Best Chicken Salad

Best Chicken Salad

2 T vinegar

2 t salt

1 t pepper

1 c mayo

1 c sour cream 

4 celery ribs, sliced

1 bunch green onions, sliced

5 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1. Mix vinegar, salt, pepper, mayonnaise, and sour cream in a medium bowl; stir in celery, green onions, and chicken. Let sit a few hours, or overnight, in the fridge for best flavor.

Cheesy Bread

Cheesy Bread
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 c butter, softened
1 c Mozzarella cheese
2 c Cheddar cheese
1/4 - 1/2 c sliced green onions, to taste
1/4 c mayonnaise
1 T sour cream
1 loaf French bread

1. In a small bowl, combine garlic and butter.
2. In a medium bowl, combine cheeses and green onions; add mayonnaise and sour cream. Stir in butter mixture.
3. Preheat broiler and line a baking sheet with foil; slice bread in half horizontally and lay crust side down on sheet.
4. Spread cheese mixture evenly over bread and broil for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
5. Remove from broiler and let sit for a few minutes to cool before slicing and serving.

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake (with Brown Sugar Frosting)
1 c water
1 c mayonnaise
1 t vanilla
2 c flour
1 c sugar
3 T cocoa
2 t baking soda
Brown Sugar Frosting:
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/4 butter, cubed
2 T milk
1 3/4 c powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350* and grease a 9x9 pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine water, mayonnaise, and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, and baking soda; stir into mayonnaise mixture.
4. Pour into pan and bake for 35 minutes, until passes toothpick test. Cool completely.
5. For frosting: In a small pan, combine brown sugar and butter and heat until bubbly; remove from heat, add milk, and then stir in powdered sugar.

Tomato Pie

Tomato Pie
6-7 Roma tomatoes
1/2 red onion, diced
1- 9" pie shell, prebaked
1/4 c fresh chopped basil
1 c Mozzarella cheese
1 c Cheddar cheese
3/4 c mayonnaise
1 t Frank's RedHot sauce, or more, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350*.
2. Cut tomatoes in half horizontally, deseed and remove excess juice, and then roughly chop. Lightly salt the tomatoes and set them in a colander over a bowl to drain for about 10-15 minutes.
3. Place onions in the bottom of the pie shell. With a clean cloth, squeeze as much remaining juice out of the tomatoes as you can before layering them on the onions; sprinkle basil over tomatoes.
4. In a medium bowl, combine cheeses, mayonnaise, hot sauce, and a pinch each of salt and pepper; spread over basil.
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until lightly browned.

White Arugula Pizza

White Arugula Pizza
12 oz refrigerated pizza dough
2 t olive oil
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2/3 c ricotta cheese
2 T mayonnaise
1 t thyme
1/4 t pepper
1/3 c Parmesan cheese
1/4 c Mozzarella cheese
1 t fresh lemon juice
1 t balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 c baby arugula


1. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500*; bring dough out of fridge.
2. Heat a small pan over medium heat and add oil; add garlic and cook until lightly browned. Remove garlic with slotted spoon and reserve oil.
3. Combine garlic, ricotta, mayonnaise, thyme, pepper, and Parmesan in a medium bowl and mix until almost smooth.
4. On a floured surface, roll out dough to a little bit smaller than the pizza stone and pierce dough with a fork. Lay dough on the pizza stone and bake for 5 minutes.
5. Spread ricotta mixture on crust and sprinkle with Mozzarella; bake for 10 minutes until crust and cheese are lightly browned.
6. Combine reserved oil, lemon juice, and vinegar in a medium bowl; toss in arugula.
7. Top pizza with arugula mixture.

Amish Broccoli Salad

Amish Broccoli Salad
1 head broccoli, chopped
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 c [light] mayonnaise
1 c [light] sour cream
1/2 c sugar
1/2 t salt
1 c shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

1. In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, and salt; toss in broccoli and cauliflower and coat evenly.
2. Gently stir in cheese and bacon, reserving a small amount to sprinkle on top just before serving.

