Mom's Chicken Salad - with a twist

I made this for dinner last night, and we both had it again for lunch today.. and probably again for lunch tomorrow! So, needless to say this makes a good portion. I've always loved my mom's chicken salad, but could never convince Brad to try it.. he always thought it sounded girly and wouldn't be enough to fill him up. He was wrong.. after the first bite his words were "add this to the keeper pile". And so, I share with you..

- 1 lb. chicken (we used two large chicken breasts)
- 2 large stalks of celery
- 1/4 or so of a small to medium onion
- 1 medium sized apple (any kind)
- 2 or 3 clusters of grapes from a bunch
- mayo
- salt & pepper
- curry powder

1. boil the chicken in a large pot with 1 bay leaf for 10-15 minutes, til done. Let cool completely
2. While boiling/cooling chicken, dice the fruit and vegetables into bite sized pieces (quarter the grapes, for a size reference)
3. When chicken has cooled, shred or tear apart into a bowl and toss liberally with salt and pepper
4. add grapes, apples, onion and celery to the bowl, mix.
5. bring it all together with mayo to the consistency you like. I start with 2 large spoons full and go from there.
6. once combined, season to taste with salt, pepper and curry.
7. refrigerate for at least one hour, serve on buttery croissants.. its the best way!

Italian Tortellini Soup - with pictures!

I had this soup at Ally & Jeff's a month or so ago & then tried it at home a couple days ago- delicious! 

ITALIAN TORTELLINI SOUP

IN OLIVE OIL SAUTE:

1 C. DICED CELERY

1 1/2 C. ONION DICED

3 CLOVES OF GARLIC

ADD THE FOLLOWING & SIMMER FOR 45 MIN. :

1 1/2 LBS OF ITALIAN SAUSAGE *(COOKED) (I obviously just cooked it in the skillet with the garlic, etc)

6 C. CHICKEN BROTH

3 T. SUGAR

2 BAY LEAVES

1/2 t. THYME

1/2 t. OREGANO

1/2 t. PARSLEY

1 CAN TOMATO SAUCE OR TOMATO PUREE

2 CANS DICED ITALIAN TOMATOES

(I tried the sausage two different ways- with 1/2 of it I squeezed it out of the packing & broke it up.  With the other half, I cooked it first & then cut it up. Make sense? It obviously didn't affect the taste in any way, but it looked prettier (if that's possible) cooked & then cut.)

AT THE END ADD 1 PKG (FROZEN) CHEESE TORTELLINI. HEAT TIL SOFT.

*YOU CAN ALSO USE 1/2 HAMBURGER INSTEAD OF ALL SAUSAGE...THE MORE SAUSAGE YOU USE THE SPICIER IT IS :) (I actually did this, simply because I had extra hamburger in the fridge & needed to use it.  It could've been a bit spicier, but was still delicious!)

Serve with cornbread to make it extra yummy! 

Simple Pasta

I was in the mood for something on the healthy side, that uses fresh veggies and just a light sauce so I came up with this pasta recipe and it turned out great!

1 can diced tomatoes
1 pkg sliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves
1/2 an onion, sliced
EVOO
1/2 box Whole Wheat Rotini pasta

I sauteed up the onion and mushrooms in the EVOO. During the last few minutes of cooking I added in the garlic and let that cook for a few minutes. Then I added the whole can of tomatoes and let it all simmer together for a little while and then added in the cooked pasta and stirred. It took less than 15 minutes to make and it was really tasty. I added some grated parmesan to the top :) I think this would be good with all kinds of veggies, these are just the ones I had available for tonight. I hope cooking is treating you well and I look forward to hearing more recipes from you!

?Question?

Does anyone have a recipe for a creamy polenta?  Or any polenta dish that they really like for that matter?