Summer Recipe - Fried Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

Reposting a favorite!
My whole family loves this dish!  Especially in the summer, when the Texas heat makes it hard to find meals that are both filling and refreshing, this one fits the bill.  While it's got healthy fresh veggies, it IS NOT a diet meal - far from it!  But it's so, so good!
Adjusts easily for your tastes, and the number of folks you need to serve.

Dressing:
1 3/4 cups Mayonnaise (I prefer Kraft for the texture)
1/4 cup prepared Mustard
1/4 cup Honey
2 teaspoons Paprika
Mix together until blended, adjusting to taste...then serve.  It stores well, but we rarely have much left over.

Salad:  (adjust portions and ingredients to taste)
Iceberg Lettuce, chopped
1 lg. ripe tomato, diced
1 cucumber, diced
3 Green onions (or scallions) diced
1 cup of cubed Cheddar Cheese
2 boiled eggs, sliced (or 1 per plate)
4 strips of fried bacon, crumbled (2 per plate)
Prepare salads in individual plates or bowls; adding any ingredients your family likes.

Fried Chicken:
Chicken (1 breast or 3 tenders per person)
1/2 cup Ranch dressing
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp Cumin

Cut chicken into bite size pieces, then toss with Ranch dressing.  Dredge into flour and spice mixture and fry in hot oil until golden brown.   Drain on paper towel.  Serve immediately on top of salad and drizzle with Honey Mustard Dressing.
YUM!

Almost as complicated as Thanksgiving dinner, but well worth the effort!

Homemade Egg Rolls

Everyone loves eggrolls, right?  Whether fried, steamed, or baked - they are a family favorite!  And you can feed a crowd with only a few ingredients!  Win/win!  So, here's my take on homemade Egg Rolls.

1 pkg prepared egg roll wrappers
2 or 3 lg carrots, shredded
2 or 3 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 lg onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, seeded and chopped (I used red)
1/2 head of cabbage, shredded
1 can bean sprouts, drained
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp cumin
cooking oil
optional - 1 can chicken (or 1 cup any other cooked and finely chopped meat or fish)

Shred and chop the veggies and mix in a large bowl.  Add soy sauce and spices and stir in meat if desired.  You can add other spices and adjust the taste as you like.  Let set 10 minutes.
              

Remove wrappers from packaging and cover with a damp cloth or paper towel.

Fill the center of each wrapper with a large spoonful of the vegetable mixture, taking care to drain any excess liquid from each spoonful.

Fold the corners to meet as shown,

then fold over and roll from the other side.

Seal with a bit of water and set aside - use a pastry brush or just dip your finger and run along the side like moistening an envelope.  Just press it gently down and it's sealed.

These cook quickly, so it's best to make them up first and cover with damp towel (or have another set of hands to help roll them as they fry) 

In a deep fryer, or large deep skillet, add at least 1 inch of cooking oil.  Heat to med/high.  Drop rolls carefully into hot oil and cook until bottom side is brown, approximately 3 minutes on my stove.  Turn and cook other side until done (approximately 1 1/2 minutes).  Remove with a slotted spoon or spatula and drain on paper towels. Continue until all are done.  Makes approximately 20 large egg rolls. 

You can keep them crispy in a warm oven for half an hour or so until ready to serve. 

Serve with soy sauce, hot mustard, or sweet and sour sauce.   Great appetizer or meal!  Yummmy!

These can be frozen and reheated in the oven to retain the crunch.  You can also steam or bake your eggrolls for a more healthy alternative.

Mini Cinnamon Treats

An old family favorite, these have been on my mind a lot lately.  Needing to share with a friend, I thought I'd post this here for everyone to enjoy.  Sorry, no pics available, but truly, these are fantastic little tidbits!  Try them....you'll like them!

MINI-CINNIMONS 

(Messy to make, but Great to eat!!)

1 pkg. Cream Cheese, softened

½ c. sugar  

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 egg  

2 sticks margarine, melted

1 ½ c. sugar  

2 tablespoons Cinnamon

16 to 20 slices of white bread, crusts removed 

Foil, torn into approximately 6 12” sheets 

 

In a small bowl, stir together cream cheese, ½ c. sugar, vanilla & egg until smooth.  Spread mixture evenly on each bread slice, then roll up like a jelly roll.  Mix remaining sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.  Dip each roll into melted margarine (just to coat, do not soak).  Coat each roll in the sugar mixture.  Place 3 to 4 on a sheet of foil and roll up tightly.  Freeze overnight.

To bake, heat oven to 375˚.  Remove rolls from freezer and slice each one into 4 to 5 pinwheel slices.  Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and bake 12 minutes.  Turn each roll & bake approximately 7 more minutes until lightly browned.  Best hot and fresh from the oven, but good anytime.

