Because bacon makes it better

Heather says:

I’m on a salad kick. A friend sent me this recipe months ago and I’m sorry to report I just got around to testing tweaking it.

Wilted Spinach Salad with Candied Pepper Bacon

Spinach salad:

• 6oz fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 sweet or red onion sliced thinly
• 1 granny smith apple cored and cut into bite size pieces
• 4 hard boiled eggs cut into wedges
• 7 slices candied peppered bacon

Toss ingredients in a large bowl, reserve some egg and bacon for garnish.

Candied Peppered Bacon

• 7 slices bacon
• 2 TBSP brown sugar
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425. Arrange the bacon in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle with brown sugar and fresh ground pepper. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, watch closely. Drain on a rack, NOT on paper towels. . . trust me. Reserve drippings for dressing.

Dressing:

• 2 TBSP bacon drippings
• 3 TBSP balsamic vinegar
• 3 TBSP dijon mustard
• 4 TBSP brown sugar

In a microwave safe bowl whisk together the ingredients. Microwave covered on high for 1 minute, stir, microwave for an additional minute. Drizzle over spinach salad and toss to coat. Garnish the salad with the reserved bacon and eggs. Serve immediately.

Yields two main course salads or four side salads.

Grilled chicken would be a nice accompaiment for this dish.

Fruit salad: yummy yummy

Heather says:

First, I’ll apologize to everyone with preschoolers who now has a song stuck in their heads.

There is no need to wait until you have been suckered into bringing something to a pot luck or picnic to make an appetizing fruit salad. With the recent heat wave, I thought a cool fruit salad might be a nice treat.

Take whatever you have on hand, cut into bite-size pieces. Stir in a binder like yogurt or pudding and refrigerate to allow the flavors to mingle.

Today’s recipe:

• 2 bananas
• 1 cup watermelon
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 cup grapes
• ~ 1/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup vanilla pudding

Stir, cover, refrigerate. The hardest part… waiting until AFTER lunch to serve.

What do you like in you fruit salad?

Feeding time at the zoo

Ivy says:

God works in mysterious ways. I had no idea what I was going to write about today (in fact, I have no idea what I’m going to write about for Curbly, Shakhammer, and Shakyard today either), but lunch today provided plenty of Home-Ec 101 fodder. I’ve got an amusing story, a couple of quasi-recipes, and an ask the audience all wrapped up into one nice, neat post.

I’ve been craving chicken salad in the worst possible way lately. So today I went ahead and broke my vegetarianism and made myself and the kids chicken salad for lunch. Now, I’m not much of a cook, but I do make a fab chicken salad. I make mine with chicken (obviously), kosher salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, mayo, ranch dressing, cilantro, celery, parsley, and green grapes. Green grapes is what makes the chicken salad absolutely fab.

So I made chicken salad, and it took me longer to make it than for my kids to completely wipe it out. When I went back for seconds, the bowl was completely empty. I said, “I guess you liked the chicken salad, huh, guys?”

My 13 year old said, “Yeah, but next time, no celery. Or cilantro. Or mayo.”

My 6 year old said, “Yeah, and no grapes. Or ranch.”

I said, “Guys, if I leave all that stuff out, it’s just chicken, and funny, for all the hating you guys are doing on the ingredients, you managed to wipe that chicken salad off the face of the earth awfully quickly.”

My 13 year old said, “Well, that’s true,” and went on munching his sandwich.

One thing we made yesterday where nobody hated the ingredients was Watergate Salad. So cool and refreshing during the hottest part of the year! I had no idea it was so ridiculously easy to make. You take a cup of mini marshmallows, a package of pistachio pudding, and a 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple and mix it together. Then take a cup and a half of Cool Whip and mix that. Let it sit in the fridge for an hour, and enjoy! Take that to your next potluck and impress people!

And now, for the “Ask the audience” portion of the post: Any ideas on how to make chicken salad vegetarian? What about tofu? Would that be any good with that? I have no idea, tofu kinda grosses me out, so I haven’t worked with it at all. Any tips on making a vegetarian chicken salad would win accolades and praise from the great Ivy.

This ain’t your grandma’s chicken salad

Dear Home Ec 101:

What’s the best way to cook chicken if you are going to use it in chicken salad? The only ways I know how to cook it- baked, roasted, grilled- don’t seem right for that kind of use.

Thanks!

~ Cluckin’ Clueless

Heather says:

I use each of the methods you list for chicken salad. Ivy uses canned chicken, it can be found near the tuna. Chicken for salad can be either cubed or shredded, it is only a matter of personal preference.

If I had to guess, I believe the crux of your dilemma may be that the seasonings you chose while cooking chicken for the initial meal are hard to translate into your vision of chicken salad. It would be hard to see a spicy Cajun rubbbed chicken as a traditional ice cream scoop blob-o-salad found in many cafeterias. You aren’t restricted to your great-grandma’s recipe. Take the basic chicken + binder (mayo or cream cheese) + fruit or vegetables and change the seasonings to complement the flavor of chicken you have on hand. Let your imagination run wild when choosing your spices and extras for your version. Several months ago I posted a recipe for chicken salad. This one works well with lightly seasoned cooked chicken and especially well with lemon pepper or herbed versions. If I had leftover blackened chicken I would skip the apples and raisins, opting for carrots for crunch and perhaps blue cheese for a complimentary flavor. If I had a chicken with an Asian flair, I would substitute cream cheese for the mayo, water chestnuts for crunch, add a bit of toasted sesame seeds, and perhaps some chopped snow peas.

Have fun experimenting.

Same old, same old?

Heather says:

Tired of plain tuna salad sandwiches for lunch?

Try substituting cream cheese for half or all of the mayonnaise.

Add crunch with diced celery or pickles.

Add more protein for pennies with a diced hard boiled egg. Bored with dill? Try a pinch of basil.

Really want to liven it up? Tuna melts are fantastic. Make a tuna sandwich just as you would a grilled cheese. I love it with American, but experiment with your favorite.

How do you like your tuna salad?

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