BBQ Chicken Salad with Cilantro Ranch Dressing from the picky palate

3 Cups thinly sliced Green Leaf Lettuce
¼ Cup corn
¼ Cup black beans
8 grape tomatoes, halved
1 cooked grilled chicken breast
¼ Cup favorite BBQ Sauce
¼ Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ Cup prepared ranch dressing
1 heaping Tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro leaves

1. Place lettuce into a salad bowl. Layer with corn, black beans and tomatoes. Dice cooked chicken breast and mix with BBQ sauce. Top over salad and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

2. Place ranch dressing and cilantro leaves into a small bowl to combine. Drizzle over salad and serve.
**This recipe is for 1 large serving, double accordingly**
the picky palate.blogspot.com
next time you grill, add some extra chicken and set it aside for this.

Almond Butter Cake Recipe

Shelly Jones made this dessert for a Stake Relief Society meeting and it was so yummy. It is a very dense cake that was just the right sweetness.

1 1/2 c sugar

3/4 c (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t real almond extract
1 t real vanilla extract
1 1/2 c flour
~1 T sugar (to top)
~ 1/4 c sliced almonds

Stir together sugar (1 1/2 c) and melted butter until smooth. Add eggs and stir until creamy and all one color. Add salt, almond extract, vanilla, and flour, and stir vigorously until blended. Pour into a greased 9" cake pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with sugar (~1 T) and then sliced almonds. Bake at 350 for about 35 mins or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs on it. Cool at least 30 mins. Serve with fresh fruit and whipped cream, ice cream and warm fruit sauce, etc.

Karla's Fast Gooey Bars

1 white or yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter/margarine
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease the bottom of a 9x13" pan. In a medium size bowl, mix the first three ingredients together. Press 2/3's of the cake mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. In a different microwave-safe bowl, combine the last three ingredients. Melt in the microwave for one minute; then stir until all melted. Pour chocolate mixture over cake mixture in pan. With the rest of the cake mixture, take tablespoonfuls and press flat, then lay on top of the chocolate mixture, leaving space in between the flat pieces to form an aesthetic-looking dessert! bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

My mother-in-law found this recipe in a book complied from her ward in Moroni, UT; Karla Bench is author of these delicious treats. I have found they are best after cooling completely. Even after refrigeration or the next day they are so good. My husband doesn't like semi-sweet chocolate, so I use milk chocolate chips and they taste just as good.

Chicken and Dumpling Soup

Sorry the picture's a little blurry, I need to figure out how to take better food pictures with my camera. I got the recipe for the dumplings from Pioneer Woman's post where she had people leave their favorite recipes in the comment section. I concocted the soup my self and it's delicious, if I do say so myself. And I do.

6 cups chicken broth (4-5 cans)
1 Boneless skinless chicken breast
1 stalk of celery, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped
1 red potato, cut into chunks (I leave the skin on)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 cup milk (optional)

1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup ice water
dash of salt

Bring 6 cups of broth to boil in a large pot. Add in the chicken breast. While the breast is boiling chop the vegetables and add them to the pot. Add the salt and parsley as well. Let the mixture boil for about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken breast and shred, return chicken to the pot. Keep soup simmering while you make dumplings.

Use a pastry cutter or a fork to combine the flour, salt and shortening until small, pea-sized balls form. Add a little water at a time and mash with a fork until you have a tough dough. Roll out the dough and use a pizza cutter to cut it into 1"x1" squares. Bring soup back to a boil and add dumplings. Allow to cook for 15-20 minutes. Add milk at the end of cooking for creamier soup.

Lethal Layer Bars

I got this recipe from a book I was reading. I can't remember the author but the character she wrote about was a chef and at the end of the book she included a few recipes that were mentioned in the book and this was one of them. They are so delicious.

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. flour
1 c. pecans
2 eggs
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
Additional Flour
1 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375

Combine the butter, brown sugar and flour until crumbly. Press into a 9x13 pan and bake for 10 mins. Let cool. Spread pecans over the crust.

Beat the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla. Place the salt and baking powder in a 1/4 measuring cup. Fill the rest of the measuring cup with flour. Combine this with the egg mixture. Pour over the pecans and top with the chocolate chips. Bake for 20 mins.

BBQ Meatloaf

This is a twist on traditional meatloaf. I typically do not care for meatloaf as most recipes call for bread and it ends up tasting soggy. But the stuffing mix binds the meat well and the BBQ sauce gives it a little kick. I use Dinosaur BBQ Sauce but you can use any that you prefer.

2 eggs beaten
2 lb ground beef
1 6oz pkg of chicken flavored Stove Top stuffing mix
1 c. water
1/2 c. BBQ Sauce

Preheat oven to 375

Beat eggs in bowl. Add in ground beef, dry stuffing mix, water and 1/4 c. of BBQ Sauce. Mix together and place in loaf pan. Top loaf with remaining BBQ Sauce. Bake for 1 hour till 160 degrees.

Soft Vegetable Tacos

Something fun for Cinco de Mayo.
This is an easy, inexpensive meal that our family enjoyed this weekend. Recipe is from the Taste of Home Simple and Delicious cooking magazine and can also be found on their website that has great easy and tasty recipes. www.bestsimplerecipes.com

1 2/3 cups, fresh corn or frozen corn, thawed.

1 small zucchini, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup salsa

8 flour tortillas (6 inches), warmed

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, saute the corn, zucchini and onion in oil until tender. Stir in beans and salsa. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Spoon a heaping 1/3 cupful onto half of each tortilla; top with sour cream and cheese. Fold tortillas over filling; serve immediately.

*we made guacamole to go with this and it was so yummy. This is a new family favorite and I love that it is a meatless dish that my family will eat.


TIP- most of the seasoning/flavor for this dish comes from the salsa you use. I recommend Wegman's Brand Roasted Tomoato. It adds some great spice and minimal heat.