St. Patrick's Day party drinks

Everyone knows ya cant have a true St. Patrick's Day party without some traditional Irish drinks. Get plenty of Guinness, but add these 2 fine recipes as well! And remember to Drink Responsibly!!!!!

Irish Coffee
2 oz (60 ml) of Irish Whiskey
1 teaspoon of Brown Sugar
Freshly made strong black coffee
Whipped Cream

Gently warm whiskey and sugar in a saute pan, stirring just until smooth. Pour into coffee glass. Add the coffee slowly,filling the glass to within half an inch of the top. Pour the cream in gently. Do not stir.

(grated chocolate can be added to the top if desired)


and, for a very "Posh" feel to the event:
Black Velvet
Makes 1 Quart

1/2 qt Guinness
1/2 qt Champagne
Combine Guinness and champagne in a tall chilled glass.
Stir gently and serve.


Recipe cards are available in our Wee Irish Gallery. You might also consider the fine Guinness card (pictured above), which is nice enough to frame!

...and now, for a SERIOUSLY Irish Dish

As hearty and filling as can be - YUM!

Dublin Coddle
Serves 6

1 pound bacon slices
2 pounds pork sausage links
2 large onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic
4 large potatoes, thickly sliced
2 carrots, thickly sliced
1 large bunch of fresh herbs, tied with string
black pepper
apple cider
Lightly fry the bacon until crisp. Remove and place in a large stew pot. Brown sausages lightly in the bacon fat. Remove and add to pot. Soften onions and whole garlic cloves in bacon fat, then add to pot with potatoes and carrots. Put bunch of herbs in the center of the pot. Sprinkle with pepper. Cover with cider. Cook 1 1/2 hours over medium heat, do not boil. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Check out our cookbooks & recipe cards in our Wee Irish Gallery.

Repost: Our favorite Irish Potato Candy

Thanks for stopping by. Grab a cuppa tea & stay for a chat.

We'd like to thank you for your interest by offering this free recipe. You can also purchase a cute printed version of this recipe at our Wee Irish shop

Tanks a million!

Irish Potato Candy

Ingredients
4 Tbls butter, softened
1/2 package cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 cups flaked coconut
2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Directions
In medium bowl, beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Slowly add vanilla and confectioners' sugar, continuing to beat until smooth. Mix in the coconut (mixture will be thick, use your hands if necessary). Roll into small odd shaped balls, and roll in the cinnamon. Place onto a cookie sheet and chill to set. If desired, roll in cinnamon again for a darker color. Makes about 4 - 5 dozen, depending on size of your "potatoes".

Notes: I like to run the flaked coconut through the food processor first so it's less noticeable. The thick mixture will be about the consistency of Play Doh and is a perfect recipe to share with your little ones. Start a child friendly tradition!

Spring has Sprung!

Well, Spring is here, and as usual, daylight savings time has thrown me for a loop! Catching up a bit & getting into the creative mood again. We are currently working on several new projects. Satin bookmarks--personalized and perfect for wedding favors, birth announcements, anniversaries, or any special occasion. They are inexpensive yet beautiful & useful. We're also working on glass tile coasters featuring some of our favorite photos. Please stop in for a visit often and see if any of these new items will work for you.

And last, but certainly not least, here is the grand finale of our Irish Recipe feature.
Irish Soda Bread
5 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tbls baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
Optional add ins:
2 1/2 cups raisins
3 Tbls caraway seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9x5" pans
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda & salt in large bowl. Cut in butter using 2 knives or pastry blender until the mixture is the texture of cornmeal.

If making Caraway Raisin option, add them to dry mixture now.

Add buttermilk and egg and stir until just blended.

Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake 50 to 55 minutes until golden brown. Coll on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely. Slice & Serve. Delicious!!!!

Irish Potato Candy Recipe

Thanks for stopping by. Grab a cuppa tea & stay for a chat.

We'd like to thank you for your interest by offering this free recipe. You can also purchase a cute printed version of this recipe at www.weeirish.etsy.com.

Tanks a million!

Irish Potato Candy

Ingredients
4 Tbls butter, softened
1/2 package cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 cups flaked coconut
2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Directions
In medium bowl, beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Slowly add vanilla and confectioners' sugar, continuing to beat until smooth. Mix in the coconut (mixture will be thick, use your hands if necessary). Roll into small odd shaped balls, and roll in the cinnamon. Place onto a cookie sheet and chill to set. If desired, roll in cinnamon again for a darker color. Makes about 4 - 5 dozen, depending on size of your "potatoes".

Notes: I like to run the flaked coconut through the food processor first so it's less noticeable. The thick mixture will be about the consistency of Play Doh and is a perfect recipe to share with your little ones. Start a child friendly tradition!