Teriyaki Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
Teriyaki sauce or marinade
2 ribs of celery, thinly sliced
3-4 green onions, chopped
1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted
1 small can of Mandarin oranges, drained and cut in half
1 small can pineapple tidbits
1/2 c. mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
Croissants or pitas
Lettuce leaves

Directions:
Marinate chicken in teriyaki sauce for several hours. Grill, cool completely and chop. In a bowl, combine chicken, celery and green onions. Add mayonnaise and 2-3 more tablespoons of teriyaki sauce to taste. Stir well, cover and refrigerate for several hours.
Right before serving, add oranges, pineapple, and nuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve on a croissant roll with lettuce leaves. Serves 4-6.

Notes: I've never made chicken salad sandwiches before (not sure why!) and when I came across this recipe in Our Best Bites I book marked it and saved it for a hot summer day. I'm glad I did! These were so delicious, flavorful and a nice twist on the average chicken salad.


1 Year Ago: Iced Chai Latte

Avocado Pesto

Ingredients:
12 oz. pasta of your choice
1 ripe avocado, diced
3/4 c. loosely packed basil leaves
1 large clove of garlic
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c. olive oil

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the avocado, basil, garlic, lemon juice, salt  and pepper until creamy. Scrape down the sides of the food processor, add the parmesan cheese and pulse just until blended. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is running. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and place in a serving dish. Pour the pesto over the top and toss to coat. Makes 4 large portions.

Notes: I've had this recipe saved for a long time and I finally got around to making it. I make this pesto quite often in the summer so I was excited to try a new recipe....I loved it! The avocado added a really nice creamy texture and the lemon juice gave it a nice zip! I will definitely be making this again :)

Mango Sorbet

Ingredients:
3 large mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 c. cold water
3/4-1 c. sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
2 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp. vodka (to keep from freezing solid)

Directions:
Place diced mangoes and water in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl (preferably with a lid) and add sugar, lemon juice and vodka. Stir for several minutes until sugar is completely dissolved. Cover tightly and chill in the fridge for several hours or overnight. Pour mango mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Store in a sealed container in your freezer until frozen.

Notes: I looooove mango and I loooooove any frozen dessert! I've been meaning to make this sorbet for a while now so when I saw mangoes were 50 cents this week at my grocery store I knew it was the perfect time! Plus being huge and pregnant in 90 degree weather, I can always go for something cold and refreshing :) I loved how this stuff turned out! It wasn't overly sweet like store bought kinds I've had in the past. It tasted just like eating a frozen. smooth, creamy mango...mmm!

Update....

So sorry for my continual lack of posting lately...I hope I haven't lost anyone! I know I said I'd be better about it but I'm due 6 weeks from today with our second daughter and I can tell you without a doubt that is the reason I haven't been cooking, creating, blogging, etc. Some days I have zero energy (probably due to my insane "nesting" attacks) so sometimes cooking is out of the question!

Life has been full of other things, too! My brother got married on May 20th which was also Randy's and my 5 year anniversary. We took a 3 day trip to Santa Fe before the wedding to celebrate. A couple weeks before their wedding I had a vintage tea party themed bridal shower for his wife, Jacki. Also, our first daughter turns 2 weeks from today so I've been planning a little family party for her. In between, I keep myself busy getting the house ready for the new baby, cleaning things I haven't touched in years and trying to rest and enjoy these last few weeks before our family of 3 becomes a family of 4.

So there's a quick little update. I promise I will try harder to keep everyone up to date on things. Thanks for staying faithful and following my little blog :)



Here is a shot of the casita we stayed at in Santa Fe. I took this on my cell phone walking back from breakfast one morning. The place was called Los Polomas and we really enjoyed it!

Here is the food/tea table from Jacki's bridal shower



Here's Margot the flower girl peeking out from behind my dress at Stefan and Jacki's wedding :)