White Bean and Tuna Salad

With all the Christmas cookies and parties laded with delicious yummy snack foods, a lighter dinner is just what we needed!  How about you?  Ready for an extra healthy, quick and flavorful recipe?  This tuna salad is great in a pita pocket for lunch or dinner, or on top of crackers as an appetizer or snack.  This recipe has been known to turn a few former 'I don't like tuna salad' people into White Bean and Tuna Salad fans!  Very tasty, you will find yourself going back for more!

White Bean and Tuna Salad  Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:

1/2 C chopped red onions
Zest and juice of 1 lemon or 2-3 T of bottled lemon juice
2 (5 or 6 oz.) cans of tuna, drained
2 (15 oz.) cans of Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 C chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (I didn't have any and used dried instead but would recommend fresh if you can)
A few splashes of hot sauce
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Salt and olive oil to taste

Directions:

1. Combine lemon juice and onion in a small bowl. Allow to sit a minute while you get the other things ready and to take some of the edge of the onion.
2. In a large bowl mix the tuna and beans.
3. Add the parsley, black pepper, and lemon/onion mixture, stirring to combine.
4. Add Tabasco or hot sauce to taste.
5. Do a little taste test.  Add more lemon if needed, olive oil if it seems too dry and salt to taste.
6. Serve chilled or at room temperature. May be refrigerated for a couple hours up to a day before serving.

This post linked to: Decidely Healthy or Horridly Decadent at ceo a's draiocht

White Chocolate Dipped Graham Crackers

I've seen regular chocolate dipped graham crackers at chocolate specialty shops and pre-packaged at the grocery store.  I've never bought them there though because I figure they are so simple (and fun!) to make there is no reason not to make them myself.  What could be easier than these two quick steps?  1. Dip your graham cracker.  2. Add the sprinkles.  Grab the kids and head to the kitchen for some chocolatey, sprinkley fun!  Have an adult do the chocolate dipping and the kids add the sprinkles. 

If I am going to be dipping something in chocolate I like to use my Wilton Chocolate Melter.  Matt got me this cool little thing for Christmas last year and I love it!  The diameter is only about 5 inches across.  The smaller size makes your pool of chocolate deeper, fantastic for dipping.  I also like the 'melt' and 'warm' settings so that you don't over heat the chocolate while you are busy dipping away.  The top part of the melter comes out (see the little handle?) and has a spout that could be used for drizzling or pouring the chocolate.



White Chocolate Dipped Graham Crackers  Source: An 'A' For Effort

 Ingredients:

White Chocolate Bark 

Graham Crackers

Sprinkles

Directions:

1. Line a pan with wax paper.

2. Melt chocolate by your preferred method. 

3. Dip the top part of you graham cracker into the chocolate.  Use a spatula to evenly distribute or scrape off excess.  Place on wax paper.

4. Add sprinkles.

5. Place in refrigerator to harden.

Dew Tart

Do you ever come across a recipe with an un-expected ingredient and think "That is weird, I've got to try it"?  Well, my sister started telling me about this awesome apple dessert she made.  Then she went down the ingredient list and said it was made with Mountain Dew.  That got my attention!  Mountain Dew with apples and cinnamon?  Interesting!  Count me in :)

I was really looking forward to tasting the Mountain Dew in the dessert, but unfortunately after baking the flavor was not noticeable :(  I was really disappointed with that, but not with the rest of the flavor! Similar to an apple pie but with much less effort :)

Dew Tart  Source: My sister Lydia

Ingredients:

4-6 granny smith apples

2 tubes of crescent rolls

1 stick butter

1 tsp cinnamon

12 oz. Mountain Dew

Apples wrapped in crescent rolls

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Grease a 9 x 13' pan.

3. Peel, core & slice apples.

4. Wrap 2 slices of apple into each crescent roll and place in prepared pan.

5. Add remaining slices of apple between the crescent wrapped apples.

6. Melt butter, combine with the sugar and cinnamon and pour over the apples.

7. Pour Mountain Dew over everything.

8. Bake for 40-45 minutes.

The Mountain Dew bubbled and foamed up when I added it

Hunter's Chicken

I found this in the '30 Minutes or Less' section of an old Cooking Light.  I'm really not sure why this is called Hunter's Chicken.  The only thing I can think of is that the original creator of the recipe's name was Hunter.  This may be one of those dishes we re-name at our house.  Please tell me that you rename dishes too.  Hunter's Chicken has tomatoes, green olives and Italian bread crumb crusted chicken...any good name suggestions??

Matt and I loved the green olives in this dish.  It did come together pretty quickly and we liked it!  When I made it we didn't have a lot of green olives, next time I will be sure to get the whole 2 T called for in the recipe. 

I am serious about the name suggestions!  Leave a comment if you have a name :) 

Hunter's Chicken  Source: Cooking Light October 2000

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts, cubed

2 T Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

1 T olive oil

2 T chopped pimento-stuffed green olives

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

2 (14.5 oz) cans Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained

1/4 C shredded mozzarella cheese

Pasta of your liking

Directions:

1.  Cook pasta and keep warm.

2. Dredge chicken in breadcrumbs. 

3. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat and add chicken.  Cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned.

4. Stir in olives, seasonings and undrained tomatoes.

5. Cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

6. Serve over pasta and top with cheese.

First Real Snow of the Season!

I really love the way snow looks lined up on the trees.  We received our first real snow of the season Friday night, 8.5 inches!!  I am not really a big 'winter' person.  I don't enjoy the below freezing temperatures, but something about a big snow fall just seems so romantic to me.  I have a fondness for those huge snow falls that make school, work and stores close so that everyone has to stay home, cuddle on the couch and watch movies.  I would have LOVED to stay home and watch the snow fall yesterday, but while it was a big snow it wasn't that big and I had a continuing education class from 8-5pm.  I couldn't resist a few pictures outside my class :)

Little path shoveled to the front door

So romantic!

I hope that everyone has had a good weekend!  Did you get any snow?