Green Olive Chicken

I have the Real Housewives of Orange County on right now. There is a lot of squealing and shrieking.

I want it to stop but I can't look away.

Help.

Once, I saw a recipe on some random food site and was excited when I saw that it was olive chicken. I love olives...and I love chicken! But I was disappointed when I saw the reviews.

I think it had like 3 stars or something.

Meaning it is time to take matters into my own hands.

I threw this together. I found that I made a bit too much of the sauce and that it was just a little thin. I tried to counteract that with cornstarch and reduce the liquid content.

Hopefully this is better.

Green Olive Chicken
Dame Good

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive juice (from jar)
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:

Season chicken with salt, pepper, dried mustard and celery salt. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat; brown chicken in oil, about 5 minutes each side. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add wine, broth, olive and lemon juice to the skillet and let simmer for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add onion, olives, Add garlic, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper (to taste) and mix well, Let simmer for 5 minutes. Add chicken back into skillet.

Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Flip the chicken halfway through. Remove bay leaf. Remove chicken and set aside. Add cornstarch to the sauce in the skillet and stir until thickened. Pour the thickened sauce over chicken serve.

Pesto Chicken Pasta

I have this thing with pesto.

I kind of love it.

Ok, not kind of...I am absolutely in love with it.

How have I gone through 24 years of life without having had pesto pizza? Blasphemy, I tell you. I had pizza this year with pesto instead of pizza sauce for the first time ever...de-lish.

Now, anytime I go to a pizza place, pesto pizza is the first thing I look for. Try it.

You won't be disappointed.

Anyway, I have a pathetic excuse for a food processor so I have yet to make my own pesto...I know, cover your eyes. BUT, the store bought stuff isn't half bad. In fact, its quite convenient to toss into pasta with some sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese for a quick dinner.

Exhibit A.

Pesto Chicken Pasta
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) package whole grain pasta
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon oil from sun-dried tomatoes, or olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes to taste
1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and cut into strips
3/4 cup pesto sauce
1/4 cup reduced-fat Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Then stir in chicken. Season with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is golden, and cooked through. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute or so.

In a large bowl, combine pasta, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, and Parmesan cheese. Toss to coat evenly.

Apple Cider-Glazed Chicken

I was in Bob Evans one sunday morning...probably more excited than I should be for my biscuits and gravy, home fries and pancakes...aka the most healthy meal of my life.

It was sunday...I was allowed.

Anyways, I saw something about apple cider-glazed chicken and pork chops and decided then and there to scour the internet in search of a similar recipe because that sounded...well...amazing.

The one I found was just that. It was fairly easy to make and tasted like fall. I made it with thyme roasted sweet potatoes...delish if I do say so myself.

Apple Cider-Glazed Chicken
From foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup apple cider
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Directions:

Preheat a medium to large skillet over medium-high heat, for about 1 minute or until the surface of the pan is hot. Add the oil and heat until rippling on the surface. Pat the chicken breast dry and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the pan and cook until the meat is golden, about 4 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts, lower the heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon of the butter. Cook until firm to the touch or an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F, about 4 to 6 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a plate to rest.

Pour off any fat remaining in the skillet. Add the vinegar and deglaze over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the cider and the broth. Bring to a boil and cook until it thickens to form a sauce, about 6 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, lemon juice and thyme leaves. Return the chicken to the pan, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, and serve.

Thai Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry

Where in the heck is time going?!

I'm having a hard time finding time to blog. Let alone breath. But I'm hanging in there...barely.

My birthday came and went. I find that tends to happen as you get older. This has been a year of growth for me. I have learned a lot about myself and about the people in my life.

I have found that I so often spend time worrying about the people letting me down instead of appreciating the people there rubbing my back as I am crying over the people who disappoint me. I have an amazing select few in my life who make up for all of those who don't really care. Gosh, I'm lucky.

I've also found that I tend to confuse positivity with having high expectations. I strive to be a positive and optimistic person, but sometimes in doing that I set these high, sometimes unreachable expectations which only lead to disappointment. It's easy to forget to appreciate things for what they are, and accept people for who they are and what they offer you, rather than what they didn't. I will spend my 24th year here remembering that for sure.

I'm going into this year a more positive, open, understanding and thankful person. I have all the wonderful people in my life, or who were once in my life to thank for that...and all the moments I have that remind me of these things, and the many MANY other things I need to keep in the back of my mind at all times.

