Spinach, Pasta and Chicken

Is it a salad? It is a main course? It is both? Well, I'm not sure... but I love this dish! It's perfect for summer since you serve it cold, and since it can be made ahead of time its great for pot-lucks and picnics.

Ingredients

16 oz Bowtie Pasta

10 oz Fresh Spinach

15 oz Craisens

2 cans Mandarin Oranges, drained

2 cup cooked, diced Chicken

1/4 cup Sesame Seeds

Dressing
2/3 cup Teriyaki Sauce (of your choice)
2/3 cup White Wine Vinegar

1 cup Vegetable Oil

6 tbl Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

Directions

Cook pasta. In a large bowl combine pasta, craisens, oranges, chicken and dressing. Marinade in dressing for 2 hours. Add sesame seeds and serve over fresh spinach.

*Note: It makes a TON, so I usually half the recipe. Also, add the spinach right before serving otherwise it gets soggy.

mmmm So GOOD!

We are prepping for break the fast tomorrow and I decided to make enchiladas. Usually I boil the meat and add the sauce after I've pieced it. Today, I was really busy and so I stuck it all in the crockpot (sauce and chicken) and let it cook all day. IT WAS AMAZING!! The meat has such good flavor and is so tender. I can't wait for tomorrow to try out the enchiladas. Not only that, but my house was cooler because I didn't use the stove. I would honestly use this as a replacement for taco meat and everything. It was so good. Try it, you'll never go back...

Our Dinner Tonight

TODAY'S MENU:
Apricot Chicken (source: The Mormon Cookbook) Over Brown Rice
& Waldorf Salad (Betty Crocker Cookbook)

Amazing Apricot Chicken
*Notes: This was SUPER easy and I was able to make my salad while the chicken sat in the oven and the rice sat in the rice cooker. I halved the recipe because I didn't need 8 servings, and I cut my chicken breasts though the middle, then down the middle, to make them thinner and faster to cook. Oh, and Abby even ate it!


8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (8 oz) bottle Russian dressing
1 cup apricot jam
1 package dry onion soup mix

Place chicken in greased 9x13 baking pan. combine dressing, jam, and onion soup mix and pour over chicken. bake uncovered at 350 for 1 hour (I did mine in 45 minutes). Makes 8 servings.


Waldorf Salad
*Notes: So this one i played with a little. I didn't care for the strong mayo taste so I added just a squirt of a favorite salad dressing. Then I remembered reading Pioneer Woman's' favorite chicken salad recipe which had apples and she added dill weed, so I threw in a dash and a half. So my suggestion is to play with the flavor. I had iceberg lettuce, but I think it would be great over spinach or a fuller lettuce.


1/2 c mayo or salad dressing
1 T lemon juice
1 T milk
2 medium unpeeled eating apples, cut
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/3 c coarsely chopped nuts
Salad Greens
Optional: Can add a handful of blueberries, pears, cherries, or other favorite fruit for color and flavor.


Mix mayo, lemon, and milk in medium bowl. Stir in apples, celery, and nuts. Serve on salad greens. Store remaining salad covered in fridge.

Chicken Strips and Apple Tart

So these are two recipes I got from The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Most of her things are more complicated/gourmet (which means in my world that she uses ingredients and time I usually don't have but look incredible), but these where two EASY recipes so I thought I'd give them a try for dinner last night and they were SOOOO good! Curtis said he'd take these chicken strip over ones from a restaurant any day (and they were so tender after soaking that we didn't even use a sauce) and the tart was super simple and tasted so good.

A couple notes:

1. I used the buttermilk (just a small carton for 39 c) and it make all the difference so give it a try.
2. I didn't have Laurys so I just used the seasoned salt I had on hand.
3. Make sure to remove the tarts from the baking sheet RIGHT out of the oven, otherwise the runoff from the brown sugar acts like a candy and will cool and set to the pan making them a bit more difficult to remove. (yes, I waited, grr)

I don't have pictures of my food 'cause we ate it too fast, but here's some pics from the original blog. There are a LOT more on her blog so look it up if you're interested.

Quickie: Homemade Chicken Strips May. 25, 2009

• I stopped at the store and grabbed a couple of packages of chicken strips, which are boneless, skinless chicken breasts (often just the tender portion) that the butcher has cut into strips. Sometimes the package reads “Chicken for Fajitas” or “Chicken Tenders.” Basically, you’re looking for raw chicken that’s been cut into strips.
• Then I rinsed the chicken and submerged it in buttermilk for about 15 to 20 minutes. You can soak it longer if you’d like.
• Next, I threw about a cup and a half of flour in a separate bowl, and dumped in some Lawry’s—probably about 2 to 3 teaspoons. You can do lots of different spices here: cayenne pepper, paprika, oregano, lots of black pepper. But I was in a hurry, and Lawry’s is hard to beat. After I stirred the flour mixture together, I drizzled in 1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk, stirring lightly with a fork as I drizzled.
• Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-low to medium heat. You want it hot enough to sizzle and turn the chicken strips a nice golden brown, but not so hot that they’ll burn easily.
• Then remove a few of the buttermilk-soaked strips from their bowl and place into the flour mixture. Turn them over to thoroughly coat and place them on a plate. See how lovely they are! The flour, with the tiny drizzle of buttermilk (you can also use regular milk or beaten egg), formed little balls and clusters, which adhered to the buttermilk-soaked chicken. This’ll result in nice and textural—and crunchy—chicken strips. Yum! Continue coating chicken until all is ready to cook.
• When the oil is sufficiently heated (flour should bubble when sprinkled in), begin cooking the strips a few at a time. Cook for about a minute or a minute and a half on the first side—until you can tell it’s getting crispy and golden. Then turn them over and finish cooking the other side—another minute and a half or so. They don’t take very long to cook!
• When they’re done, remove them to a paper towel-lined plate and allow to drain while you cook the others. Serve!
  

Quick & Easy Apple Tart
1 sheet puffed pastry, cut into half OR thirds
3 to 4 apples, cored, halved, and sliced (but not peeled)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

• Preheat oven to 415 degrees.
• Place puffed pastry rectangles onto a baking pan that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray.
• Add sugar and salt to apples. Stir to combine. Allow to sit for a few minutes.
• Arrange apple slices on the pastry rectangles in a straight line, overlapping as you go.
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown.
• Remove from pan immediately and place on a serving platter.
• Serve plain, with caramel topping, whipped cream, or a sprinkling of powdered sugar.
• Feel like a pastry chef. Repeat as needed.