ISO the Best Chicken Salad in Town

Another childhood favorite was chicken salad. My mom made the best that I can remember, but I wanted to try it from a local favorite. I sent a text to my friend Mia, and her response was, "GOURMET SHOP!! Hands down!" So off M and I went for a sample.

M decided to get smoked salmon, cream cheese & capers on a bagel. I discovered that I am wholly against smoked salmon. 

Cream cheese, wasted. This should really taste as good as it looks. Sadly, I'm not a fan.

 I did get the chicken salad, on a croissant (because one cannot have to much butter, or too many carbs,) and a side of tomato feta pasta salad.

You can't tell from this picture, but that is A LOT of chicken salad. Too much, really.

The pasta was outstanding! Carbs + cheese = good...
I wish I could say that I LOVED the chicken salad as much as Mia does, but I'm not entirely sure about it. It was a lovely accompaniment to the croissant, but as a stand-alone, I'm not sure I'd order it again. Perhaps it was the texture - I think the chicken was shredded to finely, because it didn't have the bite/chew I was expecting. Perhaps it just had too much mayo (which I can't believe I just typed, because I adore mayo.) Perhaps it just didn't have enough interesting flavors for me. I was expecting celery/carrot/onion aromatics, and they just weren't there. I was disappointed, and the search for the best chicken salad in town continues...

I do have to say that Gourmet Shop has fantastic egg salad, and I'd probably get that next time instead of the chicken salad. I will not order the smoked salmon debacle, for sure.

Any recommendations for chicken salad?? Leave your favorites in the comments!

Is that a feather in your cap?

 

I did something today that I've never done before. Ever.

I bought a whole chicken, washed it, and boiled it in a stock pot with the usual suspects (aka - carrots, garlic, onions, celery.) 

 

 

It sounds much less traumatic than it really was. Ok, ok... I'm being dramatic. It wasn't traumatic, mostly, and I did the buying/washing/prepping myself, mostly.... And it was on sale, which vastly diminished the price tag trauma that I've gotten from buying fresh seafood and eating out at all these restaurants lately. (Yes, I'm a bit cheap.)

 

Anyway, I got the bird home and cut the plastic off her. Down in the sink she went, for a little rinse before the long hot bath she was about to get. I was perfectly fine until something brownish/red floated out of her cavity, and I remembered a little too late that I had to get the goodies out of the chicken's belly before I could go any further. I really did try to stick my hand in and fish out the liver/kidneys/yuckiness out, but I just couldn't do it. Thankfully, M courageously offered to take care of it for me. 

 

And our two kitties had a most wonderful treat!! They really were the 2 happiest kitties in kitty-town.

 

The little chicken boiled 90ish minutes, until (per various websites said) the meat started falling off the bone.

It was easy. And it made some tender, tasty chicken. Now I need some recipes to make use of it all. Please share your favorite ideas in the comments section....

 

From Fish to Feathers

M said she might have to murder me if I made her eat shrimp again any time soon...and she begged me to start eating chicken just so she'd have a little diversity in her diet.

So, as I was figuring out our menu for the upcoming 2 week period, I threw in some chicken dishes. I started thinking about things I ate when I was growing up, things which I remember as being pretty tasty, and I kept returning to recipes which originated with my Granny. 

Granny, who was known to *everyone* in town by that name, could cook just about anything. She rarely used recipes, and I can't remember seeing a measuring cup or spoon anywhere in her kitchen. She was just that good. She taught me how to make flowers with icing for petit fours, egg salad, and fruit cake. She made green beans that were so heavenly that I tend to avoid them now, because I know they're just not going to be as good.

Her chicken noodle casserole made an immediate appearance on the menu. Of course, I'm still looking for a "recipe" for it, since many of her recipes have been divvied up among aunts and granddaughters since her death. So, for right now, the chicken noodle casserole of my childhood is on stand-by.

As for the inaugural chicken dinner, I decided that I *needed* wings. M was concerned that I would be freaked out by the bones in the wings. I thought that I should get the fear/disgust out of the way. So, M and I ordered 30 wings to-go, with 2 different sauces. My wings were coated with a remoulade, M's wings were spicy Parmesan.

