Lighter Chicken Pot Pie

Shortcuts are necessary. Of course I wish I had the time to make homemade bread or my own hummus each week, but the reality is I have to take some shortcuts. There are weeks where I can find a few extra hours to go the extra mile in the kitchen, but when I can't, I'm turning to meals like this one!
I took Martha Stewart's more complicated recipe and introduced a few shortcuts, such as a bag of frozen vegetables and cooked and shredded chicken I already had on hand. I omitted onion (was trying to avoid any chopping!) and added a teaspoon of kickin' chicken seasoning to jazz up the flavor (which worked tremendously well!). These changes saved me at least 20 minutes which may not seem like much, but it's amazing what else I can get done in those 20 minutes!
As it turned out, I ended up freezing this and cooking it a few weeks later. It help up remarkably well and is going on my list of freezer meals to make during my next marathon freezer-cooking session with friends. My only comment is that phyllo doesn't reheat well in the microwave; we didn't mind eating it the second night a little soggy, but you may want to plan to share with friends or divide into smaller portions if you know you'll have leftovers!

One Year Ago: Apple Butter Baked Oatmeal
Two Years Ago: Bogart's Smokehouse and Shredded Vegetable Detox Salad 
Three Years Ago: Broccoli Apple Salad and Zucchini Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
Four Years Ago: Pomegranate Banana Bread and October Special Egg Sandwich
Five Years Ago: Pork Chops with Sautéed Apples and Best Ever Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chicken Chopped Salad with Avocado Dressing

Now that we're bidding September adieu, my guess is that people are starting to crave warmer, comfort-style foods. I'm right there with you, but I'm not completely ready to stop making salads (although I'll definitely be making more fall-inspired salads, like this one).
Before you completely swear off salads in favor of soups and stews, give this one a try! It comes together in about 20 minutes, perfect for a weeknight. Keep it vegetarian by omitting the chicken or skip the pita chips and stick it in a pita pocket instead. Our favorite part was definitely the avocado dressing and we used the leftover dressing on side salads the next few nights. It kept well for 3 or 4 days!
Looking for another chopped salad with an equally awesome avocado dressing? Try my Southwestern Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing!

One Year Ago: Meskerem Ethiopian Restaurant
Two Years Ago: Two Days in California Wine Country and Herbed Sundried Tomato Tapenade
Three Years Ago: Eggplant and Mushroom Veggie Balls and French Onion Soup
Four Years Ago: Basil Parmesan Crackers and POM Banana Blueberry Popsicles
Five Years Ago: Chocolate Marshmallow Bars and Tortilla Pinwheels

Grilled Chicken Flatbreads with Hummus and Feta

One Year Ago: Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan and Pine Nuts
Two Years Ago: No Bake Meals for Summer and Blueberry Jamboree
Three Years Ago: Pizza Puffs and Carrot Zucchini Muffins with Candied Ginger 
Four Years Ago: Chocolate Angel Food Cupcakes and Avocado Feta Salsa

Chopped Mango Chicken Salad with Jalapeno Cilantro Vinaigrette

As simple as it is, it’s the perfect thing to serve dinner guests. You can’t beat the rainbow beauty here and paired with grilled flatbread or even some cheese and crackers, it’s just the thing to hit the spot…before the ice cream of course!
One Year Ago: Grape, Corn, and Black Bean Salsa and Ginger Ice Cream
Two Years Ago: Banana Coffee Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake and Rosemary Grilled Chicken with Mushroom Sauce
Three Years Ago: Southwestern Potato Salad and Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Four Years Ago: Banana Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins and Fruit Salsa

Buffalo Chicken Kale Salad

One Year Ago: San Diego Eats (Part II)
Two Years Ago: Gooey Sandwich Cookie Bars and Spicy Kettle Corn
Three Years Ago: Chocolate Almond Layered Cheesecake and Peanut Butter Banana French Toast Enchiladas
Four Years Ago: Babe Ruth Bars and Open-Faced Veggie Sandwiches

Southwestern Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

 We ate this salad on my sister Julia's birthday last month. Funny, we seem to be in the habit of eating salad on her birthday, probably because we always know we're ending the evening with a mega-indulgent dessert! (Last year's birthday salad was Grilled Steak and Vegetable Salad with Chipotle Chimichurri Dressing, a huge hit!)
My brother-in-law and I came to an agreement--I'd happily pick up the ingredients and prepare the dinner, so long as he promised to be on clean up duty. I will always make this deal, as cleaning up is my least favorite part of cooking!

Needless to say, preparing this dinner was more fun than usual, since I didn't worry about cleaning as I went. I think Nate was a little overwhelmed when he entered the kitchen to find the stacks and piles of dishes awaiting him. (Don't tell Nate, but I was totally preparing a few things at once, hence the extra dishes...if you make this salad you need not worry about excessive amounts of dishes!)



































Even if this salad did require lots of dishes, it would be worth it. This is the type of salad you'd find on a restaurant menu, but it is totally doable (even easy!) in your own home. I couldn't resist making a rainbow presentation on the serving platter, but you could just as easily toss it all in a large bowl from the start. Get creative with what ingredients you include--corn, chopped bell peppers, and chickpeas would all be excellent additions or substitutions. I don't recommend going with another dressing--the creamy avocado dressing was our favorite part!

