Buffalo Chicken Wing Salad

Summer is officially here!! And what a beautiful day we ended up with yesterday to welcome my favorite season to the Great Northwest!! I don't know about you, but when the weather is hot and it's sunny out, the last thing I want to do when I get home from work and being cooped up in my office all day is prepare a hot, complicated meal. No way!! I want something quick, nourishing, and virtually mess-free so I can get outside and enjoy the weather!

Here's what I came up with last night!!

Buffalo Chicken Wing Salad

1 package Tyson Buffalo Chicken Pieces (boneless wings)
1 package salad mix (I prefer the one with extra veggies!)
grape tomatos
cucumbers, peeled and sliced
peppers (green, red, or yellow), diced
shredded cheese
croutons
salad toppings
dressing (bleu cheese, ranch, thousand island, honey mustard or your choice)

Bake the chicken wings as directed on package (about 15 minutes).
Garnish salad with cooked chicken and dressing.

Serve with fresh breadsticks.

Thursday Thirteen #2

Thirteen Leg Humping Pics... =) It's kinda my thing!
















Thursday Thirteen

Wordless Wednesday...Misty's Birthday

My Goals

A couple of months ago, I made a list of goals that I wanted to accomplish to focus on ME. Well, with the news of the baby, a new relationship, work, and just life in general, I've found myself slipping on some of these. I would like to take this time now to post them as a reminder! That's all!! Feel free to share some of your goals, no matter how big or small, and tell me how you're doing on accomplishing those!!

Goals to focus on Me

1) Family

2) Friends

3) Pets

4) Improve/organize/maintain house and yard

5. Eat healthier

6. Work out

7. Discover new hobbies/interests

8. Focus on Writing

9. Church

10. Give back

Recipe Favorites!!

Okay, so growing up I'm sure you all had a favorite recipe or dish that your mom, grandma, great aunt, or great grandmother used to make, right?! For me, it was my grandma. She made the absolute BEST homemade applesauce. I haven't had any as good since. I think her secret was a TON of sugar! LOL Which would explain my obsession!! =)

Well, grandma has long since given up in the kitchen. She's going to be 88 this August, widowed, suffering from Dementia, and living in an assisted care home not far from my folks. The other day another one of my favorite dishes that she made for us came to mind...and I haven't had it in YEARS! Mom and I tried to make it 6-7 years ago (even went out and bought a meat grinder and all! LOL) but alas, it just wasn't the same as granny's.

Since it popped into my mind, I have of course, true to pregnancy form, been craving it! LOL So I made mom spend two nights searching for the meat grinder--which she finally found (um, in the EXACT place I told her she'd stored it!)! Yay! So this weekend I am going to attempt to make Roast Beef Spread Sandwiches! I even found a recipe on the web for it---so it wasn't just some creation of granny's mind! =) Wish me luck, ya'll!

Shredded Roast Beef Salad Sandwiches

This is a delicious way to use roast beef. Feel free to change the amount of mayonnaise to moisten to your taste. Instead of making sandwiches, you could serve the spread with crackers for a party, along with chopped red onion in a separate dish.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound cooked roast beef
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup bread and butter pickles (granny used sweet pickles)
  
• 1/2 to 1 cup mayonnaise
• pickle juice, to taste (again, granny used juice from sweet pickles)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, optional
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• slice of cheese (your choice), for topping
  
• sliced red onion, for topping
• lettuce, for topping
• sliced wheat or white bread

PREPARATION:

Put beef and onion, celery, and pickles through a meat grinder with the coarse plate, or mince the ingredients or process in a food processor until evenly chopped. Add remaining ingredients, with enough mayonnaise and pickle juice to taste and moisten as desired.

Serve as a spread for crackers or melba rounds or as a spread for sandwiches. Toast the bread, if desired, and then spread with a little butter or mayonnaise. Add lettuce leaves; spread a layer of the beef spread over the lettuce, then top with sliced red onion.
Makes enough for 6 to 8 sandwiches.