Hard Twisted at the Red Onion.

 

Round the corner from Blue Mountain Foods, corner of 100 South and 100 West, there is a small building used by the EMTs, next to the fire station.  Originally the cabin here was called the "Red Onion" and the owner would rent it out.  One day, in January 1935, he rented it out to a man and a young teen girl with him.  The man was later identified as the murderer, Clint Palmer; the girl, Lucile (Lottie) Garrett was one he kidnapped (after murdering her father), used and abused during his killing spree.  The historical fiction novel, "Hard Twisted" by Joseph Greaves was written after interviewing the girl, plus newspaper articles and other eyewitness accounts.

 

The duo eventually made it to Monument Valley, staying and working with the Gouldings.  However, March 1935, Palmer murdered retired San Juan County Sheriff William Oliver and his grandson, Norris Shumway, robbed the Gouldings, and with a stolen car, made their way back to Monticello, where they were finally apprehended.  A detailed account can be found in Monticello Journal, A History of Monticello until 1937, by Harold George and Fay Lanceford Muhlenstein (available for purchase at the San Juan Record as is Hard Twisted) page 241.  While Hard Twisted will retell dark days within San Juan County, it’s Lottie’s story that is still debated.  Basically, the main question is, “Was she a willing participant, as this was a new and exciting adventure for a 15-year-old teen?”, or “Was she a true victim that was overcome by Stockholm Syndrome?”.

The Red Onion is another building that found its end of days, but if one digs deep enough, written information and photographs can be found. Why the name?  Buildings named "Red Onion" typically fall into two categories: historic saloons or brothels from the American West, and buildings with bulbous, onion-shaped domes.  While Monticello’s version did not have the domed roof, it did have many uses over time.

 

Part of Monticello Diorama, Red Onion is upper right.

To see a recreation of this, and many other lost buildings, a visit to the Monticello Welcome Center is a must.  Inside is a diorama of Monticello from the years 1888 to 1912, and a descriptive index is available for the numbered buildings.  While working at the Welcome Center, in 2015, using photos of the diorama, I was able to create a “Walking Tour Map and Index” for visitors.  They could walk through the city, look at the photos of “what was”, and try to imagine.  Of course, there are a small number of buildings that still exist, so the walking tour was updated by the manager, in July 2017, to only display those in existence, for Pioneer Day Weekend; imagination need not be applied.  

Along with the diorama, Dorothy Adams (co-creator Clio Nebeker) wrote a detailed booklet which has a description of each building, some with photos.  Pages 85-86 show a photo of the cabin; built in the 1890s and used as a home for only a short time before abandonment.  In 1918, the cabin began usage again, for veterans returning from WW1, as a place, “where they could drink, play cards and swap war stories.  Many hours were spent there in pursuit of a variety of activities….some…not strictly legal.”

 

San Juan Record, Feb, 26, 1919

Hope you enjoyed this short trip down Monticello’s historic memory lane, but now for the food portion of this article, namely, red onions.  There are many types of onions which have various taste qualities, from sweet to excessively bitter. Red onions are only one variety of the common onion (Allium cepa) with deep magenta or purplish-red skin and white, reddish-tinged flesh. They are crisp, pungent, and slightly sweet when raw, making them ideal for salads, sandwiches, and pickling, while turning milder when cooked. They are rich in antioxidants, specifically anthocyanins, which provide their color.

Key Characteristics and Uses:

Flavor: They are often considered the most mild and sweet of the common onion varieties.

Culinary Uses: Frequently used raw in salads, salsa, and guacamole, or pickled to add a, vibrant color to dishes. They are also excellent for grilling or roasting, where they become softer and milder.  They are commonly used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines.

Appearance: They have a purplish-red papery skin with red-tinged layers. Despite being called "red," they are often referred to as "purple onions" in various regions.

Nutrition: Red onions are generally higher in antioxidants, specifically anthocyanins, compared to yellow or white onions.

Storage: They have a good shelf life, allowing them to be stored for long periods.

