Cafe Rio Salad

There are some days people vividly remember in their lives. My mom says she remembers where she was and what she was doing the day JFK was shot. I remember watching the Challenger disaster in Kindergarten as a 5 year old. September 11, 2001 is burned to everyone's memory I would imagine, and my wedding day and the births of my three children are stand-out days as well.

There's a large part of my memory that holds food memories as well. I know. I have problems. I'm sure there is therapy available for it somewhere, but not here in Clovis, New Mexico. I have vivid memories of my fondue experience in Switzerland, my nutella crepes in Paris, my gelatto in Italy. But the first, and sadly the only time, I had a Cafe Rio Salad is a day not to be forgotten. I have Scott and Alicia Buchanan to thank for introducing me to the deliciousness that is Cafe Rio while I was visiting Utah. It was fantastic, fresh Mexican. And those who know me well, know I could eat my weight in Mexican food. And that, my friends, is a lot of Mexican. I think Cafe Rio would have to take the cake, so to speak, in fast-food Mexican. How I wish there were a franchise closer to here.

A few weeks ago, some friends at church did a Cafe Rio style dinner for a church activity. I was fortunate to partake of some leftovers, and I have been dreaming about Cafe Rio ever since. Last night I had our missionaries from church over to eat dinner, both of whom happen to be from Utah, so I thought it was the perfect time to whip up some Cafe Rio.

In a word, it was AWESOME (and easy!). I feel like I can't hold back with these recipes. I have to share them so you can experience Cafe Rio as well. Everyone should at least once in their life! Bon Appetite!

Cafe Rio Shredded Chicken

5lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed and cut into pieces
8oz zesty italian salad dressing (the cheap Great Value brand works great)
1 T cumin
1 T chili powder
3 cloves garlic, pressed

In a crockpot, combine chicken, salad dressing, spices and garlic. Stir well to combine. Set crockpot on high and let cook for four hours. Shred chicken. (I use my Pampered Chef salad choppers to quickly and easily shred the chicken right in the crockpot. I also use my Food Chopper to shred chicken, but this is kind of soupy, so I opted for the salad choppers and it worked great!)

Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Rice

2 cups white rice, not instant
4 cups chicken broth
2 T lime juice
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 14 oz can salsa verde
1 c fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
pinch of salt

Prepare rice according to package directions, except use chicken broth instead of water. After rice is cooked, stir in remaining ingredients. Keep warm.

Cafe Rio Tomatillo Dressing
1 c buttermilk
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c mayonnaise
2-4 tomatillos, depending on size (smaller ones use four, if larger, use two)
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
1-2 cloves garlic
1 T lime juice
1 Hidden Valley Ranch packet

Throw everything in a blender and blend until smooth. I used my new Ninja blender, which I looooovvvee.

And this how you build your Cafe Rio Salad:

1. First, put a flour tortilla down on a plate. A big plate. My friend Laura introduced me to homemade flour toritillas. It is amazing how much better they taste than store-bought tortillas. At Wal-Mart of all places, I discovered the next best thing. These are in the refrigerated section near the cream cheese.
It's an extra step to brown them on a griddle or in a skillet, but WORTH THE EXTRA STEP.

2. After the tortilla, top with some shredded cheese. Cheddar, Mexican blend, monterrey jack, whatever you like.

3. Then, scoop some of the shredded chicken over the cheese. Don't drain the marinade off the chicken. You'll want a little of that saucy goodness.

4. Top with a generous scoop of the cilantro lime rice (and for the record, I am not a big cilantro fan, but it just works in these recipes).

5. Then top with beans of some kind, pinto or black. I used black beans. And it's better if they're warmed in my opinion.

6. On top of the beans go lettuce. And load it down with lettuce.

7. Then top with the tomatillo dressing, crushed corn chips, and I like to add a little salsa as well.

Delish. Such a fun dinner for a crowd or when entertaining. Now I'm off to eat leftovers!

Holy Cow! Cookies

Okay, they're not really called Holy Cow cookies. But after eating the first one (actually after eating my *first* spoonful of batter), those were the first words that came to mind. The official name of the cookies is "Deluxe Triple Chocolate Cookies" and they came out of the Pillsbury 2011 Annual Recipe Cookbook and they were a Pillsbury Bake Off Contestant winner, so I knew they had to be good before I even made them. I mean, they have Nutella AND peanut butter in them. Probably two of my most favorite foods, in one cookie. I couldn't get to my kitchen aid fast enough after reading the recipe.

