melanie makes

apricot basil chicken salad.

it's hot outside and this week it has me not wanting to turn on the oven.  and for some reason, i've been craving chicken salad for the past couple of weeks.  after the weekly trip to the grocery store, i had everything i needed to quickly assemble this for dinner.  the combination of apricot and basil is not one you'd normally think of - or at least i wouldn't - but something that had me going back for a few more bites after i had finished my sandwich.

APRICOT BASIL CHICKEN SALAD

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 6 oz. non-fat greek yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 5 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 1 rotisserie chicken
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1/3 cup dried apricots
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

in a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, yogurt, paprika, garlic and vinegar.  stir in three cups of cubed chicken, almonds, onion, celery, apricots and basil.  season with salt and pepper.

adapted from june 2010 issue of everyday food.  i used a rotisserie chicken purely for convenience, but also loved the added flavor it brought to the dish.  i love that this salad isn't heavy on the mayo but instead uses a combination of mayo and yogurt.  i served this on croissants and loved the texture of the salad in contrast with it.

perfect pizza crust.

pizza crust is such a personal thing and at times, a controversial topic.  in our house, we like chicago-style, thick crust pizza.  and we usually ordered pizza out.  until i stumbled upon this recipe that is.  although it isn't a thick crust, it seems to come in somewhere around the middle.  it's soft and chewy and withstands the absurd number of toppings we seem to pile on each friday for dinner.  because friday = pizza night in our house.  usually you'll find two layers of pepperoni, sausage, onion and pineapple on our pizzas and sometimes a green pepper if there is one in the drawer in the fridge.

PERFECT PIZZA CRUST

• 2.25 teaspoons active dry yeast (one package)
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 2.5 cups bread flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

preheat oven to 450 degrees.  in a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in water.  let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

stir in flour, salt and oil.  let rest for 5 minutes.  lightly oil pizza pan to avoid sticking.

using oiled hands, press dough onto pizza pan and top with favorite toppings.

spread with desired toppings and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

adapted from a recipe that our farmer included in one of our CSA boxes last year.  if you do a fair amount of baking with yeast, i highly recommend buying it in bulk as it's much cheaper than buying it by the package or even in the glass jars.  i purchased two pounds of it from amazon and then keep it in my freezer and simply refill the glass jar in the fridge when needed.

orzo salad with black beans, mushrooms and corn.

for those "must have meat at every meal" types - aka my husband - this is such a filling dish.  in fact, i ate it yesterday for both lunch and dinner and hardly snacked at all through the day.  and then there's the avocado.  oh how i adore avocado.  is this the time when i should be honest and say that at times i like to dice an entire avocado on top?  no?  well, then pretend i just didn't admit that.

ORZO SALAD WITH BLACK BEANS MUSHROOMS AND CORN

• 1 cup orzo
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 oz. sliced button mushrooms
• 1 small bunch green onions, thinly sliced
• 1.25 cups frozen corn
• 1 15.5 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 lime
• 2 avocados

prepare orzo following directions on package. put in large bowl.

in large skillet, heat olive oil. over medium-high.  cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally until golden brown, about 5 minutes. add to bowl.  add green onions, corn and black beans to bowl.  juice lime into bowl.  stir to combine.  season with salt and pepper.

halve, pit, peel and dice avocado.

serve salad in bowls topped with avocado.

adapted from the july/august 2010 issue of everyday food.  the original recipe called for israeli couscous but with a 2 year old eating this dinner, the orzo works a bit better for us at this point.  the orzo is messy enough!  the great thing about this salad is that it can be served both hot or cold and that it can be made in advance.  i had time during lunch to put this together and then it sat in the fridge until dinner time.  i actually like to put my salad in a bowl and warm it in the microwave for about 30 seconds before topping with avocado and enjoying.  the 2 year old prefers it cold.

thai chile peanut meatballs.

these seem to creep into our weekly meal plan at least once a month.  i love the unexpected thai-type spice and the fact that they're just that simple to make.  everyone that i've ever recommended this recipe to enjoys it as well.  it always gets rave reviews.  spicy meatballs, whole grain rice and a fresh from the csa box veggie and you've got a meal that couldn't be more perfect.

THAI CHILE PEANUT MEATBALLS

• 40 frozen meatballs - either store bought or from your own freezer
• 2 heaping tablespoons chunky peanut butter
• 1 14.5 oz can light coconut milk
• 1 scant tablespoon red chile paste
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1.5 tablespoons sugar

using a 4-6 quart slow cooker, put meatballs in crock.  add all other ingredients and stir to combine.  the sauce won't mix completely but do the best you can.  cook 2-4 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low.  when done, stir meatballs and sauce before serving.

based on stephanie o'dea's slow cooker meatballs in chile peanut sauce. i find that by using the entire can of coconut milk, you end up with more sauce for your meatballs.  we're saucy meatball types.  when serving this dish to children or those who might not care for as much heat don't serve as much sauce as that's where the heat is.  when serving to our two year old, i take out meatballs for her before stirring the meatballs and sauce together after the dish has finished cooking.

cake mix cookies.

 

i don't tend to use a lot of mixes as usually i can make something just as fast making it from scratch.  but then again, there are times when a mix when save you in a pinch or is actually called for in a recipe.  this happens to be one of those times.  i had bought three or four cake mixes around the holidays as they were super on sale and needed something to do with them before they expired.  the first time i made this recipe, i knew i was in trouble.  yes, they're that good.  and lucky for me, they're just as easy to make as they are good.

CAKE MIX COOKIES

• 1 boxed cake mix - i go with the most chocolatey chocolate variety i can get my hands on
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 cup add-ins - think chocolate chips, mini peanut butter cups, whatever you like!

combine cake mix, eggs and oil.  add add-ins and mix well.  drop by rounded teaspoon on cookie sheet.  bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes.

recipe adapted from my friend becky after receiving these cookies with a meal after having L.  these cookies are dangerous!  so moist and delicious, they never last long.  i use a cookie scoop from oxo for all of my cookies and did so here as well.  i find that's the only way i can insure my cookies are relatively the same size.  best investment ever.  when using it, i find this recipe makes two dozen cookies.