Category: Food

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Coveted Chicken Salad

The Coveted Chicken Salad. Sit up now. Pay attention.

I promise, there are people in my family going…”No. WAY!” right this minute. Because, you see, sometimes I can be just a tad…

selfish…

with certain recipes. This is one of them. I’m working on being a better person, so here it is. Use it quick before I have a panic induced relapse…

or buy up all the chicken in the world to make this only for…

me.

Oh, I could too.

:}

Coveted Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

5-6 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules

1 Tbsp.  onion flakes

3/4-1 cup Miracle Whip

5 stalks celery, diced

salt

Instructions:

Boil the chicken breasts in water, with salt,  until cooked through–about 30 minutes.

Remove from water and refrigerate until cold enough to handle.

While you are waiting, dice up the celery and place in a bowl. Sprinkle a ridiculous amount of salt over the celery. Don’t worry, we’ll be rinsing it off in a while. This will help the celery lose the bitter taste it has sometimes. Set aside.

When chicken is cold, cut it into bite-sized pieces, being impeccable about removing everything but the actual white, breast meat. Discard fat, veins, gristle–nobody wants to eat that…trust me on this.

Place diced chicken in a medium bowl. Add 3/4 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing. Please note that I did NOT say mayonnaise. That is because this is recipe MY recipe…my famous recipe…so if you want it to be right, then just plain do what I say. Miracle Whip. No discussion here. The end. Phew. I feel better now.

Mix the chicken and Miracle Whip well and decide if you need the extra 1/4 cup of salad dressing. I usually do. Now, sprinkle the onion flakes and bouillon granules evenly over the top and set aside.

Pour the diced and salted celery into a colander and rinse thoroughly. Let it drain for a few minutes then add to the chicken mixture. Again, mix very well.  Understand that the real flavors will be much better distributed if you leave the salad covered in the fridge for a few hours–or better yet, overnight. Then mix again, and salt to taste. You may proceed to serve it to your guests on a lettuce leaf or in a puff pastry shell. They will genuflect.

Now somebody should write me a check for a million dollars.

Seriously.

Get on that.

*********

Coveted Chicken Salad
 
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Ingredients
  • 5-6 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
  • 1 Tbsp. onion flakes
  • ¾-1 cup Miracle Whip
  • 5 stalks celery, diced
  • salt
Instructions
  1. Boil the chicken breasts in water, with salt, until cooked through--about 30 minutes.
  2. Remove from water and refrigerate until cold enough to handle.
  3. While you are waiting, dice up the celery and place in a bowl. Sprinkle a ridiculous amount of salt over the celery. Don't worry, we'll be rinsing it off in a while. This will help the celery lose the bitter taste it has sometimes. Set aside.
  4. When chicken is cold, cut it into bite-sized pieces, being impeccable about removing everything but the actual white, breast meat. Discard fat, veins, gristle--nobody wants to eat that...trust me on this.
  5. Place diced chicken in a medium bowl. Add ¾ cup Miracle Whip salad dressing.
  6. Mix the chicken and Miracle Whip well and decide if you need the extra ¼ cup of salad dressing. I usually do.
  7. Now, sprinkle the onion flakes and bouillon granules evenly over the top and set aside.
  8. Pour the diced and salted celery into a colander and rinse thoroughly. Let it drain for a few minutes then add to the chicken mixture.
  9. Again, mix very well. Understand that the real flavors will be much better distributed if you leave the salad covered in the fridge for a few hours--or better yet, overnight. Then mix again, and salt to taste.

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Comfort Food Survey

Been reading all kinds of articles on the subject of comfort foods and it made me wonder…

just what truly makes up the perfect “make the world go away” or “now I feel better” foods anyway? Does it need to be a sweet treat or could it be a savory supper dish?

So I decided to do a survey of my own and see for myself…

just what people want when they need comfort…

or acceptance…

or joy…

or happiness…

or plain, old Mama love.

So, how about it? When you need down-right comfort what food would you reach for if it could be handed to you…and you didn’t have to lift a finger? Let me know your favorites in the comment section.

We’ll add up the results in a week and let you know the top ten. Please encourage your friends to pipe in with their favorites as well. We need a real good–down to earth list. Then, if we haven’t made them here already–we’ll find the best recipes and share them with you, in the next few weeks.

