Chicken Salad

I had the pleasure of going to the beach with my mom, Aunt Georgiana, and her two kids, Grayson and Mackenzie, over Labor Day weekend.

Georgiana, Grayson, Mackenzie, Me, Mom

 It was nice to catch up with family members that you don't get to see as often as you like.  I learned that my little cousins have some awesome dance moves, not something that runs in our side of the family!

Kenzie and Grayson about to show off their dance skills on the beach at night

Love these two!

Brother & sister love :)

We were down there for a total of 6 days and 5 nights.  We had three great days of sun and then a tropical storm started to make things rainy and cloudy.  We weren't able to get into the ocean because of the double red flags.

These guys decided to stop for a drink of water

My awesome Mom!

We were all on a budget so we made some yummy chicken salad to take down to the pool/beach each day.  It was easy to throw on some bread or crackers.  I found this from Paula Deen, but I have to say it is very basic.  I followed the recipe, but next time will probably add in a few more things for a kick, like grapes.  Make it your own or if you like it plain then this will be perfect as is.

By the way, head over to, my dear friend, Lauren's blog for an awesome giveaway that ends today!

Almond Chicken Salad
Source:  Paula Deen

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 1/2 cups of diced cooked chicken (make it as chunky as you like)
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1/3 slivered almonds

Mix together and serve with bread, crackers, or on lettuce.  Enjoy!

Greek Salad

Workouts

I have a new love for Jillian Michaels' workouts.    I have been a fan of her 30 day shred because it is a quick (~25 minute) full body work out with three different levels.  Recently I discovered her iPhone app, Slim Down, which has two full workouts.  Each workout contains five circuits which have 4+ workouts in each circuit.  It took me about 45 minutes to do it one time through.  I did my first one on Monday and it was awesome!  I love being sore the next day and this has left me sore for two days now.  I plan on buying her Making the Cut book which has 30 days worth of these work outs.  I love variety so that would be a great option for me.  If you are bored with your current routine I highly suggest this option.

Around the House


The dog beds have always been an eye sore in our house.  It is so hard to find cute ones that are not really expensive.  I am always scoping out the dog section of Home Goods and finally hit the jack pot on Saturday.  I found TWO affordable beds that matched our bedroom decor!  I was thrilled!  Apparently, our four legged friends are quite fond of them too!

Tucker claimed the big bed immediately

Tini was fine with the smaller one

"Who needs a dog bed?  Tough dogs sleep on hard floors."  Jackson

Jackson is so loyal to Alex that he even lays outside the shower waiting for him

MTV


I have to laugh at Alex because he loves MTV, especially the Rob and Big show.  Does anyone watch MTV anymore?  I might have seen it a few times over the past few years for an episode of the Hills, when I was really bored.  Alex still watches music videos in the morning (yes, they do actually still have something to do with music).  He is definitely a dedicated fan.

Alex's parents had us over for dinner Saturday.  Dakin made some great grilled chicken and veggies with a sweet potato for a side.  I made this Greek salad to go along with all the other fresh veggies.  Plus, I had a lot of tomatoes and cucumbers that needed to be used.  This is a great light salad to add to any summer dish.

Greek Salad
Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients

•   4 whole or 8 roma Ripe Tomatoes, Cut Into Six Wedges Each, Then Each Wedge Cut In Half
•   2 whole (large) Cucumber Cut Into Fourths Lengthwise, And Diced Into Large Chunks
•   ½ whole Red Onion, Sliced Very Thin
•   30 whole Pitted Kalamata Olives, Cut In Half Lengthwise
•   6 ounces, weight Crumbled Feta Cheese
•   ¼ cups Olive Oil
•  2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
•   1 teaspoon Sugar (more To Taste)
•   1 clove Garlic, Minced
•   6 whole Kalamata Olives (extra), Chopped Fine
•   ¼ teaspoons Salt
•   Freshly Ground Black Pepper
•   1 whole Lemon, For Squeezing

Directions:

Add tomato wedges, cucumber chunks, onion slices, halved Kalamata olives, and half the feta to a large bowl.

Combine olive oil, vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt, pepper, and chopped olives in a bowl. Whisk together until combined. 

Pour dressing over salad ingredients, then add salt and pepper. Toss with tongs or clean hands. Just before serving, top with additional feta and squeeze a little lemon juice over the top.

Italian Salad Dressing

We went to dinner Monday night in Alex's old neighborhood, Chestnut Creek.  It was so fun to ride around and have him show me where all of his friend's lived.  I got a glimpse into his childhood: where they played, who were the mean neighbors, what pranks did they play, etc.

I brought a salad and wanted to make a new dressing.  This one was super easy to throw together.  You probably have all the ingredients on hand.

Enjoy!

Italian Salad Dressing
Source:  Adapted from Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• juice of 2 lemons
• 4 tbsp. grate Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• ground pepper, to taste
• 1/4 tsp. sugar
• dash of paprika
• 1 garlic clove minced (if using that day; if you are making this dressing 24 hours in advance then peel garlic clove and leave whole in dressing)

Mix all ingredients together in container and refrigerate until you are ready to use.

Shrimp Caesar Salad

Life has been super crazy in the Tutterrow house.  This week is no excpetion.  We have dinner plans every night...meaning you probably won't see a lot of blogging in the next week or so because I am not doing very much cooking.