This is a rather serious post eh?

On a less serious note, I carved pumpkins for the first time in forever on my birthday. I have announced many times how much I love lazy sundays and my birthday was just that. I appreciate the simple things in life...and thankfully my birthday represented that.

I spent my birthday with someone who showed up at my door with Coldstone Birthday Cake Remix, took me to a pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins and carve "awesome" faces on them...by "awesome" I mean slightly embarrassing but still humorous as they looked like a couple of 6-year-olds did them (this is ironic as we are a couple of old folk), then we had a very fancy candlelit dinner on my coffee table and devoured Taco Bell...yep, per my request. My birthday ended with an intense game of Cribbage...and I won. Perfect day :)

None of that has anything to do with Thai food...or chicken...or pineapple...or even stir fry. But here it is. It's yummy. And I am OBSESSED with Gina's Skinny Recipes. Literally.Ob.Sessed.

Thai Chicken and Pineaplle Stir Fry
Adapted from skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp oil, divided
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
2 cups cubed assorted colors bell peppers (1/2-inch cubes)
1 red chili pepper, chopped (optional or to taste)
1 small white onion, chopped
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1/2 cup chili sauce
cilantro leaves (for garnish)

Directions:

Mix chicken and fish sauce in medium bowl. Add cornstarch; toss to evenly coat. Set aside.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger; stir fry 30 seconds. Add bell peppers,onion chili pepper if using and pineapple;stir fry 3 to 5 minutes or until peppers are tender-crisp.

Add soy and chili sauce; cook and stir until heated through. Remove from skillet.

Heat remaining oil in the skillet. Add chicken; stir fry5 minutes or until cooked through.Return bell pepper mixture to skillet; stir fry until well blended.

Garnish with cilantro. Serve with brown rice or plain.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

I recently broke what I believe to be my 5th pair of sunglasses in the past year...I thought I could save them and patch them up with a little super glue...

Well, super glue and I have never been friends and somehow during this process I managed to get wet super glue directly in my eye...

Ouch!

I used to be very resourceful when it came to fixing my sunglasses as I have a history of breaking them. I once fixed a pair with nail polish and the rubber back of an earring.

Not so much luck with this pair. I never buy expensive sunglasses for the simple fact they have a short life expectancy with me. I am now beginning to wonder if in fact the reason I break them so much is because they're cheap and not because I am clumsy.

That is the psychologist in me speaking.

But fat chance. I am just clumsy. There are many things that I have found I have a habit of killing aside from sunglasses...

Headphones.

Cell phones.

High heels.

Digital cameras.

Being clumsy is expensive eh?

Fortunately for me this salad recipe is rather low-maintenance. There is some chopping and such involved but there is a slimmer chance of having an accidend while making this.

For normal people anyway.

I love the homemade blue cheese dressing that goes with this salad. I plan to use it allllll the time now.

Buffalo Chicken Salad
From foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

Salad:
2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper hot sauce (or other hot sauce), plus more to taste
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 hearts Romaine, cut into 1-inch strips (about 8 cups)
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 carrots, coarsely grated
2 scallions, green part only, sliced

Blue cheese dressing:
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1/4 cup plain fat-free greek yogurt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper


Directions:

Preheat the broiler. Put the chicken between 2 sheets of waxed paper and pound with a mallet or hammer so the chicken is an even thickness of about 3/4-inch, then cut the chicken crosswise into 1/2-inch strips. In a large bowl, combine the hot sauce and the oil, add chicken and toss until the chicken is well coated. Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet and broil until it is cooked through, about 4 to 6 minutes, turning once.

In a large bowl combine the Romaine, celery, shredded carrots and scallions. Toss with the dressing. Divide the greens between 4 plates, top with the chicken. Serve with extra hot sauce.

In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk and yogurt into the mayonnaise until smooth. Add the vinegar and sugar and continue to whisk until all the ingredients are well combined. Stir in the blue cheese and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Serve salad with blue cheese dressing.

Buffalo Chicken-Sausage Penne

This here is part two of my buffalo-chicken sausage experimentation. I love trying to make up new things and come up with my own recipes. It is super excitng when something works out...and not so surprising when something doesn't (as it is bound to happen, especially with me).