My first thought as I hefted the Styrofoam container from the bag was, "Boy this is heavy!! Maybe 15 wings were way too much!" But then I smelled that spicy sauce, and remembered that I would probably sell my soul for a good remoulade.

Yes, I hesitated for a minute or two before biting into my first wing. And I was a little freaked out by the bones at first. But I got over it.

I ate 5 wings before I thought I might explode. I know quite a few people who probably would've finished off all 30, but I get full very quickly when I eat meat, and frankly, I never did eat a large amount of food in a sitting. Don't worry, though, I had wings again the next day for a snack after work.

And they were just as delicious.

Tuesday Night Supper Club

More often than not, Tuesday nights are spent with Hope and Jeremy. We have a standing dinner date, either at my house, or at their house.
We cook each other dinner, hang out for a bit, discuss the week while we eat.

Normally, I provide the veggies/side dishes, and Hope makes the protein. She doesn't eat pork, so normally she'll bring chicken of some sort to go with whatever dish I'm making.

Since I started my new diet, I asked her to share her favorite seafood dish with me.

She made parmesan crusted tilapia. This is the fish, prepped, ready for the oven. 400 degrees, 'til it's done.

Hope raided my fridge for the sauce. That's mayo, spicy mustard, a little oregano, seasoned salt, cayenne, and a splash of lemon juice. Mix, set aside.

I made some roasted cauliflower, potatoes and carrots with a herbed garlic seasoning. Hint: I totally cheated, and used a soup mix for the seasoning. Toss the veg with a little oil and the seasoning mix, and into the oven for 30ish minutes. I have convection for my oven, so use it if ya got it.

This dish was tasty!! The sauce was creamy and had just a bit of kick from the cayenne and mustard. The fish was flaky, perfectly cooked, and the seasoning didn't overpower at all.
I'll make the fish again. Hope promises to get the recipe to me soon.
Maybe if we're lucky, she'll post it...

Fish & Chips

 

1C flour, 1tsp salt, 1 egg, 1 cup of above.

From scratch, of course....and with Guinness batter, of course.

Chips are just basic baking potatoes, thinly sliced on the mandolin, and fried.

Fry your chips first, let sit in a 170 degree oven until your fish is done. We double fried the chips, like one would french fries.

Once the chips are done*, dunk your fish in the batter and fry in oil until done.

(tilapia looked great at Publix today...)

 

That's done.

And very pretty.

Of course, we had tartar sauce: mayo, pickle relish, minced onion, lemon juice, salt & pepper.

M fried the fish for me. It was flaky, tender, and perfect. The Guinness batter was light and slightly smoky at the same time. It was wonderfully cooked, even though M asserted that it might be slightly undercooked.


*Sorry, but I don't use recipes that much, so most of my recipes are at one's discretion.

Casting a Wider Net

I think M will kill me if we have shrimp again.
Mind you, there's a bag of shrimp in the freezer, which I think will be quite tasty with a roasted garlic bechamel and gnocchi. I'm looking forward to that dish, but I agree with M's assessment that I must try other seafood before I move on to chicken or pork.

So, after a really hard workout yesterday, I managed to undo the hundreds of calories burned in less than one meal.... McDonald's helped, by providing a Filet-o-Fish combo meal via drive-thru.
I'll spare you all pictures, because:
1 - I was really hungry.
2 - I totally forgot to take any pictures anyway.
3 - It's fast food. It didn't really look that appetizing anyway.

Needless to say, it wasn't the best thing I've eaten since Bonefish Grill. I ate every last bite of it, though, probably because I was starving. I didn't eat breakfast before running, so I probably would've eaten anything in front of me at that point.

It was fishier than I thought it would be, but thankfully, there was plenty of tartar sauce. Copious amounts of mayo made the sandwich better than it should have been.

M says Burger King has a better fish sandwich than McD's, so perhaps I'll try that next time I have an urgent need for fast food.