I ended up sending almost all of them to work with David. This house simply isn't big enough for me and those cookies. They passed the co-worker test and the kid test, and most importantly of all, MY test. Put this one in your cookie-keeper file. You'll come back to this one again.

1 c butter, softened
3/4 c packed brown sugar
3/4 c granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 c Nutella
1/2 c peanut butter, creamy
1 box (5oz) instant hot cocoa mix, chocolate
2 c all-purpose flour
1 c oats, any kind
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 bag (12 oz) semi sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. On low speed, beat in hazelnut spread, peanut butter, and dry cocoa mix until well blended. Stir in flour, oats, salt and baking soda until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons (or using your medium Pampered Chef scoop like I did) 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets. Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until edges are set. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

Oh, and what do you do with the spoon you used to dip the Nutella out? That is entirely up to you, but I'll give you one guess as to what I did with the remnants on this spoon...

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

One of the easiest, best biscuit recipes! You will not be able to eat just one!

2 c bisquick or baking mix
1/2 c cold water
3/4 c grated cheddar cheese

1/4 c butter, melted
1 t parsley flakes (I usually leave these out)
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t Italian seasoning

Mix first three ingredients and form into dough balls. Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes. While baking, melt the butter, then mix in the spices. Brush on hot biscuits with a pastry brush. Mmmmm, mmmmm!

A Southern Living Christmas

I took nearly every recipe for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner out of these two Southern Living cookbooks this year. I tried some new things, and was happy with the way everything turned out.

For Christmas Eve Dinner this year, we decided not to do kabobs and fondue like we did last year, mainly because I threw out our crappy fondue pots and intended to buy elecric ones, and totally forgot that I didn't until it was too late. I hope to get back to that tradition again next year. I really like doing that, and face it, fondue is just too much trouble unless it's for a special occasion. Instead, I decided to do White Christmas Chicken Chili, Red Onion Salad, and homemade wheat bread. The Red Onion Salad was a recipe I got from a friend when we lived in Collierville after eating it at her house. The homemade dressing is what makes it. Even if you're not a red onion fan, I promise you will love this dressing. So, thanks, Shauna for sharing the recipe!

Mom's Red Onion Salad (Shauna Cameron)
2 bags pre-washed baby spinach
2 heads romaine lettuce
1 pound finely grated swiss cheese
1 pound bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
1 container sliced fresh mushrooms
1 red onion, cut in half (1/2 sliced thinly for salad, other half for dressing)

Dressing
1/2 red onion
1 1/2 T poppy seeds
3/4 c white vinegar
1 1/2 c oil (I used canola)
3/4 c sugar
1 1/2 t salt
3/4 t dry mustard

Combine all dressing ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. You can marinate some of the mushrooms in the dressing if desired. Pour over the tossed salad just before serving.

White Christmas Chicken Chili (Southern Living Christmas Cookbook)(This is not my picture...mine don't ever look this good)

Ingredients
4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves
5 cups water
1 large onion, chopped and divided
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 celery ribs, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
3 (16-ounce) cans great Northern beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
3 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles
1 cup canned chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Toppings: tortilla chips, shredded Colby-Jack cheese, salsa, sour cream
Preparation
Place chicken, 5 cups water, and half of onion in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and cook 15 to 18 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken, reserving broth in Dutch oven. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces; set aside.

Melt butter in a skillet; add celery and remaining onion, and sauté until tender.

Stir chicken, celery mixture, 2 cans beans, and next 6 ingredients into broth in Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 1 hour, stirring frequently, until thickened.

Process remaining 1 can beans in a blender until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Stir bean pureé into chili.

Remove and discard bay leaf; stir in cilantro just before serving with desired toppings.

