My family enjoyed this salad tonight for dinner. I also added cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes to our salad and we had corn on the cob on the side. 

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• 2 hearts romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 cup shredded carrots, available in pouches
• 2 ribs celery with greens, chopped
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 1 package, 3/4 to 1 pound, chicken tenders, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Salt and black pepper
• 1/4 cup hot sauce

Directions

Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat.

Combine lettuce, carrots and celery in a salad bowl. Combine ranch dressing and blue cheese crumbles in a small bowl.

Add oil and butter to hot pan with the chicken. Season with salt and pepper and sear for 2 or 3 minutes, then add hot sauce. Reduce heat a little and cook 5 minutes more.

Toss salad with dressing and season with salt and pepper. Top salad with Buffalo chicken and serve.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/buffalo-chicken-salad-recipe/index.html

With cooler weather coming our way, Chili and different types of soups are always yummy. I made this recipe tonight that I found in a Better Homes and Gardens article with different types of chilis. 
I think it would be a great recipe to make after the holidays also to use up leftover turkey since you can use chicken or turkey in it. I used shredded rotisserie chicken meat tonight and it worked fine. 

Spicy White Chili

• 2 cups chopped onions
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 4 1/2 ounce can diced green chiles
• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 15 ounce can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 14 1/2 ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 5 cups cubed cooked turkey or chicken
• 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers, shredded

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven cook onions and garlic in hot oil over medium-high heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring often, until tender. Stir in green chiles, chili powder, oregano, and cayenne pepper; cook for 1 minute. Mash one can of the beans. Add all beans and broth to ingredients in Dutch oven. Bring to simmering. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes.

2. Stir in the turkey; cook about 10 minutes, until heated. Stir in cheese until melted.

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/chili/spicy-white-chili/

I found this recipe in Food Network Magazine and my whole family loves it.  You can put the chicken korma inside a pita or just serve the chicken mixture over Jasmine or Basmati rice with pita or flatbread on the side. I also served marinated/pickled cucumbers and carrots with our meal.

Chicken Korma

Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

• 1 large red onion; 1/2 chopped, 1/2 sliced
• 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
• 3/4 pound ground chicken
• 1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
• 4 pocketless pitas
• Chopped cashews and/or hot sauce, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Puree the chopped onion in a food processor with the ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup water.
Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion and cook until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the spice paste and cook, stirring, until slightly dry, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken and cook until opaque, breaking up the meat. Mix the yogurt with 1/4 cup water, add to the pan and simmer over medium-low heat until the meat is cooked through, 2 to 3 more minutes. Add the peas and cilantro and season with salt.
Meanwhile, heat another skillet over high heat. Brush the pitas with oil, season with salt and toast in the skillet, about 1 minute per side. Divide the chicken mixture among the pitas. Top with more yogurt and cilantro. Garnish with cashews and/or hot sauce, if desired

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chicken-korma-recipe/index.html

Eggrolls; Repost

Homemade eggrolls

I have been making homemade eggrolls for a long time and I don't really have a recipe anymore. They are pretty easy; just time consuming because it takes a while to fry them all.
I use browned ground turkey, cole slaw mix and lots of different spices and sauces for my filling.





I place the browned turkey meat in a large bowl with the bagged cole slaw mix and added any of the following spices and sauces to taste.

• Lite soy sauce
• Ginger
• Sriracha
• Hoisin sauce
• Any type of stir fry sauce (I like House of Tsang Szechauan Spicy Stir Fry Sauce)
• Ponzu sauce

I find that after frying the eggrolls the flavor seem to blanch out a little so don't worry if you taste your mixture and think it seems a little spicy.
I use the eggroll wrappers that you can find in the produce section. I find that less is more when filling the wrappers because if you try to add too much and make them "fat" that the wrapper tends to tear and then the filling leaks out when fried.



I roll the eggrolls on a floured surface like a cutting board or baking sheet so they won't stick. Place a small amount of the mixture on the wrapper and fold up the bottom point and then tuck each end in and roll up and toward the opposite side. I keep a small bowl of water by the floured pan to moisten the flap as I seal the eggroll; making sure to have a good seal so none of the filling comes out in the fryer.











