Chicken a la king

• 1 package sliced fresh mushrooms (traditional)
  
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 2 ribs chopped celery
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken (leftover rotissery chicken or whatever you have)
  
• 2 tablespoons diced pimientos (traditional)
  

I added peas and omitted mushrooms and pimientos

1. Bake biscuits according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion and celery in butter until crisp-tender. Stir in flour and salt until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
2. Add chicken and pimientos; heat through. Serve with biscuits.

Lobster Ravioli

Lobster and ricotta cheese stuffed ravioli with mock crab stick and mushroom topping. Very fast.

Salad

Salad made with spring mix, pecans, strawberries, blueberries, and a vinaigarette. Turkey sandwich and minestroni soup.

Turkey Bravo

The turkey bravo from Panera is a good sandwich. Turkey, bacon, Gouda, tomato bread and a special sauce. I was able to make a decent approximation. 

Sandwich Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup ketchup 

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 

1/2 teaspoon dried mustard 

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 

hot sauce to taste

Gnocchi soup

Belive it or not, this is yet another great use for leftover chicken soup. Simply add a bag of spinach, packaged gnocchi, and a heavy pour of 1/2 and 1/2.

Avocado toast

How to Make the Best Avocado Toast 

1) Pick great avocados 

You want ripe but not over-ripe Hass avocados. Look for avocados that yield a bit to a gentle squeeze, but avoid using avocados that are mushy or stringy on the inside. If you run into any bruised or brown bits when you cut them open, scoop those out and discard before mashing the rest. 

2) Buy good bread and toast it 

Toasted bread offers a sturdy base and a crisp, shattering contrast against the creamy avocado. 

3) Mash your avocado separately

 Mashed avocado is more creamy and luxurious than sliced avocado (think guacamole vs. plain avocado). But don’t mash it on the toast! You risk poking holes in your toast or smashing it. Cut your avocados in half, remove the pit, scoop the flesh into a bowl or onto the side of your plate, and mash it up with a fork. 

4) Don’t forget the salt

You’ll want to mix in at least a pinch of salt per avocado half. 

 

Avocado Toast Bonus Tips 

Here are a few easy ways to take your avocado toast up a notch. Pick one or a few! 

Add garlic: Lightly rub a peeled raw garlic clove over the top of your toast before adding the avocado, or mix a tiny pinch of garlic powder into the avocado. 

Add fresh leafy herbs or your favorite herbed sauce: Chopped fresh basil, cilantro, dill or parsley are all good with avocado. So is a drizzle of pesto, zhoug sauce (spicy cilantro sauce), or chimichurri. 

Put an egg on it: I love to top my avocado toast with a fried egg for extra protein. You can do a poached egg or scrambled egg if you prefer. 

More extras: Quick-pickled onions or radishes or jalapeños, your favorite hot sauce, or a sprinkle of sliced cherry tomatoes.

Taco salad

Salad decorated with taco seasoned chicken, black beans, tomatoes, jalapenos, and cheese.

Strawberry Scones

Frozen strawberries are too watery and release too much liquid, so go with fresh strawberries for this recipe. 

 

2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter into 1/4-inch cubes
1 cup heavy cream plus 1 tablespoon for brushing the scones
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

2 tablespoons sparkly sugar (like for xmas cookies)

 

Preheat oven to 400*F. Line a large baking sheet with a silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or your hands, quickly cut the cold butter into the flour mixture. Mix until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few larger butter lumps. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup heavy cream and vanilla extract. Pour the liquid ingredients over the flour mixture and stir with a spatula until dough begins to form. Don’t over mix. Gently fold in the strawberries.Transfer dough to a floured countertop and gently push the dough together with your hands, just until it forms a ball. Form the dough into a 1-inch circle by patting the dough and gently pressing the dough. Don’t overwork the dough. You want to work quickly so the butter doesn’t get too warm. Use a sharp knife to cut the scones into 8 triangles.Place scones on prepared baking sheet and put in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. This will prevent the scones from spreading when baking. Remove the scones from the freezer. Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the scones with the additional heavy cream. Sprinkle the scones with sparkly sugar. For this batch I did not. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes, or until scones are golden brown on the bottom and around the edges. Let the scones cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.  You can make a simple glaze for the scones if you like.

