Thursday, August 2, 2012

Jicama Melon Salad


This week I've been talking about a picnic that MGG and I went on last weekend to a beautiful beach.  I've posted the main dish of BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches and Creamy Ranch Slaw.


Well you can't have a picnic without a fruit salad.  Not just any ole' fruit salad.   A new, crunchy, marinated fruit salad.  The marinade is a combination of honey and lime, with some mint added in for extra special flavor.  






The original recipe, from Cuisine at Home, called for you to cut up all these melons.  But I took a short cut and took some help from the store by buying pre-cut melons in small containers.  You just mix them together, slice up some jicama for added crunch, and toss with the marinade.  Soooo easy!  The flavor is outstanding.
Not one bit of this was left!  Actually it was the first thing to go!


Another thing I would like to share with you are these containers.  These have to be my favorite containers.  They are called "working glasses" and are sold at Crate and Barrel.  You can find these here.  These are actually sturdy drinking glasses.  This size is the old fashioned size, and they also come in a tumbler size as well.  They hold 14 oz., and the best part?  They come with this fantastic lid, which turns this everyday glass into a "take along" container!  I said, a TAKE ALONG!!!  Can't you just see a smoothie for breakfast in this baby?  






As you can see I used them for individual servings of my Jicama Melon Salad. and they were just perfect.  Everything was sealed tight, stayed cold, and was easy to carry with the handy dandy lids!  What can be even better than this?  The price....they are super cheap!  About $1.95 for the glass and $.75 for the lid.  Woohoo!  I love great finds.  I bought several of each size and use them all the time.  I hope you like them and treat yourself to some new kitchenware.  You will treasure them too!


Oh, and enjoy this refreshing salad!!


Jicama Melon Salad
Adapted from Cuisine at Home Recipes

4 Servings

For Vinaigrette, Whisk Together:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 T. honey
1/4 t. sea salt
1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper

Toss with Vinaigrette:
½ of a jicama, julienned
1 small container of cut cantaloupe, from the refrigerated section of the produce department
1 small container of cut honeydew melon
1 small container of cut watermelon

Garnish with:
2 T mint leaves, chopped

Whisk honey, salt, and pepper into a bowl of the fresh squeezed lime juice.

Toss jicama and chopped melons in vinaigrette; let sit 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with chopped mint leaves.  Pack in individual containers to take along, or place in a bowl. 

Note:  Pre-cut fruit may be found in the refrigerated section of the produce department.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Creamy Ranch Slaw



Need a light side dish for summer?


Creamy Ranch Slaw is easy to make, low calorie, and sure to please a crowd!  This slaw is dressed with a lite homemade ranch-style dressing.  The taste is perfect for the salad which has some added crunch with celery and carrots.  A winning combination to the ranch dressing.


It's a perfect side dish for hamburgers, hot dogs, or grilled chicken. I recently served it at a beach picnic with my BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches.  The cool flavor and crunchy texture was just perfect with the sandwich.  In fact, MGG ate 2nds right out of the mason jar!






This is a great salad to take along to a picnic, potluck, or any event.  I packed ours in my favorite Italian canning jars.  I just love them!  They are the perfect size for salads, fruits, or sauces.  I use them often to pack take along foods, being so convenient and leak proof with the lid.  Try them when you need the perfect food carrier.  Just make sure to pack it well and keep it in a cooler, or insulated bag with some freezer packs to keep it cold.






It's best eaten the same day, but will keep in the frig for another day without getting too soggy.  You may lose some of the crunch, but the flavor holds up well.  You can also make this ahead of time and keep the salad and dressing separate until ready to serve.  






Such a great summer side dish, I hope you try this soon.  Simple ingredients that carry a flavor punch...just delishhh!


Creamy Ranch Slaw


Serves 8

½ c light mayo
1/3 c plain low-fat yogurt
1/3 c 2% milk
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 t onion powder
¾ t garlic powder
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
6 c cabbage, shredded
3 -4 stalks celery, sliced
2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 T fresh parsley, roughly chopped

In a medium bowl, mix together the mayo, yogurt, milk, and vinegar with a whisk until smooth and incorporated.  Add onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, stir until mixed well. 