One Year Ago: Finding Time in 2013: Pastaria
Two Years Ago: Sourdough Pancakes and Ghirardelli Brownies with Chocolate Ganache
Three Years Ago: Vacation Eats-Nashville & Charleston Part I and Part II
Four Years Ago: Bulgur Salad with Citrus, Toasted Almonds, Feta, and Spinach and an Arizona Recap

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

If you don't have a slow cooker, can you please tell me WHY? Seriously, that appliance is too great! As you can tell from my recipe index, I kind of have a thing for crockpot recipes. My friends and family have been way too awesome the last few weeks in providing us meals so that I can adjust to taking care of Brecken without worrying about getting dinner on the table. However, once I get back into the swing of cooking regularly, you better believe the crockpot will be getting a lot of use!
This is my definition of the perfect crockpot recipe because you don't do much more than throw a few ingredients in and let the slow cooker do its thing. Furthermore, the work required for the "rest" of the meal is also very easy--a few minutes of chopping and you're ready to eat!
If you love buffalo chicken anything, you must add these to your repertoire! Lettuce wraps aren't always the simplest to eat, but a little mess on your plate is worth it for this healthy, easy appetizer or light meal!


One Year Ago: Roasted Zucchini and Chickpea Salad with Lemon and Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Two Years Ago: Butternut Squash, Black Bean, and Feta Quesadillas and Irish Coffee Gobs with Bailey's Filling
Three Years Ago: Cranberry Orange Butter Granola Bars and Cheeseburgers with Red Onion Jam
Four Years Ago: Bookworm Cupcakes (vanilla) and Bookworm Cupcakes (chocolate)

Jalapeño Popper Chicken Chili

Okay, I know the pictures don't really do this chili justice. Honestly, some foods are just hard to photograph in general. Then when you throw in a terribly amateur (if even that) food photographer, you just kind of have to roll with the punches. Take my word for it though. Even though the photos depict a bowl of slop, it's really really good slop! I particularly liked this soup because it's a "dump it and forget it" recipe. There's maybe 10 minutes of chopping, but no sautéing or browning or anything stove-related before it all goes into the slow cooker.
Despite its title, I didn't find the jalapeño portion of the soup to be particularly strong. In fact, I would've liked more spice and will likely add an extra pepper or two (or at least the seeds) next time! Serve with a salad and bread (as you can see, we're fond of pretzel rolls!) and you have yourself a nearly stress-free dinner!


One Year Ago: Chopped Winter Squash with Butternut Squash, Apple, and Feta and Chocolate Mint Cookie Sandwiches
Two Years Ago: Devil's Food Fudge Cookies and Baked Pasta with Broccoli, Ham, and Cheesy Creamy Cauliflower Sauce
Three Years Ago: Homemade Samoa Bars and Fluffernutter Cookies
Four Years Ago: Chipotle Stuffed Chicken and Sugar Cookie Bars

Open-Faced Chicken Sandwiches with Green Pea Spread and Parmesan

Chicken Salad Melts

After years of feeling pretty meh about chicken salad, I've suddenly changed my mind and can't resist trying any chicken salad recipe I come across. It all started with the Chicken Salad Veronique, one of my favorite 2013 recipes and one with a special story behind it, and I haven't stopped trying new variations since then!
This one is unique in that it's the first warm one I'd tried. The chicken salad itself is pretty basic, lightened up with a mix of canola mayo and Greek yogurt, but I chopped up the apple included in the recipe instead of simply adding it as a sandwich layer. The best part is the shredded cheddar added to the top and broiled, warming the sandwich throughout. We ate it on toasted English muffins per the recipe, but you could nix the bread completely and broil in an oven-safe dish then eat with crackers or just a fork. 

Any other chicken salad recipes out there I should try?

One Year Ago: Alexia Recipe Inspiration
Two Years Ago: Cranberry Poppyseed Bundt Cake and Tijuana Trash Snack Mix
Three Years Ago: Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew with Couscous and Southwestern Potato Nachos
Four Years Ago: Chocolate Chip Bailey's Torte 

Slow Cooker Chicken with Carrots and White Wine Mushroom Sauce

I’ll be honest, this was a bit more finicky than I typically prefer when it comes to the slow cooker. If I’m breaking out my crockpot, it’s usually because I need an easy meal where I can throw a bunch of ingredients in and then let the appliance work its magic. When I read through the steps in this recipe, I almost backed out, not wanting to brown the chicken or sauté the mushrooms and onions or worry about making a gravy when it was all said and done. I’m glad I powered through; the extra steps were worth it in the end and the prep work can still be done a day ahead of time, making this still relatively hands free. 
This was a good Sunday dinner meal, best eaten around the table with family. I did the pre-work on Saturday and Sunday was reserved for cooking in the slow cooker. All I had to do was whip up some mashed sweet potatoes and then thicken a bit of the cooking juices to serve as gravy, which was a nice bonus but not a crucial step. My only change to this recipe would be to add some hearty greens such as kale to the slow cooker, which would add another dimension of flavor while still holding up to the long cooking process and add some nice color amongst all that beige and orange! We ate ours over savory mashed sweet potatoes (made with garlic and thyme).

One Year Ago: Butternut Squash Pear Soup and Cranberry Orange Walnut Buttermilk Bread
Two Years Ago: No Bake Biscoff Granola Bars and Goat Cheese Biscuits
Three Years Ago: Vicky's Spinach Dip and La Cuisine Chocolate Cookies

Thai Cobb Salad

One Year Ago: 8 Easy Snack Mixes 
Two Years Ago: Snickerdoodle Ice Cream 
Three Years Ago: Pumpkin Pancakes 
Four Years Ago: Pumpkin Bran Date Bread 

On another note...Happy Birthday to my brother!!! Love you Q!

One Year Ago: Nacho Black Bean Burgers and Pumpkin Spice Granola 
Two Years Ago: Pepperoni Polenta Pizza and Salty Caramel Ice Cream
Three Years Ago: Shaksuka and Amaretto Chunk Cookies 
Four Years Ago: Tropical Bran Bread and Cereal Dessert Bars