I enjoyed lunch last week with my sorority sister, Rachel, and her sweet baby girl, Yardley.  We ate at one of my favorite places, Party Chic.  The weather was awesome so we sat outside.  Yardley loved taking it all in.

Yardley fell asleep in my arms...this didn't give me baby fever at all:)

Such a cute momma!

After lunch my awesome husband took me shopping for cowboy boots.  I have wanted boots since my freshman year in college, but thought it was just a phase that would pass.  Well, here I am 10 years later still wanting boots.  I decided I was the only person on the planet that did not own a pair when we went to Nashville.  The Zac Brown concert is coming up in a few weeks so I figured that would be a good debut of the new kicks!

I decided to wear them around the house after my run the other day...just breaking them in:)  Ignore my pale, pale legs!

PS-who knew cowboy boots were so comfortable.  I guess those are lessons you don't learn growing up in the city.

This is a special week for many reasons.  First it is Holy Week, the week before Easter.  Easter is such an important event that we celebrate as Christians.  We care celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Through Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, He paid the price for our sins, allowing us to have eternal life through Him.  Second, it is our anniversary week!  Friday, I will have been married to the love of my life for 5 YEARS!  It has flown by.  It has been so awesome to see how much we have both grown in the past 5 years.  God placed me with the perfect person and I feel so blessed!

You may remember my original post on making your own caesar dressing.  This one is much easier and a little more mild if you are not crazy about the anchovy flavor.

To get a hard boiled egg:  place egg(s) in a pot and fill with water until eggs are covered with ~1 inch of water. Bring water to a boil.  Once water is boiling, cover pot, and remove from heat for 12 minutes.

I think this shrimp marinade would be good on chicken too.  Bake it then cut it into bite size pieces.

Enjoy!

"Give me your shrimp or else!"

"I am sitting so well, please feed me!"

Shrimp Caesar Salad
Source: Adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb. large peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed  (I used jumbo because that was in the freezer)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp. grated lemon zest, plus 2 tbsp. lemon juice (approximately 2 lemons will get you both of these)
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 hard boiled egg yolk, mashed
• 1 tsp. dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
• 2 large hearts of romaine lettuce
• Wooden or metal skewers

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine shrimp, half the garlic, lemon zest, and 1 tbsp. oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.  Thread shrimp onto wooden or metal skewers.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and transfer skewers to sheet and bake until shrimp is opaque throughout ~7 minutes. 

While shrimp is cooking, combine in a large bowl: remaining garlic, lemon juice, 2 tbsp. oil, egg yolk, and mustard; season with salt and pepper.  Whisk until well combined; stir in parmesan cheese.  Add romaine and toss to coat.  Sprinkle salad with more parmesan and serve with shrimp skewers.  

Cesar Salad Dressing

I love cesar salads!  I found this recipe, right after Alex and I got married, in a cook book I got at a shower from Williams-Sonoma.  In the beginning of our marriage I always tried new things and about 50% of the time they came out awful.  I am sure Alex thought this was going to go the same way.  Neither of us had ever made anything with anchovies.  When we made the first batch we were amazed at how delicious it was!  It set the bar high for getting cesar salads at restaurants.  As a matter of fact, I rarely order them out anymore because it just isn't as good.

I made this last night for a dinner at my friend Diana's house.  She hosted a girls night. I signed up for salad and decided to make old faithful.  She made stuffed peppers and cheese risotto.  I do not like peppers, but I loved the stuffing!  The risotto was awesome too.

Anchovies can be found by the canned tuna at your local grocery store.  They are not fun to handle so I just throw them in a bowl and mash them up without thinking about them too much.

We used to make the homemade croutons, but don't anymore now that I am gluten free.  I will include how to do it though.  If you like croutons I would definitely make these.  They are great and easy.

Serve over romaine lettuce.

My good friend Lauren recently posted a yummy looking recipe for using cesar dressing on tilapia.  You can find it here.

I doubled this recipe for ~8 people.

Cesar Salad Dressing
Source:  Williams-Sonoma Simple American Cooking
Ingredients:

• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 6-8 good quality anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained
• 1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (approximately 1 lemon)
• 1 1/2 tbsp plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Ground pepper

Chop the garlic and combine with the 1/2 cup olive oil in a blender.  Puree until smooth.  In a small bowl, using a fork, mash the anchovies until they form a paste.  Add to the oil and garlic in the blender along with the mustard, lemon juice, and yogurt.  Blend at a high speed until a smooth emulsion forms.  Add 2 tbsp. of parmesan cheese and blend again.  Season with a little salt if needed.  The anchovies should provide enough.  Add a little pepper.  

Croutons

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 slices of french or italian bread ~ 1/2 inch thick
• 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Remove the crusts from the bread slices and discard.  Cut the bread into 1/2 inch cubes.  You should have approximately 2 cups.

In a large frying pan over low heat, warm the 3 tbsp. olive oil.  Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes.  Add the bread cubes and fry, stirring and tossing, until crisp and golden on all sides, 4-5 minutes.  Sprinkle the bread cubes with a little salt.  Transfer to paper towels to drain.  Set aside to cool.