 

Dijon dressing

• 6 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, smashed and chopped fine
• Pinch each of fresh ground black pepper and kosher salt for seasoning

Pour all ingredients into a salad dressing carafe and give it a good shake. Pairs nicely with hard boiled eggs.

Easter slippers

Free pattern download. These worked up very fast. I enjoyed using the Peeps colors.

Popcorn chicken

Perfect tempura batter
1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. corn starch
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
assorted seasoning (I like a pinch of pepper and cayanne pepper)
up to 1 C. ice cold water, you have to eyeball it.

Mix batter. Dip bite size chicken pieces in it. Deep fry your dipped chicken pieces over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Sometimes they get soggy if you let them sit around too long, but deep frying for an additional minute takes care of that.

Baked Avocado

This super easy recipe is quick and tasty and low in carbs. The downside is that the avocados are only good while they are still warm, and then go bad quickly. They would be good served in a taco. We ate ours as a tempura appetizer.

Baked Avocado
Start with very very firm avocados. Peel the skin off and remove the seed. Slice avocado into 12 pieces(In half, in half, in thirds). Coat each slice in a olive oil (easiest using a bowl with a little oil in it) and then dunk into a bowl of panko crumbs. If you wanted to salt them, this would be the time.  The crumbs don't really stick, but don't worry about it. Bake at 375* for 12 minutes. Serve immediately. They turn brown tasting as soon as they get cold.

Mango rice

Champagne mango sliced on rice cooked to pudding consistency.  Rice made with coconut milk instead of water.

Omurice

Omurice typically consists of chicken fried rice wrapped in a thin sheet of fried egg. The ingredients flavoring the rice can vary. Often, the rice is fried with various meats and/or vegetables, and can be flavored with beef stock, ketchup, demi-glace, white sauce or simply salt and pepper. Today it was filled with taco meat and cilantro rice.

Veggie Tray

Hummus with zaatar seasoning, snap peas, carrots, provolone stuffed pepper, pickled garlic, and bluecheese stuffed olives.

English "Muffin"

2 Tb. (natural) peanut butter
1 Tb. unsalted butter
2 Tb. almond flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tb. unsweetened almond milk
1 egg

[recipe] Recipe uses one ramekin (I used a small corning ware round bowl), and a dish or measuring cup to mix ingredients together. After microwaving, I was amazed that it resembled bread. Slicing did indeed reveal English muffin-like nooks and crannies. I toasted it for good measure. It tastes a bit like pb toast. For being gluten-free it had amazing texture.

Garbage disposal tablets

1 c. Baking soda
1 Tb. crushed lemon verbena
1 Tb. Kosher salt
4-5 drops lemon essential oil
1 tsp. Dish soap
1/4 C water

Slowly combine Ingredients. Only use enough water to form a paste. Add more baking soda if necessary. Scoop into little balls and allow to dry. Use them in your garbage disposal to freshen up the smell.

Deconstructed kebobs

Grilled chicken, brussels sprouts, cherry tomatoes, and Colby cheese.

Dukkah Chicken

Chicken	Dukkah Seasoning
1 Tb. Dukkah seasoning	1/2 C. toasted hazelnuts
6 oz. snap peas	1/2 C. toasted sesame seeds
4 Tb. sour cream	2 Tb. coriander
whole lime	1/2 tsp. cumin
1 Tb. olive oil	2 Tb. ground black pepper
	1 tsp. salt

Begin with making the citrus sour cream. Zest a lime into a custard cup; top with sour cream and just a little sprinkle of salt. Cut and squeeze lime juice into sour cream mixture. Stir until smooth and a little on the thin side. Butterfly chicken breasts and pound to uniform thickness. Season both sides of breasts with salt, pepper and dukkah seasoning. Heat olive oil in your skillet. Cook chicken for about 7 minutes per side. Set chicken aside to rest while you cook snap peas. Wash skillet and re-oil. Cook snap peas for about 3 minutes tossing constantly until they turn a brilliant green color. Serve chicken with side of peas and drizzle of citrus sour cream on top.

Rainbow Berry Pound Cake

Prepare pound cake as recipe dictates. Grease and four your pan. Fill pan with batter 2/3 full, then spoon blobs of jam onto cake. Top with remaining 1/3 batter. Use a spatula to make swirls like you would with marble cake. Bake. Once cool, top with powdered sugar frosting tinted in three fun colors. Top with sprinkles.