 

We often use red onions for sauteing with peppers: 1 each medium sized yellow, red and orange bell peppers; seeded and julienned and 1 large red onion; peeled and julienned.  In a large skillet, medium-high heat, add ¼ cup olive oil, toss in the peppers and onions plus ¼ teaspoon each of salt and ground black pepper.  Leave it alone for 10 minutes before folding the mixture bottom to top, and leave alone another 10 minutes.  You want to see browning along the edges of the vegetables, but no blackening, and you know it’s done.  Our favorite way to use this mixture is with grilled sausages, kielbasa and brats, or as a topping for burgers and steak.  Only want the onions, then julienne 2 large red onions, and continue with the olive oil, salt and black pepper.

 

So, needing something to do on one of our wintery nights?  Cook up some red onions, peppers optional, a good bit of beef or sausage, and get ready to read a San Juan County thriller, Hard Twisted.

Mary Cokenour 

 

 

 

 

The Beef on the Battle of Waterloo.

Happy New Year 2024!  As usual, our celebration was quiet, sort of.  We indulged in take-out from Ja-Roen Thai and Sushi; their Ja-Roen Roll is quite addicting.  While Roy was at work, wishing good cheer to travelers passing through Monticello, our neighbors put on a fireworks display at midnight.  By quarter after midnight, all was quiet, so hunkering down for a relaxing sleep was the last of the New Year’s Eve to-do list.

During the weeks before the Christmas holiday, much baking and cooking was done by yours truly.  Besides the yearly treats given out, prepping and planning went into meals, not just for ourselves, but for Roy’s mother and brother down in Moab.  So, that week between Christmas and New Year’s was definitely one of limbo.  I rightly cannot say what I did, overall, during that week.  I know I had intentions, one being writing, but as I stared at the computer screen, the photos and words refused to come into focus.  It was not so much a case of writer’s block, but one of “writer’s brain vacation”.

Ah, but now it is the New Year, the bullet train of holidays is at the depot for maintenance.  The coming months will still have a holiday, or two, but none that will make us go into hyperdrive; we hope.  What did I create for the Christmas holiday of 2023?  By request, from Roy, he wondered if I would make a dish, one he had only once before, but remembered well.  That dish was Beef Wellington sans the liver pate, but stuffed with a rich mixture of mushrooms and red onions.  Recipe history time!

 

Beef Wellington and Potatoes Au Gratin

 

In Britain, the development of Beef Wellington is attributed to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, whose army helped to defeat Napoleon Bonaparte, at the Battle of Waterloo (1815).  However, the encasing of some type of meat within a dough was a technique used in France, England, and even in Poland, for centuries before hand.  Culinary historians think that the dish was named, actually, after a style of boot that the 1^st Duke wore, coincidentally named the “Wellington boot”.  Why?  Supposedly the structure of the meat within the dough, once baked, resembled the boot, and was served during the celebration of Napoleon’s humiliating defeat.  I guess this could be equated to Britian “stepping on the little guy and showing him who’s boss”.

Traditionally, the recipe for Beef Wellington comes from France.  It consists of a beef tenderloin wrapped in layers of pâté (goose liver), duxelles (finely chopped mixture of mushrooms), Parma ham (aka prosciutto), wrapped in puff pastry, then baked.  The tenderloin is typically about 1 and ½ lbs. and kept cold before wrapped in its layers and baked.  After baking for one hour, the meat is extremely rare and dripping with flavorful juices.  However, the meat can be seen as equivalent to raw, with the additional liquid from the pate and mushrooms creating a soggy texture within.  Though it looks impressive, this type of dish takes a lot of prep work if you want it to come out correctly.  Discouraged?  Do not give up before even trying!  Remember, this is a new year, and for those who like to cook, and especially try new recipes, make this your year of bravery.  What is bravery?  Being scared of doing something, but doing it anyway!  So, the new motto for 2024 is, “Be brave and do it anyway!”