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What are your favorite comfort foods?

~~~~~

Happy “Scrabble Day!” Celebrate by making our pretty little Scrabble Tile Pendants.

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Molten Chocolate Cake

We’ve discovered something…

“molten” is quite a relative term. But no matter how it is used, if it’s attached to the word “chocolate” well then….

it’s positively glorious.

We’ve tasted Molten Chocolate Cake in many of it’s incarnations, or—various levels of done-ness—and found that each and every version has it’s own unique…charm…

Yeah, charm is a good word. My favorite version is this moist and fluffy but not-quite-so-liquid center darling. If, however you want the molten chocolate to actually be more like lava–then just take it out of the oven a minute or so sooner than I did.

Either way…don’t make any plans.

You’re going to want a moment alone.

Trust me.


Chocolate Molten Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

6 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate

3 large eggs, separated

1/3 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Generously butter 4 – 3/4 cup molds, ramekins, or custard cups and dust the insides with granulated white sugar. Place the prepared molds on a baking sheet and set aside.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside.

Beat the egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar until thick, pale, and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Now, then fold in the melted chocolate mixture.

In a clean bowl whip the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to whip until soft peaks form. Gradually add the 1 tablespoon of granulated white sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. With a wire whisk gently fold the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture, just until it is well combined. Don’t over mix or the batter will go flat. Divide the batter between the prepared cups, filling about 3/4 full. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the outside edges of the cakes are set but the middle still looks a little wet. You may have cracks on the top surface of the cakes.

Immediately remove from oven and let them rest for a minute or two. Run a knife around the edge of each cake and then turn it out onto the center of a serving plate.  Carefully remove the mold. Sprinkle the top of each cake with confectioners sugar and serve with Vanilla ice cream.

Makes 4 – 3/4 cup  individual cakes.

Oh, and whatever you do–don’t cook them longer than 15 minutes…or they tend to…ahhhh….blow up.

Yeah. Don’t ask.

Molten Chocolate Cake
 
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Ingredients
  • ½ cup butter, cut into pieces
  • 6 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate
  • 3 large eggs, separated
  • ⅓ cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in center of oven.
  2. Generously butter 4 - ¾ cup molds, ramekins, or custard cups and dust the insides with granulated white sugar.
  3. Place the prepared molds on a baking sheet and set aside.
  4. Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside.
  5. Beat the egg yolks and ⅓ cup sugar until thick, pale, and fluffy.
  6. Beat in the vanilla extract.
  7. Now, then fold in the melted chocolate mixture.
  8. In a clean bowl whip the egg whites until frothy.
  9. Add the cream of tartar and continue to whip until soft peaks form.
  10. Gradually add the 1 tablespoon of granulated white sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.
  11. With a wire whisk gently fold the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture, just until it is well combined.
  12. Don't over mix or the batter will go flat.
  13. Divide the batter between the prepared cups, filling about ¾ full.
  14. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the outside edges of the cakes are set but the middle still looks a little wet.
  15. You may have cracks on the top surface of the cakes.Immediately remove from oven and let them rest for a minute or two.
  16. Run a knife around the edge of each cake and then turn it out onto the center of a serving plate. Carefully remove the mold.
  17. Sprinkle the top of each cake with confectioners sugar and serve with Vanilla ice cream.

 

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Easter Gummi Candies

You are going to love these cute little gummies. I was amazed at how easy they were to make. You can use your favorite flavor of Jello or even make them two flavors at once–by filling the molds half full, letting them harden and filling them the rest of the way with a second flavor. If you don’t have small candy or chocolate molds you can use ice cube trays or mini muffin tins. You can even pour the gummies out onto a cookie sheet and cut them with cookie cutters.

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Gummi Candies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cold water

1 package Jello– any flavor

4 packets unflavored gelatin

Directions:

1. Spray candy molds or pans with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Combine unflavored gelatin, flavored gelatin, and cold water in a small pyrex 2 cup measuring cup. Stir with a small whisk or rubber spatula until well mixed. Cover with plastic wrap and let mixture rest for 10 minutes.

3. Set cup in pan of hot water and cook over medium heat. Continue stirring while mixture melts and becomes liquid.

4. Once mixture is fully liquid and pretty much clear, remove it from the heat and pour into your molds.

5. Allow it to set and cool slightly, then place in freezer for 10 minutes to solidify.

6. Once solid, remove from molds, and gobble them up!

Easter Gummi Candies
 
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Ingredients
  • ½ cup cold water
  • 1 package Jello-- any flavor
  • 4 packets unflavored gelatin
Instructions
  1. Spray candy molds or pans with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Combine unflavored gelatin, flavored gelatin, and cold water in a small Pyrex 2 cup measuring cup. Stir with a small whisk or rubber spatula until well mixed.
  3. Cover with plastic wrap and let mixture rest for 10 minutes.
  4. Set cup in pan of hot water and cook over medium heat.
  5. Continue stirring while mixture melts and becomes liquid.
  6. Once mixture is fully liquid and pretty much clear, remove it from the heat and pour into your molds.
  7. Allow it to set and cool slightly, then place in freezer for 10 minutes to solidify.
  8. Once solid, remove from molds, and gobble them up!

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Buttermint Cookies

Oh, yummmm! The tender melty taste of real live butter-mints, only in a cookie. No lie. The first bite is such a surprise–you may need to prepare for a mild addiction…of a sort.

One batch was just not quite enough–

at least for us.

So plan accordingly.

Buttermint Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Pastel colored sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in extract. Gradually add flour and mix well.
Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets; flatten with a glass dipped in colored sugar—think Easter colors. Bake at 350° for 12-14 minutes or until firm. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Yield: 3 dozen.

Found in the pages of Taste of Home magazine.

Buttermint Cookies
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • ½ cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
  • 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • Pastel colored sugar
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy.
  2. Beat in extract.
  3. Gradually add flour and mix well.
  4. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls.
  5. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets; flatten with a glass dipped in colored sugar---think Easter colors.
  6. Bake at 350° for 12-14 minutes or until firm.
  7. Remove to wire racks to cool.