In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, celery, and carrots.  Pour dressing over the vegetables and toss.  Add parsley and toss lightly. 

Note: Fill mason jars with salad for a take along side dish.  Keep cold in a cooler or insulated bag with freezer packs. 







Recipe shared on :  Sunflower Supper Club - weekend potluck

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Southern Sundays and BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches



Welcome to Southern Sundays!

I hope everyone had a wonderful week.  I've been working on a very large project and my hours have been long, long, long.  So when I heard that I was going to get the weekend off I jumped at the chance to do something fun!

MGG and I went on a picnic yesterday.  This is where we ate.



Such a beautiful day at the beach.  This is a beach a little north of us, quiet, and less crowded, this pier was built in the 1800's in anticipation of creating a large shipping port.  The weather was just perfect for a nice picnic.  So I created some great "take along" dishes and off we went!

So today I wanted to share with you our main course, BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches.



These were done with a little help from the store, with a new Root Beer BBQ sauce.   So Yummy!!!
I tend to like the Carolina sauce the best with the vinegary flavor, but sometime I like it a little sweet.  After a taste test at my favorite store (Williams Sonoma) I just had to pick up a bottle of this sauce.  I love root beer...and in this sauce, it is sweet, with a bit of a kick in the back end.  So if you love root beer this sauce may be a winner for you!

To make this quick dish I poached a couple of chicken breasts, toasted up some kaiser rolls, and heated the Root Beer BBQ sauce. (Use your favorite sauce)  Once the chicken was done I just shredded it and put it in the simmering sauce.  Simple, easy to transport with some help from some tin foil and an insulated bag.  That's all there is too it.  A wonderful hearty Super Sandwich!

Look how good this looks!!  Sweet and spicy at the same time.  Soooo good!



I served it with some great side dishes, a Creamy Ranch Slaw, and a Jicama Melon fruit salad.  I'll be sharing those recipes with you this week, along with some of my favorite tote-able dishware.  


BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

serves 2


2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Kaiser rolls
1 bottle of Root Beer BBQ sauce (or your favorite flavor of BBQ sauce)


In a 2 quart sauce pan filled halfway with water, bring water to a boil over high heat.  Add chicken breasts and boil at a slow boil for about 15 minutes.  Chicken will become opaque and white.


Remove chicken and set aside on a cutting board to cool.  Meanwhile, heat oven to "broil".  Split your Kaiser rolls in half and place on a baking sheet.  Toast rolls for about 45 seconds or until golden brown and toasted.  Remove and wrap in foil to keep warm.  


Once chicken is cool enough to touch shred using two forks.  In a medium saucepan add your bottle of BBQ sauce and heat over low heat.  Once it get's bubbly add the shredded chicken and stir to completely coat with sauce.  Cook about 5 minutes until chicken is thoroughly heated through.  


Pack in a storage container if transporting.  Wrap container in tin foil and place in an insulated bag to keep chicken warm.  To serve, divide chicken between the two Kaiser rolls placing on the bottom half of the roll.  Place the top half of roll and serve immediately.

What's your favorite BBQ sauce??

So let's get to the features of last week's party.  I would like to thank everyone for participating.  It's so good to see all your creative food items!  Last week we had a small party, but we had some delishhh entries!

We had two entries that stood out from the crowd.  Different types of food but both are "comfort food".

Congratulations on your featured recipe!


by Paula of Call Me PMc

Peach Cookie-Pies
by Deana of Country Momma Cooks

I want them both right now!!!
I must eat them...




Congratulations again to you all!  Stop by the creative artist's blog and say "Hi!".  I'm sure they love to hear from you.

So let's party!  I can't wait to see what you all bring this week.  Make sure to tell all your friends so they can join the party as well!

Guidelines:
Please become a follower by joining my site with Google Friends Connect in the right side bar.
Link back to your specific recipe and not to your main site.
Link back to Southern Sundays either in your post, or grab my Southern Sundays Button located in the right side bar.
Please visit a few of the links in the post and say hello to your fellow bloggers!
Enjoy, have fun, cook lots of food, and relish your Southern Sunday!



LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...