Andrea Howard's Chicken Salad with Cranberries and Pecans

2 cups (8 oz.) diced cooked chicken (or turkey) breast
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
3 tbs. dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
2 tbs. chopped pecans
11 oz. mandarin orange sections, drained and cut into small sections
¼ cup fat-free plain yogurt
1 tbs. reduced-fat mayo
1 ½ tsp. brown mustard
½ tsp. salt
Ground black pepper
8 Boston lettuce leaves

Combine chicken, apples, cranberries and pecans. Add orange sections, set aside.
Whisk together yogurt, mayo and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Drizzle dressing over chicken mixture while using a fork to gently mix in.
Arrange 2 lettuce leaves on each of 4 salad plates. Mound ¼ of salad on top of lettuce
and serve immediately, accompanied with whole-grain crackers.

Iced Coffee

I've been on an iced coffee binge lately. I alternate back and forth between the regular caffeine kind and the decaf kind. Either way, its yummy. I make mine with artificial sweetener, french vanilla creamer and sugar-free chocolate syrup. These modifications and adding more water to my daily water regimen makes it fairly guilt-free for me. I use it as a "snack" when I am craving something yummy, and it helps to fill my tummy and tide me over until the next meal. Plus, did I mention that its yummy?

Here's the original recipe that got me started (it's another Andrea Howard recipe). Enjoy your iced coffee!

Andrea Howard's Mexicorn Dip

4 cans Mexicorn, drained
4 oz. can chopped green chilies
3-6 scallions, thinly sliced
8 oz. finely grated Monterey Jack cheese
8 oz. finely grated Cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream*
1 cup mayo*
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
*I usually use low-fat or fat-free
Mix it all together. Chill well. Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!!

Andrea Howard: Personal Chef Services

A family friend has recently started her own food venture. I have enjoyed perusing her blog and have even signed up for her newsletter. The first edition of the newsletter came this week. I am always excited to get new recipes and as this blog has become my filing system for recipes, I will be posting her recipes here periodically. I'm sure you will find them as exciting and useful as I do. So check back and look for posts titled Andrea Howard.

And while you are at it, click on over to her website and check it out!

Myrtle's Cornbread Salad

At a recent family reunion, I met Myrtle. She is married to a first cousin of my husband's mother (got that?). She prepared this salad that tasted so good! I had never had this dish before and it was imperative that I have the recipe before I left the reunion. It thrilled me that Myrtle was willing to share it with me.

1 Jiffy cornbread mix
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
bacon


Sauce:
1 c. of mayonnaise
1/3 c. sweet pickle juice

Bake cornbread mix as directed. Crumble half of it in a round casserole dish. Layer with half of the vegetables. Pour half of sauce over the layer then repeat the layers.

Best if made 12-24 hours ahead. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon before serving.

Sand Bucket Cake

I found this recipe on-line when I did a swagbucks search (click on button at top of blog). I used it for the birthday party at the beach that we had for our daughter. The finished product looks like sand in a bucket.

2 (3.5-4 oz) vanilla instant pudding
4 c. milk
1 (8 oz) whipped topping
1 (10.5 oz) box mini chocolate chip cookies
2 c. vanilla wafer crumbs, divided
shell or pebble candy
candles

Prepare pudding, fold in whipped topping and chocolate chip cookies. Spoon half of mixture in new sand bucket. Sprinkle with half of wafer crumbs. Repeat layers. Use shell or pebble candy and candles to decorate. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Six Day Slaw

This recipe came from my friend, Lynn. Its a yummy slaw that doesn't use mayo and thus is more diet friendly.

Mix together:

1 head cabbage, shredded or grated

1 carrot, grated

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1/4 cup green onion, chopped

2 t. celery seed

1/2 scant cup of sugar

2 t. salt

Boil 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup salad vinegar. Pour over cabbage. Stir together. Pour off liquid at time of serving. It’s supposed to last 6 days but I’ve never waited that long. Even if you use a large head of cabbage, the seasoning and dressing are sufficient.