Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I love cold dinners on warm, muggy nights.  In Virginia, basically everynight from June to October is muggy, so needless to say we eat a lot of salads. Pasta salad, salad with grilled chicken, salad with grilled steak... anything to avoid heating up the house.

I made these sandwiches recently and they were a huge hit.  I just had a craving for chicken salad and happened to have all the ingredients on hand. The dish comes together in minutes and they are packed with protein and flavor. The real secret is 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard.  It adds a depth to the flavor, a gourmand touch if you will.  And, of course, you need something crunchy.  In this case it was a granny smith apple and a handful of almonds, but you can get a little creative here.  If you prefer celery or sunflower seeds, toss those in.  Toast some bread, make a little bed of spinach or arugula, and topped it off with your salad.  Simple, fast, filling. Serve with tangerines and kettle chips. 

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weeknight wonders: angel hair with cherry tomatoes and kale

Can you believe it's June?  June!  How the heck did that happen?  

Every year, I feel like the pace picks up a little more and a little more.  Like I'm plowing through life on a train and with each passing year the conductor ups the speed just a tad.  Life is passing by so fast, this year especially.  Jason and I just got back from vacation, summer is in full swing here in Virginia, and in just under three months our baby will be here.  Life is surging, changing, rushing, leaping forward...  I just want to savor these last few months, try not to let them slip away.

This recipe is definitely a time saver and is perfect for warm weather.  Boil a little pasta and kale, sauté some tomatoes, toss in a dollop of ricotta, and top with spices.  It's a light, easy, one-pot meal that is on the table in minutes.  Because it's packed with fresh herbs, kale, and tomatoes, I don't mind serving it without a salad. Another great meal for crazy weeknights.  The best part is that Jason loved this meal.  In spite of him initially prickling at the idea of no meat, he downed two servings in minutes. Enjoy and happy Monday! 

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chocolate chip cookies

Are you a crispy cookie or a chewy cookie person?  I like chewy cookies, a little crisp on the edges but chewy in the center. Crispy cookies just aren't my cup of tea, but that is kinda the great thing about cookies.  You can make them however you like them.  Want chewy, just cut a few minutes off the time... Need crisp, add a minute or two. Simple as that.  If only everything were that easy, right? 

Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite cookies, so when I went gluten-free it took a little while to find a good gluten-free recipe.  The secret is the flour mix.  Brown rice flour, potato starch, and tapiocablend to create a flour that acts like all-purpose wheat flour in most recipes. This particular cookie is packed with bitter chocolate chunks and pecans.  Amazing! Plus, the texture is perfect.  You won't believe these light fluffy cookies are gluten free. They have all these taste of classic chocolate chip cookies. Make them chewy or crispy.  Just make them!

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