Nacho Ordinary Luau

M and I have a standing date on Monday nights called Luau. I've heard bits about how the name originated... something about a bad day (which happened to be a Monday) and commiserating with pina coladas. Somehow the tradition stuck, insomuch as everyone still meets up at the same house on Mondays, rain, shine, holiday, or whatever, for Luau.
It's a great time, whether 2 people or 15 people show up.

But this post is about a Nacho Ordinary Luau, so it's special.
Tonight's Luau is brought to you by the letter W, as in wedding, and the number 2.
Our friends Patrick and Jenn are getting married soon, so naturally, we're celebrating with nachos, and whatever else the group brings for snacks, drinks, etc.

One of the mainstays of the Luau group is this concoction called "Sausage Crack." Obviously, I've never tried it, but supposedly it's so good that one taste leads to another and another and another...and then you're addicted, and that's that. Because Jenn is a long-time vegetarian, I've never had a better occasion to try a veggie version of the Luau favorite.

Thankfully it's easy to make, and just takes 3 ingredients:

1 package cream cheese
1 can Rotel tomatoes/peppers
1 lb sausage (tonight's version has a tube of Gimme Lean ground sausage style vegetable protein in place of the meat. Yes, I said "tube" of "meat." You may giggle now.)

I sprayed the pan with a little oil, using my trusty Misto. Then I attempted to brown the "soysage," but because of the lack of fat, it took a bit more oil that I intended, and it didn't brown as much as I thought it would, but it does get noticibly firmer as it cooks. Take note, veggies.

Then, add the Rotel.

Then add the cream cheese.

If you've let it come to room temp, like a good girl or boy, you may turn off the heat now. If not (like me,) let it melt a little, then turn the heat off.
Stir until incorporated. You'll know when it's done.

Simple as that.
Scoop up with chips, or flatbread, or fingers, or spoons. Whatever, really. It's good. Probably not as good as pork fat....

Hopefully, Jenn will find it just as addictive, without the pesky vegetarian guilt....

Thwarted Coup D'Etat

It seems that my fears yesterday were somewhat unfounded. I've felt just fine all day... Haven't noticed a single side effect of practically eating my weight in seafood last night.
I have decided, though, to take my transition slowly, starting with seafood, for a few reasons.

1. Seafood has never really been my cup 'o tea. If I started with something, like chicken or beef, which I ate regularly in my pre-veg years, I probably would never learn to appreciate it. I figured that my tastes have changed, and I should give seafood a chance to redeem itself.

2. I want to learn how to properly cook seafood...especially fish. I don't have the experience with it that I have with chicken or beef, and I want to learn a few techniques so that it becomes something I naturally integrate into my new diet.

3. This is the BIG one: I didn't want to get sick. I don't know why seafood seemed like the mildest choice for my body to adjust to first, but it did. I certainly didn't want to go nuts over that filet mignon I've had in my dreams, just to feel awful the next day and reconsider my whole plan.

That's right. Essentially, I didn't want to pussy out. I'm not one to pussy out on much of anything, and to me, this was a pretty big decision that I thought about for the better part of this year.

I'm still looking forward to my rare filet mignon, but I'm resigned to wait for it, knowing that once I do get it, I'll truly enjoy it.

So Far So Good

At this point, I'm waiting for the digestive coup d'etat. I know it's coming, I know it's near, and I know it probably won't be pretty.

So far, though, I'm feeling pretty good about the whole dinner. I tried some new things, was pleasantly surprised by everything, and while I probably didn't taste anything I'd lay awake at night thinking about (I'm talking about you, Thai Massaman Curry with Tofu!!), I didn't hate any of it.

As we made our way out of the restaurant, I noticed that I felt really warm. Summer is starting to wane here, and evenings are pleasantly cool. Cool, as in mid-70s, which is a smart change from the stifling 98-105 degree heat we've been stewing in since May. But, even in the cool evening breeze, I was sweating....like my metabolism had kicked into overdrive. It was a very odd sensation, not really unpleasant, just peculiar.

MJ has been asking me since we left dinner if I'm feeling ok. So far, I feel great!!

Let's hope I can answer with the same enthusiasm tomorrow.

You Traitor!!

I expected a little vegetarian guilt tonight. I have just a touch, I admit.

This was the appetizer.