Luckily for me, this one worked out. Meaning this wasn't a repeat of the many times I threw stuff together as a kid expecting something out-of-this-world only to find myself gagging on whatever my concoction was at that time. I remember many times as a kid I tried to invent "soup" recipes by boiling water and throwing any and everything I could find in the pot. I'd say I've improved a bit since then...

I actually got the idea  for this recipe off of the package of buffalo-chicken sausage and ran with it from there. I came up with a greek yogurt blue cheese sauce and I really liked it...

Sounds weird I know...

But that's how I roll. Sometimes the unexpected is better than the expected. I think I held my breath the entire time I was throwing stuff together for this sauce and praying it would work. I hate wasting food...absolutely hate it!

Clearly, I was able to breath again...so here it is. Hope you like it.

Buffalo Chicken-Sausage Penne
Dame Good

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

Pasta:
16 oz Al Fresco Buffalo Chicken-Sausage (4 links), sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup celery, chopped
12 oz whole wheat penne
1/4 cup fresh parsely, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:
6 oz non-fat plain greek yogurt
1 tablespoon dry ranch seasoning
3 tablespoons Franks hot sauce
4 oz reduced-fat blue cheese crumbles
2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
1 tablespoon skim milk

Directions:

Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, stir and set aside. Cook pasta according to the directions on the box.

While the pasta is cooking heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium sized pan. Add the pepper, celery and onions and saute for about 8 minutes, or until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken-sausage and stir until heated through. Remove from heat and set aside.

Rinse cooked pasta and toss together with the sauteed vegetables in a large bowl. Add the parsley and some salt and pepper. Stir the sauce into the pasta mixture until combined. Serve warm and enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken-Sausage Casserole

I love ladies nights. I am pretty lucky and rather impressed with the fact that I am still close to my best friends from highschool...well not all of them. It can be hard when some move out of state, or get married and have children. I try and keep in touch with those of my friends on different pages of life than I...

My girlfriends and I try to have a ladies night as often as we can. It tends to be every friday and last night we got together to go see the movie "Bridesmaids". I was not sure what to expect it because I found that the previews weren't exceptionally funny...but I quickly found out that this was because they couldn't possibly show the funny parts on the previews...

This movie had a raunchy humor...meaning I loved it. If you are like me and have a sick twisted humor, then you will enjoy this movie. I wasn't too "chick-flicky" but yet a perfect movie to go see with your girls.

Now, these two girls I went with are the ones I laugh with the most. The three of us are rather goofy...in fact we're sometimes just odd. So just the fact that I was with them, made the movie that much more funny. Has anyone else ever noticed that movies and your percieved level of their "funny" often depends on who you are watching it with?

Funny how that works.

On another note. Has that chicken-sausage that is always hanging out in the organic meats section caught anyone elses eye? I bought the garlic one once to make this sausage with quick sauerkraut. It's not exactly sausage but it is still pretty good. Well my heart skipped a beat when I saw they had a buffalo-chicken one.

Score!

There was a slight problem though...the links just sat patiently in my freezer for weeks before I could come up with a way to use it. I didn't want to just throw it into anything...I wanted to come up with something that screamed buffalo-chicken...since I am kind of obsessed with it.

Well, I came up with two things...I couldn't decide on one...making decisions is too exhausting...so I did both. Win-win.

I made a buffalo chicken-sausage casserole (seen here) and a buffalo chicken blue cheese penne. The penne may be my preferred dish (yes, I am teasing you) but this was good as well. Both can be changed and played around with to your liking because I know some people don't love blue cheese, or celery or hot sauce...these are the same people I think should be labeled legally insane, but hey, to each their own...

Buffalo Chicken-Sausage Casserole
Dame Good

Ingredients:

16 oz Al Fresco all-natural buffalo chicken-sausage, sliced
2 cups brown rice
1 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken stock
1 cup white onion, chopped
3 gloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup fat-free ranch dressing
4 oz reduced-fat crumbled blue cheese
10.5 oz 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, shredded
15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons franks buffalo hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried parsely
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cook brown rice according to box using the chicken stock instead of water. While rice is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and heat olive oil. Add onions, red pepper and celery and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and carrots and continue cooking for about a minute or 2, just until garlic is fragrant. Toss the chicken-sausage in and stir just until heated through. Remove skillet from heat and add paprika, cumin some salt and pepper.