For Christmas day, we did our traditional spiral ham (for me) and lamb (for David).
Then we ate:

Bacon-Pecan Brussels Sprouts (Southern Living Christmas Cookbook)

1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts
5 slices bacon
1/4 c chopped pecans
2 green onions, sliced
1/8 t ground nutmeg
1/8 t salt
1/8 t pepper

Wash Brussels sprouts thoroughy; remove discolored leaves. Cut off stem ends; cut Brussels sprouts vertically into thin shreds. Cook bacon in skillet until crisp. Remove bacon, reserving drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon and set aside. Add pecans to drippings; cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until golden. Add Brussels sprouts, green onions, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 18 minutes or until Brussels sprouts are tender; stirring often. Spoon into a serving dish; sprinkle with bacon. Yield: 4 servings.

Sweet Potato Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette (Southern Living Ultimate Christmas Cookbook)

Ingredients
4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4
1 small red onion, cut into thin wedges
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
4 thick-cut bacon slices
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted
1/2 cup golden raisins (I omitted these)
Preparation
Combine sweet potato, onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; toss to coat. Arrange vegetables in a single layer on 2 lightly greased baking sheets.

Bake at 450° for 35 minutes or until browned, removing onion after 25 minutes, and stirring sweet potato.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 12 minutes or until crisp. Drain bacon, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in pan.

Add remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, vinegar, mustard, and pepper to drippings in skillet. Stir well. Transfer vinaigrette to a large bowl. Add roasted sweet potato, onion, pecans, and raisins, tossing gently to coat. Cool.

Note: If you have only one oven, place 1 baking sheet on the lower oven rack and 1 on the upper rack; switch positions after 25 minutes. Bake 5 to 10 more minutes or until potatoes are browned.

Oven Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans, and Onions (Southern Living Christmas Cookbook)
1/4 c oil
1 crushed garlic clove
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
3 medium onions, quartered
2 pounds small red potatoes, cut into 1/4" slices
1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, untrimmed

Stir together first four ingredients; set aside 1 T of oil mixture. Place onion wedges and potato slices in a greased roasting pan, and drizzle with remaining oil mixture. Stir gently.

Roast at 450 degrees on top rack of oven 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasiionally.

Add green beans to pan; drizzle reserved 1 T of oil mixture over beans, stirring gently. Roast 15 to 20 minutes more or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

Strawberry Congealed Salad (Cooks.com) 3/4 c. butter, melted
3 tbsp. brown sugar
2 1/2 c. crushed pretzels
1 c. sugar
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 (9 oz.) carton Cool Whip
1 lg. pkg. strawberry Jello
1 pkg. frozen strawberries, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine crushed pretzels, brown sugar, and melted butter. Spread in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake 10 minutes. Remove and let cool thoroughly. Cream together sugar and cream cheese. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over cooled crust. Mix Jello (using about 1 cup less water than called for on box), add strawberries, and chill until thickened. Spread over cream cheese mixture and chill several hours or overnight before serving. Serves 12 to 15.

And for dessert, David requested Pecan Pie (Southern Living Christmas Cookbook)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups pecan pieces
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup light or dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (9-inch) deep-dish frozen unbaked pie shell
Preparation
1. Spread pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet.

2. Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted.

3. Stir together eggs and next 5 ingredients; stir in pecans. Pour filling into pie shell.

4. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until set, shielding pie with aluminum foil after 20 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Serve warm or cold. My mom made homemade whipped cream to go with it

And I made an Italian Cream Cake (Southern Living Christmas Cookbook)

It was labor intensive, but oh, so worth it.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flaked coconut
Nutty Cream Cheese Frosting (see below)
Garnishes: toasted pecan halves, chopped pecans
Preparation
Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add vanilla, beating until blended.

Combine flour and soda; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in coconut.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, and fold into batter. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cakepans.

Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Spread Nutty Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish, if desired.

Nutty Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
1 cup chopped pecans
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or i margarine, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar, sifted
Preparation
Bake chopped pecans in a shallow baking pan at 350°, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes or until toasted. Cool.

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat frosting at high speed until smooth; stir in pecans.

We also had Rhodes Texas rolls. Tasted like homemade. Good enough for me!

Also, for Christmas morning breakfast, I made a breakfast casserole. I've used several recipes in the past, but this was by far my favorite. Then I made super easy mini cinnamon rolls.

