We spent the last day of our spring break having fun. I had Laura and Connie over to do a bit of dyeing and then we had Greg and Natali over for dinner. It was a full and satisfying day.
My girl friends and I have a tradition of doing tie dye together when we go with the school to Snow Mountain Ranch every May. Connie loved it so much that five years ago I hosted a tie dye and fondue birthday party for her. Today we simply felt the need to make some stuff. Laura did underwear for her family that will be bundled and tied to look like flower for Easter. Connie did a few pairs, too. All three of us dyed some towels. I could not find the ones I wanted,but I think I will like what I have created. They did the traditional style with twisting the fabric, securing it with rubber bands and adding the dye. That is not my style so I did something a bit different. I did strips of color on two pillow cases for Laura and her husband, Davis. I kept the stripes separate and wet enough for the colors to meld together. Her pillow has shades of purple to blue. The pillow for Davis starts off with the same blue and works its way to shades of green. I also made a few pillow cases for myself, as well as a few dish towels. I went the gradation route, starting with a very dark shade of one color and simply diluting it more as I go. (I'll post photos soon.) I made a really refreshing salad for lunch. It is one of those recipes that I forget about and am happy when I come across it again.
Big Sky Chicken-Salad Sanwiches
from Taste of South magazine, June/July 2009 issue
1/2 c slivered almonds
1/2 c chopped pecans
1/2 c pineapple tidbits, drained
1/2 c cranberries
1/2 c mandarin orange segments, drained
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/2 c honey mustard
1/4 c apricot preserves
2 c chopped cooked chicken
Combine nuts and fruit in a large bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, and preserves, whisking until combined. Add sauce mixture to fruit mixture, along with chopped chicken, tossing gently until combined. Spread mixture onto bread slices to make sandwiches (or not - and enjoy as is). Serves 6.
For Greg and Natali I made the Magic Spinach Ring that I posted about just a few days ago. I also made two flavors of Lettuce Wraps.
Lettuce Wraps - Two Versions
Pouring/Dipping sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Chicken or Beef Stir-fry
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed to 1/2″ (or ground beef)
1 – 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, minced to the size of corn kernals
1 - 8 oz. can Bamboo Shoots, chopped finely
1/2 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced fine
6 large leaves of iceberg lettuce
Stir-fry sauce
1 teaspoon hot water
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
Begin by making the pouring sauce. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup warm water, then add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, lemon/lime juice and sesame oil. Mix well.
Combine 1 teaspoons hot water with Dijon mustard and garlic and set this aside in small bowl.
Combine oils and add to wok or large frying pan. Heat oil over high heat until it glistens, about one minute. Add chicken and saute until cooked through, then remove from the pan (I kept it warm in a casserole dish in the oven). Keep oil in the pan, keeping it hot over a low flame. (If you are making the beef version brown the beef with the onions and drain off any fat.)
Prep the stir fry sauce by mixing soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar in a small bowl. Add in the Dijon mix.
Take pan that you cooked the chicken or beef in and turn it up to medium-high heat. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, wait one minute, and then add garlic, onions, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and the stir-fry sauce you prepared earlier. Stir-fry everything until they have cooked, about four minutes. Add in the chicken/beef. Pout the stir fry sauce over the mix and stir it in.
Serve stir-fry with iceberg lettuce leaf wraps and the pouring sauce on the side.
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