak much English.

These were VERY yummy…because the tortillas are homemade!

I remember Maria’s mom who offered to come make tortillas for our Cinco de Mayo celebration. She took 2 busses to get to the school. These tortillas were so yummy I went out and bought a tortilla maker that week.

cinco de mayo 18 Cinco de Mayo ideas to get your fiesta on!

Go to the Link HERE for more.

Masa de Harina is what the corn flour is called. It’s in the Mexican food section of the grocery store.

Mix as directed on your package. I did a cup of corn flour to a cup of water….and it mixes up kind of like Play Dough consistency. It is not very sticky. It is really a fun, perfect kind of dough to work with.

I rolled it into about 12 tortilla sized balls, just about a handful like this….

And here’s my little metal tortilla maker from a Mexican outdoor market called Olvera Street. I must have bought it 15 years go now.

This pic is deceiving because I tried this little blob of dough…and it made a mini taco….really cute but not what I was going for….so then I doubled the balls… We like BIG tacos around here….snicker…..

As you can see this is a BIG handful of dough I rolled into a ball…..it was the perfect size….

There is parchment paper under and over the blob of dough to keep it from sticking to the tortilla maker.

Making tortillas is really fun! Kids LOVE it! And it makes a perfectly round taco when it’s homemade! Ariba!

Then I put it in a fry pan sprayed with Pam…..about 1 1/2 minutes on each side….just to cook them….
I experimented with some Wesson oil and some lard….of course lard is better if you want that authentic taste of a fried taco shell.

I did some fried in grease and some just cooked on a hot frying pan….Fried are tastier….but both are great. My taco meat is ground beef fried, grease drained, then mixed with 1/2 bottle of salsa and a taco seasoning packet simmered together. You can also add a tiny can of green chiles if you like. I sometimes do.

Then I added cilantro, tomatoes, cheese and lettuce and maybe a dollup of sour cream on top,
and it was a Happy Cinco de Mayo celebration!

And I’m all ready for our Cinco de Mayo Fajita and Taco party too! OLE!

Now I need to go make a strawberry-lime virgin Margarita to go with our fajitas and tacos! Yum.

Had to decorate with some sombreros for the Cinco de Mayo party too!

And made some noisemakers…..we call them homemade marraccas! Shake Shake! Kids love these too! We just made them out of empty cans with dry beans and popcorn inside for noisemakers.

And what party would be complete without the Mexican Hat Dance? Not mine! Party on Garth! OLE!

Hamburger, Potatato and Green Bean Casserole

Hamburger potato and green bean casserole

Hamburger, Potato and Green Bean Casserole
Adapted from my husband’s Aunt Shirley’s recipe
1 pound of fried and drained ground beef
1/2 – onion, diced and fried till caramelized
1 – package tater tots (32 oz) OR whole box of made up mashed potatoes (or 2 1/2 cups of leftover mashed potatoes)
1/2 – 8 oz container sour cream plus 1/4 cup milk to thin sour cream
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cans green beans, drained
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 small can French Fried Onions OR buttered, dry bread crumbs for topping

1/4 teaspoon paprika

cracked pepper, to taste
Lawry’s or Johnny’s season salt, to taste

You can make your own bread crumbs by crumbling up a piece of bread….add 1/2 Tablespoon butter, mash it together and put it on top of your hamburger and potato and green bean casserole….easy and inexpensive bread crumbs!

I’m getting out my Mexican dinnerware and placemats for Cinco de Mayo this week! Ole!

This is a yummy and easy recipe. It is great to use when you have leftover mashed potatoes from a previous big dinner. I think it is great with Tator Tots too, as they add a little more crispy texture. But both taste great.

Normally I’d use a sweet, yellow onion, (like a Vidalia) but I only had a purple one today….so I used it up! Start with your golden, caramelized onion…..

Then, Brown your ground beef and drain the grease….then add back in the caramelized onion pieces…

Leftover mashed potatoes make this recipe a great way to use them up…..

I like the French Style green beans but either will do fine.

