Grandma Judy's Chicken Salad

Grandma Judy's Chicken Salad 
(Photo from Pinterest)

This is great for baby showers, just spread the chicken on mini-croissants or thinly sliced white & wheat bread.

Printable Recipe

Recipe by: Judy Soyez                                                                        Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients
6 chicken breast halves
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks
1/3 cup Miracle Whip®
1 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon curry powder, or more, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions
Simmer chicken breasts in very well seasoned chicken broth for about 45 minutes.  Drain, cool, and chop the chicken into bite size pieces (discard skin & bones).  Mix chicken in large bowl with celery, onion salt, curry powder and parsley.  In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, Miracle Whip and whipped cream.  Check dressing for seasonings and add more as necessary.  Stir into chicken and chill for several hours.

Optional ingredients:  dried cranberries or sweet whole green grapes (1 cup) and blanched whole almonds or walnuts (1/2 cup).

Notes
I usually just use a small rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.

Amy's Shrimp & Macaroni Salad

Amy's Shrimp & Macaroni Salad
(Photo by Amy Bradt)

When I start craving this dish, there's nothing else that will do.  Creamy, crunchy goodness, great all by itself, or as a side with Skippy's Brisket!

Printable Recipe

Recipe by: Amy Bradt                                                                           Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients
1 cup dry elbow macaroni
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
12 ounces small cooked shrimp
1 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup finely chopped sweet onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
4 ounces colby-jack or cheddar cheese, cubed

Directions
Cook macaroni according to directions, drain, but do not rinse.  In large bowl, mix sour cream, mayonnaise, salt & pepper.  Add warm macaroni, and toss to coat.  Add remaining ingredients and chill for at least 2 hours.

Notes
You can also use cooked chopped chicken instead of the shrimp.

Harvest Dill Deviled Eggs

Harvest Dill Deviled Eggs
(Photo by Amy Bradt)

This is one of my favorite recipes for deviled eggs.  The Harvest Dill mix has the perfect blend of spices, and you can add more or less to your taste.  Be careful, though, as it takes a while for spices to blend in, so before adding more than the two teaspoons, let it sit for about 10 minutes and taste again.

Printable Recipe

Recipe by: Amy Bradt                                                                          Yield: 18 servings

Ingredients
12 large eggs
1/2 cup Miracle Whip Salad Dressing
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
2 tablespoons sour cream (more if needed)
1 teaspoon mustard seed
2 teaspoons Hidden Valley Harvest Dill dry seasoning mix
chopped fresh parsley, dill and chives for garnish

Directions
Prepare an ice-water bath. Place eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with water by 1 inch*. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, gently stirring as water begins to boil. Keep stirring and cook for 2 minutes. Cover, and remove from heat, let stand 10 minutes. Transfer to the ice-water bath to cool for about 15 minutes.
Peel eggs; halve lengthwise. Reserve 6 of the egg-white halves for another use. Pass yolks through garlic press into a medium bowl. Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, sour cream, mustard see, and seasoning mix.
Transfer yolk mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a large open-star tip (like Ateco #827). Pipe mixture into whites, filling to 1/2 inch over surface. Garnish with fresh herbs.

Notes
*If using very fresh eggs, add 1 tablespoon baking soda to water and transfer the eggs to a steamer basket inside a large saucepan with 1 inch of water after boiling in other pan for 2 minutes (start heating the water in this pot at the same time as the pan used for boiling), and steam for another 15 minutes.  This helps the eggs to peel easier.  See this tip on steaming eggs versus boiling.

Easter Brunch Pie

Easter Brunch Pie
(Photo by Amy Bradt)

This is a great way to use up any leftover ham from Easter dinner.  It's great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

Printable Recipe

Recipe by: Amy Bradt                                                                          Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients
1 (14.1 ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
15 ounce container low-fat ricotta cheese
4 eggs
1 pound cooked, diced ham
1 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Heat oven to 325°. Lightly spray a 9" pie pan with cooking spray. Place 1 pie crust in pan. In large bowl, beat ricotta cheese and eggs until combined.
Stir in ham, mozzarella cheese, garlic powder, thyme and pepper. Mix well.
Pour into pie crust in pan. Sprinkle mix with Parmesan cheese.
Place remaining crust over mix and fold edges together to seal.
Make slits in top crust to vent.
Place thin strips of foil over edges to prevent burning.
Bake for 50 minutes. Remove foil, and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes, or until top of crust is nicely browned. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes
Make sure and use the low-fat cheeses, as full-fat will make it too greasy.

