Santa Rosa Chicken Salad

My sister made this while she was here and it was so good.  I wasn't sure if it was something my kids would go for since it had so much red and green in it.  Luckily they all gave it a thumbs up.




2 boxes of Uncle Ben's long grain wild rice -with seasoning
(if you are using a different brand it's 2 cups)
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
3 green onions, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups of snap pees or snow pees, cut into bite sized pieces
1 avocado, cut into pieces
1/2 cup chopped pecans

• Cook chicken and set aside.  Cook rice and add the seasoning packet.  If you are using plain wild rice, just don't worry about the seasoning.  
• Let the rice cool while you chop the other ingredients.  After it is cool, add the green onions, bell pepper and snap pees.
• Make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together.
• When ready to serve, poor the dressing over the rice mix and add the avocado and pecans.

Salad Dressing:

1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tb dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

White Gravy

My dad made this gravy last night and it is delicious!  It would be great not only on potatoes but also over chicken or with biscuits.





4 cups milk
1 cup of half and half
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/8 cup chives, diced
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tb salt - to taste
1 Tb pepper
a pinch of sage

• In a large saucepan cook onions, chives and garlic in the butter until onions are translucent.
• Add flour and stir for a minute.  Quickly whisk in milk and half and half.  Add sage, salt and pepper.
• Stir the gravy constantly until it becomes thick and creamy.

Cheesy Pesto Chicken

This is really easy and really good.  I love fresh pesto sauce.






Pesto Sauce:

2 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Cheesy Pesto Chicken:

4-5 chicken breasts
1 cup basil pesto
mozzarella cheese, grated

• Pound the chicken breasts so they are thinner (1/4 - 1/2 inch)
• Place the chicken on a greased 9X13 pan.  Spread the pesto sauce over the top and then sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes.

Baked Zucchini Fries

Out of all the zucchini recipes I've tried this summer, this is my favorite one so far.  I could make this once a week and be very happy.




3 medium zucchini
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tb pizza seasoning or italian seasoning
2 eggs, beaten


Directions:

• Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with oil.  Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
• Cut off the ends of each zucchini and then cut them into strips.  Place the zucchini in a large strainer or a bowl and sprinkle about 1 Tb of salt on them.  This is to extract some of the water out of them.  Leave them for about an hour.
• Make your batter by combining the bread crumbs, Parmesan and seasoning.
• When your zucchini has shed it's water, rinse off the salt and pat it dry with a clean towel.
• Bread the zucchini strips by first placing them in the bowl with the beaten eggs and then into the bread crumb mixture.  (You might also want to keep a napkin close by to wipe your fingers occasionally during this process.)
• Place the fries on the baking sheet and put in the oven for 12 minutes.  Flip them over and return them to the oven for about 12 more minutes.  The fries should be crispy on the outside and browned.