Smoked Tuna Dip

I absolutely love tuna dip at the beach and nobody does it better than Destin's Harbor Docks.  (In my opinion!)  Anyway, I have been looking for a way to make this dip at home without the freshly smoked yellowfin tuna.  The original recipe I tried called for canned tuna with liquid smoke added.  It was AWFUL!  Then I found another recipe that informed me that there were tuna pouches with already smoked tuna inside.  This had to be better than liquid smoke.  I gave it a try yesterday for lunch because my mom is in town and it certainly isn't Harbor Docks but it will do here at home.

Smoked Tuna Dip

2 pouches smoked tuna, drained if necessary
3/4 c. mayo
1 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
1/3 c. chopped green onions
1/8 tsp. ground pepper

Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth.

Honey Oatmeal Bread

I was on Tasty Kitchen and looking at the most popular recipes on that site.  I noticed this bread and it looked delicious so I clicked on it and what do you know?  It is the recipe of a high school friend.  Click on over and make this bread if you are looking for a good homemade recipe.

Honey Oatmeal Bread

I served this with the Creamy Chicken Divan Soup.

Peanut Butter Haystacks

These cookies are my most favorite cookie in the world.  They are the easiest no bake cookie to make ever!  I have never shared them because I thought one day I would make millions off of them and need to keep the recipe secret (for real!), but I have decided that probably won't happen and even if it did there would be no need to keep it secret.  HA!  This is my Grandmother's recipe and anytime I take them anywhere, everyone always goes bonkers over them.  Our church collected snack foods to give to emergency workers as a thank you for what they do.  I decided I wanted to make them something special.  But then I got to thinking, I wonder if they eat homemade food from strangers?  Oh well, it was the thought that counts.

And if you make millions off of my cookie one day, remember this lady!!  :)

Peanut Butter Haystacks

1/2 c. light corn syrup

1/2 c. sugar

1 c. peanut butter

2 c. cocoa krispies

In a saucepan, heat syrup and sugar until bubbling.  Remove pan from heat and carefully stir in peanut butter until well combined.  Stir in cocoa krispies.  Drop by teaspoon onto wax paper and allow to cool.

Creamy Chicken Divan Soup

I have decided that Friday will be soup day at our house through the cold weather season.  It works out because it is great to eat for lunch after church.  Just a quick reheat and lunch is served.  This is soup number two and, in case you can't tell from last week and this week, I am all about soup recipes that are originally entrees right now.  This is really good.  It is pretty much a glorified broccoli soup with meat.  The Dish Washer thinks that it isn't an official meal if there is no meat involved.  Don't tell him I have a tomato soup recipe that my eye is on.  This soup whipped up in no time, especially with the help of a $4 rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.  Those things make life so easy!!  (And you can't beat the price for pre-cooked)

**UPDATED:  The original recipe called for 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese which I left out when I made my original batch of soup.  When I reheated a bowl later, I added some cheddar cheese to it and it made it so much more delicious!  Definitely add the cheddar cheese.

Creamy Chicken Divan Soup

2 Tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
6 c. chicken broth (48 oz. can)
2 (12 oz.) packages fresh broccoli, cut into florets (about 12 cups)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
4 c. chopped cooked chicken
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in Dutch oven.  Saute onion until tender.  Add garlic and red pepper and cook 2 more minutes.  Add broccoli florets and chicken broth.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until tender.  Stir in cream cheese until melted.

Process mixture with handheld blender until smooth.  (Or use food processor in batches with cooled liquid to process.)  Once processed, add chicken.  Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Dijon Grilled Chicken Marinade

Our favorite marinade is a Garlic Dijon marinade that we put on pork and I saw this one that is used on chicken.  It was delicious and just a little different from the other marinade.  I didn't take a picture of it, because let's be honest, all grilled chicken looks the same to me.  This is perfectly delicious for tailgating!

Dijon Grilled Chicken Marinade
good for 1-1/2 to 2 lbs. chicken meat

4 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/3 c. dijon mustard
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 c. olive oil
1-1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Marinade chicken overnight (or at least 1 hour) and grill until meat is cooked through.

Tarragon Chicken Salad with Cranberries

I wanted to change up my go to chicken salad recipe for the fall and came across a similar recipe calling for tarragon after watching Barefoot Contessa show me that tarragon in chicken salad can be a secret ingredient.  This one sounded delicious and I changed it up just a smidge for our tastes.  It also calls for pecans, which I thought would be great in it, but The Dish Washer would have complained all day.  So, I opted to leave them out.

Tarragon Chicken Salad with Cranberries

2 whole chicken breasts, bone in and skin on
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 tsp. dried tarragon
1 c. dried cranberries, chopped chunky
1 c. toasted pecan halves, chopped
3/4 c. mayo
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken on roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and roast at 425 for 45 minutes or until cooked through.  Allow to cool completely.  Once cool, remove skin and shred or chop chicken, whichever you prefer.

In a small bowl, whisk mayo, apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper.  Set aside.  In a larger bowl, combine, chicken, celery, shallot, tarragon, cranberries and pecans.  Pour dressing over and mix well.

Black Eyed Pea Dip

Quickly, how about some gameday food?  There are several variations of this recipe.  Some call for Italian dressing and some are even called Texas Caviar or Alabama Caviar...you get the idea.  This is the version I like.  It makes plenty for a large crowd.  Perfect to take to a tailgate.

Black Eyed Pea Dip

2 cans black eyed peas without pork, drained
1 can niblet corn, drained
1 (16 oz.) jar of mild-medium chunky salsa
1 tomato, cut up
1 onion, cut up
1 tsp. garlic salt
1-1/2 tsp. creole seasoning

Mix all together and chill in fridge.  Serve with scoop tortilla chips.

ROOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL TIDE, ROLL!!!!