Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Credit: Lori Frost

Ingredients:

• 3 cans of cooked chicken breasts {like you find tuna in, except bigger!}
• 2 c seedless grapes, sliced
• 1 c mayonnaise
• 1 t salt
• 4 T sugar
• 1 1/2 t curry powder
• 1 c roasted almonds, sliced {or cashews... nuts are optional}
• Bread or croissants
  

Directions:

1. Open and drain the canned chicken. Empty into a large bowl and finely shred with a fork. This is an important step!
   
2. Add the sliced grapes to the chicken and mix around. Make sure this balance of chicken and grapes is enough for you... we like lots of grapes in ours.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine the mayonnaise, salt, sugar, and curry powder. Mix well and pour over the chicken mixture. Mix until well coated.
4. Place in the refrigerator for 30+ minutes to allow all of the flavors to blend together. {If you can't let it chill before eating, it'll still be delicious, so don't worry.}
5. When you're ready to eat, make each sandwich by taking the bread and generously spreading on chicken salad, then sprinkling the almond pieces on top, and placing the other piece of bread on top. :) Mmm...

*This is often served at wedding receptions, bridal and baby showers, etc. We love it ANYTIME, though.

Teriyaki Chicken and Rice

Credit: Chelsea Bennett

Ingredients:

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 c teriyaki sauce of coice
• 1/2 c gourmet sauce
• Rice, prepared

Directions:

1. Cook chicken in Pam sprayed frying pan. Once cooked, cut chicken into 1" slices.
2. Carefully wipe down your pan. Combine the sauces in the pan and add the sliced chicken.
3. Heat through and serve over individual rice bowls. Feel free to add steamed broccoli, mandarin oranges, and cashews to the mix!
   

Cream Cheese Chicken

Credit: Amber Wardell

Ingredients:

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, cubed
• 1 packet Food Seasons Italian dressing mix
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• Frozen broccoli {regular or steam-able}
• Rice
  

Directions:

1. Place chicken in crock pot.
   
2. Layer on top in this order: cubed cream cheese, 1/2 Italian dressing packet, cream of chicken soup, 1/2 Italian dressing packet.
3. Cover and cook 3-4 hours on low heat, mixing sauce about 2 hours into it {you'll be fine if you can't mix it around 2 hours into it... just go ahead and leave it cooking}. Before serving, divide chicken into smaller pieces and add broccoli.
4. Prepare rice and eat!!

Note: If you add broccoli, you can use the frozen kind by putting it in an hour before you're ready to eat. If you get the steam-able broccoli, just follow the directions on the package and mix in the steamed broccoli before serving.

Fancy Fettuccine Alfredo (fancier than my other recipe...)

Credit: Kevinandamanda.com

Ingredients:

• 1 lb linguine noodles
  
• 1 tbsp salt
  
• 1 scant cup chicken broth
  
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
  
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic
  
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 tsp pepper
  
• 8 basil leaves, chiffonaded
  
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Add 1 tbsp of salt to a large pot of water and bring to boil. Boil noodles according to package.
   
2. Then, in a medium saucepan, heat chicken broth over medium high heat, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat to medium.
3. Stir in heavy cream, cornstarch, and garlic. Bring to a soft boil and stir for one minute. Reduce heat to low.
4. Add Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Let simmer for about 10 mins to melt cheese, let thicken, and incorporate flavors.
5. Just before serving, chop fresh herbs and stir into Alfredo sauce. Serve sauce over pasta and add chicken if desired! {We usually grill chicken for one meal and then use the extra grilled chicken for this meal... so good!}

Note: This meal is great for entertaining. It makes A LOT and since it's not the healthiest meal ever, you probably won't want to heat up and eat the leftovers... it gets a little greasy like Olive Garden's Alfredo would. :)

Chicken Tacos

Credit: Amber Wardell

Ingredients:

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 2 cups salsa of choice
• Toppings {cheese, sour cream, etc.}
  

Directions:

1. Place chicken in crock pot.
2. Mix salsa and taco seasoning together and pour over chicken to cover.
3. Replace lid on crock pot and cook on low 4 hours. Check to see if you need to add any water during cooking.
4. Shred chicken and serve with flour tortillas {I prefer to buy the uncooked tortillas from Sam's or Costco and probably will for the rest of my life!} and any other toppings you'd like... cheese, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, etc.
   

BBQ Chicken

Credit: Brandel Family

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts {frozen or fresh-- either one will work!}
  
• 1 cup BBQ sauce of choice
• 1/2 can of jellied cranberry sauce

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in a 9x13 pan. You can adjust the amount of chicken that you need as long as it will all fit nicely in the pan!
2. Mix together BBQ sauce and cranberry sauce until it's a fairly smooth consistency. {I use a small hand mixer/puree machine, but you could use a fork if you need to!}
   
3. Pour BBQ sauce mixture over the chicken to cover. If there's not enough, mix up a little more sauce. Luckily this recipe will be delicious no matter what. It's not science at all!
4. Bake uncovered for 1 hour. Voila!

**I also bake some potatoes at the same time. It makes a perfect meal! Just wash, scrub, poke, and wrap up some small- to medium-sized yellow potatoes in foil. Put them on the same rack as your 9x13 pan and bake for 60-75 minutes. You'll want to pop these in before you start on the chicken for it all to be done around the same time.