Fry the eggrolls in vegetable oil until golden brown and crispy. Serve with duck sauce and hot mustard. Here are some pics of the finished product.

This weeks menu

This week's menu was a combination of easy meals for busy nights with after school activities and "use up what is in the fridge and freezer" cooking.

Sunday:Sausage, spicy mac and cheese and okra

  Recipe for Spicy Macaroni and cheese posted here: http://busymommasmenu.blogspot.com/2012/09/spicy-macaroni-and-cheese.html

Monday:Fish, FF and oriental slaw

Tuesday:Grilled Chicken salad and crescent rolls

Wednesday: Spaghetti with italian sausage,creamed spinach and cheesy bread

Thursday:Breakfast for dinner

                                        Biscuits with sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, sliced cheese and raspberries

Friday:Tacos

Saturday:"Bite night"/Appetizers  for College football

                                       

Last week my family and I were channel surfing and ended up watching an episode of The best food I ever made; http://www.foodnetwork.com/the-best-thing-i-ever-made/index.html on the Food Network. The episode we saw had several yummy dishes we wanted to try so last night we made Spicy Macaroni and Cheese; recipe courtesy of Sunny Anderson.
It was so yummy but beware it is filling so you can eat just a little bit. It makes enough to fill a 2-quart baking dish so it would be great to take along on a pot luck dinner.

Spicy Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson

Prep Time:

15 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

55 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups elbow pasta, cooked until almost al dente
• 8 ounces Cheddar, 1/2 cubed, 1/2 shredded
• 8 ounces Colby cheese, cubed
• 8 ounces Monterey pepper jack cheese, cubed
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 4 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup finely grated onions
• 4 slices bread
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Special equipment: 2-quart baking dish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, toss together the pasta with the cheese cubes and pour into the baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dry mustard, nutmeg. Add the sour cream, egg, heavy cream, half-and-half and onions. Pour over the pasta and cover with the shredded Cheddar. Bake uncovered until the top is just beginning to brown, about 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the bread into crouton-size squares. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, add the bread cubes and toast until golden. Sprinkle the bread cubes on top of the macaroni and cheese and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes more.


 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/spicy-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe/index.html

Chickadilla Soup or Chicken Tortilla Soup

I had no idea what to throw together for dinner tonight and didn't want to go to the store AGAIN so I remembered a recipe I recently saved from a magazine.
It is a slow cooker soup and I had almost all the ingredients on hand in my pantry or fridge. I did make one substitution so we'll see how it turns out. I used Rotel zesty tomato and green chili sauce instead of the mild enchilada sauce the recipe had in its ingredient list.

The recipe was in a Kashi ad so I checked out their website www.kashi.com/family and they have a great recipe section!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Created by Kashi

Put a south-of-the-border twist on chicken soup with tomatoes, beans, enchilada sauce, green chilies, cumin, chili powder and cilantro. This bold-flavored soup is slow cooked in a crockery cooker.
Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 205 Minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cans (15 oz. each) organic black beans or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans ( 14 1/2 oz. each) diced organic tomatoes
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• 1 can (10 oz.) mild red enchilada sauce
• 1 package (10 oz.) frozen organic whole kernel corn
• 1 can (4 oz.) diced organic green chilies
• 1/2 medium organic onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh organic cilantro
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Bottled hot pepper sauce, sour cream, organic lime wedges, chopped organic avocado, shredded cheddar cheese or chopped fresh organic cilantro (optional)

Directions

1. In 6-quart crockery cooker combine broth, beans, undrained tomatoes, chicken, enchilada sauce, corn, chilies, onion, 1 tablespoon cilantro, cumin, chili powder and pepper. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or on high setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Remove chicken from crockery cooker. Cover cooker. Shred chicken. Return chicken to mixture in crockery cooker. Cover and cook on high heat setting for 15 minutes more.
3. Ladle into serving bowls. Serve with KASHI Pita Crisps Original 7 Grain with Sea Salt and/or other serving options.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups, Calories 140, Total Fat 1.5g, Total Carbohydrate 20g, Dietary Fiber 5g, Sugars 4g, Protein 13g