Chick-fil-A Chicken Salad - Restaurant Recipes

2 cups cooked chicken breasts

⅓ cup celery, finely chopped 

1 hard boiled egg, minced 

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar 

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

⅓ cup sweet pickle relish

⅔-1 cup mayonnaise, depending on how you like the texture

8 slices Texas toast thick bread (or thick cut sandwich bread)

Boil chicken until completely cooked. Remove from water and cool. 

After the chicken is cooled, cut into small pieces. 

Place chicken in a mixing bowl with all other ingredients and mix well. Butter one side of sandwich bread and grill. Place salad between grilled bread slices. Chicken salad will be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Homestyle Waffle - Sandwiches

8 Kellogg Eggo Home style Waffles

1/4 cup spicy brown mustard

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds 

3/4 pound shaved or very thinly sliced ham 

1 1/2 cup or 6 ounces Gruyere, Swiss, Cheddar, Mozzarella, Provolone or other cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Stack waffles on large microwave-safe plate. Microwave uncovered on high for 20-40 seconds. Spread mustard on 4 of the waffles. Sprinkle with caraway seeds. Stack with ham and sprinkle cheese on top. Top with remaining 4 waffles, making sandwiches. Individually wrap each sandwich in foil. Place on baking sheets and bake for 20-25 minutes till cheese is melted. You can use American cheese, yellow mustard and skip the caraway seeds if desired 

The Dagwood - Sandwiches

Large piece of bread, cut into three layers

Sliced ham

4 slices bacon, cooked

1 fried egg

Thinly sliced pickles 

Thinly sliced jalapenos Mayonnaise, mustard to taste

Sliced tomatoes

Sliced cheese of your choice 

Cole slaw 

Butter top and bottom of each of the three slices of bread. Layer ham, bacon, pickles, jalapenos, mayo, mustard and cheese. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes. Add fried eggs, tomatoes and Cole slaw. Put on the top layer of bread and enjoy. 

Egg Salad - Eggs & Peeps

2 hard boiled eggs, sliced in both directions 

1 small container Coconut yogurt

Sour cream, to taste 

Sliced sweet onion

Carrot, sliced 

Celery, sliced 

Red bell pepper, sliced 

Capers 

Seasoning of your choice 

Mix all ingredients together and chill. Enjoy!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps - Intimate Recipe

1 cup chicken, diced 

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced 

1 teaspoon ginger, minced 

1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar 

1 Tablespoon soy sauce 

2 Tablespoons green onion, chopped 

½ cup white rice, cooked 

¼ carrot, grated

2 large lettuce leaves 

Place the olive oil in a frying pan and cook over medium heat until it begins to sizzle. Place the  garlic, ginger, and green onion in the frying pan and cook until they begin to soften. Add the chicken, rice wine vinegar and soy sauce. 

When the chicken is heated through, remove the pan from the stove. Place the lettuce leaves on a plate, and divide the rice and carrots between them. Divide the chicken mixture between the leaves, roll them closed and serve.

Original recipe from Cooking for One by Kimberly Stevens

Chicken Salad - Bird Food

3 cups cooked chicken

¾ cup vegan mayonnaise

1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges

1 cup red seedless grapes

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper

Drain mandarin oranges and pour into bowl. With a fork, mash oranges. Drain off excess liquid. Add vegan mayonnaise, salt and pepper and mix. Cut grapes into halves. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Add both to dressing and stir gently to coat.

Can use egg or regular mayonnaise if desired.

Pepper Ham Bread & Chocolate Bread - Family Favorites

1 loaf frozen bread dough

Mrs. Dash seasoning

Ham, chopped into bite size pieces

Shredded cheese (of your choice)

Defrost dough and roll out to ½ inch thick. Sprinkle seasoning over rolled dough. Sprinkle on ham and cheese of your choice. Roll dough up and place in buttered loaf pan. Let rise for 1 to 2 hours and bake at 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until dough is cooked through.

Top picture features the ham and cheese version. The bottom picture features a chocolate variation using cocoa powder and butter on the bread.

Marinated Peppers and Zucchini with Almonds

1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 orange pepper, thinly sliced
1 small zucchini, cut in half, then thinly sliced horizontally
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed or 1/2 cup canned corn kernels, drained
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons lightly toasted sliced almonds

In large nonstick skillet, saute peppers, zucchini and corn over high heat for 2-3 minutes in 1/2 Tablespoon oil. Remove from heat and place in serving bowl.
In separate small bowl, whisk together remaining oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over vegetables and gently toss. Serve garnished with almonds.

Not Your Average Slaw - Served Cold

2 cups shredded red cabbage

2 cups shredded green cabbage

Try different combinations....

Combination #1
1 red apple, diced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
Honey

Combination #2

1 pear, diced
Peppers of your choice, cut into small pieces
Parmesan Cheese

Combination #3

1 cup pineapple
1-2 carrots, thinly sliced
Ground Ginger

Combination #4

1 handful raisins
½ bunch green onions, thinly sliced
Curry Powder

After you choose your combination, add the miracle whip dressing (listed below)

½ cup Miracle Whip dressing

Mix shredded cabbage, fruits and chopped vegetables. Combine miracle whip dressing and spoonful of seasoning of choice; mix well. Toss dressing with other ingredients and serve cold.

