Greek Chicken Salad and Greatest Whitewater Trip

I finally received my photo CD of our whitewater rafting trip in Blue River, Oregon with Ouzel Outfitters.  So excited to look at them again.  I don't know what is more fun, the actual rafting trip or reliving the moment through our photos, which brought smiles to all our faces again.

This salad is perfect for a light dinner after a long afternoon of sun, paddling, a lot of splash and river time.

Greek Chicken Salad

4 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast

12 cherry tomatoes, quartered

4 oz. crumbled feta cheese

1 cup kalamata olives, chopped

1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped

5 ounces (1/2 container), prepared Tzatziki sauce/dip

1 head bib lettuce, rough chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except lettuce in a large bowl.  Toss well.  Serve chicken salad on bed of lettuce.

Serve with toasted pita corners and Castle Rock Pinot Noir.

Antipasto Salad with Bacon Wrapped Artichoke Hearts

It is no secret that my husband is a love of salads (all the men in his family must have salads at their dinner).  When we still lived in California, every time there was a family event, the sister-in-laws would all volunteer to bring anything but the big salad.  The guys don't want any typical green garden salad...it's got to be fancy, exotic and no less than fifteen ingredients.  They are all aficionados in salad recipes. Hence, the reason all us girls dreaded having salad duty.

Ladies, if you need a "Honey Do" list completed,
make these for your man!

I have learned through my years of marriage, if I add artichoke hearts and kalamata olives to a dish, I can pretty much win the wife award for that day...and if I also add bacon to it...he's putty in my hands.

We have always been huge fans of the antipasto salad.  Since most antipastos have marinated artichoke hearts in them, I thought it would be fun to take it further and wrap them in bacon.  If I am going to this much work for "the big salad", I might as well benefit from the finished product also.

Oh my gosh, this salad was unbelievable!!  The crisp bacon added the perfect crunch and the marinated artichoke hearts were a great flavor addition layer.

Antipasto Salad with Bacon Wrapped Artichoke Hearts

** Portions will vary, based upon how many people you are serving.
This can be a side salad or a main entree for dinner.

4 slices bacon, cut in half, widthwise
(1) 12 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts (you will need 8 artichoke hearts)
Romaine Lettuce, cut into bite size pieces
Salami, cut into bite size pieces
Ham, cut into bite size pieces
Mortadella, cut into bite size pieces
Pepperoni, cut into bite size pieces
Kalamata Olives, cut in half
Button Mushrooms, sliced
Red Bell Peppers, cut into bite size pieces
Roma Tomatoes, diced
Pepperoncini, served whole (on the side)
Feta Cheese, crumbled
Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian Salad Dressing (or your favorite)

Make bacon wrapped artichoke hearts, (as listed below).  While the artichokes are baking, in a large bowl, toss the lettuce, salami, ham, mortadella, pepperoni, kalamato olives, button mushrooms, red bell peppers, roma tomatoes and feta cheese with the italian salad dressing.  Plate each salad.  Serve the baked bacon wrapped artichoke hearts on top of your salad.

Bacon Wrapped Artichoke Hearts 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Spray with non-stick baking spray.

Wrap each artichoke heart with half a slice of bacon. 

Place on the baking sheet and bake in oven for 12 to 15 minutes 

(turn over half way through the baking time).  Bake until lightly browned.

Greek Chicken Salad and Grown Up Girls

Yesterday, we saw another birthday for our girls...another year older and another year they are growing to become young women.  

We hit the big city for shopping, strolling through the beautiful holiday lit streets and dined at one of our favorite special occasion restaurants...oh and don't worry, yes I got teary eyed and almost cried at dinner.  It always puts my life in perspective and reminds me just how blessed we truly are to have our family and I thank God every day for them.

Uptown Girls!

I can now breathe a sigh of relief...Thanksgiving and Christmas - done.  Husband and girls' birthday - done.  Now I have a couple weeks to try and get my life back in somewhat of an order and prepare for volleyball travel season...and then I get this...

