Its sometimes a challenge to use leftovers. I often use them in soups and salads. Today I found myself with some leftover cooked chicken and wanted to do something fun with it. I decided to make a big salad but rather than just add the chicken I first heated up the chicken in some home made barbecue sauce. It made the whole salad more fun and the warm chicken was a nice counterpoint to the cold salad veggies. Super easy and very tasty.

Barbecue Chicken Salad

3-4 cups lettuce, rinsed and torn into bite-sized pieces

1/2 c. shredded cabbage

1/2 c. chopped sweet pepper

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 T.olive oil

1-2 T. cider vinegar

1 c. cooked chicken, cubed

1/2 c. barbecue sauce

1/4 c. cashews

Arrange veggies in bowl on on a plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with the oil and vinegar. Place chicken on small skillet and add the barbecue sauce. Heat until bubbly, stirring often. Spoon over the vegetable mixture and sprinkle with cashews.

 

Having friends over for dinner. Doing a Southern-influenced picnic. I thought this would be the perfect dessert. Soft, sweet and moist it is the right finish for our dinner. If you end up with extra sweet potatoes it is also a great way to use them up. Just 1/2 cup of mashed sweet potatoes is used in the recipe.

Sweet Potato Pound Cake

1 1/2 c. cake flour*

1/2 t. each baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg

1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 c. sour cream, room temperature

1 1/3 c. sugar

3 eggs, room temperature

1/2 c. mashed sweet potato

1 t. vanilla

 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly oil an 8×4-inch loaf pan.** Mix flour with next 4 ingredients and set aside. In large mixing bowl beat together butter and sour cream. Beat in sugar and then beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in mashed sweet potato and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients and pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until tester comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool in pan 30 minutes before loosening cake sides from pan and removing. After cake has cooled wrap in foil and store at room temperature. Serves 8.

*Rather than keeping cake flour on hand, you can add lib in a pinch. There are 2 ways to substitute.

For each cup of cake flour you can measure 1 cup of regular all purpose flour and then just remove 2 table spoonfuls of the flour.

Some recipes also call to remove the 2 table spoons of regular flour and replace them with 2 tablespoon of cornstarch. I’ve tried both methods in baking and have had fine results either way. It is important that you measure the flour correctly to begin with. Flour should always be spooned into the measuring cup and then leveled off with a knife.

For a larger amount:

7 cups flour

1 c. cornstarch

Sift together and store until ready to use.

** I used a 9×5-inch loaf pan. The bread does not get at high but it still works fine at this size and the cooking time was reduced by 10 minutes.

 

If you have hard-cooked eggs and want a tasty way to serve them you might like Goldenrod. Its a recipe my Grandmother and Mother used to make every year after Easter when we had lots of hard cooked eggs around. It’s a simple dish and very tasty. Of course you can make Goldenrod any time you have hard-cooked eggs.

Goldenrod

4-6 hard cooked eggs

2 T. flour

2 T. butter or margarine

1-1 1/2 c. milk

salt and pepper to taste

2-4 slices bread, toasted

 

Peel eggs and separate whites from yolks. Chop egg whites and set aside. In saucepan cook flour and butter together until smooth. Stir in milk and cook until thickened and bubbly. Be careful not to burn the sauce. Season to taste and add reserved egg whites, heating through. Arrange toast on serving dishes and cover with the sauce. Place reserves egg yolks in a fine sieve and press through over sauce, dusting as evenly as possible. Serves 2-4.

 

If you are looking for a quick appetizer try this easy recipe. Serve with crackers, veggies or pita chips.

Carrot Spread

1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
3 med. size carrots, grated
3 Green onions, sliced
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, optional
1/4 c. mayonnaise
Coarse black pepper & salt to taste

Soften cream cheese. Add to carrots, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, salt and mayonnaise. Chill until ready to serve.

When I was growing up one of my best friends was Debbi Dieglio. We shared many fun times. Every Easter Debbi’s Mom, Rose, would make these wonderful biscotti with a colored egg baked in the middle and drizzled with a powdered sugar glaze. These are not the hard biscotti you might be more familiar with but something more correctly called viscotta. Think of them as a big cookie. Over the years I have become “The Easter Judi” making dozens of them and giving them to friends and family. Wanted to share the recipe with you today. I really think you’ll love them. Because they contain eggs- keep refrigerated.