Breakfast Casserole (www.momswhothink.com)

Ingredients:

7 eggs
1 cup milk
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6-8 slices bacon - chopped
8 frozen hash browns (patties)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard


Directions:

1. Place hash browns in a single layer in a greased 9X13 baking dish. Cook bacon and slice.

2. Sprinkle with cheese and bacon.

3. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt and mustard. Pour over bacon.

4. Cover and bake at 350'F for 1 hour.

5. Uncover; bake 15 minutes longer or until edges are golden brown and knife inserted near the center comes out clean.


Tiny Cinnamon Rolls (Southern Living Christmas Cookbook)

1 8 oz can refrigerated crescent rolls
1 T sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
2/3 c sifted powder sugar
2 t milk
2 drops of vanilla

Unroll crescent roll dough, and separate into four rectangles; pinch perforations within rectangles to seal. Stir together granulated sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle mixture evenly over rectangles. Roll up, jellyroll fashion, starting with a long side; pinch edges to seal. Gently cut each log into five slices, and place, cut sides down, in a lightly greased 8 or 9 inch round cake pan.

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.

Combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla, stirring until smooth; drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls. Yield: 20 rolls

Christmas goodies!

Here are the recipes from some of the cookies from my cookie swap the other night, as well as one of my new favorite goodies to make and hand out..homeade moose munch! Thanks to my friend Amy for firstly giving it to me and secondly, for sharing her recipe!

Homemade Moose Munch

2 boxes Toffee Crunch 'n' Munch
1.5 c. mini marshmallows (you can't tell in this picture, but I used snowman shaped marshmallows
2 c. pretzels (I used holiday shaped pretzels, but if you don't have those, use mini twists)
1 c. peanuts
1 c. holiday-colored M&M's
3 squares Almond Bark white melt
2 squares Almond Bark chocolate melt


Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Melt white squares in microwave. Mix in with dry ingredients. Spread on a cookie sheet. Melt chocolate squares and drizzle over top. Let chocolate harden (15-20 mins). Enjoy!


Maraschino-Cherry Cookies1 1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. butter, melted
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 egg whites
1 tsp. almond
3/4 c. maraschino cherries, chopped (1 jar, 10 oz.)
2 c. granola (without raisins)

Mix and cook at 375 for 8-10 minutes.
Watch carefully - do not let them brown too much - will finish baking on cooling rack - you want them to be soft. (These were SO YUM! And I don't even like maraschino cherries!)

Cranberry-Orange Cookies
Ingredients
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chopped cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped cashews (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg until well blended. Mix in 2 teaspoons orange zest and 2 tablespoons orange juice. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the orange mixture. Mix in cranberries and if using, cashews, until evenly distributed. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Cookies should be spaced at least 2 inches apart.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are golden. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

Flourless Peanut Butter Granola Balls

1/3 c honey
1/4 natural peanut butter
2 T unsalted butter
1 c rice crispies
1 c old fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking oats)
1/3 c dried craisins, cherries, or raisins (there were craisins in this and they were sooo good!)

1. Heat honey, peanut butter, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until warmed through and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cereal, oats, and dried fruit.
2. Drop mixture by the tablespoon into mini paper cupcake or candy liners. Placce on a rimmed baking sheet and chill until set, about 15 minutes. Balls can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Ingredients
48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar (I used colored sugar, red and green)

Directions

1 Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.
2 Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
3 Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4 Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1/2 c butter
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1/2 t salt
4 ripe bananas
2 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 c mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, and bananas. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients and add to first bowl. Grease pans well and fill 2/3 pull. Bkae for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Makes two loaves.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I bake literally dozens of these during the fall season. (These are pre-oven, but they look pretty much the same when they come out!) My last double batch went to teachers, the ladies I visit teach, David, the kids and me! I've had a couple requests for the recipe, so figured I'd post it here since it needed to wind up here anyway. My sister-in-law loves them, and I have promised her a batch at Thanksgiving!

Yummy! So glad for fall and the food that comes with it!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, from Everyday Food Magazine

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t salt
1/2 c (1 stick)butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin puree
1 cup (or more if you're me) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice, and salt; set aside.

Beat together butter and sugar until light and flufy. Add egg; beat until smooth. With mixer on low speed, alterately add flour m ixture in two parts and pumpkin puree in one, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined (do not overmix). Stir in chocolate chips. (The mini chocolate chips are good too!)