Brown ground beef and diced onions, Drain. Pour ground beef & onion mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Add the green beans. In a separate bowl mix together the soup, sour cream (and a little milk to mix it up) and add pepper and seasonings to taste.

This is the bread crumbs for topping, the golden fried onions are a good crunch topping too for your hamburger potato green bean casserole.

Pour the soup mixture over on top of the ground beef and green beans layer, spread evenly. Top with tater tots or mashed potatoes, sprinkle grated cheese over the casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and edges are golden brown.

Add a salad and some hot rolls and you’ve got an easy meal! Kids love it too because it’s simple food. Simple and yummy Hanburger potato and green bean casserole.

Hey, guess who we went and saw last night? Yeah, funnyman Dana Carvey. I laughed so hard I cried!

Testing Baking powder and soda for freshness

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Chemical leaveners, like baking powder and baking soda, can lose their potency over time. This is especially true when they are not stored in airtight containers. And old baking powder and soda can cause flat cakes, dense or flat cookies Tthere is a very simple test that you can do to see if that nearly-forgotten box of baking soda is still good enough to bake with.

For baking soda put a teaspoon into a 1/2 cup vinegar in a small bowl. You should see lots of fizzing. Otherwise it needs to be replaced. It has lost it’s potency. Always keep these leaveners in a Tupperware or some other airtight containers for the best shelf life.

For Baking Powder put a half cup of warm water into a small bowl and add a teaspoon of baking powder. The mixture should make a fizzing noise and, after a moment, the baking powder will begin to fizz and the water will become very cloudy with tiny bubbles. The more bubbles, the fresher the baking powder.

I like the square, stackable containers because they leave room in my fridge for other stuff. I don’t like the round containers margerine and whipped topping come in for that very reason. They take up space and are not stackable. So there you have it!

French Vanilla Cream Puffs

My Easter desserts…..mini Cream Puffs!

And they were so cute on the dessert bar!

Yummy and easy Cream Puffs!

My French born sister-in-law Danielle makes these TO DIE FOR cream puffs every year at 4th of July. Everyone has come to expect and love them. She actually can’t make a different dessert or everyone gets all bent out of shape. So I have been calling her to get her recipe. I wanted to make them for Easter.

The ingredients for cream puffs are only 4….so easy!

Water, butter, flour and eggs….

Batter before adding the eggs…..I let it beat a little to let off some of the steam….

Then I added 1 egg at a time and beat for a minute in between eggs…..

The cream puff batter is like pudding…

Easy Cream Puffs: My French sis-in-law Danielle’s recipe
1 cup water
1/2 cube butter
1 cup flour
4 eggs
Heat oven to 400. Heat water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour untilmixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Let cool a bit till batter is not hot. Beat in eggs one at a time. Drop dough 1 Tbsp size onto baking sheet using a pastry bag. Mine were about 1 3/4 inches oval x 1 1/2 and I got about 30 little cream puffs.

Cook until puffy and golden. I did 14 minutes at 400 and then turned oven down to 350 for 5 minutes. I think from posts I read on other blogs 20 minutes is perfect for smaller cream puffs. Larger ones about 20 minutes at 400 and 4 minutes at 350 but watch them the last 3 minutes. Your oven might be different as I am at high altitude.

These are darling cream puffs too. I LOVED these from HERE at Land O Lakes website.

I piped the batter onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper….

I added a blob of cream puff batter to each of the 4 corners…then pressed the parchment paper on top. It helps
“glue” the paper down to the cookie sheets.

Here are my finished cream puffs….just out of the oven!

Now they are ready to fill with the creamy, rich pudding filling….each one was a half a handful !

Cool. Cut a slit in the side of puff with a knife. Fill cream puffs with a pastry bag filled with the french vanilla pudding mixture. Make chocolate icing and spread over top. Keep refrigerated. Makes 12 large or 24 small cream puffs (mine made 30 little round ones- bigger than the Costco size) I think this is a perfect dessert to bring to Easter dinner because if you have other desserts, this can be a side garnish and they are so cute and yummy too.