Chicken and Lettuce Wraps - Served Cold

2 cups chopped cooked rotisserie chicken

1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce - mix with carrots

1/3 cup ranch dressing

1/4 cup sweet pickle relish

8 slices deli-style white Cheddar cheese slices

4 whole wheat wraps   (can use choice of wrap)

In a large bowl, stir together first 4 ingredients.  Place 2 cheese slices in a single layer on 1 side of each wrap; top each evenly with about 3/4 cup chicken mixture. Roll up jelly roll-style; wrap in plastic wrap, twisting ends of wrap to seal.

Chill up to 8 hours, if desired. Cut in half to serve. Serves 4.

Mini Corn Dog Muffins - Picnic Food

1/2 cup melted butter (or 1/4 cup butter + 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce)

1/2 cup sugar                          

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk                    

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1 cup cornmeal                      

1 cup all-purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon salt.                    

8-10 all-beef hot dogs cut into 1" bites 

Whisk together butter and sugar. Add eggs and stir well. Add buttermilk and continue to whisk together. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cornmeal, and salt, and stir to combine. Whisk into wet ingredients in two batches.

Spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray, and spoon 1 Tablespoon of batter into each mini muffin cup. Place one hot dog bite into the middle of each muffin cup.

Bake for 8-12 minutes at 375 degrees; or until cornbread is golden brown. Cool in mini muffin tin for 5 minutes before serving. Makes around 36 mini corn dog muffins.

(103 calories per piece)

Hamburger Muffins

This is a recipe that I made last Friday. I have just been too busy to share it before today!  Although it is a bit messy, it is well worth it and even kid friendly (or so I hear).  Here is what you will need...

1-1/2 pound ground beef
1 chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 egg
12 slices of bread (if  not more)
spreadable butter
shredded cheddar cheese


Start by preheating oven to 350 F.  Butter one side of each piece of bread and put bread butter-face-down in muffin tins.  Press bread down in muffin cups (we learned that from experience). Mix ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, onion and egg together (I mixed with my hands, it is messy but it is the best way I found to do it). Season with salt and pepper as desired. You can also season with other spices if you like to experiment.  After mixed thoroughly, spoon mixture into cups (I used the same scoop that I use for cookie dough and it worked great). Sprinkle cheese on top and they should look like this...

Cooking Tip

When we made them, we found out that it works out if you have 2 people cooking at once. This way, one person can butter the bread and stuff it into the cups, and the other can scoop the mixture and do the cheese. My husband and I often do "team cooking" together and so we had our own assembly line going!  If you do not press the bread down all the way, the recipe will make 24 muffins instead of 12 (we found that out the hard way).

Bake for 30 minutes, and they come out looking like this...

It took about 2 to 3 muffins to make a meal for each of us. Also, they made excellent leftovers.  Just put them in the microwave for 45 seconds and they heat right back up and taste just as awesome.

Serving Tips

These muffins go well with hot sauce, ketchup, mustard or by themselves!  Experiment by adding sausage instead of beef, or vegetables like sliced pepper or tomatoes. See original recipe below.

Hamburger Muffins Original Recipe

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

This recipe is cheap and easy. It is also perfect for those on the go nights when family members only have a narrow window in which to eat before rushing off to other obligations.  Here is everything you need...

Chicken broth
Chopped Onion
Pumpkin Puree
1 clove minced garlic (I just buy minced garlic by the jar and add one spoonful)
Cajun seasoning
Heavy cream


The recipe is pretty straightforward. Mix all of these ingredients (except the cream) on medium heat.  Add the cream 5 minutes before serving. The orignal recipe (see link below) also states to simmer the soup for a long period of time. This is not necessary if you are in a rush.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup Original Recipe

Oats all dressed up!

Every Tuesday morning, I have to go in to work late and I don't get home til a bit later either. As such, I actually eat lunch before I leave in the morning and then eat my dinner a bit earlier than usual. This is a go-to meal for my Tuesday mornings.  I eat oats and dress them up any way I can. I keep a basket on top of my microwave of nuts, dried fruit, and other tasty snack-able items. This is where I find what to throw in my oatmeal of the day.

I am also finding that I measure less and less when I cook, so I will try my best to impart measurements when I talk about my favorite recipes.   My oatmeal recipe consists of the following...

Ingredients 

2 handfuls of Oldfashioned quick-cooking oats
1/2-1 cup water

Optional Ingredients

Honey
Brown Sugar
Raisins
Sunflower Seeds
Almonds (flavored almonds really shine here)
Craisins
Dried Apples
Pecans
Maple Syrup
Any other dried fruit or nut; use your imagination!



 Directions

Put the oatmeal in a microwave safe bowl. Add the water and microwave on HIGH for 1-2 minutes.  I find that it is usually good at the end of 1 minute, but microwaves may differ.

Add any and all fixings to your oats after they are cooked, mix in and enjoy!  There are a lot of nice things about this meal. It is quick, cheap, and you can eat it fast.  Also, it rarely tastes the same because you can switch it up by mixing in different items. The version you see to the left has sunflower seeds, cinnamon sugar almonds, craisins and raisins.

The next time you have about 15 minutes before dashing out the door and you want a hot meal, reach for the oats and have at!