Chicken Salad Sandwiches

You don't have to make a sandwich out of this phenomenal chicken salad, but you can, and it can be quite refreshing on sunny days, like today (at least where I am it is). I must admit the inspiration behind this salad was a recipe from the Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten, check out her version here.  My version has a few more ingredients, and a different herb flavor, and it is delicious! The recipe only takes about 20 minutes to put together if you have pre-cooked chicken, if you are cooking the chicken yourself, like I did, add on another 30-40 minutes for the chicken prep. 

Serves 4

Pour approximately 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a 13 inch Pyrex dish.

Place 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts inside.

Add in freshly cracked pepper, about one teaspoon.

Sprinkle on a teaspoon of salt.

Flip the breasts over and season again.

Place in a oven preheated to 375 degrees, and bake until cooked, about 30-40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool.

Slice the breasts in 1/2 inch pieces, as shown above.

Then slice the opposite way in 1/2 inch increments to cube the chicken.

Repeat this process until all the chicken is cubed. Place cubed chicken in a mixing bowl.

Next, you will need two celery stalks.

Dice both celery stalks, making sure not to dice them too finely.

Add the celery to the chicken.

Next, you will need green seedless grapes.

Wash the grapes and slice them in half. You will need about 2/3 cup of sliced grapes.

Add the grapes to the other ingredients.

You will now need 1/2 a large red onion.

Slice the onion thinly, then dice coarsely to create little "slivers" of red and add to the chicken mixture.

Then wash a handful of fresh, baby dill.

Chop up the dill finely, you should have about 1-2 tablespoons worth.

Add the dill to the rest of the ingredients.

Have you ever seen anything so colorful and beautiful?

Sprinkle in some freshly cracked black pepper, to taste.

And some salt to taste.

And now for the final ingredient, that ties everything together, add in 2-3 heaping tablespoons of mayo.

Stir ingredients together with a rubber spatula carefully and combine well. 

Place in refrigerator for at least 15-20 minutes. 

Yummy!

For the sandwiches I used a sweet French roll but you can use any bread you like.

Slice open and toast in a pan with some butter.

Spoon the salad onto the bread.

And enjoy with some fresh, Yukon gold frites!

Thanks for making the frites Jim! This is the perfect lunch or dinner meal, enjoy!

Fettuccine Alfredo

Let me start off by saying I love pasta, I could eat it daily. With so many different styles and textures, sauces and colors the possibilities are endless! Fettuccine Alfredo, for me, is the quintessential pasta dish, creamy, cheesy, vegetarian, and just one new ingredient can make the entire dish new and fun all over again. Another huge plus? This dish takes a total of thirty minutes to prep and cook, super fast. This Alfredo is particularly savory, and oh so creamy, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

I decided to "dress up" my fettuccine with fresh from the market, Crimini mushrooms, so yummy!

Serves 4 - 6

First, dice half of a large onion.

Next peel and mince about four garlic cloves.

With a damp cloth, clean four large Crimini mushrooms.

Trim the stems and slice the mushrooms and set all ingredients aside.

You will also need one 16 ounce package of fettuccine.

To start the sauce add 20 ounces of heavy cream to a saucepan set on medium/high.

Heat the cream and bring it to a simmer.

Cut one stick of unsalted butter into smaller pieces.

Add the butter to the cream and stir to melt butter. Return mixture to a boil.

Meanwhile, on another burner, cook fettuccine per package ingredients, to al dente. 

When done, drain and set aside for later use.

Grate 3/4 a cup of Parmesan cheese.

Add the cheese to the mixture and stir to prevent the cheese from settling and sticking on the bottom.

Add in salt to taste.

And your preferred amount of freshly cracked black pepper. Turn heat to low and let the sauce cook five minutes more before removing from heat.

In another pan heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

Add in the onions and cook until soft

Add in the minced garlic and cook for another two minutes stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

Add in the sliced mushrooms, 1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh Italian parsley, 1 teaspoon of oregano, and a fresh sprinkle of black pepper. Combine ingredients well and cook mushrooms until soft and slightly browned.

Add the Alfredo sauce to the pan and stir together.

The sauce will look so creamy and beautiful.

Add in your cooked fettuccine and toss well.

Make sure to coat the fettuccine pieces, I like to use tongs to toss my pasta, it makes it so easy.

Finally, sprinkle a 1/4 cup of freshly chopped Italian parsley on top and remove from heat. Serve and garnish with more parsley if desired. So rich, creamy, fast & delicious, enjoy!