French Vanilla Cream Filling
1/2 pint whipping cream (smallest carton)
1 small box instant French vanilla instant pudding
1/2 cup milk
Whip until thick.

1/2 cup milk, pint of cream and small box of french vanilla instant pudding….

Whip it up and then put into a pastry bag….

Squeeze inside of your little puffs….so easy!

The filling is really rich and creamy too…I had to pop one in my mouth to taste test it!

Chocolate Fudgy Glaze
1/2 slick butter
2 Tbsp. cocoa
2 Tbsp. milk
2 cups powdered sugar ( I used a little less, just add it till desired consistency)

Heat until melted, stirring constantly-add 2 cups powdered sugar until melted. Shake a fork
back & forth and then the other way to ice tops of cream puffs if you want a cool design. Or just frost with a knife.

This was the most delicious chocolate glaze!

It was easy and quick….

And it tastes like the most divine fudge! Really!

I just frosted mine. I spread the fudgy icing on very generously! This chocolaty glaze was finger licking delicious!

My finished plates of cream puffs…. I wasn’t done sprinkling the sprinkles! And this recipe made 30 puffs….

That was 2 full plates full….enough for a crowd of people….

I added some purple Peeps to the plate of cream puffs… it added the cuteness factor….yeah! .

And I know somebody CUTE who LOVED my cream puffs!

And somebody else who loved the Easter egg hunt too!

Hope everybody has a wonderful Easter!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Do you like an easy and yummy dessert? Like right now easy? When I want easy I always make this one….it takes a few minutes to put together…and it is soooo worth it!

I LIKE pineapple and marachino cherries….

I love desserts with fruit in them….

And I LOVE Pineapple Upside Down Cake….yum!

I just doctor up a yellow cake mix by adding a cup of sour cream, a small vanilla pudding, and a few other things….

Ingredients and Recipe

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water

Nuts make anything tastier…mmmm…..

Then I spray a cake pan (glass, oval shaped) with Pam and pour 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter and some chopped walnuts.
Line Pan with…..
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 cup butter melted
1/2 cup to 3/4 cups walnuts

Brown sugar and the walnuts…don’t forget to dot them with pieces of butter…..

Then after mixing up the cake mix….I decorate that nutty, sugary pan with the rings of pineapple….

Then dot the insides of the pineapple with marachino cherries. They add the really pretty touch to the dessert. Then pour the cake mix on top and bake for 30 to 35 minutes on 350. It is super easy!

Mixing up the yellow cake mix batter……

Adding the extra oil, sour cream and pudding to the mix……

All those nuts and the brown sugar and butter make it a decadent topping for your yummy pineapple cake!

Bake up that baby!

Here it is just out of the oven….The sour cream and pudding mix make the batter really rich and tasty!

Let it cool about 10 minutes and then cut spoonfuls and turn them over as you
dish out the servings….topped with whipped cream of course!

Try to include a ring and a cherry in each serving for a great presentation….
This is one of my husband’s favorite desserts!

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Okay the Girl Scouts in my neighborhood delivered our boxes of Thin Mints cookies over the weekend and of course they were seriously gone in a day! What is with those cookies I ask you! Everybody loves the Samoas, but I am very addicted to the Thin Mints.

So on my Facebook page today one of my friends put up this picture with the yummy recipe to go with it. I’m trying it! I’m craving minty chocolate cookies ever since I downed the last sleeve of my Girl Scout Cookies. It was so weird because a day later I found 4 little cookies in a leftover sleeve my husband had been eating and I seriously felt like the Easter Bunny had just laid a Cadbury Egg in my basket! It is embarrasing!

I’ve got to get over this Thin Mint addiction I’ve got!!! Especially because, well, you know what my doctor told me…..nothing greasy, fried or yellow! So I’m sure those cookies have something yellow and buttery in them. I’m not going to think about that today. Those darn girl scouts. Hmph!

Kelly’s Thin Mint Cookies for the severely addicted …..

Cookie bottom:
1 Devil’s Food Cake Mix (I like the ones with pudding in the mix the best)
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs

Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs together (do not follow the directions on the back of the cake mix- disregard them completely). Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-9 minutes (don’t cook any longer than that! You don’t want them to be overdone!). Let cookies cool completely.