Original recipe from: Just a Pinch

Gruyère Popovers

Gruyère Popovers (Photo by Williams-Sonoma)

I love popovers!!!  The addition of Gruyère cheese makes these a great match for grilled Steak.  You can easily cut the recipe in half if you only have one popover pan.

Printable Recipe

Recipe by: Amy Bradt                                                                          Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
3 cups milk
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt
6 eggs
6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated

Directions
Place a 6-cup popover pan in the bottom third of an oven. Place a baking sheet on the rack underneath to catch any drips. Preheat the oven to 400º.
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the milk until small bubbles form around the edges. Put the flour and salt in a fine-mesh sieve and sift onto a sheet of waxed paper. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the hot milk, whisking constantly so the eggs don’t cook, then gradually whisk in the flour mixture until almost smooth.
Remove the popover pan from the oven and spray the cups with nonstick vegetable spray. Fill the prepared cups about three-fourths full with batter and sprinkle each with 1/2 oz. cheese.
Return the pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees. Continue baking until the popovers are browned and puffed, 30 minutes more; do not open the oven after rotating the pan.
Invert the pan and remove the popovers. Serve immediately. Using a paper towel, wipe out the excess fat from the popover cups. Heat the pan in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Repeat to bake the remaining batter.  Makes 12 popovers.

Original recipe from: Williams Sonoma

Chicken Jalapeño Popper Tater Tot Casserole

Chicken Jalapeño Popper Tater Tot Casserole (Photo by Amy Bradt)

I definitely want my cousins to enter this into the annual Tater Tot Casserole contest in Minnesota, this is sooooo good!!

Printable Recipe

Recipe by: Amy Bradt                                                                          Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients
1 (30 ounce) bag frozen tater tots
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
16 ounces sour cream
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups Mexican shredded cheese, divided use
6 green onions, sliced
6 jalapeño peppers, seeds removed and diced
1/2 pound bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
1 rotisserie chicken, skinned, bones removed and shredded

Directions
Preheat oven to 425°. Spread tater tots evenly into the bottom a 9 x 13" baking dish. Bake tater tots for 15 minutes.
While tater tots are cooking, in a medium bowl, stir together cream cheese and sour cream. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Stir in half the shredded cheese,half the green onions, all of the diced jalapeño peppers and chicken and mix until well combined.
Once the tater tots have cooked for 15 minutes, remove pan from oven and spread the chicken/cream cheese mixture evenly on top of the tots.
Sprinkle with the rest of the shredded cheese & green onions and bacon.
Cook, uncovered, for about 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Jalapeño Popper Tater Tot Casserole (Photo by Amy Bradt)

Notes
I changed this recipe up quite a bit from the original, as I thought it was WAY too salty and rich with both blocks of cream cheese.  I think this one is better, as I used 1/3 of the salt, and only 1/2 the bacon.

Original recipe from: The Country Cook

Pizza Spaghetti Casserole

Pizza Spaghetti Casserole (Photo by Southern Living)

Kids especially love this easy dinner.  Since it uses turkey pepperoni, it doesn't get greasy.  If you only have regular pepperoni, cook in the microwave for about 30 seconds, and drain on paper towels before adding to casserole.

Printable Recipe

Recipe by: Amy Bradt                                                                          Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
12 ounces uncooked spaghetti
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (1-lb.) package mild or hot ground pork sausage
2 ounces turkey pepperoni slices (about 30), cut in half
1 (26-oz.) jar tomato-and-basil pasta sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (8-oz.) package shredded Italian three-cheese blend

Directions
Cook spaghetti with 1/2 tsp. salt according to package directions. Drain well, and place in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain and set aside. Wipe skillet clean. Add pepperoni, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes or until slightly crisp.
Top spaghetti in baking dish with sausage; pour pasta sauce over sausage. Arrange half of pepperoni slices evenly over pasta sauce. Sprinkle evenly with cheeses. Arrange remaining half of pepperoni slices evenly over cheese. Cover with nonstick or lightly greased aluminum foil.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes; remove foil, and bake 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted and just begins to brown.

Notes
You can freeze the unbaked casserole up to one month.  Just thaw overnight in the refrigerator; let stand 30 minutes at room temperature, and bake as directed.

Original recipe from: Southern Living