HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN BACON + AVOCADO SALAD

This salad is fabulous and, while it has a sweet dressing, it is still a change of pace from the popular poppy seed dressings (which, are delicious in their own right).  My kids gobbled up the chicken... I'll have to make extra chicken next time.

HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN BACON + AVOCADO SALAD

Dressing / Marinade:

·         2/3 cup honey

·         6 tablespoons whole grain mustard (not the same as brown mustard)

·         4 tablespoons smooth and mild Dijon mustard

·         4 tablespoons olive oil

·         2 teaspoon minced garlic

·         Salt to season (just a pinch)

·         4 skinless and boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts

For Salad:

·         ¼ cup diced bacon, trimmed of rind and fat

·         4 cups Romaine lettuce leaves, washed

·         1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes

·         1 large avocado, pitted and sliced

·         ¼ - ½ cup corn kernels

·         ¼ of a red onion, diced into small pieces

1.    Whisk marinade / dressing ingredients together to combine. Pour half the marinade into a shallow dish to marinade the chicken fillets for two hours if time allows. Refrigerate the reserved untouched marinade to use as a dressing.

2.    Heat a nonstick pan (or grill pan or skillet) over medium heat with about a teaspoon of oil and sear / grill chicken fillets on each side until golden, crispy and cooked through. (Grill in batches to prevent excess water being released.) Once chicken is cooked, set aside and allow to rest.

3.    Wipe pan over with paper towel; drizzle with another teaspoon of oil and fry the bacon until crispy.

4.    Slice chicken into strips and prepare salad with leaves, tomatoes, avocado slices, corn, onion strips and chicken.

5.    Whisk 2 tablespoons of water (optional) into the remaining untouched marinade / dressing and drizzle over the salad. Sprinkle the bacon over the top and serve.

http://cafedelites.com/2016/05/11/honey-mustard-chicken-avocado-bacon-salad/

Salami and Pickle Grilled Cheese

I'm trying to use my panini press more often for two reasons: 1) I really like hot sandwiches and 2) Jeremy thought I shouldn't take it when we moved since I had only used it once since I bought it on Black Friday last year.  So now I'm using it. :)
These are tasty!  Definitely not low calorie, but if you serve them with a salad you can feel pretty okay about it, I think. ;)

Salami and Pickle Grilled Cheese

Eat it with potato chips and lemonade; it's also great with a simple green salad for dinner.

Ingredients

4 SERVINGS

·         12 ounces Gruyère, Swiss cheese, or sharp cheddar, sliced, divided

·         8 slices sourdough bread

·         6 dill pickles, sliced crosswise ¼ inch thick

·         6 ounces thinly sliced salami, such as Genoa

·         6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Preparation

Divide half of cheese among 4 slices of bread. Top with pickles, salami, and remaining cheese. Close sandwiches and spread half of butter evenly over top of bread slices.

Layer ingredients between bread (expect the butter – put that on the outside;) and cook in a panini press.

Tailgate Chili

We made this for the ward chili cook off/Trunk or Treat...it was really good!
Some reviewers suggested putting  this together a day in advance, refrigerating overnight and cooking the following day, so that's what I did.  And I just let it cook in the slow cooker all day.  But next time I'll probably just do it all on the same day.  I also sauteed the onions first, but you don't have to.  Either way - enjoy!


Tailgate Chili

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef chuck

1 pound bulk Italian sausage

3 (15 ounce) cans chili beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can chili beans in spicy sauce

2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped

1 tablespoon bacon bits

4 cubes beef bouillon

1/2 cup chicken broth

 1/4 cup chili powder

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco(TM))

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 (10.5 ounce) bag corn chips such as Fritos(R)

1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
2. Pour in the chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, chile peppers, bacon bits, bouillon, and chicken broth. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.
4. To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips and shredded Cheddar cheese.