In a small bowl mix ranch dressing, cream of chicken, hot sauce, parsely and blue cheese and stir until mixed. In a large bowl toss the cooked rice with the cooked vegetables. Add the wet ingredients to the rice mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed.

Pour the mixture into a prepared 9-in x 13-in casserole pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden. Serve warm.

Baked Chicken Eggrolls

Does anybody else have an endless list of all the things you wanted to be growing up? I was thinking about my list the other day. I have gone through life changing my mind about what I thought I wanted to be.

Of course it all started with wanting to be a princess. Not that I knew what that meant...to me it was big pretty sparkly dresses, endless amounts of ice cream and unicorns to ride. Then I learned that you become a princess by marrying a prince and ew...boys had cooties, so that went out the window.

With the longing of sparkly attire still fresh in my heart there was a short period of time when I wanted to be a figure skater. In fact, I was certain I could make it to the olympics...I mean I could almost skate backwards on roller skates, how hard could ice skating be? This is also the point in life where I learned gravity is no friend of mine...

We still haven't become acquainted...

From the falling I realized being a singer/dancer was out of the question.My ego forced me to try it anyway but I bruised my pride one day when my brother and I were putting on a "concert" for my mom and her video camera....

Yes, this has been documented.

I was twirling around on top of the dresser whipping around my mic like I was "Miss Thang" when my foot slipped and I plummeted to the crack between the dresser and the wall. I brushed myself off and pretended I did it on purpose...I mean performers look cool when they fall right?

My dreams and aspirations after the multiple face plants were a bit more realistic. Thank God for that because otherwise I would be that girl on American Idol singing off key and trying to bust out moves that only cause me to break my ankles. Either that or I would be like that "Friday" girl and be the most hated "performer" on YouTube.

I'm not interested in being hated. Though now that I think about it...I could so be the next William Hung...or even the "pants on the ground" guy...hmm...perhaps realism is overrated?


Baked Chicken Eggrolls
Adapted from Tasteofhome.com

Ingredients

12 ounces (around 2 cups)  rainbow blend cabbage
1 can (14 ounces) bean sprouts, drained
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups finely diced cooked chicken
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Pinch cayenne pepper
salt, pepper to taste
16 egg roll wrappers

Directions:

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray; add the first six ingredients. Cook and stir over medium heat until vegetable are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add chicken; heat through.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, water, soy sauce, oil, brown sugar salt, pepper and cayenne until smooth; stir into chicken mixture. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened; remove from the heat.

Spoon 1/4 cup of chicken mixture on the bottom third of one egg roll wrapper; fold sides toward center and roll tightly. (Keep remaining wrappers covered with a damp paper towel until ready to use.) Place seam side down on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat.

Spray tops of egg rolls with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Did everyone have a good Easter?! I sure did. Growing up, my family did not always do too much for Easter. I do remember some egg hunts and egg decorating growing up...but other than that Easter was never a big production...

Because it was never a big deal, it was never on my list of favorite holidays. But this year, I went with Shawn to visit his family and it was a good time. We ate lamb and yummy veggies and had key lime pie for dessert. We also brought Kirby along who had a blast...thinking that the whole celebration was all about him...

Of course.

The main event of the day? I played with the Xbox Kinect...not only did I play with it but I did the Michael Jackson dance game. So much fun, great workout, highly recommend it...

I want one!

Maybe some day...maybe. But by the time I could afford it the Kinect will be old news...sigh...

I was really hoping to make some carrot cake cookies or whoopie pies for easter this year but time flew by and I couldn't find any to spare...boo! Maybe next year...

This stir-fry here is something I made for Shawn and I a few weeks back. I actually really enjoyed it. The ginger added something really special. If you're looking for something to deviate from the stir-fry you always make, try this. For real.