Roasted Tomato Grilled Cheese

Roasted Tomato Grilled Cheese (Cooking Light)
1 t olive oil
3-4 roma tomatoes, halved and seeded
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
6-8 fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper, to taste
4 t mayonnaise
2 oz [light] cream cheese
1 c Cheddar cheese
8 slices [whole grain] bread


1. Preheat oven to 400* and line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Combine oil, tomatoes, and garlic on baking sheet; bake for 20 minutes.
3. Remove and discard tomato skins; peel garlic and discard skins. Combine tomatoes, garlic, basil, salt, and pepper in a food processor.
4. Combine mayonnaise and cheeses in a medium bowl; spread evenly on half of the bread slices.
5. Spread tomato mixture over cheese and top with a dry slice of bread. Lightly spray outsides of sandwiches with cooking spray.
6. Heat a large pan over medium heat and grill sandwiches until golden brown on each side and cheese is melted.

Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
1- 10 oz can cream of broccoli (or mushroom) soup
1/3 c [light] mayonnaise
2 T milk
1 1/4 c shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 t sugar (or Truvia)
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t nutmeg
2 c cooked broccoli
1 1/2 c cooked quinoa (3/4 c dry)
about 3 T Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350* and grease an 8x8 pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine soup, mayonnaise, milk, Cheddar, sugar, pepper, and nutmeg; stir in broccoli and quinoa.
3. Pour in to greased pan and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
Serves 4-6.

Mexicorn Dip

Mexicorn Dip
1 c [light] sour cream
1/2 c [light] mayonnaise
3 green onions, finely chopped
3 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
3- 11 oz cans Mexicorn, drained
2 c shredded Cheddar cheese

1. In a medium bowl, blend sour cream and mayonnaise; add remaining ingredients and mix until well-incorporated.
Keep refrigerated and serve with vegetables, tortilla chips, Fritos, etc.

*UPDATED* Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Dressing
1 pkt Hidden Valley Ranch mix
1 c [light] mayonnaise
1 c buttermilk*
2 tomatillos, husk removed
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 clove garlic
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeno (seeds and ribs optional)

1. Blend all ingredients in blender and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour.
*If you don't have buttermilk, combine 1 c milk with 1 T vinegar (or lime juice), stir well and let sit for a minute.

Baked Zucchini with Sweet Onion Dip

Baked Zucchini with Sweet Onion Dip
3 medium zucchinis
1 T salt
1/2 T butter
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 T honey
1/2 T mustard
1 c [light] mayonnaise
2 eggs
1 T water
1 c Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 c Parmesan cheese

1. Cut each zucchini into 9 equal pieces lengthwise (3x3); cut each stick down to about 3" long.
2. Place zucchini in a colander over a bowl and toss with salt; let sit for at least an hour, allowing the zucchinis to sweat out their juices.
3. Preheat oven to 425*; line a cookie sheet with foil and lightly grease.
4. In a medium frying pan, melt butter over medium heat and add onion; saute onions for 20-30 minutes until they have caramelized, stirring occasionally. They should be browned.
5. Take pan off heat and let it rest while you put vinegar, honey, and mustard in food processor.
6. Add onions and puree (with the feed hole open to allow steam to escape) until smooth; add mayo and pulse until incorporated.
7. Remove zucchini from colander and dry them well.
8. In a shallow dish, whisk eggs and water; in another shallow dish, combine breadcrumbs and cheese.
9. Dip zucchini in egg wash and then in breadcrumbs; space evenly on cookie sheet.
10. Bake for about 13 minutes, until starting to turn brown, flip sticks and bake for an additional 13-15 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Serve with dip.

Rosemary Turkey Hash

My healthier, bunless take on this recipe.


Rosemary Turkey Hash
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 c [light or fat free] mayonnaise
1 T rosemary, crushed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Grill, uncovered, in a pan over medium-high heat; stir frequently until cooked through.