Easter Egg Biscotti

1 c. shortening or butter- I use butter

1 ½ c. sugar

4 eggs

5 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

2 t. vanilla

1 c. milk

6 c. flour

Hard cooked eggs, plain or dyed

Powdered sugar glaze

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter or shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs. Add next 4 ingredients and blend until smooth. Stir in flour 2 cups at a time. Dough should be pliable. If dough is too sticky add a little more flour. Take a piece of dough about the size of a large egg and place on a greased baking sheet. Indent middle slightly and then place an egg in the center, pressing down slightly. It should look like a nest. Continue with remaining dough allowing about 2-3 inches in between as they grow. You can fit 6-8 on a large baking sheet. Bake 20 –25 minutes or until browned on the bottom. Cool on wire rack before drizzling with frosting. Makes 24-30.

Sugar glaze

2 c. powdered sugar

2-3 T. milk or orange juice

1 t. vanilla

Food coloring, if desired

Mix together until smooth and of drizzling consistency.

If you are looking for a new way to cook sweet potatoes try adding them to your biscuit dough. As they bake they add moisture and tenderness. These are a fast and tasty addition to your dinner. Perhaps even for the holiday table. The biscuits are tender and are best served warm with sweet butter.

Herbed Sweet Potato Biscuits

2 1/4 c. flour

1 T. baking powder

1/2 t. grated lemon peel

1/4 t. each baking soda, dried basil and dried thyme

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 c. shredded sweet potato, about 1 large

1/2 c. fine chopped green onions

1/2 c. sour cream

2T. butter, melted or olive oil

 

Stir together dry ingredients in large bowl and set aside. Combine remaining ingredients and add to flour mixture mixing until just blended. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead a few times until dough just stays together. Dough will look too dry- but it will come together after you knead it. Press into an 8-inch square and cut into four squares.* Cross cut each square into four triangles. Place on greased baking sheet and bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 20 minutes. Makes 16.

* I press the dough into a lightly floured 8×8-inch baking pan and then flip it out onto the work surface. That way you’ll get nice, even edges.

Cut dough into 16 triangles

I love cabbage. I use it in salads, soups and in cabbage and noodles. I am always looking for more recipes to use it. This is one of my favorites. This will be a side dish for an Italian inspired dinner. There are not a lot of ingredients but all of them pack a punch, flavor-wise and the dish is amazingly tasty. Give it a try. I think you will love it, too.

 

Venetian Cabbage

3 slices minced pancetta (Italian bacon) or thick bacon

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 T.  rosemary, minced

1 T. olive oil

2 1/2 lbs. green cabbage, trimmed and shredded

1/2 c. chicken stock or white wine

 

Place bacon, rosemary and garlic in large skillet and drizzle with oil.Cook bacon, garlic and rosemary  until mixture starts to sizzle. Stir in the cabbage, tossing to coat well. Cook, covered, over medium heat for 20-30 minutes adding the stock or wine a little at a time. Stir from time to time. I like to get a little color on the cabbage. Add salt to taste before serving. Serves 6.

 

Venetian Cabbage

3 T. minced pancetta (Italian bacon) or thick bacon

1 clove garlic, minced

pinch of rosemary, minced

1 T. olive oil

2 1/2 lbs. green cabbage, trimmed and shredded

1/2 c. chicken stock or white wine

 

Cook bacon, garlic and rosemary in saucepan until mixture starts to sizzle. Stir in the cabbage, tossing to coat well. Cook, covered, over low heat for an hour adding the stock or wine a little at a time. Add salt to taste before serving. Serves 6.

Cover and cook over medium heat.

When it comes to comfort food it would be hard to top bread pudding. It is always a welcome dessert with family and friends and a great way to use up old bread. Plus you can tweak ingredients based on what you have and what you like. Add more dried fruit-or not. Add more spices according your taste. Super easy and super delicious!! While you can use many kinds of bread I love to make mine with cinnamon bread to add extra flavor.

 

 

Bread Pudding

9 slices day-old bread – plain white or whet bread is fine, but I like cinnamon bread. Some people even use old dinner rolls

2/3  c. raisins or other dried fruit, optional- although much better with the fruit

1/3 c. melted butter

6 eggs

3 cups milk or half and half

1 c. sugar or 1/2 c. each white and brown sugar

1 T. cinnamon

1 T. vanilla

Tear or cut bread into small pieces and place in a lightly greased 9×13-inch pan. Sprinkle with the dried fruit, if using, and then drizzle with the melted butter. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over the bread cubes. Use a fork to push the bread down into the egg mixture to be sure they all get moistened. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown and set. The middle might be a little soft- but should test clean with a toothpick. Serve warm or cold. Serves 8.