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry
From foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken breast (about 2 breasts), cubed
3 scallions, whites only, thinly sliced on an angle
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
About 1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 to 6 cups broccoli, trimmed sliced stalks and medium florets (keep the 2 cuts separate)
3/4 to 1 teaspoon red chili flakes, optional
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
toasted sesame seeds, optional

Directions:

(Marinate the chicken while you prepare the rest of the ingredients)

In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the scallion whites, about half the garlic and ginger, the soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the sherry, and the sesame oil. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Mix the remaining cornstarch with 1/3 cup water.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat. Add the broccoli stems, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the florets and the remaining garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of water, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Stir-fry until the broccoli is bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Get the skillet hot again, and then heat 2 more tablespoons oil. Add the chicken and chili flakes if using. Stir-fry until the chicken loses its raw color and gets a little brown, about 3 minutes. Add the hoisin sauce, return the broccoli to the pan and toss to heat through. Stir in the reserved cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil to thicken. Add more water if need to thin the sauce, if necessary. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if you like. Mound the stir-fry on a serving platter or divide among 4 plates and garnish with sesame seeds; serve with rice.

Mexican Chicken Tenders

I've been on this scary movie kick lately. Last Friday me and the girls went and saw "Scream 4". It was ridiculously cheesy...

Meaning I loved it! It was like the typical horror movie from the 90's...I miss those...

Nowadays scary movies are just bad...not the kind of bad I like...just the kind of bad that makes you miss the other kind of bad movies? Not following?

It's not important.

Point being, it's a rainy day and I just want to make a comforting meal, light some candles and watch a scary movie. That is my exact plan for tonight. Of course, I am not one who can bare watching scary movies alone...I'll have Shawn and Kirby to cuddle with...unfortunately for them they must endure my shrieking...but hey, I make the food so they just have to deal.

What scary movie should we watch?

I should probably say something about this recipe huh? The coleslaw that goes with it=awesome. I loved it! Also, I would advise eating the chicken with a chipotle or southwest ranch...and hot sauce...mmm hot sauce.

Mexican Chicken Tenders
Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:


1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 medium red onions, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/2 cup non-fat greek yogurt
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 small head cabbage, shredded (about 4 cups)
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 9-ounce bag multi-grain tortilla chips, finely crushed
Cooking spray
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips

Directions:

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Whisk 1/4 cup vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar and the chili powder in a shallow microwave-safe dish. Add the onions, separating them into rings. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Toss to coat the onions with the liquid, then let cool.

Meanwhile, whisk 1/3 cup mayonnaise, the cilantro and the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1 tablespoon sugar in a large bowl. Add the cabbage, jalapenos, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste and toss. Refrigerate the slaw until ready to serve.

Whisk the remaining 2/3 cup mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon liquid from the pickled onions in a shallow dish. Put the crushed chips in another dish. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Dip the chicken in the mayonnaise mixture and then in the chips; place on the baking sheet. Mist the chicken with cooking spray. Bake until crisp and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with the slaw and onions.

Buffalo Chicken Stromboli

Sunday is my new favorite day of the week. It is my one and only day to relax and bake and take Kirby to the park. For the longest time I was working and having class everyday of the week with no days off. It finally got to me and I was able to get Sunday's off. I am now absolutely in love with this day. It also happens to be the only full day Shawn is in town...so win-win!

I just now got back from the "Book Loft" which is an amazing old book store in my neighborhood. It is surrounded with cobblestone and brick sidewalks and gardens. It has 32 rooms of books all arranged by genre. I spend hours in there. I was there searching for a children's book. For my American Sign Language class we have to choose a childrens story to sign. I cannot for the life of me think of one.

This makes me sad because I always loved to read. I remember having butterflies in my stomach as a kid on book fair days. Nerd? Yes. I chose "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie" but I am not sure if this is the right choice...any suggestions?

On another note, I have been making up recipes like crazy. I have had so many ideas running around in my head I am kind of going crazy. Many are successful...at least according to my standards. Although my palate is not hard to please. Meaning, if anyone tries these....let me know what you think! :)

We all know I love buffalo chicken. I'm all about making it in less traditional ways. So I came up with this buffalo chicken stromboli made with a whole wheat crust. I loved this. It's a little spicy but I'm all about it.

Buffalo Chicken Stromboli
Dame Good

Makes 2  (8-12 in) strombolis

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon honey
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon dry ranch dressing mix

Filling:
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1 cup hot sauce (Franks Buffalo)
1 cup celery, chopped
3/4 cup white onion, chopped
2 cups reduced fat cheese (provalone or mozzarella), shredded
4 ounces reduced-fat blue cheese crumbles
1 tablespoon dry ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup fat-free ranch dressing
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Crust:
In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top and let stand 5-10 minutes, or until foamy.