Peppermint Frosting:

1/2 c. butter, softened (Uh Oh, it’s YELLOW! OLD DOC WON’T LIKE THAT!)
2 Tablespoons milk
2 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
Green food coloring (optional- I added about 8 drops to get the colors of green that I had)
Mix together all the ingredients (add more or less powdered sugar until you get the consistency you like). Spread on top of each cooled cookie.

Chocolate Topping:
2 1/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 c. butter (Oh NO, not again!)
Melt chocolate chips and butter together in a double boiler OR in a microwave (I usually microwave for 30-second intervals, then stir and repeat until the chips are fully melted). Spread melted chocolate on each cookie- I have found that it works best to use the back of a spoon to spread the chocolate around.

Now they even have THIN MINT ICE CREAM!! What ‘s a mint fiend to do?

Okay this recipe is a keeper. If you have the darm Girl Scout Cookie cravings like I do. Thanks Kelly, our wonderful PTA President, for giving me a fix on my Thin Mint addiction.

White Chicken Chili Party!

Have you ever gone to a homemade chili tasting party? Well it’s a lot of fun. I got to taste chilis of all sorts. Here is just a sampling a bunch of friends of mine enjoyed….

We had Great Harvest Bread and cookies to go with our soup luncheon…..

Here’s all the ladies lining up for the tasting party…

I loved this one…it was white chicken chili…yummo!

Here’s my friend Bethann telling me where to go taste her soup…hehe….it was good too!

We had lots of varieties of chili. some veggie, some chicken…some beans…

I’ve never seen so many kinds of chili! Some even had cinnamon in them! And it tasted really great!

Our featured speaker was the FOOD NANNY….I see her on T.V. all the time!

Here I am with “The Food Nanny” who was our luncheon speaker….

My Favorite Chili Recipe is White Chicken Chili
INGREDIENTS FOR WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

1 can navy beans
1 can garbanzo beans
3 cups chicken stock (or make your own with a few cubes of chicken bouillon)
2 tablespoons butter (to saute and caramelize the onions)
3/4 cup diced onion
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 small can diced green chills
2 cups white chicken meat, diced
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoons lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili pepper
a shake of garlic salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Lawry’s or Johnny’s Season Salt to taste

Directions

I start with the onion and butter for any stew or soup I make, saute it for 7 minutes or so turning constantly. Then I chop up all the veggies.

I only had 1/2 a white onion, so I added a little purple also…it will add more color to my veggie stock! .

I LOVE my new cutting board…cute “Give Thanks” motto….

Then I pour in water and 2 bouillon cubes for the chicken stock. You could add cans of Swanson chicken stock instead. Add the veggies and let them boil for 10 minutes. Then add the turkey cubes and start spicing it with pepper and spices.

Here are the Bouillon cubes….they are easy to make a flavorful stock…

I chopped the into small cubes….well…..sorta…I’m a messy chopper!

I add everything and then taste it. Sometimes I will actually add a few teaspoons of sugar. Sometimes it just evens out all that salty taste. I will usually add a few more shakes of Lemon Pepper and Lawry’s at the end. Then lastly add the beans. If you add them too soon they will turn to mush. My turkey chili is very dense with veggies, not a lot of broth.

I added a little bit of all of these spices…shake and taste…that’s my style….

I didn’t have garbanzo beans on hand…these are canned white beans…..I coulda used another can of beans!

Here’s my White Chicken Chili…..it’s pretty good too!

I looked over some recipes from the “skinny” cookbooks. They seem to be slim on ingredients but heavy on spices. What do you think? I’d much rather have a variety of yummy veggies!

cookbook chillis

Great Harvest Bread….My Favorite!

We had some Great Harvest 12 grain bread so I buttered one to go with my chili. I love that GREAT HARVEST! The nuttier the bread, the better I like it!

loved the yummy and healthy cookies at the end too….mmmm ….I took 2….snicker…

Chicken Walnut Salad like Paradise Bakery

Walnut Chicken Salad with Fresh Parmesan Cheese…just like Paradise Bakery…only with a little bit added….

