Lunch With Mom

Sunday was a good day.  My mother had been traveling by car all weekend, and I wanted to give her a good meal.  I set out to make something cool, but pleasing to the palette that wouldn't leave her feeling weighed down.  I also wanted her to be able to choose how she ate her meal.  Seemed a complicated task, but I was up to the challenge.

I know most people can make a chicken salad sandwich pretty easily.  This was a successful lunch and my husband thought that I should add it to the blog because he felt it was worthy.  I was just so happy that my mother, sister, and husband all seemed to enjoy it greatly!

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Fruit Lover's Chicken Salad

3 cups shredded chicken
1/2 cup mayo
1 tablespoon mustard
1/2 cup sweet relish
1 cup diced onion
1 Granny Smith's apple, diced
1 cup sliced grapes (because I like color, I used both white and red grapes)
1 tablespoon Tone's Rosemary Garlic spice
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together shredded chicken, mayo, mustard, relish and onion.  Add apple and grapes and mix well.  Mix in your spice.  I used Tone's Rosemary Garlic spice, but you can use a mixture of 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon rosemary and 1 teaspoon of paprika.

(If I'd had them in my pantry, I would have added 1/2 cup cranberries.  Also for a little more texture a 1/4 cup of sugar coated, toasted walnuts, chopped fine. Replacing the mayo with 1/2 cup plain yogurt would be a good substitution as well.)

(If this meal had not included my mother and husband, I would have used more spice.  1 additional teaspoon garlic salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper.)

I gave the option of serving on Hawaiian bread buns or on a bed of spinach leaves.  Crazily enough it was eaten both ways by all.  You could also serve as part of a lettuce wrap meal.

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The above recipe could be used for shredded turkey as well.  My husband said it might be good as a tuna recipe; I hesitate on that point because, I am NOT a big seafood fan.  I keep trying, but my taste buds keep rejecting it.

Happy eating!

Grilled Cheese Anyone?

A while ago I got the urge for a grilled cheese sandwich, but I wanted it with more than just a few slices of cheese.  Craving a bit of a zing, I added sliced onion and strips of ham.  That was good for my palette on that day, but today was a different day.

Since my sister suggested we have grilled cheese sandwiches, and I love her so, it is thus aptly named...

Sisterly Love Grilled Cheese Sandwich

A wee strip of pepper snuck its way out of the sandwich.

1/4 of a large yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1/4 of a large yellow onion, sliced thin
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp dried cilantro
1/4 tsp black pepper
Three of your favorite cheeses (today's choice: Mozzarella, American & shredded Cheddar)
4 slices of your favorite bread
Butter or mayo

Makes 2 sandwiches.

In a small skillet, saute bell pepper and onion in butter over medium-high heat until they just begin to caramelize.  Add garlic salt, cilantro and black pepper.  Mix well and heat until onion is translucent. Set aside. 

Spread a thin layer of butter or mayo on one side of each slice of bread.  In a separate skillet, place a slice of the bread--spread side down--lay a slice of American cheese down on top of the bread, crumble Mozzarella onto the slice, dust cheddar across the top.  Add a layer of the onion, bell pepper and spice mix.  Sprinkle shredded cheddar over mixture, crumble mozzarella over top and add a final slice of american cheese.  Top with another slice of bread--spread side face up.  Cover and allow base to brown. 

Flip, cover and allow other side to brown while covered.  This helps the cheese to melt and adhere to the veggie mix.  Remove and serve.

For additional flavor, saute strips of ham with bell pepper and onion.  

For a stronger garlic flavor, thinly slice a clove of garlic and saute with the vegetable mixture.

Serve with apple slices and/or grapes.  The tangy sweetness of the fruit is a nice balance to the salty creaminess of the sandwich.

Enjoy!