Curry Chicken Salad

About two weeks ago I went to lunch with my dear friend, Jenwood. We went to a place called Cadillac cafe. I decided to be adventurous and try something new. I got the Chicken Curry Salad and immediately fell in love. It was so incredibly good. That was on a Tuesday. By Friday I had thought about that salad so much that I took my husband and daughter there for lunch just so I could have it again. Probably not too high on the lowfat list but you can get all your days worth of veggies in one sitting. The price was a little too high for me to go and enjoy it often though. So with a little imagination and some ingredients I think we have something that is close enough to satisfy me!

Chicken Curry Salad

4 C lettuce
4 oz chicken, cooked and cubed
1 C grapes, halved
1/2 C chopped celery
1/2 C sliced red onion
1/4-1/2 C raw cashews- depending on how much crunch you like!

Curry dressing:
1/4 C mayo (I used my homemade mayo)
1/4 C buttermilk
1 Tbsp curry powder
dash of paprika
salt and pepper

Combine salad ingredients and then toss with the dressing.

Ranch dressing

We have trying to find a good ranch dressing. This was the third attempt and I really, really like it. It is a little more runny than the storebought stuff but that might be because of my homemade buttermilk. But it was SO good on my french fries last night!

Ranch Dressing
1 C mayo- I used my homemade!
1 C buttermilk
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp alt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dill
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 T parsley

Blend it all together and the enjoy on everything from french fries to salads to carrots. Store in refrigerator.

Yogurt cheese cakes

I had some yogurt cheese from my last batch of powdered milk yogurt and wanted to try to make a cheesecake out of it. This turned out really good. The flavor is less tangy than a regular cheesecake but super creamy and yummy.
To make the yogurt cheese all you need to do it put it in a cheesecloth bag and hang it over a bowl over night letting all the whey drip out. I let mine hang from one of the cabinet knobs. You can also put cheesecloth over a large bowl, securing it with a rubber band, and let it drain over night. There are different ways to do this posted at Everyday Food Storage. 

Yogurt Cheese Cake

8oz yogurt cheese
1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Mix together the ingredients until smooth.

6 graham crackers
1 T melted butter
Mix together and then press into the bottom of 6 muffin cups.
Pour the cheese mixture over the crust and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until the middle doesn't jiggle. Refrigerate until set.


Here is the caramel sauce recipe we drizzled over it.


Caramel Sauce:
1/2 C buttermilk
2 C sugar
1/2 C butter
2 T corn syrup
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla


In saucepan add all ingredient except vanilla and boil for about 3 minutes or until browned through. Remove from heat and add vanilla. This stuff makes a lot and is divine!!!

Homemade BBQ sauce

A little while ago we realized that we were out of bbq sauce. My 14 yr old son adores bbq sauce. He would eat it on almost everything I think. Anyway, we decided to have a contest. I would make some and he would make some and we would see which we liked best. He added all sorts of crazy stuff to his pot and I got a recipe off the internet that had like 600+ reviews and tweaked it. Needless to say, his sauce was a little strong after adding about half the bottle of hickory smoke and mine became the families new favorite. We no longer buy bbq sauce and tonight I made another batch.
This recipe make 3 pint sized jars of sauce. The upside down jars is me experimenting with sealing the lids. I do it with jams with no problem so I thought I'd give it a shot with the sauce. I guess the canning people don't recommend doing this though.
But try the sauce. It rocks!

Homemade BBQ sauce 

2 C ketchup
2 C tomato sauce
1 1/4 C brown sugar
1 1/4 C white vinegar
1/2 C molasses
4 tsp hickory smoke
2 T butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion pwd
1 tsp chili pwd
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer for 20 minutes. If you want it thicker just simmer longer. Place in your container of choice. It is good on just about everything. Just ask the 14 yr old! :)

Berry Sauce

This recipe is an absolute favorite of mine. I love it on waffles, french toast, ice cream, just about anything. And a bonus is no refined sugar, but still a super sweet taste.

Berry Sauce-
1/2 c honey
1 1/2 tsp corn starch
2 T orange juice
1 c mixed unsweetened berries
1 1/2 c fresh strawberries, cut in half
Stir together honey and cornstarch in medium saucepan. Stir in orange juice until smooth. Stir in the mixed berries and heat until boiling, stirring constantly.
Cook about 4 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and add strawberries. Serve over pancakes or French toast.

Magic Mix White Sauce

This turned out really good...with a little tweaking from the original recipe that I got. So here is my version:

Magic Mix White Sauce

2/3 C magic mix

1 C water

2 T grated romano or parmesan cheese

1/2 T garlic powder

1 tsp parsely

1/4 tsp salt

Combine all in medium saucepan and whisk over medium heat until it boils. I added 1 c cooked chicken and put it over noodles. Serves 4