I thought I'd post a recipe today that has been tested over and over and is always a hit. I first had this chicken salad at a baby shower in Tennessee. I was pregnant at the time and had been on a chicken salad kick. I had tried several recipes on my own. They were all good but none were hitting the spot. The chicken salad at the shower was just what I had been looking for. My friend Kelly was gracious enough to pass along the recipe, so I thought I'd pass it along to you. Let me know what you think!
4 cooked chicken breasts, cubed; or 2 cans of all white meat chicken breast (@2 C. chicken)
1/2 C. celery (optional)
1/2 C. sweet pickles, chopped (I like to use bread and butter)
1/2 C. toasted almonds or pecans (sometimes I use both)
1 C. seedless grapes or apples, chopped up
1/2 C. mayonnaise
3/4 C. cool whip
salt and pepper to taste
Place chicken, celery(opt), pickles, nuts, grapes or apples, & s/p in a bowl and mix well. Mix the mayo and cool whip together. Add to the chicken and mix to coat evenly. Try to mix gently so that some of the chicken keeps its shape. Refrigerate and serve.
Tip: This can be served immediately, but the flavors are better when it sits in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. The longer it sits, the better it tastes.
I like to serve the chicken salad on a bed of lettuce with croissants. This works well for a ladies get together with a green salad and your favorite soup served in a small decorative coffee cup or you could go with a fruit salad. I hope you enjoy!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
What were they thinking?
Since I had a free minute, I thought I'd post another quick blog concerning something I'm sure all of us parents have dealt with at some point in time. Do you ever wonder what kids are thinking? My son, Caleb, did something yesterday that proves that kids really don't think things through sometimes. AT ALL!
When we moved here, we set up a section of our garage for the kids. It has a couch, toys, TV, board games, everything to keep them entertained while they're out there playing. So yesterday I obviously suspected nothing when Caleb continued to play for quite some time. I decided to go check and see if he wanted to play a board game or something with me. I instead got one of the biggest shocks he's ever given me (and that's saying a lot). Caleb, for whatever reason, decided he wanted the wall in the garage to be brown instead of white. He had gotten an old can of paint that hardly had anything left in it, a paint brush, and proceeded to paint the wall. Oddly enough, he was actually doing a pretty good job. Needless to say, I decided the best thing for him at that moment was to go to his room (and out of sight...) while I cooled down. On the positive side, I was glad it was the garage and not in the house. After a long talk, (although the look I gave him earlier probably sufficed) I don't think he'll ever be pulling that stunt again.
And of course, the first thing out of my husband's mouth when I told him about it was, "What was he thinking?" Will we ever have that answer? I don't think so.
When we moved here, we set up a section of our garage for the kids. It has a couch, toys, TV, board games, everything to keep them entertained while they're out there playing. So yesterday I obviously suspected nothing when Caleb continued to play for quite some time. I decided to go check and see if he wanted to play a board game or something with me. I instead got one of the biggest shocks he's ever given me (and that's saying a lot). Caleb, for whatever reason, decided he wanted the wall in the garage to be brown instead of white. He had gotten an old can of paint that hardly had anything left in it, a paint brush, and proceeded to paint the wall. Oddly enough, he was actually doing a pretty good job. Needless to say, I decided the best thing for him at that moment was to go to his room (and out of sight...) while I cooled down. On the positive side, I was glad it was the garage and not in the house. After a long talk, (although the look I gave him earlier probably sufficed) I don't think he'll ever be pulling that stunt again.
And of course, the first thing out of my husband's mouth when I told him about it was, "What was he thinking?" Will we ever have that answer? I don't think so.
Bow-tie pasta with Chicken and sun-dried tomatoes
The recipe I thought I'd post today is one I discovered this past December. We were having a Christmas party here at the house and the plans were for a full spread. I had been on an Italian kick so I thought about things I had eaten in the past and kinda threw this together. It turned out to be a hit so I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.
1/2 - 3/4 bag of bow-tie pasta
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; sliced across in 1-inch pieces
1 package fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced (packed in oil; this is very important)
basil
oregano
1 - 1 1/2 C. fresh Parmesan cheese
8 oz. heavy cream
fresh parsley
olive oil
kosher salt (I think the flavor is better than regular salt)
pepper
Heat water for pasta and cook according to package. Make sure you add salt to your water for the best flavor.
Season chicken with salt and pepper and herbs. Remember if you use fresh herbs, you will have to use more than the dried herbs. In a hot skillet, cook chicken in about 1 Tbsp of olive oil until browned. Remove the chicken and set aside.
In the same skillet, add about 1 more Tbsp of oil and saute onions, mushrooms, garlic and herbs. The mushrooms have a tendency to soak up the oil so keep a close watch in case you need to add more oil. When these are tender, add the heavy cream and sun-dried tomatoes and stir well. Slowly stir in the freshly grated Parmesan cheese. It is important to use freshly grated. I've made this with the already shredded and it doesn't taste the same. It is worth the effort to buy the block of cheese and grate it yourself. I promise it makes all the difference. This is also where you have some room to play around with this dish. If you want more sauce, add more cream and cheese. If you're watching your waistline, use some chicken broth and less cream.
Add the chicken back to the dish and heat through.
Stir in the cooked, drained pasta and heat in the skillet so the pasta will absorb the sauce. Plate and sprinkle with fresh parsley and a little more Parmesan cheese. Serves 6
This works well for a party, served with nice crusty bread, and a salad.