Now, in our household, goose liver, or any type of liver, will not be on our menu; and we are not huge fans of ham either.  Therefore, my recipe for Beef Wellington will be just that, the way I do it, but that does not mean you cannot give the original recipe a try.  For the mushrooms, typically only white, brown or Portobello can be found, and all of them work well for this dish.  Using fancy mushrooms, like Chanterelles, can be pricey, and once diced up, well no one will be able to tell the difference between them, and a cheaper white mushroom.  For the beef, look for a lean cut, but do not allow it to break your bank; while a beautiful eye round roast could be $10/lb., a London broil, at half the price, works very well.  Also, in the original recipe, the roast is covered, raw, in layers of pate, mushrooms and ham before being encased in the puff pastry.  With my technique, the meat is butterflied open with the mushroom/onion filling rolled within the meat itself.  Once completed, and cut into slices, it still becomes a pretty presentation on the plate.

 

Gravy draped over.

Sitting atop gravy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beef Wellington

 

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. butter

1 large red onion, diced

½ lb. mushrooms, diced

¼ cup beef broth

2 lb. London broil (trim off as much fat as possible, the leaner the better)

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. crushed, dried thyme leaves

1 sheet thawed puff pastry (Pepperidge Farm brand recommended)

1 egg, beaten

Preparation:

 

In a medium sized skillet, on low heat, melt butter into oil; sauté mushrooms and onion for 20 minutes.  Raise heat to high, add broth and allow to cook down for 7-10 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut the London broil lengthwise, through the center, but not all the way through, leave about ½ inch on long side, and open up (this is butterflying open the meat).  With a meat mallet, pound out the meat to about ¼ inch thickness.  Mix together salt, black pepper and thyme, sprinkle over interior of the meat.  The mushroom/onion mixture should be cool enough to handle, spread evenly over the meat, leaving ½ inch clean around the edges.  Carefully begin to roll the meat, stuffing back any filling that might come out the sides.  Seam side up, wrap tightly in aluminum foil and place inside refrigerator for 2 hours.

 

Preheat oven to 425F.  In a large skillet, high heat, seam side down, brown meat; rotate till all meat has been browned.  Rewrap into aluminum foil, place inside pan and roast for 50-60 minutes, or internal temperature reads “Rare”.  Remove from oven and let rest; keep oven on.

 

 

 

 

While meat is resting, sprinkle flour on board, or clean counter top, and roll out puff pastry to double its original size.  Remove meat from foil, and place in center of pastry. Brush edges with beaten egg and fold pastry over long sides first from top of pastry to bottom.  Take one end of pastry, drape over meat and rest of remaining pastry.  Take other end of pastry and fold over both remaining pastry and already covered meat.  Tuck seam under the entire roll, and place inside baking pan.  If desired, indent pastry with a design, being careful not to cut all the way through the dough.  Bake 20-25 minutes, or until puff pastry is golden brown.

Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes to allow juices to redistribute inside the meat.  Cut one inch slice per serving.

Makes 10-12 servings, dependent on how long butterflied meat was pounded out to.

The directions might read a little confusing, especially wrapping the meat inside the pastry.  If you have ever made burritos, it is similar to this procedure.  As I stated before though, make 2024 the year of being brave, and no matter how difficult a recipe might read, try it anyway!

Mary Cokenour

 

 

 

 

A Tale of Two Chickens.

Canned tuna, canned salmon, canned shrimp, canned clams, canned crab, canned chicken, canned beef; are you seeing the trend here and has convenience just gone too far?  Or you go into the deli area of your market and see a "salad" in a plastic container; but where are the edible ingredients?  Usually there is so much mayonnaise, you wonder if that is exactly what is in the container and nothing else.  Mayonnaise for any type of "salad" should be a coating, a simple binder for ingredients, NOT the main ingredient.

