The Cook's Corner - Blueberry Chicken Salad

Welcome to the Cook's Corner!

It's been a while since I've shared a recipe with you so today I will share a brand new recipe from my cooking club. During the hot, lazy days of summer I like to eat cool, crisp salads. I can salad everyday! The key to not getting bored with "rabbit food" as my husband calls it, is to mix it up and try different variations. There's an old saying about eating a "rainbow" in your diet. The more colorful your fruits and veggies are the more nutrients, expecially antioxidents, that you are consuming. Of course with all the health awareness about antioxidents we all need to get more of this healthy, disease fighting nutrient.

Today's recipe is BLUEBERRY CHICKEN SALAD.

Let's take a look: This recipe can punch up the creamy goodness of the ordinary chicken salad by adding a sweet-tart burst from fresh blueberries. Here's what you will need -

Blueberry Chicken Salad

1/2 cup light mayo - I use Hellman's.

3 tablespoons light sour cream - I use Breakstone's

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon lemon juice - squeezed fresh

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (or you could use boneless, skinless chicken breasts grilled)

1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts (love the crunchiness they add!)

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup diced celery

2 cups blueberries (rinsed and dried very well)

4 cups of torn tender salad greens (I like to use Bibb or Butter Leaf)

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions:

Combine the first six (6) ingredients in a large bowl. This forms your dressing.

Stir in chicken, water chestnuts, green onions and celery.

Gently fold in blueberries (make sure you have dried your berries very well, otherwise they will water-down your dressing mix and make it runny)

Serve over salad greens. Top with toasted almonds.

This salad is so yummy! Rich in protein, low in carbs! Cool and crisp - the perfect summer salad. I hope you enjoy it! Until I see you again,

Happy Cooking!

~Alisa

The Cook's Corner on a Snowy Day

Welcome to The Cook's Corner and another Simple Supper recipe. I am also participating in Outdoor Wednesday hosted by Susan at (A Southern Dreamer). Today we woke up to a snowy, cold day here in my corner of NC. The kids are ecstatic because once again school has been closed! I had just replaced my evergreen wreath with a Red Rose and Hydrangea wreath for Valentine's Day and the snow added it's own white sparkly decoration. Pretty but cold! Of course my little one didn't waste any time getting suited up for some fun.

Look at those rosy cheeks! Hot Chocolate by the fireplace and a warm shower when he comes in will be the ticket for warding off those winter chills.

I have a Holly Berry bush beside my front entry. I am not sure the exact type, it does not have the pointy, prickly leaves like the holly you see at Christmastime. I thought it was so pretty dusted with snow. I use clippings of this bush in flower arrangements during the winter. It really makes a pretty accent to roses, hot-house tulips and mums.

I wanted to share my Grandmother's Chicken and Dumplings recipe with you. Unfortunately, I've got my photos backwards :-(

Here's the ingredients:
3 - 3 1/2 pounds of Bone-in Chicken Breasts
2 Quarts water (enough to cover your chicken)
2 to 3 stalks of celery, coarsely chopped
1 whole onion, quartered
Salt and pepper to taste (for broth)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
Bonus Item:
1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup

Directions:
Place chicken, water, celery and onion in large Dutch Oven or stock pot.
Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat. Simmer for approximately one hour. Salt and pepper to taste. Once chicken is tender and "falling off the bone", remove from heat. Remove chicken and let cool. De-bone and set aside. Remove celery and onion. If you like you can puree the vegetables and return them to the stock.
Set meat aside and remove 3/4 cup of the chicken stock. Leave remaining broth in the pan.
For the Dumplings:
Combine flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the reserved 3/4 cup chicken broth; stir with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened. If the batter is a little dry, add 1-2 tablespoon of water until "doughy". Next, return broth to heat and bring to a boil. Gently drop teaspoonfuls of your dumpling batter into the boiling broth. Stir gently after each addition. Reduce the heat to low; cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes. Then stir in chicken pieces and if desired 1 can of Cream of Chicken soup. The soup adds more delicious creaminess to the broth. Be careful not to get your heat to high. The dumplings will stick to the bottom of your pan. Stir often but gently.
Saturday night I made a big pot of Chicken and Dumplings and biscuits. Can you say comfort food? My Good Ole' Southern-boy husband was in "Hog-Heaven".

Here's a shot of my house this morning. There's only about 2 inches of snow out there but underneath it is a layer of ice. Last night it started raining, then it turned to ice, then the snow came in the wee-hours of the morning. Burr!

Even poor Leo looks cold.

The snow has completely covered the planter beds. My little daffodils and tulips that have already pushed through the earth have been hidden beneath a blanket of white.

Our Magnolia tree stands at the end of our drive. There is something enchanting about those glossy green and brown leaves covered with snow.

Tomorrow is TABLESCAPE THURSDAY. Be sure to stop back by to take a peek at my table. Can you say "Breakfast at Tiffany's"? or "Diamonds are a girl's best friend"? Until then,

Happy Cooking!

~Alisa

The Cook's Corner

Welcome to The Cook's Corner! Today I will be sharing another quick and easy recipe for a Simple Supper. I also want to thank everyone who participated in my Give-A-Way. As of 12 noon today, the comments closed and now we will be selecting a winner! I will be compiling all of your wonderful suggestions for saving money and sharing those later this week. Some of you are very thrifty indeed! I thought we would take a little tour around my kitchen before we start cooking. My kitchen is truly the heart of our home. It seems that we spend more time here than anywhere, especially during the week.This is "Renny, the Rooster". Renny is short for Reynolds. Don't ask, it's a long, long story. He stands watch over my kitchen island and keeps me company while I cook. Although I've noticed that our conversations are rather one sided. LOL!
My kitchen is very open and spacious. I have tons of storage space which is a huge blessing! My home in FL had what we called a "one-butt kitchen"! That means that only one butt at a time could be in the kitchen it was that small! So when we moved to NC, a big kitchen was at the top of my wish list. All the cabinets are Maple, hardware is brushed nickle and the appliances are Stainless Steel. We had the Italian tile installed after we purchased the house. I love the texture and color variations. So warm. Like hot caramel sauce - yum, yum!