It also works for an easy dinner at home for the family. It's very quick and very delicious. My kids, who can be picky really like this one.
I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!
1/2 - 3/4 bag of bow-tie pasta
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; sliced across in 1-inch pieces
1 package fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced (packed in oil; this is very important)
basil
oregano
1 - 1 1/2 C. fresh Parmesan cheese
8 oz. heavy cream
fresh parsley
olive oil
kosher salt (I think the flavor is better than regular salt)
pepper
Heat water for pasta and cook according to package. Make sure you add salt to your water for the best flavor.
Season chicken with salt and pepper and herbs. Remember if you use fresh herbs, you will have to use more than the dried herbs. In a hot skillet, cook chicken in about 1 Tbsp of olive oil until browned. Remove the chicken and set aside.
In the same skillet, add about 1 more Tbsp of oil and saute onions, mushrooms, garlic and herbs. The mushrooms have a tendency to soak up the oil so keep a close watch in case you need to add more oil. When these are tender, add the heavy cream and sun-dried tomatoes and stir well. Slowly stir in the freshly grated Parmesan cheese. It is important to use freshly grated. I've made this with the already shredded and it doesn't taste the same. It is worth the effort to buy the block of cheese and grate it yourself. I promise it makes all the difference. This is also where you have some room to play around with this dish. If you want more sauce, add more cream and cheese. If you're watching your waistline, use some chicken broth and less cream.
Add the chicken back to the dish and heat through.
Stir in the cooked, drained pasta and heat in the skillet so the pasta will absorb the sauce. Plate and sprinkle with fresh parsley and a little more Parmesan cheese. Serves 6
This works well for a party, served with nice crusty bread, and a salad.
It also works for an easy dinner at home for the family. It's very quick and very delicious. My kids, who can be picky really like this one.
I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!
Monday, April 23, 2007
"The Birds"
Today started off as one of those really fun days. We didn't get to bed until late because Caleb was having a "tummy ache" and, of course, he thought he wasn't going to make it. I woke up after 8 a.m. (which is not usual) and remembered Ella had her 1 year check-up at 9 a.m. I know this gives me an hour, but considering Caleb was late for school and I had to get 3 children dressed, fed, and out the door I was in trouble. Everyone got where they needed to go and we were only 6 minutes late for our appointment. Needless to say, I was very proud of myself.
The appointment took a little while to get going (when does it not?) and we made it back in the room. The visit with the doctor went well. She's very average in weight and height. She's a whopping 20 lbs. now. Anyway, then it was time for her shots. I should have known things weren't going to go so well when Ella started screaming when I sat her down on the table. Remember, nothing is being done yet, just setting her down. So, even though it only took the nurse all of 10 seconds to give the shots, Ella was screaming for about 10 minutes. Okay, not that long, but close to it. She soon returned to her happy self so we decided to run a couple of errands with my friend Gretchen.
We stopped for lunch and ate at a table outside since it was such a pretty day. I tried sushi for the first time....not so bad. I would definitely have to acquire a taste for it. The really interesting part about the lunch was Abby reacting to the birds around us. I really think she thought she was in a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" even though there were only 3 I think . She was convinced they were going to attack her. So our meal was spent trying to calm her down enough to eat her food and me trying not to laugh at the people around us watching Abby like she was crazy.
My next blog is going to be a recipe that has had very good reviews so check back tommorow for a quick and easy meal that you've got to try.
The appointment took a little while to get going (when does it not?) and we made it back in the room. The visit with the doctor went well. She's very average in weight and height. She's a whopping 20 lbs. now. Anyway, then it was time for her shots. I should have known things weren't going to go so well when Ella started screaming when I sat her down on the table. Remember, nothing is being done yet, just setting her down. So, even though it only took the nurse all of 10 seconds to give the shots, Ella was screaming for about 10 minutes. Okay, not that long, but close to it. She soon returned to her happy self so we decided to run a couple of errands with my friend Gretchen.
We stopped for lunch and ate at a table outside since it was such a pretty day. I tried sushi for the first time....not so bad. I would definitely have to acquire a taste for it. The really interesting part about the lunch was Abby reacting to the birds around us. I really think she thought she was in a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" even though there were only 3 I think . She was convinced they were going to attack her. So our meal was spent trying to calm her down enough to eat her food and me trying not to laugh at the people around us watching Abby like she was crazy.
My next blog is going to be a recipe that has had very good reviews so check back tommorow for a quick and easy meal that you've got to try.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
It Has Begun
Well, this is definitely a first for me. My husband, an avid blogger, talked me into having my own blog site. I thought it might be a way for everyone to keep up to date on what's going on in the Bumgardner household. The blog name is obviously due to the fact that we're from the great state of Georgia (known for it's peaches) and are now living on the opposite extreme in sunny (although yes, it does rain here) southern California.
Make sure you check back often and leave me comments from time to time. I'll be posting pics of the kids and neat places here. Also, I'd love to swap recipes with you and post them to the site for others to try. I know how easy it is to get stuck in our rut of weekly recipes. I'll also be posting news on great sales I've found and just random thoughts.
Let me know what you think about the site and I'll see you online!
Make sure you check back often and leave me comments from time to time. I'll be posting pics of the kids and neat places here. Also, I'd love to swap recipes with you and post them to the site for others to try. I know how easy it is to get stuck in our rut of weekly recipes. I'll also be posting news on great sales I've found and just random thoughts.
Let me know what you think about the site and I'll see you online!
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