Chicken salad - do you like it with shredded chicken or chunky?  Roy and I prefer chunky style; biting into a piece of chicken, knowing how it tastes combined with all the added ingredients.  The best way to prepare chicken for salad making is either Rotisserie or Boiled; yes I said boiled. Boiling the chicken does not diminish its flavor; it’s simply a quicker way of removing any excess fat while ensuring the chicken is thoroughly cooked. You want to use either boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins; nice and meaty! For a serving of two, use four tenderloins or one large breast half (anatomy lesson: chickens have two breasts, so you only need one); place in a small saucepan and add enough water to cover the chicken. Using high heat, boil the chicken until a thick layer of scum forms on the top; skim it off; then place the chicken under running water to rinse off any residue still hanging on. Put the chicken on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and let it cool down in the refrigerator; this will also help draw out any excess water the chicken may have absorbed.  Why get rid of the water?  To keep your mayonnaise from getting runny; nothing is unappetizing as scooping up salad just to see watery residue at the bottom of the bowl.  Yuck!

When making the salad, don't get over complicated with ingredients as you want to taste that chicken.  I don’t add salt immediately, most mayonnaise brands already have enough in them. After making your salad, taste it and then decide if you'd like extra salt; remember, you can always add, but not take away. Diced red onion is sweeter than the regular white onion, less harsh on the taste buds. Diced celery will give you some color and added crunch, as will the red onion; two tablespoons of each will be just right. Ground black pepper is a flavor enhancer, but use it sparingly (a half teaspoon for two servings) as it can make your salad on the "hot" side of spicy. When cutting the chicken, first cut strips with the grain, then cut your chunks; otherwise the chicken meat will shred apart, unless you want shredded chicken that is.  Place the chicken, onion, celery and black pepper into a medium mixing bowl; add four tablespoons of mayonnaise and gently fold together. This is when you can now decide if you would like more mayonnaise or is it just right as it is. If you want more, only add one tablespoon at a time; you want to coat and bind, not overwhelm.

 

 

When it comes to making a sandwich with freshly made chicken salad, well that's really up to personal preferences. Depending on mood, and what’s in stock, the bread could be a Kaiser roll, sub roll, pita pocket, or two nice thick slices of bread. Fresh, crispy lettuce is the bedding between the bottom piece of bread and the salad; thin slice of cheese like Baby Swiss, Provolone, mild Cheddar or Colby Jack.  Slice of tomato, maybe a pickle or two; if that is what you'd like, but personally I don't add so many extras that I lose the essence of the chicken salad itself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now here’s a bonus, Rotisserie chicken salad, made straight from your own oven.  We've seen the oval shaped containers in the supermarkets, better yet, we've smelled the contents and started to drool. Rotisserie chicken is placed on a spit and rotated in a special oven, so the dripping fat can basically baste and moisturize the chicken. Besides selling the chicken as whole or in pieces, many places will shred the meat, mix it with mayonnaise and sell it as chicken salad at a high price per pound. Is it worth it? Not always; there might not be enough seasoning, or too much; same goes for the mayonnaise; and the extra benefits of veggies is iffy, or not even added in.

Besides the local supermarket, a rotisserie chicken can be done on the home barbeque. Just purchase the rotating spit, set it up, plug in; yes you'll need an electrical source, and start cooking. Not everyone wants to do this though, but there's another alternative...your own oven.  While the recipe focuses on boneless, skinless chicken breasts, bone-in chicken breasts can also be used, but you just have to up the cooking time to 55-60 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165F. Coating the chicken with mayonnaise and covering with foil ensures that the chicken will stay moist inside as well as outside.  For the veggies, I use diced onion and celery, but a little shredded carrot or diced bell peppers work too.

 

Rotisserie Chicken Salad

 Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves; trimmed of fat
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise

Seasoning Mix

2 Tbsp. paprika

1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. crushed dry thyme
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. fine sea salt
1 ½ Tbsp. brown sugar
pinch of ground cayenne pepper

Salad Mix

¼ cup diced red onion

¼ cup diced celery
¼ cup mayonnaise

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400F; line a roasting pan with aluminum foil and place rack on top of foil.

Mix together seasonings and spread out on large plate. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat both sides of the chicken breasts with the 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise; lightly press both sides of chicken onto seasoning mix. Place chicken on rack; cover pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F.

Let chicken cool before cutting into one inch pieces. Place in large bowl; add onion, celery and mayonnaise; mix completely. Serve on rolls, breads, inside pita pockets, rolled in tortillas or as the center piece of a green salad.