My husband says as we are driving home last night (with very full and overstuffed stomachs), "That's it, tomorrow we start diets again and back to the gym"...ugh!!  This comes from the man who gave me a true southern cookbook (nothing diet in those pages) and a beautiful set of stainless steel cookware for Christmas.  Oh well, South Beach Diet, here we come again.

This little salad makes up really fast and is perfect as a side dish or lunch entree, really light and great Mediterranean flavors.

Greek Chicken Salad

For Dressing:
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 medium lemon)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

For Salad:
1/2 pound orzo, cooked according to directions, rinsed in cold water, drained and cooled
3 medium size boneless, skinless, cooked chicken breasts, diced
1/2 pint (red and yellow) cherry tomatoes
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1 medium cucumber, diced
1/2 of a 12 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into pieces
2 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Mix all dressing ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Combine all salad ingredients, except feta cheese in a large serving bowl and toss.

Pour salad dressing all over and toss well.  Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Add feta cheese just before serving.

One Year Ago: Broiled Lobster Tails

Greek Shrimp Saganaki

In my forever quest of weekly meal planning and calendar strategy of what to make for dinner, my husband saves the day.  Not only can I not remember what I did two days ago, I certainly cannot remember what I made for dinner a week or a month ago (hence the reason for the meal planning calendar).

Every now and again, my husband will say "What about the dish that....." (and he'll go into his description of how he remembers the meal).  I then have to stop, wait for it....oh yes, my ever flickering light bulb finally goes back on again...and I remember.  

Here is one of those meals that I completely forgot about and he once again reminded me of.  The great thing about this one is you can make it a date night meal for two or have it as an appetizer for a group of family, friends, neighbors, girls night in, book club,...you get the picture.

It looks complicated and fancy, but it truly is super easy and amazing flavors.

Shrimp Saganaki

Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine, November 2012

Original Recipe By Lord Byron Restaurant, Ios Island, Greece

1 Tablespoon olive oil

4 scallions, white part only, minced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup drained diced canned tomatoes

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup vegetable or chicken broth

1 teaspoon chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish

1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

pinch of dried oregano

salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 medium shrimp (about 1/2 lb.), peeled, deveined and tails off

1 (4 oz.) block feta cheese

slices of country-style rustic bread, toasted

**I also add:

2 Tablespoons capers, drained

1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted, drained, roughly chopped

Heat oil in a medium heavy skillet over medium-low heat.  Add scallions and garlic; cook, stirring often, until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add tomatoes, (capers and olives) and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 4-6 minutes.  Remove from heat;  add wine, broth, 1 tsp. parsley, 1 tsp. dill and oregano.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until tomato mixture is reduced by one-third, about 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium.  Season shrimp with salt and pepper.  Add shrimp to skillet, arranging around edges.  Place block of feta in center of skillet.  Cover and simmer until shrimp are cooked through and feta is warm, 4-6 minutes.

** We like eating this dish straight out of our cast iron skillet, but you can also transfer the shrimp and feta to a large shallow bowl.

Garnish with parsley.  Serve with toasted rustic bread to scoop up every flavorful bite.  Since I needed white wine for the recipe, we enjoyed the rest of the McManis Chardonnay with our meal. Perfectly paired!

Orzo Salad With Everything and Redecorating Everywhere

As all new school years typically go there is the new wardrobe, new school supplies and new haircuts to start the year off fresh.

Well, since we had recently moved into our new house, the girls decided they also wanted new rooms...something a little more grown up, sophisticated and mature. Yes, another rite of passage that breaks my heart...my little girls are growing up too fast.

We have spent the last couple months searching out ideas on Pinterest and slowly transforming not only their rooms, but also seeing them really coming into their own young ladies.

Love the owl lamps and owl headboard piece we discovered.