Drop dough by heaping tablespoons onto two baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until puffed and edges are golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Immediately transfer to wire racks and cool completely.

**I can rarely find pumpkin pie spice, so I make my own. For 1 teaspoon, you mix 1/2 t cinnamon, 1/4 t ginger, 1/8 t allspice, 1/8 t nutmeg. If you're just making 1 batch of these cookies, you would need to half these measurements since the above makes 1 t of pumpkin pie spice and the recipe calls for 1/2 t, but I always double this recipe, so I use the amounts as written for 1 t of pumpkin pie spice.

A twist on Chicken Salad

I have been absent from my cooking blog lately. Almost immediately following my last post, Ethan started kindergarten, then my sweet granny passed away. I spent a week in Alabama for that. Then Sara Katherine started preschool. Then I have to dial 911 on my wife-beating next door neighbor (and consequently, have to be a witness for the prosection in his preliminary hearing tomorrow). Then we spend two days dealing with the Ethan-rock-up-his-nose fiasco. Ethan starting kindergarten has absolutely rocked my world. For some silly reason, I thought I'd have more time once kids were in school. Wrong. I haven't quite gotten my groove down yet, but I feel like I'm close. Ethan is in Tae Kwan Do, Sara Katherine is in ballet, and in a matter of weeks, I feel like I'm living a whole new life. Needless to say, this hasn't given way to many opportunities for experimenting or baking. I have done enough to feed my family, but little that is blog-worthy. I did make some yummy bruschetta using tomatoes from our garden, but failed to take a picture, and a food blog is no fun without pictures. If someone is just dying to have that recipe, then just leave me a comment. Anyhow, with fall coming, the cooking blog will be nicely resurrected. Now until December is my favorite time of year for just about everything; baking and cooking included. I already have a list of things I want to make and blog about. And now that my synthroid has kicked in, I actually have a lot of energy again. So I'm excited.

Anyway, back to the point. I'm fortunate to have some really fun friends here in Clovis. On Tuesday, the (very brave) bishop's wife opened the doors to her home for a drop-in crafting day. Everyone could bring their current crafting projects (mine included hairbows and a do-it-yourself Scentsy warmer) and bring a treat to share and craft and visit and eat. It was seriously so much fun. All the kids who weren't in school played with each other and relatively stayed out of the way of the glue guns. Debbie set up big tables all over the kitchen and living room and covered them with protective vinyl covering, and we ate and crafted to our hearts content. Some people didn't even come with crafting projects, but just to visit and eat.

And boy, did we eat.

Debbie made this to-die-for chicken salad. I am a big chicken salad fan anyway, so I was thrilled to get a different way to prepare it and eat it. It was so good that I made it tonight for my family. If you love chicken salad, get ready. You're going to want to eat this all.day.long. Yum!

Debbie's Chicken Salad

(As a warning, this is one of the "approximated" recipes)

For the salad:

Torn romaine lettuce (I actually had a coupon for a free big bag of lettuce, so I used the larger size bagged romaine. Otherwise, I would have chopped my own because I think it tastes better and it's cheaper, and I would probably use an entire head of romaine).
Shredded swiss cheese, about one cup
Chopped Tomatoes (I used three)
Chopped Red Onion (I used 1/2)
Chopped Pecans (I used about 1 cup, measured before they were chopped)
Chopped cooked chicken (I used about 3 cups)

For the dressing:

1 cup mayo
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Fresh cracked black pepper to your taste
about 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, added 1 T at a time until you get the consistency and tang you like.

Toss salad ingredients in the dressing until fully coated. This is one of those salads where you really do need to toss the whole thing. It won't be as good if you just pour the dressing on top.

We ate this on crossaints (but you could also use pitas or tortillas) and even my children gobbled it up. A perfect paper plate kind of meal. Dang. Just typing this post makes me want to go eat some, now, at 11pm.

Also, Debbie gave me a good tip. She said if you happen to have leftovers for this, the lettuce will get a little wilty-like from being coated in the dressing. She said before you eat it the next day, just toss it again with some fresh romaine, and you won't even be able to taste the wilty stuff. Awesome. We had just enough left for David and me to have lunch tomorrow. I.can't.wait.