I chose a very neutral color pallet for my kitchen. The walls are painted a pale yellow-gold and accents in brown and green make it very "earthy". As you can see I like Roosters. It seems that everyone has something they collect in their kitchen. What do you have in your kitchen? Bunnies? Fruit? Grapes? Pigs? Cows? Wine Bottles? French Pastry Chefs? You name it! It's your kitchen. Do what makes you happy! I like to accessorize my counters. Since we are in our kitchen so much, I thought we should have pretty things to look at and create ambiance. I use candles in my kitchen to create a sense of warmth and welcome. Yesterday it was rather cold so I lit about a dozen candles. It really helped to dispel the dreariness of a wintery day.

One of these days I will have Gourmet Kitchen complete with a 6-burner range, double ovens and down-draft grill but for now this is where the action takes place. Yesterday I decided to fix homemade Spaghetti Sauce. This is another recipe from my M-I-L, Ann. (Thanks, Mama) I like this recipe because it is very flexible, quick and super easy. With only 9 ingredients and most of them pantry staples, it's a breeze to cook up a satisfying meal for Honey and the boys! Let's take a look:

Annie's Sauce

1 can tomatoes, undrained (crushed or diced, I prefer Hunt's Petite Diced 100% Natural)

1 can tomato sauce (I used Hunt's 100% Natural)

1 can tomato paste (I used Hunt's 100% Natural)

1 pound lean ground beef or 1/2 pound white mushrooms (vegetarian)

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

2 medium sweet onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Optional

2 teaspoon Oregano

1 teaspoon dried Basil

1. First, saute peppers, onions, garlic and beef with salt and pepper.
2. If you wish you can substitute the ground beef for fresh or canned sliced mushrooms. In this case add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to saute your vegetables.

3. Cook until the beef is browned and your vegetables are tender-crisp.

4. Drain off fat. Return mixture to sauce pan and add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and spices. Simmer for 1 hour.

5. Meanwhile bring 4 quarts of salted water to boil. Add pasta of choice and cook about 7-9 minutes. I use Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Spaghetti. It cooks up wonderfully.

All that is needed to complete this Simple Supper is a Garden Salad of Romaine lettuce, sweet Grape Tomatoes, White Onions, Cucumbers and Bell peppers.

Warm up some thick slices of 12-Grain bread (my fav!) and your dinner is served.

Tomorrow I will post the winner for the $100 Gift Certificate for

Home Interiors! Again, thanks for participating. I will also share a collection with you that is very near and dear to my heart. It is something that I inherited from my maternal Grandmother, Mary Catherine. See ya then!

Happy Cooking!

~Alisa

The Cook's Corner

Welcome to my kitchen! It's rainy and windy here in my part of

North Carolina today. Just perfect weather to put something hearty and delicious in the crockpot and let it simmer all day.

My mother-in-law, Ann, is a WONDERFUL cook!!!!

I was so fortunate many years back when she assembled ALL of her

personal recipes and favorites and entrusted them to me in a family cookbook.

Today I want to share a SIMPLE SUPPER.

With her permission, here is her recipe for quick and easy

CLASSIC CHILI.

I like to use my crockpot for this recipe but if you are in a hurry

you can prepare this recipe in a Dutch Oven on the stove top.

I will give instructions for both.

Let's take a look at the recipe and ingredients:

CLASSIC CHILI

Makes 8 Servings

1/2 cup Green pepper, chopped

2 medium Onions, about 1 cup, chopped

1 stalk Celery, about 1/2 cup, chopped

1 1/2 pounds, Lean Ground Beef

1 teaspoon Fresh Garlic, finely chopped or minced

3 cans Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies, undrained

2 cans Kidney Beans, 15-oz., undrained

2 tablespoons Chili Powder

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons ground Cumin

1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt

1 teaspoon Sugar

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground Cayenne Pepper

Step 1. Cook green pepper, onions, celery, garlic and ground beef

in a Dutch Oven or skillet over medium heat,

stirring occasionally, until meat is browned. About 10-12 minutes.

Drain off fat.

At this point I transfer the beef mixture to my crockpot.

If you are using the stove top method

you will leave the mixture in your Dutch Oven.

Step 2. Next, add in all remaining ingredients. For your crockpot, mix well

and cook on high for 5 hours or cook on low for 8 hours.

For the stove top method, continue

cooking until the mixture comes to a full boil. About 5-8 minutes. Reduce

heat to low and simmer until flavors are well blended, about 40 minutes.

I really like to cook this chili for the full 8 hours in my crockpot.

It just releases all the flavor in the spices and vegetables and makes

for a very tasty and satisfying meal.

I usually serve steaming hot bowls of Chili with

Creamy Peanut Butter sandwiches (that's a hit with the boys) or thick slices of

warm 12-Grain Bread. Of course Iced Tea completes

my simple supper.

I hope you enjoy this quick and easy recipe. It's nice to put

supper in the crockpot after the kids leave for school and not have to think

about it all day. My friend Marsha does not eat red meat, so I have made

this with Ground Turkey and it turns out equally delicious.

I have also used this recipe and omitted the Ground Meat for

a fully vegetarian dish.

Tomorrow I hope to post a new feature called

"From Junk to Gems".

I found an adorable Cherub on the trash heap that just needed to be rescued.

Come back to see the transformation.

Until then,

Happy Cooking!

~Alisa