Makes 6 servings.

Need to bring a dish to the next get-together?  Wow them with chicken salad; just don’t be surprised if it will be expected every time.

 

Mary Cokenour

Sweet and Sour Pork Roast Made in a Crock Pot.

So, I was going through some cooking magazines and saw several recipes geared towards "sweet and sour". Whether it was pork or chicken, none of the recipes involved any type of frying, simply crock pot cookery or baking in the oven. Which got me to further thinking, since I had a boneless pork loin roast sitting in the freezer and I usually make pulled pork with that cut of meat. I don't know if I warned you of this before, but my mind tends to be its own game of Trivial Pursuit.

I noticed one recipe, for ingredients, it simply had: boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into pieces, soy sauce, brown sugar;  for preparation it had: place in crock pot on low for 6 hours.  The recipe name was "Hawaiian Chicken Teriyaki" and try as I might, I was just not seeing it; nope, not one second of imagery.  Instead, I pictured "sweet and sour pork" in my mind, what the ingredients were and what it would look like if I did not fry up the pork in a cornstarch coating.

The house smelled amazing as the ingredients cooked away in my crock pot; the final product though was simply out of this world!  Oh, how did I get from "sweet and sour" to "Hawaiian teriyaki" and back to "sweet and sour"?  Yeah, its that Trivial Pursuit thing again.  Anyway, here's the recipe and I'm very sure you are going to lap up your plates so clean, you'll think they were not used at all.

Sweet and Sour Pork Roast

Ingredients:

2 and 1/2 lb boneless pork loin roast

1 large red onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks in natural juice; strain juice, but reserve
3 Tbsp flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce

Preparation:

 

 

Spray a 4 quart crock pot with nonstick cooking spray; place pork roast inside.  Place onion, bell pepper and pineapple over and around roast.

 

 

 

In a small bowl, whisk together reserved pineapple juice, flour, brown sugar and soy sauce until all flour is incorporated.  Pour mixture over roast, fruit and vegetables; cover and cook on low for eight hours.

 

 

 

 

Remove roast from crock pot to serving platter to rest for five minutes; surround with fruit and vegetables.  If serving with rice, substitute half cup of cooking water with sauce from crock pot; cook rice according to directions.

 

Makes 8 servings.

 

 

Now just in case you need to know how to make simple white rice, but this isn't the fluffy variety.  This rice will be moist and almost a "risotto" consistency.

 

Ingredients:

 

4 cups water (or 3 and 1/2 plus 1/2 cup sauce for this dish)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

3 Tbsp butter

2 cups long grain rice

 

Preparation:

 

In medium sauce pan, bring water (or water plus sauce), salt, black pepper and butter to a rolling boil.  Add the rice and stir vigorously (helps keep rice from sticking immediately); allow to boil for 15 minutes and stir occasionally to make sure it is not sticking.  Turn off heat, cover and let sit for 20 minutes. 

 

Makes 8 servings.

 

Mary Cokenour

The Challenge is...Wrap it in Bacon!

Recently I saw two friends post similar recipes on Facebook for "Bacon Wrapped, Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts".  I looked both recipes over and basically they had one difference; while one used chopped green onion, the other used chopped jalapeno peppers.  I threw down the gauntlet, or oven mitt, and challenged myself to make this recipe more intriguing.  I thought back to the sandwich I had eaten at Sweet Cravings in Moab; how the jalapeno jelly and cream cheese had brought such great flavors to the turkey breast.  Why not do that with chicken!?!

Looking in the pantry, I found a jar of both mild and hot jalapeno jelly.  While I intended on using some green onions, I also diced up red onions and a multicolored selection of bell peppers for their natural sweetness.



left piece is without plastic; right piece is between plastic

The chicken breasts need to be pounded out to about 1/4 inch in thickness. Always use the flat side of your meat tenderizer, or you can purchase a flat sided mallet. Do not use the mallet directly on the chicken; place it inside a plastic bag, or between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Also, placing a clean linen towel over the plastic will most definitely ensure that the tender poultry meat will not shred, but extend out smoothly.  Gently pound out the chicken to the desired thickness; this is not the type of meat to take your aggressions out on.

