Recipes

As most of you know, I am blessed to have a mother and mother-in-law who are fabulous in the kitchen. I think they have recipes for every occasion that are both fantastic and fairly easy to make (once you have mastered them, of course). The thing I love and admire about both moms is that cooking for family and friends is both something they enjoy. One of my favorite things about going home to Crystal Lake, Green Lake, or Lafayette, is knowing there will be a delicious home cooked meal and plenty of treats waiting when we arrive.

Although I have not mastered the art of cooking like our moms, I do enjoy trying new recipes now and again, while still using old standbys that both moms have given me over the years. I wanted to share two recipes with you that we made in the past week. One, the Wild Rice Chicken Salad, an old standby that is perfect for BBQ's, showers, and family get togethers. Not only does it taste great, but 1 recipe makes a large quantity, which is perfect for entertaining. The second, Oven Baked French Toast, is a new recipe Carol tried this weekend, as she so kindly made breakfast for the Hunt's and the Konneker's. It is a great alternative to egg casserole. Again, delicious and easy to make.

Enjoy!!

Wild Rice Chicken Salad
2 (6.2 oz) pkgs Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice (can use instant)
2 (6 oz) jars marinated artichoke quarters, undrained and chopped
4 cups chopped cooked chicken (4-5 breasts depending on size)
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
5 green onions, chopped
1 (2.25 oz) can sliced ripe olives, drained
1 tsp. salt
1 cup mayonnaise
1 ½ tsp. curry powder
Leaf lettuce (optional, for serving)

Cook rice mix according to package
Drain artichoke quarters, reserving ½ c. liquid
Stir together rice, artichoke, chicken, and next 4 ingredients.
Stir together artichoke liquid, salt, mayonnaise, and curry powder; toss with rice mixture.
Cover and chill 8 hours. Serve on leaf lettuce

Couple of notes:
Last night I made half a recipe and it still made a decent amount. Enough to fill a medium sized serving bowl.
Matt was kind enough to get all the ingredients for me at the grocery store. He bought the 90 second Wild and Long Grain rice and it worked perfectly. Although the bag is a little larger than the recipe calls for (8.8 oz vs. 6.6), the additional rice did not pose a problem.
I also used light mayo and this did not affect the taste at all.

Oven Baked French Toast
1 loaf (8 oz.) French Bread
6 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
4 tbsp. sugar, divided
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
Ground cinnamon (optional, but highly recommended)
Powered sugar
1 lb. strawberries sliced
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. lemon juice

Spray 9x13 pan to grease. Cut bread into 1 in. thick slices (10-16 slices); arrange closely in a single layer in pan. Beat eggs with whisk in 2 qt. bowl. Whisk in milk, 3 tbsp. sugar, vanilla, and salt; pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hr. or overnight.
Preheat oven to 400. Sprinkle bread with cinnamon, if desired. Bake, uncovered, 30-40 minutes; or until golden brown. Remove from oven; sprinkle with powered sugar. Slice strawberries; add lemon zest, lemon juice, and remaining 1 tbsp. sugar. Mix lightly and serve over warm French Toast.

Couple of notes:
We did not use the lemon zest and lemon juice with the strawberries and it still tasted good. I am thinking you could use blueberries or raspberries as well for a garnish.
We found that serving the French Toast with syrup was a nice addition.