Grilled Marinated Fish with Tropical Salsa and Coconut Rice

Credit: Emeril Lagasse (The Food Network)
Note***this recipe is intense, but very worth the effort-- yum!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sliced yellow onions
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
  
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
  
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
  
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 teaspoon cumin
  
• Pinch cayenne
  
• 4 (6 to 8-ounce) troll-caught mahi mahi fillets, skin on -- Other fish or chicken work, too
  
• Coconut Rice, recipe follows
  
• Tropical Salsa, recipe follows
  
• Toasted coconut flakes, garnish
  
• Chopped cilantro, garnish

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the onions, oil, orange and lime juices, cilantro, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne. Place the fish in a large, non-reactive baking dish. Pour the marinade over the fish, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 hour.

Preheat a grill, and lightly oil the grill rack with vegetable oil. Remove the fish from the marinade. Place on the oiled grill and cook, skin side up, until marked, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Turn carefully with a spatula and cook, skin side down, until the fish is just cooked through, about 4 minutes, depending upon thickness. Remove from the grill.

Spoon the coconut rice into the center of 4 large plates. Arrange 1 fillet onto each serving of rice and top with the Tropical Salsa. Garnish with toasted coconut and cilantro, and serve.

Coconut Rice:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut milk
  
• 1 1/2 cups water
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
  
• 1 cup long grain white rice
  
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine the coconut milk, water, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Add the rice, stir well, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer undisturbed until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fluffy, about 20 to 24 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit without stirring for 10 minutes.

Fluff with a fork and add the cilantro. Adjust seasoning, to taste. Serve hot.

Tropical Salsa:

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe mango, peeled, seeded, and diced
  
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded, and diced
  
• 1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple
  
• 1/4 cup minced red onions
  
• 1/4 cup minced red bell peppers
  
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  
• 2 teaspoons minced jalapeno
  
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  
• Pinch salt

Directions:

Combine the mango, avocado, pineapple, onions, bell peppers, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, garlic, and salt in a bowl and gently fold to combine. Adjust seasoning to taste. Let sit for 30 minutes before serving for the flavors to blend.

Pizza Dough

Credit: Sue Cornwall (www.suesfood.blogspot.com)

Ingredients:

• 3 C warm water
• 2 Tbsp yeast
• 6 tsp sugar
• 3 tsp salt
• 6 Tbsp oil
• 6 C flour
  

Directions:

Mix the above ingredients and knead for 8 minutes. Let rise 35-40 minutes. Fit into pizza pans and let it rise slightly. Makes enough dough for 3 pizzas (it makes really thick crust so adjust according to your liking).

Serving Up Salmon

Credit: Jamie Huish Stum (and family)

Technique #1

Ingredients:

• Salmon
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Lemon Pepper

Directions:

Put fish on foil lined baking sheet, heat oven to Broil. Drizzle olive oil over the whole fish, then sprinkle salt, pepper and lemon pepper generously on top. Broil 10-12 min. until fish is flaky and not gooey in the middle. Don't overcook! It will keep cooking for about 90 sec. after you take it out.

Technique #2

Ingredients:

• Salmon
• Butter
• Johnny's Seasoning
  

Directions:

Put fish on foil lined baking sheet, heat oven to Broil. Spread butter over fish, sprinkle Johnny's Seasoning on top. Broil 10-12 min.

Technique #3

Ingredients:

• Salmon
• 1/2 C mayonnaise
• 2 T regular mustard
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  

Mix mayonnaise with regular mustard. Stir in Italian seasoning. (All measurements are approximate; you can do more or less of either depending on how strong you like the dill taste.)
Put fish on foil lined baking sheet, heat oven to 350 degrees. Pour mixture over top of fish. Extra is always yummy if it spills on the sides a bit! Cook fish for 30 min. and enjoy! The sauce makes a kind of baked crust on top-- it is so good.

Ideas for sides:
red potatoes, asparagus, spinach salad

Tony Roma's Potato Soup

Credit: Jenn Eastman (and www.topsecretrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Chopped Potato (baked and cooled)
• 3 Tbs. Butter
• 1C Diced White Onion
  
• 2 Tbsp. Flour
  
• 4 C. chicken broth
  
• 2 C Water
  
• ¼ C Corn Starch
  
• 1 ½ C instant mashed potato
  
• 1 t Salt
  
• ¾ t Pepper
  
• ½ t basil
  
• 1/8 t thyme
  
• 1 c Half & Half
  

Garnish:

• ½ C Cheddar Cheese
• 2 Diced Green onions (only green part)
• ¼ C cooked bacon bits

Directions:

Bake potatoes. Skin and scoop out insides. Dice.

Melt Butter in saucepan. Add White Onion and sauté. Add flour and stir well. Add Chicken broth, water, cornstarch, Instant potatoes, and the spices. Stir and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Then, add the diced potatoes and half & half, only simmering for 15 minutes. Garnish bowls separately when serving.

Fettuccini Alfredo

Credit: Jan Wilson (Frost Family Recipes)

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp margarine

• 2 cloves minced garlic

• 1 Tbsp flour

• 1 ¼ cups milk

• ¼ cup cream cheese

• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus ½ cup

• 1 box fettuccini noodles, cooked and drained

Directions:

Melt margarine over med or med-low heat. Add garlic. Stir in flour. Gradually add milk while stirring with a whisk. Cook 8 minutes or until thick and bubbly. Stir in cream cheese. Add 1 cup parmesan cheese. Stir until cheeses melt. Toss with cooked fettuccini noodles and top with ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, and pepper.