Stir the olive oil, honey and salt into the yeast mixture. Start to mix in all of the flour. When mostly mixed, transfer the dough to a mixer with a dough hook. Once mixed, sprinkle in the dry ranch mix.

Tip dough onto a floured surface and knead  until the ball is smooth and the seasoning is mixed in. Put the dough in a large oiled bowl. Spray the dough with cooking spray or roll around in oil so it is completely covered. Cover with a towel or saran wrap and let stand in a warm place for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

When the dough is doubled, tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and divide the dough into two even pieces. Form into a tight ball and let rise an additional 45 min-1 hour.

Filling:
While waiting for the dough to rise, season both sides of the chicken breast with salt and pepper. Spray an indoor or outdoor grill with cooking spray and set to medium heat. Once the grill is preheated, add the chicken breast and grill for 3-5 minutes on each side (it is okay if it is a little underdone as the chicken will cook more when being baked in the oven). Once the chicken is grilled, remove from grill and let cool on a plate for about 10 minutes.

Once the chicken has cooled, take two forks and shred the chicken to desired size. Add chicken to a large bowl. Add the hot sauce, celery, onions, blue cheese, and 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning to the bowl. Stir the mixture until everything is combined.

Stromboli:
When the dough is done rising, preheat the oven to 375F. Roll out one dough ball into a large rectangle (approximately 10-in by 14-in). You want it to be pretty thin, but not too thin that the filling will leak. Sprinkle the shredded cheese along the middle of the dough leaving a 1-in border along the edges. Layer 1/4 cup of ranch dressing along the shredded cheese. Take half of the chicken mixture and spread it atop of the cheese and ranch.

Taking a brush, apply the egg wash along the 1-inch border. Fold in the shorter ends over the filling. Take one of the long ends and fold it over to the other end. Use the egg was to seal al of the edges. and press each edge firmly together (for help rolling, google what a stromboli looks like). Put the stromboli, seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Take a fork and puncture the top of the stromboli a few times all over to allow steam to escape. Finish by brushing over the surface of the stromboli with the egg wash to give it a shine.

Repeat process with second dough ball.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until goldn brown. You will want to keep your eye on it and check every 10 minutes or so to make sure there is no leakage. If so, reseal and continue to bake.

Once removed from oven, allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Cut into desired size and serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Chicken Sausage with a Quick Homemade Sauerkraut

I have got a bad case of the Mondays. Anyone who likes mondays is crazy. Productive is the last thing I want to be on this day. I woke up wanting homemade whole wheat blueberry waffles (which I satisfied myself with happily) and to stay in bed in my warmest PJ's and watch movies with Shawn...

Of course, this just was not allowed as I had to get to work right away (after the waffles of course, and coffee...lots of coffee) then class immediately after until 6:30...yep, me and Mondays are not friends.

As this winter quarter is slowly nearing an end, I am finding that I am burnt out and in dire need of a vacation. I can't afford one so the one week break I get off from school will have to do. For the longest time now I have been grinding out day after day with either class or work or both...0 days off...ZERO

Totally getting to me now...feeling worn down and overwhelmed. Perhaps the fact that it is totally crappy out doesn't help. This morning it was raining and now it is snowing...the kind of snowflakes that are as big as my fist. Boooo!

I think I am done being a Debbie Downer...I'm going to find chocolate and watch "The Bachelor" :)

Ps, if you love sauerkraut, as I do...but find the stuff out of a can or jar or bag or what have you to be rather one-note and sometimes too sour...this homemade quick kraut rocks...its delish...honestly. I have never had chicken sausage before making this recipe and while it is definitely not the fatty oily sausage we all love, it is pretty yummy...

Chicken Sausage with a Quick Homemade Sauerkraut
From Eatingwell.com

Ingredients:

1 12-ounce package chicken sausage
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
1 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
1 10-ounce package shredded cabbage, preferably finely shredded
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup apple cider
1 teaspoon caraway seeds

Directions:

Cook sausages in a large skillet over medium-high heat until brown on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Heat oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and apple and cook, stirring constantly, until beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cabbage, vinegar and salt and cook, stirring often, until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Add cider and caraway seeds; bring to a boil. Return the sausages to the pan, cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the sausages are heated through and cabbage is tender, about 10 minutes.