The oldest one really took to the set designs of the show Gossip Girl.  She loves the elegance and classy sophistication of their home in New York.  My daughter really has an affection for her owls and I found the greatest finds at Hobby Lobby to finish it off.

Gossip Girl's infamous butterfly wall design.

We started her collection of accent pillows, a beautiful jacquard bed set and she now has her espresso colored dresser and nightstands.  I love finding great deals and never paying full price for "fabulous".

My other daughter is more of a relaxed, colorful spirit with a touch of pizazz.  She loves organic designs and lots of color around her.  Again, we searched far and wide and found incredible designs and deals at Target and Hobby Lobby.

The perfect wall decals to bring out the bedding colors.

Eggplant color framed mirror with her sparkle arrangement.

Beautiful art piece that sparkles in just the right light.

After the finishing touches everywhere it was time for our neighbor's annual end of summer potluck dinner with all the neighbors on their street.  I decided to make the family Orzo Salad With Everything.  

My sister-in-law Leslie first introduced this salad to us at one of our family dinners.  Love this salad...really versatile and goes great with any type of meat dish.  Leslie and my husband's brother Steve will be visiting us in the next couple weeks, so I know that there will be much cooking, baking and BBQ going on...stay tuned for that one next month.  They both love to cook as much as me and my husband, so rest assured no one will be starving that weekend.

Orzo Salad With Everything
Courtesy of Leslie

1-1/2 cups orzo (rice shaped pasta) uncooked
1/3 cup (packed) chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1 cup finely chopped radicchio (about 1/2 of a small head)
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Cook orzo in a pot of boiling, salted water until tender.  Drain well.  Transfer to a large bowl.  Add sun-dried tomatoes, oil, vinegar and olives.  Toss to blend.  Let stand until cool.  (This part can be prepared up to 6 hours ahead, cover and refrigerate).  Bring to room temperature before continuing.

Mix chopped radicchio, pine nuts, chopped basil, Feta and garlic into the orzo mixture.  Season salad to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

One Year Ago: Pasta Puttanesca

Grilled Vegetable Salad

We just finished up our six months of student driver practicing, since our girls received their driver's permits on New Year's Eve.  My husband and I have tried to remain very cool, calm and collected during these driving outings.  I must admit that my husband has been much better at this than I have.

I am the worst passenger seat driver when it comes to my girls.  They are actually very good at this whole driving thing, I am just a nervous wreck, especially now that they are driving my new car.  I think it has gotten to the point now that when I try to give them motherly driving advice, they only hear "whaa-whaa-whaa" (like the trombone effect from Charlie Brown's teacher).  

I was so worried about them that I got the dealership to throw in at no extra charge, a back-up rear sensor that goes off if they get too close to something while they are backing up.  So now maybe they will listen to the constant beeping of a warning signal in the car while in reverse, instead of getting annoyed at me.

We have also told the girls that they cannot get their own car (to share) until they have both learned their way around town, from here to there and can find their way back home.  So, not only are we giving driving lessons, we are now teaching geography.

You would think that would be easy, yes?  Not so fast....I finally figured out why they weren't completely getting it at first...and it's our own fault (not an easy admission).  When my husband and I were growing up, we didn't have portable DVD players, cell phones, iPods, Kindles, or even walk-mans (I'm dating myself here) at that time.  All we had was the window at our side to look out of, stare and wonder "are we almost there?".  We took in every street name, landmark, tree and sign.  We knew exactly where we were at all times.

Today, kids, teens (and even some adults) are traveling with their heads facing down, enthralled in some electronic device.  It's no wonder they don't know how to get from A to B, they haven't been looking up and out.  Well, there's nothing like a little wager on the table to motivate a couple teenagers.  I'm here to tell you, they are learning very quickly now.

This grilled vegetable salad has absolutely nothing to do with driving lessons, but we made it last week and it was really good.  I have had this recipe forever and always keep going back to it, especially during the summer grilling months.

Thought for the weekend, "Get out there and see the world"...leave the electronics at home.