Have you ever had the Chicken Walnut Salad at Paradise Bakery and Cafe? I love that place. They give you a cookie with each order. I like a little sweet with my salad or soup, ya know?

The Snickerdoodles are my favorite cookie at Paradise Bakery….

Yummy place for salads and a quick lunch….

I’ve actually gone there twice in one week once, just to eat their soups and salads. My favorite is the Chicken Walnut. And I can’t pick a favorite soup. They are all really good there.

The Asian Salad is pretty good at Paradise Bakery too….but….the Chicken Walnut is the best.

The only thing is….they DON’T put enough walnuts in the salad. No way. I always go up and ask, “Did you forget my walnuts?” And they ALWAYS tell me “NO”. I just like a lot of crunch in a salad.

Their sandwiches are pretty good too…

Chicken Walnut – One of my favorite salads there! Here is what they say is in the salad……
Our famous Chicken Walnut salad on top of romaine lettuce tossed with Caesar dressing, garlic croutons & parmesan cheese.

Use up lots of your fresh veggies….I added some purple onion to my hubs…he’s an onion lover!
I just got some fresh shredded Parmesan cheese from the deli…

I like sweet, red peppers in mine. We both love cucumbers too…and the Walnuts of course…

So here are the INGREDIENTS for 2 salads
Romaine lettuce cut into bits
1 tomato cut into wedges and then halved
1/2 cucumber cut into spears and then chunked
2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese (or more to your taste)
Seasoned croutons
1 grilled chicken breast cooled and cut into chunks
ground pepper
1 Tablespoon for each salad of Caesar dressing.
1/4 cup walnuts (or more if you like)

Add some black pepper to it right after tossing….

Directions for Chicken Walnut Salad
Cut up all the veggies and lettuce and place into 2 salad bowls. Add the fresh Parmesan, the chicken and the walnuts. Add Caesar dressing and croutons and shake on some black pepper. Enjoy!

Yum…this is sooooo tasty and yummy!

Chicken and Broccoli Divan over Noodles

I have always loved Chicken and Broccoli. I used to make it and put it over a Stove Top Stuffing recipe as a newlywed.

Chicken and Broccoli Divan ……great over Noodles…

I am trying to reduce the calories in some of my cooking though. So instead I’m going to try it over noodles. The basic recipe is yummy, filling and pretty easy.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

RECIPE for Chicken and Broccoli Divan over Noodles

3/4 pound chopped fresh broccoli (steamed 5-7 minutes)
1 1/2 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat ( I grilled 3 breasts)

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

1/2 + cup milk (depending on how thick you like it)
1/2 teaspoon Johnny’s Season Salt
Dash of lemon pepper or regular pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese or your cheese preference
1/3 cup sauteed onions
1/3 cup sauteed red or yellow peppers if desired
wide egg noodles cooked and drained.

Some of my ingredients for the sauce, and wide egg noodles to spoon
the yummy stuff over!

I used up my yellow peppers and it added so much flavor I’d do it again!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (230 degrees C).
Place the broccoli in a saucepan and steam approximately 6 minutes.
Place the cooked broccoli in a casserole dish. Top with the grilled, sliced up chicken and grilled onions. In a bowl, mix the soup, sour cream, spices and milk, and pour over the chicken. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese or a mix of cheeses.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.
Spoon over cooked and drained individual plated servings of wide egg noodles. Enjoy!

Steam your veggies…… I had broccoli and some leftover raw zucchini

I had a bit of leftover yellow pepper, like a 2 inch x 4 inch sliver so I added that to my onions as they were sauteing just to use it up. Surprisingly it added some pretty color and yummo flavor!

Stir fry your peppers and onion….

Spay Pan in a casserole and pour veggies in…..

I also had a 1/3 of zucchini so I added it to the broccoli. I had used some of the broccoli when I grilled veggies a few nights ago so didn’t have quite 3/4 pound, so that’s why you can see zucchini.