 After pounding out the chicken, spread one tablespoon of the mild jelly (green) or the hot jelly (red); leaving about a half inch border from the edges.

A tablespoon of cream cheese was spread on next; in the other recipes, only two tablespoons of cream cheese was used for the stuffing.  I pressed about two tablespoons of the bell peppers with red onions, only green onions, or bell peppers with green onions into the cream cheese.

 

 



 Now you might be wondering why no salt sprinkled over the chicken; the bacon is going to take care of the salt issue.  Also, in the recipes I read, they called for the bacon to be partially cooked before wrapping around the chicken.  I used totally raw bacon as I wanted it to be pliable enough to fully wrap around the rolled breasts; also to allow the fat to baste the chicken and keep it moist as the bacon began to crisp up in the oven.  I used a roasting pan with a rack which allowed the bacon to crisp up on the bottom as well as the top, so no need for a broiler later on.  Preheat the oven to 400F; line the roasting pan with aluminum foil and add two cups of water to keep any bacon drippings from burning and smoking.  Spray the rack with nonstick spray and place back inside the pan.  Now for the chicken rolling...

Carefully begin to roll the chicken and if any filling begins to ooze out, just push it right back inside.  Take a slice of bacon (you'll need 3 for each breast) and wrap it lengthwise around the chicken.  This will help keep the filling from coming out the sides while roasting.  The bacon will overlap a bit and seal against the chicken meat, so no toothpicks will be necessary.

Lay two slices of bacon on your board, about one inch apart, and carefully lay the rolled breast with the first bacon slice's seam facing upward.  Wrap those two slices around the chicken and let the ends come together to form a seal.

                                                                                                          Carefully pick up the bundle and lay it, bacon seams side down, on the roasting rack.  Leave about an inch in between each bundle, so the bacon can crisp up on all sides.  Place the roasting pan inside the oven and let it cook for 40-45 minutes; until the internal temperature reaches 165F.

There you have it, Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts.  The jalapeno jelly and cream cheese mixture combined to form a decadent stuffing which enhanced the natural sweetness of the bell peppers and red onions.  With the green onions, they combined with the jalapeno jelly to give that Southwestern flavor sensation.   The bacon kept the chicken moist, yet seasoned it at the same time.

Sometimes less is more, but with this new version of the recipe, more of more is just what you want.  Enjoy!

Mary Cokenour

Chicken Salad Should NOT Come Out of a Can.

Canned tuna, canned salmon, canned shrimp, canned clams, canned crab and canned chicken; has convenience just gone too far?  Or you go into the deli area of your market and see a "salad" in a plastic container; but where are the edible ingredients?  Usually there is so much mayonnaise, you wonder if that is exactly what is in the container and nothing else.  Mayonnaise for any type of "salad" should be a coating, a simple binder for ingredients, NOT the main ingredient.

Chicken salad - do you like it with shredded chicken or chunky?  I prefer chunky myself; I like to bite into a piece of chicken and know how it tastes combined with all the added ingredients.  The best way to prepare chicken for salad making is either Rotisserie or Boiled; yes I said boiled. Boiling the chicken does not diminish its flavor; it simply is a quicker way of removing any excess fat while ensuring the chicken is thoroughly cooked. You want to use either boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins; nice and meaty! For a serving of two, use four tenderloins or one large breast half (chickens have two breasts, so you only need one); place in a small saucepan and add enough water to cover the chicken. Using high heat, boil the chicken until a thick layer of scum forms on the top; skim it off; then place the chicken under running water to rinse off any residue still hanging on. Put the chicken on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and let it cool down in the refrigerator; this will also help draw out any excess water the chicken may have absorbed.  Why get rid of the water?  To keep your mayonnaise from getting runny; nothing so unappetizing as scooping up salad and seeing watery residue at the bottom of the bowl.  Yuck!

