• Asian Chicken Pasta Salad

    January 10, 2022 Author: Rachel
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    Recipe adapted from No Biggie

    Ingredients:

    Salad

    • 1 lb. box bow tie pasta
    • 4 chicken breasts cooked & shredded or all the breast meat of one large rotisserie chicken
    • 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
    • 1/2 pack sliced almonds toasted
    • 1 bag lettuce of choice
    • 1 small bag snap peas
    • 1 small can mandarin oranges drained
    • Crunchy wonton strips

    Dressing

    • 2/3 c. red wine vinegar
    • 2/3 c. vegetable oil *or sesame oil is great here too
    • 2/3 c. soy sauce
    • 6 TBSP sugar
    • 2 TBSP ginger paste
    • 1 tsp. salt and pepper

    Directions:

    1. Shred the chicken breast meat from a rotisserie chicken.
    2. Mix up the dressing – half will be used to marinade the chicken and pasta and remaining as a salad dressing.
    3. Cook the pasta until al dente, remove the pasta from the water.
    4. In a large bowl while the pasta and chicken are still warm, add the dressing and toss. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until chilled.
    5. Marinate chicken & pasta in the fridge overnight, or for a few hours until chilled.
    6. Toast the sliced almonds in a dry pan, remove from pan.
    7. In a large bowl add the marinaded pasta and chicken, green onions, almonds, snap peas, mandarin oranges. Toss with salad dressing.
    8. In a separate bowl add the salad greens and toss with dressing.
    9. On individual plates, add the salad greens and top with the pasta salad. Top with Crunchy wonton strips.
    10. Refrigerate any leftover dressing.

    Asian Chicken Pasta Salad:

  • Chicken and Dumplings

    January 10, 2022 Author: Rachel
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    Recipe from The Novice Chef.

    Soup Ingredients:

    • 6 TBSP butter
    • 1 c. chopped yellow onion
    • 1 c. matchstick carrots
    • 1 c. diced celery
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • 3 TBSP all purpose flour
    • 12 oz. (1 can) evaporated milk
    • 32 oz. (1 quart) chicken stock
    • 4 c. shredded cooked chicken
    • 1 TBSP fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried thyme)
    • 2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper (or to taste)
    • salt, to taste

    Dumplings:

    • 2 c. all purpose flour
    • 1 TBSP plus 1 tsp. baking powder
    • 1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
    • 1 tsp. salt
    • 1 TBSP fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried thyme)
    • 3/4 c. (6 oz.) whole milk
    • 4 TBSP butter, melted

    Directions:

    1. In a large heavy bottomed pot (like a dutch oven), melt butter over medium-high heat. 
    2. Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook for 5 minutes, until vegetables being to wilt. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
    3. Add flour and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
    4. Add evaporated milk and chicken stock and quickly stir to combine. 
    5. Bring to a boil and add chicken, thyme, black pepper and salt. Let soup simmer, uncovered, while you make dumplings. 
    6. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, pepper, salt and thyme. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the milk and butter into the center of it. 
    7. Using a wooden spoon (or rubber spatula), stir together until dough ball forms. If your dough seems too dry, you can add an extra tablespoon of milk. 
    8. Using a large** sized cookie scoop, scoop dough and drop directly into the simmering soup. Place them around the pot, not all in the same place. 
    9. Once all dumplings have been added, gently press them down so the soup runs over just the tops of them. 
    10. Place the lid on your pot and lower the heat a little to a low simmer (you don’t want the bottom of the soup to burn but also want the soup to still be simmering to cook the dumplings). 
    11. Cook for 15 minutes, gently stir the soup/dumplings and then cut one dumpling in half to make sure they are cooked through.
    12. If the dumplings are cooked through, serve hot! If not, cook an additional 2-3 minutes and check again. 

    Chicken and Dumplings:

  • Creamy Balsamic Dressing

    January 10, 2022 Author: Rachel
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    Adapted from Salt and Lavender

    Ingredients:

    • 3/4 c. mayo
    • 4 TBSP balsamic vinegar
    • 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
    • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
    • 1 1/2 TBSP brown sugar
    • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • Water to thin, if necessary

    Directions:

    1. Add ingredients to a bowl and whisk together. Taste and adjust as needed. If too thick, add water to thin.
    2. Makes enough for 1-2 large salads or 4-6 smaller salads. I usually double.

    Creamy Balsamic Dressing: