Super Simple Dinners: Chicken Caesar Salad

For the past two weeks, I've been in NJ for work.  Overall, it wasn't a fun trip, but did result in 2 visits to my sister's...Which was fun.  The first visit, it was just the two of us, and we had a lot of laughs over dinner and a bottle of wine.  The second visit, Timur (her husband) was home and the three of us had a great dinner and wine.

While I was on my 2nd visit, I helped my sister prepare dinner and noticed something on the refrigerator....Something that I decided I was going to adopt as a habit.  It was a weekly meal list.  The simple act of writing out what is for dinner each night of the week can really make life so simple.  Basically, they decide what they're going to have for dinner over the weekend, and then go to the market on Sunday to buy needed ingredients for the week.

It's the simplest thing - but it takes the guess work out of dinner time...It also takes care of the "I'd really like to make X but I'm missing 3 ingredients."  

So Stephanie...You're a genius.  Just don't let it go to your head.  :o)

So one of the meals on my sister's list was Chicken Caesar Salad.  I got so excited when I saw this because she made it for me once before and I fell in love with it.  She gave me the recipe, but I still haven't made it yet...But I WILL be making it this week!

So here it is!!  (from www.myrecipes.com)

11 cup romaine lettuce 
1 cup red bell pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil 
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 
2 tsp Dijon mustard 
1/4 tsp sugar 
1/4 tsp table salt 
1/4 tsp black pepper 
1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s) 
1 1/2 cup(s) plain croutons 
1/2 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese 
2 pound(s) roasted skinless chicken breast

Remove chicken from bones and shred with 2 forks to measure 3 cups meat. 

Combine chicken, lettuce, and bell pepper in a large bowl. 

For vinaigrette: combine oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. 

Pour over salad. Toss well, sprinkle with croutons and cheese, and toss gently to combine.

Enjoy!!

Lobster Dinner!!

On Friday night, I got a call from my cousin Carolyn asking if we wanted to go over to her house for dinner - we were having LOBSTER!  Scott didn't need to be asked twice, and we stopped at the wine store, got 2 bottles of white wine, and headed over to my Aunt's house for what ended up being a ridiculously fun night.

Shaw's had a sale on lobster - $5.99/lb, so my aunt bought 7 lobsters, and made an array of dishes to go with it (pictures blow).  We had Italian Cole Slaw (that would be Cole Slaw without mayonnaise and is fixed with olive oil and vinegar), salad with cucumber, tomatoes, and edamame, and corn on the cob (as well as some melted butter for dipping the lobster).

My aunt did some research for making the lobster, and I would recommend it to anyone who is going to make it at home.  In the past, I've always boiled lobster.  I've filled up a large pot, submerged a single lobster in the water.  Instead of using that method, my aunt put about 2 inches of water in a big 8 quart pot with 2 Tbsp of Sea Salt, a coarsely chopped onion and a couple stalks of celery.  Then we put 6 lobsters in the pot all together.  Cook for 15 minutes (until the antennae pull out easily) and then serve and EAT.

6 Lobsters in the pot - the water bubbles up quite a bit, so every so often you have to remove the lid, let the water go down, and then replace the lid

The comedy of the night was my aunt skeeving the lobster (she put on a rubber glove to pick them up), so I saved her and put all the lobsters into the pot (put them in head first).  Then she after she covered the pot and we both walked away...All of a sudden, the cover came off the pot and one of the lobsters STARTED CRAWLING OUT OF THE POT!!!!  His back end was out of the pot, and my aunt was holding the lid, trying to push it back into the pot, all the while screaming, "Camille!!!  Help!!!!"  HAHAHA.  We ended up getting Mr. Lobster back into the pot, and we held the lid down until they were no longer crawling (it's sad, but they're deliciously worth it, lol).

The spread on the table was picture-worthy, and we had a blast all night - my sides ached from laughing.

Salad, Lobster, Corn, Cole Slaw and BUTTER!!!

On top of all of the other food, my aunt ALSO made sausage and potatoes.  It was fabulous!!

Turkey/Chicken Sausage and Potatoes

The night commenced in a game of "What Would You Do If" as well as three people stepping in doggy poopy in the back yard and my forcing my cousin to put bags on her feed before she got into my car.

Cleaned sneakers, but with bags just for good measure ;-)

All in all, a FABULOUS night with good food and family!

Chicken Caesar Salad

Over the weekend I went to NY for my sister's Bachelorette Party.  When I arrived at my sister's in the afternoon, she had lunch all ready - and it was SO good.  I decided to make it for dinner last night - and it was a hit!  Definitely on the list of things to make again!!


So hear goes:


Chicken Caesar Salad (adapted from Cooking Light)
For the Salad
-1 2-lb whole roasted chicken, skinned (I'm using 1 lb of chicken tenders, grilled and cut up)
-11 cups torn Romaine Lettuce, about 1 1/4 lb
-1 cup red bell pepper cut into strips
-halved grape tomatoes


For the Vinaigrette
-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
-1 1/2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
-2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
-2 tsp Dijon Mustard (I didn't have Dijon mustard, so I used a combination of regular mustard and mayo - and it worked great)
-1/4 tsp sugar
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1 garlic clove, crushed
-1 1/2 cups Italian croutons (I'm not sure if I have any...)
-1/2 cup (2 oz) freshly grated Parmesan Cheese


The Preparation
-For the salad, combine the lettuce, pepper and tomato in a large bowl
-For the vinaigrette, combine the oil, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, mustard, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic, and Parmesan cheese in a bowl and stir well with a whisk.
-Pour the Vinaigrette over the salad and mix well.
-Top off with the cut chicken and croutons


Serves 6:  Nutritional Information (per Cooking Light)  Cal: 306, Cal from fat: 47%, Fat: 16g, Sat Fat: 4.3g, Mono Fat: 8.2g, Poly Fat: 2.2g, Protein: 29.4g, Carbs: 10.3g, Fiber: 2.4g, Cholesterol: 78mg, Iron: 2.8mg, Sodium: 445mg, Calcium: 171mg


Enjoy!!!

What to do with leftover Taco Stuffing???

I don't know about you, but I feel like there's always leftover taco stuffing...


But who wants leftover tacos?


Here's what I sometimes do...


Take the shredded lettuce, and whatever vegetables you have left over and mix them together in a bowl.


Top with the leftover beef and some crumbled goat cheese!


No dressing is needed, as the meat has lots of seasoning already on it!


ENJOY!