When making your salad, don't get over complicated with ingredients as you want to taste that chicken. You're looking at my photo and saying, "Where's the salt?"; most mayonnaise brands have salt already as an ingredient. After making your salad, taste it and then decide if you'd like extra salt; remember, you can always add, but not take away. Diced red onion is sweeter than the regular white onion, less harsh on the taste buds. Diced celery will give you some color and added crunch, as will the red onion; two tablespoons of each will be just right. Ground black pepper is a flavor enhancer, but use it sparingly (a half teaspoon for two servings) as it can make your salad on the "hot" side of spicy. When cutting the chicken, first cut strips with the grain, then cut your chunks; otherwise the chicken meat will shred apart, unless you want shredded chicken that is.

 
Place the chicken, onion, celery and black pepper into a medium mixing bowl; add four tablespoons of mayonnaise and gently fold together. This is when you can now decide if you would like more mayonnaise or is it just right as it is. If you want more, only add one tablespoon at a time; you want to coat and bind, not overwhelm.

When it comes to making a sandwich with your freshly made chicken salad, well that's really up to personal preferences. Depending on my mood, and what I have in stock, it could be a sesame seed kaiser roll (as in the photo), a sub roll or two nice thick slices of whole wheat bread. Fresh, crispy lettuce is the bedding between the bottom piece of bread and the salad; I prefer a mild, thin slice of cheese like baby Swiss or Provolone.  Maybe you'd like Cheddar or American;  tomato or pickles; if that is what you'd like, but personally I don't want to add so many extras that I lose the essence of the chicken salad itself.

Basically, when it comes to buying canned chicken or premade chicken salad at the deli counter, consider buying fresh chicken and creating your own salad.  You'll thank yourself later on.  Enjoy!

Mary Cokenour

Make your Holiday Barbecue Hot and Cold.

Memorial Day, we honor all those who fought for our country; all those who gave their lives to keep us free. This holiday also is the jumpstart for the summer season; even though the calendar still tells us that it's springtime. Family and friends gather for games of touch football, volleyball and horseshoes; picnics in the park or barbeques in the backyard.

This won't be a long post, for like you, I'm going to be enjoying my day off. A simple dinner of grilled chicken breasts with a chipotle citrus sauce glaze and a side dish of "confetti salsa". The salsa is a freshly made salsa, the ingredients cut small and they're colorful just like confetti, hence the name. The cool, fresh salsa is a perfect balance with the hot, spicy chicken breasts.

To cook the chicken, trim off any excess fat and season both sides with salt and pepper. Get your grill up to medium heat, about 300F; lay the chicken bone side down first and cook for 3 minutes. Flip it over and cook another 3 minutes; flip it over to the bone side again and slather on a generous dose of the chipotle citrus sauce, close the barbecue lid and leave it alone for 5 minutes. Now slap on another layer of sauce, cook another 5 minutes with lid closed and you are done. The glaze will be sweet and spicy; the chicken moist and juicy.

Now if you cannot grill outside, this can be done inside under the broiler. First preheat your oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil. Salt and pepper the chicken, place it bone side down on the pan; 3 minutes, flip, 3 minutes, flip, but take the pan out of the oven now. Set your broiler to high; slather on the first layer of sauce and place the pan under the broiler for 5 minutes; repeat with sauce and cooking time and like the outdoor grill, you are done!

Now remember, I use boneless, skinless chicken, so if you're using bone in and skin on or off, you'll have to adjust your cooking time for the added thickness. Using a cooking thermometer is your best bet on making sure the chicken is cooked all the way through.

Oh yeah, this sauce and salsa works great with pork too.

Enjoy the day!!!

Confetti Salsa

Ingredients:

3 medium sized tomatoes, ripe and firm
1 ¼ cups whole kernel corn
1 small red onion, diced
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
¼ cup each diced red, green and orange bell peppers
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp fine sea salt
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup chopped, fresh cilantro

Preparation:

Cut tomatoes in half and scoop out fleshy pulp and seeds; cut into strips and dice. Steam the corn over boiling water until just tender; place in refrigerator to cool. Into a medium mixing bowl, add all ingredients and gently mix. Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Makes 4 cups of salsa.

Mary Cokenour