House Update – Week of August 23

Our driveway and sidewalk got poured on Thursday!

 

And here’s a sneak peek of the paint!

Kitchen

Paint:  BM Sidewalk Gray

 

  Light fixture over kitchen sink

 

Fireplace

Paint:  BM Woodstock Tan

 

Laundry Room

Paint:  Pittsburg Tropical Breeze

(I promise it’s not as neon as it appears in the photo!)

 

It looks like we’re on target for our October 1 move-in date.  We are trying as hard as we can!  If we don’t get moved in then, it will be November before we can move…October is proving to be a busy month so far.

What’s for dinner?

This yummy, summery corn and tomato pizza!

I also made one with corn, chicken and red onions!

Chicken, Asparagus and Apple Salad

Source:  Taste of Home

I love asparagus.  And you know I love salad.  Combine the two of them together and I was in heaven!  I was looking for a dish to bring to a salad supper last week but wasn’t having much luck finding the perfect salad. I finally found this one and thought it would be juuuuust right!

I forgot to take a picture of it in my pretty bowl, so this is what I had leftover for lunch the next day.  It surprisingly wasn’t very soggy after it sat for a day.

I made a lot more than the original recipe calls for, so here’s what I used.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

3 cups cubed cooked chicken

Asparagus (a little less than 1 bunch), cut in 1 inch pieces

1 gala apple, diced

1 bag Mixed greens

Dressing:

½ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup honey

½ cup olive oil

3-4 tsp. parsley

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Blanch asparagus in boiling water for 2-3 minutes.  Drain and cool.
2. Combine all dressing ingredients.
3. Toss chicken, asparagus and apple together.  You can either serve on top of the salad greens or mix it all together, which is what i did.
4. Pour dressing over salad and toss.  You may not need all the dressing.

Santa Fe Chicken Salad

Adapted from:  Midwest Living

 

Another chicken salad!  But this one is so different and so so good!  Very addictive.  You have to try this now!

I just slightly modified the recipe by using what I had on hand; I didn’t have green onions or a yellow pepper.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 rib celery, diced

½ onion, diced

½ red pepper, diced

¼ cup chopped cilantro

Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons lime juice

3-4 finely chopped chipotles in adobo

Directions:

1. Combine mayonnaise, lime juice and chipotles in a small bowl.
2. In a medium bowl combine chicken, celery, onions, peppers and cilantro.  Pour dressing over the chicken mixture and toss to coat. Chill for 1 hour.
3. Serve with flour tortillas or tortilla chips.

The Best Chicken Salad Ever!

Printable Recipe
This recipe came about when I accidentally bought dried cherries instead of dried cranberries for another dish.  I wasn’t really sure what to do with dried cherries but I needed to use them for something, so I thought they might be pretty good in chicken salad.  AND BOY WAS I RIGHT!  This is quite possibly the best chicken salad I’ve ever had!
Chicken salad is a very personal thing, isn’t it?  Everyone has their own way they like it.  Me, I can’t stand eggs in it, yuck!  The dried cherries added a nice little flavor to the way I usually make my chicken salad.
Val Original Recipe
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
2 ribs celery, diced
½ red onion, diced
¾ cup dried cherries
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup mayonnaise (I use light)
½ cup sour cream (light again)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
Combine all ingredients and let sit for 30 minutes to let the flavors blend.
Serve on your favorite sandwich bread or with crackers, which is my favorite way.