Recipe of the Week: Curry & Cranberry Chicken Salad

We have a tradition in our family to take a picnic in the Cuyahoga Valley several times each summer. Sometimes we eat while listening to free concerts; sometimes we eat after visiting the farmer's market; and sometimes we just eat and let the kids run around. It's something we all look forward to when the weather gets warm.

This recipe is the result of being tired of deli meat sandwiches and PB&Js on these outings. One night a couple of years ago, I made this chicken salad to vary things up a bit, and now it's our picnic standby.

Curry & Cranberry Chicken Salad

2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
2 T. minced onion
1/4 c. diced celery
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 heaping T. mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. mild curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Keep refrigerated until ready to eat. Serve on whole wheat bread with some iceberg lettuce for extra crunch.

P.S. A lot of recipes start out with cooked chicken breasts. I used to shy away from these because I wasn't sure how to go about this step. Did it mean baking? Pan frying? I've learned that if its not specified exactly how to cook the chicken, you should just poach it. Which basically just means boiling. I place the chicken in a pan and fill it with water or chicken broth so that the chicken isn't quite covered. I add a bay leaf and some salt and pepper, then boil the chicken for about 3 minutes. Then I remove the pan from heat, cover it, and let the chicken sit for another 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.

P.P.S. Save time by poaching several chicken breasts as soon as you come home from the grocery store. They should be done by the time you put away all the other groceries. Then you can freeze them individually wrapped until you're ready to use them. This tip has seriously saved my life!

DIY Abstract Art Using Tissue Paper

Hi there! Sadly, I'm still without my computer, so my blogging is relegated to sharing my ideas with you via a combination of my husband's laptop (where I have NO pics stored) and my iPad. But I'm jumping on quickly tonight to show you how I made some DIY art recently. I really love the way it turned out, and I hope you do, too.

It may be obvious from the above pic how I did this; but, I'll go ahead and explain it anyway.

DIY Abstract Art
Nap Rating = 1 nap

Tools & Materials

• picture frame with cardboard backing
• white poster paper (or you can just flip over the picture your frame came with and use the back of that, which is what I did)
• Mod Podge in gloss finish
• Scissors
• Foam brush
• Paper plate
• Tissue paper in colors of your choice
• Stencil (optional)
• Craft paint (optional)--I used Mother of Pearl from the Martha Stewart line
• Stencil brush

Steps

1. Disassemble your frame and remove the cardboard backing
2. Paint some Mod Podge on the cardboard and lay the white poster paper on top
3. Trim the edges
4. Start tearing strips of tissue paper and laying them out on your poster paper
5. Once you have a pattern you like, paint some more Mod Podge on the poster paper and lay the tissue paper on top, pressing it down flat. Don't worry about wrinkles, they just add some texture.
6. Once all of your tissue paper strips are glued down, paint Mod Podge over the entire surface, being careful not to rip the tissue paper.
7. Re-assemble your frame

Now this part is totally optional, but I wanted to add some subtle sparkle, so I stenciled a very faint pattern on top, using a stencil kit and paint from the Martha Stewart line. You can see the closeup of that detail here:

So that's my DIY art using only tissue paper and supplies I had on hand. Super cheap, and super simple! I just love using old art I have around the house and making it totally different. Here's the before shot of what this looked like...(Hey Mom, recognize this?)

And another after:

I had to spray paint my frame, but you may not have to. Enjoy making your own art! This was completely liberating for me, and I felt rejuvenated afterwards from using the right side of my brain for an hour. Take care...

Craft of the Week: Spray Paint a Fan

Kate from the Starr Family has hit on a brilliant idea here, guys. One of those that make me smack my head and wish I had thunk it up. Especially because I spray paint anything that doesn't walk or talk. Anyway, she sprayed a cheapo fan and it turned out like this.

 

I know, right? I'm imagining a vintage-y one in that sea-foamy green so many small appliances used to be painted.

So, hope you're having a great start to your week. I hit the ground running this morning and tackled some yard work and laundry. Unfortunately, our lap top is on the fritz so I'm not able to blog as easily. I hope to have it back mid-week 'cause I've got a couple of projects to show you.

Until next time...