Grilled Vegetable Salad
Courtesy of Down Home with The Neelys

1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch rings
1 yellow bell pepper, quartered, seeds and ribs removed
1 red bell pepper, quartered, seeds and ribs removed

***I also added 1 zucchini, sliced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 pound feta cheese

Dressing:
1 medium clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat grill to medium.

In a large bowl, toss the vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables, turning occasionally, until charred and tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove to a platter. Sprinkle with basil and feta.

In a small bowl, mix garlic, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle over vegetables.

Greek Salsa Chicken and Greek Movie Afternoon

I have finally recovered from yesterday's triple play (football, golf balls and baseballs).  My husband warned me...he gave me the rundown of what sports were going to be on t.v. ALL DAY Sunday.  Sunday, Sunday, Sunday.....AGH!!!  It started with 11:00 am Seahawk game.  They lost.  I didn't see a minute of the game, but believe me....I know they lost.  The reason I know they lost, is because you could hear my husband yelling at the referees, the teams, the fans and anyone else on t.v. he could see, for hours.

He was so revved up, he went outside after the game to tear out the garden that froze over last week. (At least I got out of doing it, and didn't have to do any more gardening).  Then it was golf and The Presidents Cup.  This was much calmer, since our country took the win - thank goodness!!  I did catch some of the golf match though.  I couldn't pass up seeing my boyfriend, Phil Mickelson for a few rounds. (Don't worry, my husband knows).

Then, the Dodgers game started at 5:00 pm. I had enough at this point.  It was time for me to go upstairs to fold the 13 loads of laundry that I did over the weekend while I catch an afternoon movie.  I was glad I did, because the Dodgers did not start out strong and it was sounding ugly downstairs.  At one point I thought I was going to have to go out and pick up an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) for my husband.  Why do men get so emotional about sports, on t.v. nonetheless?  Here's a newsflash men:  They can't hear you through the television!!!

At any rate, I love movies.  I love to watch and get lost in movies.  I have so many favorite movies, it has become a joke in my family.  We will be surfing through the channels and I see one of my favorite titles and want to watch it immediately.  My husband says, "but you have seen that fifty times"  My reply, "I don't care, it doesn't matter."  Yet why is it he gets to watch Kelly's Heroes, I can't tell you how many times, as I have lost count.

Today, one of my favorites was on this afternoon.  My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  I absolutely love this movie and I am here to tell you, since I was actually in my college roommate's Greek wedding, this movie is spot on.  I laugh and cry through it every (68 times) I have watched.  If you have not seen this movie yet, add it to your bucket list.

Of course, watching the movie got me in the mood for Greek food.  This meal is one of my go-to dinners.  It is full of wonderful Mediterranean flavors.  I add capers to it, because anything that I can add capers to, makes husband oh so happy and after the sports day he had, he needed a little happiness.

Greek Salsa Chicken
Adapted from Cuisine At Home, April 2009 Issue

For The Salsa - 
4 oz. Crumbled Feta Cheese
1 Cup halved Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
1/4 Cup Pitted Kalamata Olives
1/4 Cup Minced Fresh Parsley
1/4 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Oregano
3 Tbsp. Capers, drained

For The Chicken - 
(6) Skinless, Bone-In Chicken Breast Halves
Salt and Pepper
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
(2) Lemons, cut into wedges

For The Wife - 
2011 Dead Bolt Winemaker's Blend from California

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine feta, tomatoes, olives, parsley, lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, oregano and capers for the salsa in a large bowl.  Cover and chill salsa.

Saute chicken pieces in 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large roasting pan over medium-high heat until chicken is browned on skin-side.  Turn over chicken.

Squeeze lemon wedges over chicken to coat with lemon juice, then nestle squeezed lemon wedges around chicken breasts.  Roast until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees, about 30 minutes.

Transfer chicken and lemons to a large platter; top with salsa.   "OPA" !!