Strawberry Chicken Salad

I had "found" this recipe on The Country Cooks page, but it was a guest post and it was actually a recipe from  Life as a Lofthouse.

Anyway, no matter WHERE I actually got it, it was SO GOOD. Oh yes. I've made it a few times since the "original" making of. I also made a huge container for the dressing--it was that good! Can't wait to try the dressing on other things.

Its also the PERFECT lunch treat for a mother on Mother's Day! Healthy AND sweet! 

STRAWBERRY CHICKEN SALAD

2 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper, to taste 

6-8 cups chopped Romaine Lettuce

1 cup Strawberries, sliced

1/4 cup sliced Almonds

1 cup Poppyseed dressing

1/2 cup light Raspberry Vinaigrette

Start by brushing oil on chicken breasts and then season with salt and pepper. Grill chicken on your barbecue or indoor grill pan. Grill for 5 minutes on each side, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Set aside.

On two plates, add the romaine lettuce, sliced strawberries and almonds. Slice your grilled chicken and place on top.

Mix together the poppyseed dressing and raspberry vinaigrette together. Pour over the salad and dig in!

Tiramisu

A delightful dessert, that gets better the day after its made!

TIRAMISU

500 grams Mascarpone Cheese
3 whole eggs
3 tablespoons sugar
 1 pinch salt
1 or 2 packages of Lady fingers (hard biscuits)
sugarless cocoa powder (for sprinkling)
4 cups brewed Espresso coffee
2 tablespoons Marsala Liquor

Make coffee and put some sugar in it (not so bitter) and then the liquor. Set aside and let it cool.

Seperate yolks from the whites.

In a bowl, mix the yolks with the sugar, whipping until its very creamy. Add the Mascarpone and mix.

Whip the whites with a pinch of salt until they're firm. Add to the yolks mixture and gently fold in order to keep the whites airy and fluffy.

Put some of the cooled coffee in a dish, grab the biscuits, and roll them in it. [make sure its quick--you don't want them so soft it'll taste like mush!] Roll one at a time, putting them in a serving [9x13-inch] dish in a single layer.

When the pan is covered with the biscuits, smear half the cream on it. Sprinkle a bit of the cocoa over the cream--no white spots!

Continue rolling the remaining biscuits in coffee, making another layer. Smear the rest of the cream, leveling it out on top. Sprinkle more of the cocoa powder--no white spots again! Cover and put it in the fridge.

 
Let it cool for a few hours then serve! Again, its better the day after!

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Asian Sesame Salmon

Ok, I've had enough strawberries for now. On to other things!

I'm always on the look-out for good fish recipes. I found one--not a bite was left! Even my kids ate everything on their plate--and thats something!

ASIAN SESAME SALMON

2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon dry minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried minced onions
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 pounds salmon fillets

Mix together in a small bowl everything but the salmon fillets.

Place salmon in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Spoon mixture evenly over fillets.

Roast salmon in preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Baste often with honey mixture!

I served mine with white rice and sugar-snap peas. What a great hit! Would be a wonderful recipe as well for when company comes over.

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Wordless Wednesday

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

I'm very proud of my garden....its the only thing I could squeeze in the small about of yard that military housing gives us =) and I made the markers out of old paint stick stirrer thingys [yes, that is a technical word]

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Blog hops I'm participating in... 
5 Minutes for Mom 
Marnis Organized Mess 
Susie QT Pies-Scraps of Life 

 

Strawberry Jam

First of all, this blog just hit....

I really appreciate each and every one of my followers! Its super motivation to keep cookin and blog about it. Truly makes me happy! It even has my husband impressed--and that's not so easy to do! =) I need to think of something special to do--any ideas?

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This recipe was submitted by Gina from The Canary Family. I have never "canned" anything, so this was all new to me! And I have to say--I don't know why I was so scared to--it was easy as pie (or should I say "strawberry jam"?)! I always keep jars around for my recipes like Homemade Coffee and craft projects here and there--so this was just another opportunity to use them! So here it is!

STRAWBERRY JAM

For step-by-step directions, click here: Step-by-step Jam

7 cups white sugar
5 cups strawberry chunks
1 package of pectin
4 to 5 pint-size jars

Boil a large pot of water with lids and rims inside. Pour the water into clean jars, and set lids aside. (this keeps the jars hot!)

Measure out 7 cups white sugar, set aside.

Trim and cut into chucks strawberries to measure 5 cups.

Dump strawberries and box of pectin into a large pot over med-high heat. Mash and stir, and add 1 teaspoon of butter to keep the foaming-action down.

Once the mix comes to a boil, stir in sugar. Hard boil for 1 minute then remove off heat.

Dump water out of jars, and fill them with strawberry mush with a ladle. Wipe the threads clean and twist on lids and rims really tight. Turn the jars upside down for 5 minutes. [just enough time to clean the mess up]

The flip the jars back right-side-up and let cool for several hours. The lids will "pop" and you will know its sealed.

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I made pretty little labels with mine--and I will pass them out for Mother's day. My husband and I went through half a jar this morning for breakfast (it was that good!) so I think I might need to make another batch soon!

I also didn't fill the jars up that high, and next time I will fill it to the "neck." Its looks better that way as well.

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I also want to give a "shout-out" to a dear friend of mine. I met her back in our first year of college (like, more than 10 years ago) and we still keep in touch to this day! Brittany has helped me quite a bit with my blog. She has designed my header and helped touch up a few pictures. She's got her degree in graphic design--and her work is fabulous! So stop by and tell her I sent ya! You never know if you'll need a super-awesome-creative-sweet-cool friend. =)

Strawberry Scones

I wanna give a shout out to Mrs H. of Heritage Schoolhouse for this delicious recipe. I'm having a "high noon tea party" with my girlfriends on Mother's day, and this was a perfect dish.

I suggest making 2 batches...they go that quickly ;)

STRAWBERRY SCONES

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2/3 cups half and half
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
2 teaspoons sugar

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.  Cut in butter.  Add half and half and mix until just combined.  

 

Gently stir in strawberries.  

 

Pat dough in to a flattened circle.  Cut into 8 wedges.  Separate wedges and sprinkle each with sugar.  

 

Bake at 425° for 15-20 minutes or until done.  Serve warm and enjoy!

Strawberry Cobbler

Thank you EVERYONE who joined me in my first linky party! I really appreciate it! As I promised, I have made several of the recipes, and I'm going to share them! Can I just say...I LOVE STRAWBERRIES! Ok, got that out of my system. =)


Ok, I have to say, this tasted a BILLION times better than it "looks"...nearly impossible to get a "pretty" shot for a blog picture--so don't let that deceive you--its AMAZING.

We had friends over for a BBQ and I served this for a dessert. I'll just say there wasn't a drop left in the pan after we digged in! But that also give you a perspective on how many it serves. 4 adults ("big" servings) and 4 children (just a spoon full) Next time (and there will be a next time) I'm gonna double the amount!

STRAWBERRY COBBLER

3 cups fresh strawberries
2 cups sugar (I only used 3/4 cup and it was PLENTY for us)
1 stick (unsalted) margarine; melted
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cups milk
1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons almond extract (I used vanilla since I didn't have the almond)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Stir together the strawberries and sugar. Set aside to let the juices release and mix with the berries.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon. Stir in melted margarine, milk and extract.

Pour batter into a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Top with the strawberries. Do not stir. Bake for 45 minutes.


This recipe was from...

Please stop by and tell her HI! Some yummy recipes that are a must-try--so go "follow" her and tell her I sent ya!

Thanks again everyone! I'll post another recipe tomorrow from the linky!