Creamy Buffalo Chicken Salad

This is one of those things that was born out of pure craving and gnashing of teeth. You want to call the pizza man and get some wings delivered, but you also want to look smokin hot in that bikini you just ordered online come summertime.

First world problems, I has them.

As a rule, I generally cook up a few chicken breasts every week to have on hand for quick meals and salads when I don't have the time to crank out something serious in the kitch. Instead of throwing this one in a tupperware, I decided to shred it over a nice, cool romaine/spinach blend with a handful of those tiny, sweet little sundrop grape tomatoes. 

BORRRRRR-ing.

I was fooling myself, playing mind games. I WANTED chicken wings. Hot, spicy, melt-your-face buffalo lovelies smothered in chunky bleu cheese sauce. 

Stupid bikini.

I had the Texas Pete, I had the bleu cheese crumbles. Game on. This whips up quick, and is really a to-taste recipe, so don't feel obligated to follow the recipe verbatim. Enjoy, and tell pizza man it's not him...it's me.

 Creamy Buffalo Chicken Salad

1 Grilled/Steamed/Boiled Chicken Breast (dealer's choice)

3/4 Romaine Heart

Handful of baby spinach

1/2 cup of roma/grape sundrop tomatoes

1 clove garlic, diced

1 tbsp salted butter

1/3 cup reduced fat bleu cheese crumbles

1/2-3/4 cup Texas Pete hot sauce

Melt the butter in a sauce pan and lightly saute the garlic, making sure not to burn or over brown it. Add the Texas Pete in and let it heat to a slight bubble, reduce heat to low and add the cheese crumbles, whisking until fully melted and incorporated. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Rinse all of your veggies, drain, and if you're feeling nasty...throw that mess in a salad spinner. You throw it in there real good. Cut the tomatoes into manageable mouth bits, and throw it all into a bowl. Shred the chicken and put it on top of the salad and top with your awesome sauce.

Boom. Mouth stroke.

This would be awesome if you sprinkled the chicken with some celery seed, or added diced celery to the greens, keeping with the whole wings theme.

 

Sunday Morning

Soft eggs, spinach, tiny golden potatoes, perfect sunny Sunday morning.

Scheduled Absence

I have been a great many places.

Strike that, I've been a....nowhere. Unless you count my cozy nest here on Willow Drive. It's been almost a complete year since I wrote last, and far from boring. We bought the Willow House, work constantly on feathering it, and I've been struck with a mystery illness/allergy that has had me in and out of the hospital with hives, extreme blech, and pain.

Moving on. New year, new promises on the horizon.

I've missed having a place to come and write down my ramblings, but when I stopped working on the other blog I knew I needed a real break to refocus my energy and direction. I realized that I really didn't enjoy sharing everything, and I'm not good at keeping up other people's stories...i.e. my kids adventures.

Those things are his, and his they shall stay.

What I did find, after my foray into Instagram, was that I loved, LOVED to share my home-crafty-food adventures with everyone. In fact, having just that little pictoral outlet to share in renewed my love of all things domestic. I started to enjoy cooking again, and the sewing machine and crochet hooks got dusted off. I thought, "hey, I'm actually good at these things..."

So here I am, before you once more, sharing the things I like...with a twist. I can no longer promise hilarity around every corner, or cute pictures of my kid (let's face it, that's what you all were looking at), but I can promise an effort, and a peek into the Nest on Willow.