Spinach Salad

I brought this recipe a long time ago.  I don't remember what the topic was but am thinking it was March and the topic was "Green".  It was one of the first ones Liz hosted because I was still in TLF.  My sister wrote up a post about it on our family recipe blog HERE. It has candied almonds, fruit, spinach, and delish dressing.

3 bunches spinach or 1 10-12 oz. bag of spinach rinsed, dried & torn

½ head of lettuce, cut or torn

1 c. grated cheese (Mozzarella or Swiss)

Add any or all of the following:

2 11-oz. cans mandarin oranges

1 c. nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts, or pecans)

strawberries, sliced

1 c. cottage cheese

2 c. diced chicken breast (sauteed in olive oil & garlic), optional

1 pkg. Won ton skins, cut in strips and fried (delicious, but more work)

Dressing

In blender combine:

1 c. Canola oil

¼ c. white vinegar

¼ c. sugar

1 ½ T. red onion

1 ½ t. salt

¼ t. dry mustard powder

1 ½ t. poppy seeds

Make the salad & top with dressing the right before serving.  (Use as much dressing as desired for the salad.  Refrigerate any dressing that is not used.)  Optional:  for individual servings,  place salad on a salad plate and top with pink dressing and poppy seeds.

Serves 10-14

Candied almonds

1 egg white
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
3 t. cinnamon

Heat oven to 250 degrees.  Place parchment paper on a jelly roll pan.

Beat egg white and vanilla until frothy, not stiff.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Stir in almonds.  (My recipe doesn’t say how many almonds to use. I halved the recipe and used about 1 ½ cups of almond slices and it seemed like a pretty good amount.)  Pour on parchment paper which is on the jelly roll pan.  Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

Shoyu Chicken

DeAnn is my mom, and I don't know where she got this from, but I've had it since I was young as something we would eat when we were stationed in Hawaii. My kids always love it and it is a quick dinner. I believe this is the one I brought for dinners in 30 minutes or less.

DeAnn’s Shoyu Chicken

½ to ¾ C. brown sugar

¾ C. soy sauce (preferably Aloha Shoyu)

1 ½ C. water

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. ground ginger

Put all ingredients in the pot. Add some chicken that's cut into pieces. It can be thawed or frozen, and boil until cooked. Serve with rice.

White Chili

Our family loves white chili.  The kids always eat it well.  I have tried a few versions and like them all, but this one is our "go to" and the one we always end up doing.

White Chili

1 lb chicken- cooked and cubed
1 medium onion- chopped
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1 T vegetable oil
1 T minced garlic

Cook chicken. Saute onion in vegetable oil with garlic powder and minced garlic.  In a big pot add the following:

2 cans Great Northern Beans (rinsed and drained)
1 14 oz. can chicken broth
1 small can chopped green chilies
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper

Add chicken and onion mixture and bring to a boil. Simmer 30 minutes. Stir in before serving:

1 cup sour cream
3/4 small container whipping cream

I've been told it's great in a bread bowl, or with cheese and olives on it, but we just eat it as is and with tortillas that have been warmed and browned in a pan until they are slightly crispy. 

Let Me Explain

I created a facebook page but wasn't sure if that was the best forum to put our recipes on.  I wasn't sure how we'd manage it, tag things, label with months, etc. All I could think of was that a blog would be the best way that we could do things like that.  I'm not sure if everyone will be confused with how to use a blog and post on here, but I can always post people's recipes too.  We'll see if it works out in the end.  I'm open to any other ideas.  One thing that might be fun, is even if you move away, updating the group with where you are and what your family is up to if you ever occasionally hop onto the site to snag a recipe.