Buffalo Chicken Salad

From preventionRD.com, this is a great way to use up extra chicken. We've made it a couple of times with smoked chicken - the smokiness adds a nice extra layer of flavor that complements the wing sauce. YUM!

Ingredients:
5 oz non-fat plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup Franks Red Hot Wings Buffalo sauce (note this is the buffalo sauce, not the hot sauce)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, shredded
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, minced
1/2 cup (2 oz) crumbled blue cheese

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt buffalo sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper. Stir in chicken, celery, cilantro, and blue cheese. Refrigerate until serving or up to 5 days in the fridge.

Yield: ~ 4 cups chicken salad (~8 servings, 1/2 cup each)

Nutrition Information (per 1/2 cup): 100 calories; 2.5 g. fat

Family History Friday - Aunt Margaret

Today we'll lay Aunt Margaret to rest. She was my father's sister, second child (of five) of my paternal grandparents. In her honor I thought I'd share what I think is one of the earliest photos we have of her.

On the far left of the photo is my grandmother, Margaret Novicky Zoldak. She is holding her second daughter, Margaret, (my dearly departed aunt) on her lap. Standing next to her is her cousin Justine (with crossed arms), then seated is Justine's mother, Julia Kranjnik Zoldak, and on her lap is Julia's third daughter, Josephine. Next to her is Julia's second daughter, JoAnne. The boys are cousins on my grandmother's side with my grandmother's sister Sophie standing behind them. The man standing in the back on the left is not a relative. Aunt Lill thinks he might have been Aunt Susan's boyfriend at the time. We believe the photo was taken in the summer of 1929 at Euclid Beach Park. 

Margaret Z. Matlak (nee Zoldak)
Cleveland, OH
Jan 18, 1927 - Dec 3, 2013

MARGARET Z. MATLAK (nee Zoldak), age 86. Beloved wife of the late John A.; dear mother of Mark Matlak and Marjorie Gessner (husband Michael); dear grandmother of Daniel and Kevin; dear sister of Lillian Krizansky, Rosemarie Martin and the late John Zoldak and Florence Halagan; loving aunt of many. Funeral Mass Friday 10 a.m. at Church of the Gesu. Please meet at church. Inurnment All Souls Cemetery. The family will receive friends THURSDAY 4-7 P.M. AT MAHER-MELBOURNE FUNERAL HOME, 4274 MAYFIELD RD. (AT BELVOIR BLVD.), SOUTH EUCLID (216)-382-4500. The family suggests memorial gifts to Gilmour Academy, 34001 Cedar Rd., Gates Mills, OH 44040. Condolences at www.mahermelbourne.com - See more here 

New Christmas Goodies

How fun is this? We bought holiday flags for Thomas for the car:

We also decorated the yard, the house and the Jeep. Here's the yard:

Santa on the right is new - Thomas wanted him because he liked the penguin flight attendant serving milk and cookies!

Cheddar Biscuits

A family favorite!

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter
3/4 cup grated sharp white Cheddar cheese, kept cold until used
1 cup cold buttermilk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture until it resembled coarse cornmeal. Toss grated cheese into the dry ingredients. Stir in buttermilk to form soft dough. Turn dough out onto floured board and knead quickly 6-8 times. Pat dough to 3/4-inch thick and cut with 2-inch round cutter to form biscuits (use a drinking glass if you don't have a cutter). Be careful not to handle dough too much or it will be tough. Bake biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned and puffy. Serve warm.

Lasagna Soup

We saw this recipe in Cooking Light and thought it might be a good option for when we want to do something different on pasta Wednesday. 

It turned out delicious!

Ingredients: 

8 ounces lasagna noodles, broken into pieces (about 10 noodles)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 onion, chopped
1/2 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (we used Johnsonville sweet Italian)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, plus thinly sliced leaves for topping
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus more for sprinkling, optional)
1/4 cup half-and-half
Ricotta cheese, for topping

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook as the label directs. Drain; drizzle with olive oil and toss.

Meanwhile, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft. Add the sausage, garlic and oregano and cook, stirring and breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is browned. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until darkened.

Add the broth, tomatoes and 1 cup water; cover and bring to a simmer. Uncover and cook until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Stir in the noodles, basil, parmesan and heavy cream; simmer 2 more minutes.

Divide the soup among bowls. Top with ricotta and sliced basil.

Quick White Chicken Chili

I discovered our favorite White Chicken Chili recipe after having white chili for the first time on a visit to Louisville in the 1990s. While I love that version, it's a big project - starting with dry beans and ending hours later in a satisfying, rich bowl of goodness.

When I saw this quicker recipe, it had been years since we'd had white chili. This version is a lot faster and lighter but delicious and modern - and definitely worth sharing!

Adapted from this recipe found via pinterest. (Check it out - her photos are much better than mine!)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
2 cans Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 can (4 ounces) green chiles
1/2-3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2-3/4 teaspoon oregano
4 cups chicken broth

Salt (to taste)

Pepper (to taste)
Juice of one lime (ours was very juicy so we only used 1/2)

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions:
In a large pot, saute the onion in olive oil over medium high until translucent.

Add chicken, beans, corn, green chilies (with juice from can), cumin and oregano. Stir to combine all of the ingredients and then add the chicken broth.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes to allow the broth to reduce. Add salt and pepper (to taste), lime juice and cilantro.
Leave simmering on stove until ready to serve.

Serve with sour cream, chopped cilantro, shredded Pepper Jack cheese, avocado and tortilla chips. (The Pepper Jack cheese on top really complements it - yum! Also I added the leftover avocado right into the leftover soup.)

Quote of the Week

from theother128hours via pinterest