Above, behold the beautiful dish of Bang Bang Shrimp. I wouldn't call this a religious experience, but it was absolutely the right choice for the first non-vegetarian thing I've eaten in a VERY long time. It was slightly sweet, a touch spicy, and very very chewy. I had completely forgotten how chewy shrimp is. And, just like that, all guilt was assuaged in one bite....ok, 4 bites. Let's be honest here; I ate probably half that plate. It's ok! The other 4 people dining with me got plenty. We ordered two.

My dinner.

I ordered grilled shrimp and sea scallops with the Asian sauce. The sauce could have handled a bit more ginger. (There's no such thing as too much ginger, for sure.) The shrimp were just as delightful and sweet in the sauce, and the scallops were super creamy, with just the right amount of char from the grill. I really wish they had given me more sauce, though. As you see, I did get garlic creamed potatoes and steamed broccoli.... This may be the first time I left veggies on my plate.

It was an interesting change of pace having 3 other people with 3 different dishes that I could actually try. So I did. And it was good.

First there was Chilean Sea Bass with Mango Chutney. Not my favorite, to be honest, but another member of our party said it wasn't as good as usual.
 The fish itself was the fishiest tasting of the whole bunch. The texture was the flakiest. I really liked the texture. It was light and, well, flaky.

 Then swordfish with creamy jalapeno sauce. I really liked this one. The sauce was subtle, and not nearly as spicy as I expected. The swordfish had a completely different texture than anything else I tried tonight. There was no discernible flakiness, it was denser than I expected, and the chew-factor was unexpected again. I had 2 bites of this dish. I had a tentative first bite, which was just the right size. The second bite was much larger, and almost too much at once. I guess I'm one of those delicate eaters. I like very small bites.

Finally, salmon with lemon butter. Once again, I was surprised by how good it was.
I was the most worried about this one. I've never been a big fan of fish, but I was surprised at the subtlety of the flavor. The sauce was complementary, but unimposing. The texture was light and slightly flaky.

Reservations

I have reservations in just a few minutes at Bonefish Grill.
I also have reservations about this dinner. I do hope I enjoy it. I mean, I am excited, but also quite nervous, as I stated in the previous post.

But enough about my scaredy-cat nerves....

I have done all the preparation I could for this transition. Mainly, I talked to my doc, because of the complete lack of info on the internet about switching from vegetarian to omnivore. There's a plethora of info on going from omnivore to veg, but basically NOTHING about switching the other way. This scares me, but I'll just have to do what I always do when faced with something scary - stick a grin on my face, and plow on through. After all, it couldn't possibly kill me, right?

So, about my doc... She's a wonderful doctor, and always takes time to talk to me about all my concerns when I see her. In fact, I'm the type of patient who takes notes with me so I don't forget what I wanted to ask about. On this venture, I figured she'd have some thoughtful and insightful advice.... Boy, was I wrong.
I posed my question, "I'm switching from 19+ years of vegetarian to an omnivorous diet in a few months. How should I go about this change to minimize any bad effects?"
She said, "Um... Just eat it??"
Thankfully, she did follow up her very funny (albeit, smart-assed) comment with some good suggestions, like start slowly, add in elements as you feel comfortable, etc.

The most important thing, really, is that I enjoy this meal. I've got my fingers crossed.

I'm planning a post with pics coming up... Here I go!!

The Big O

Today marks the last day of my vegetarian diet.
I've not pinned down exactly how I feel about this experiment. I feel excited, because I'll essentially get to experience a whole new culinary adventure. I feel nervous, because I'm sure my digestive system is going to be very angry with me for the foreign material it will have to break down. I even feel a little sad that I'm leaving such a huge part of my life behind.

I've never been one of the vigilante vegetarians who try to make others feel bad about what they choose to ingest. In fact, I have been known to cook all sorts of meaty things for friends, and I do a pretty good job of it, considering I've never tasted half of what I've made. At least, I've had no complaints on my cooking skills with meats. I am starting this venture, which may last just one year or the rest of my life (undecided at this time), with a hopefulness that I'll discover new delights for my palate...

Wish me gastronomic luck!!