Julia Child's Recipe for Chicken Salad

"I marinate all of these in much the same way, in that I first marinate the elements briefly with the seasoning elements to blend flavors, then toss them with only enough mayonnaise to bind them together. This way you are getting splendid flavor and are not overdoing on the sauce. In fact, rather than mixing it in you may well pass the mayonnaise separately, and calorie watchers may slather it on at their own discretion."
-- Julia Child from The Way To Cook, Alfred A. Knopf.

Yield: Serving 6 to 8

• 6 cups cooked skinless and boneless chicken or turkey that has been cut into good-size bites, such as rectangles about 1 by 1 1/2 inches and 1/4 inch thick.
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 1 to 2 Tbs excellent light olive oil
• 2 to 3 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp finely cut tarragon leaves, or 1/4 tsp fragrant dried tarragon
• 1 cup diced tender celery stalks
• 1/2 cup minced scallions or mild onion
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
• 3/4 cup or more of mayonnaise, preferably homemade
• 1 medium head of romaine, washed and dried

Decorative suggestions: 2 hard-boiled eggs, a large handful of fresh parsley, several strips of red pimento

Preliminary seasoning. Toss the chicken or turkey in a big mixing bowl with the salt, pepper, and enough oil to enrobe the meat very lightly. Then toss with the lemon juice, and finally with the herbs, celery, onions, and optional walnuts. Taste analytically, correct seasoning. Let steep 10 minutes, tossing several times.

* Ahead-of-time note: May be completed a day in advance to this point; cover and refrigerate.

Final seasoning. Drain any accumulated liquid out of the salad, correct seasoning again, and fold in just enough mayonnaise to enrobe the ingredients.

Raspberry Tart Cookie Recipe

RASPBERRY TART COOKIES

2 3/4 c. sifted all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened 1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened 1 c. granulated sugar 1 egg 1 jar (12 oz.) raspberry preserves 10x confectioners' sugar Sift flour and baking powder onto wax paper. Beat butter, cream cheese, sugar and egg in a large mixing bowl until blended. Stir in flour mixture, blending thoroughly. Turn dough onto a sheet of wax paper (mixture will be sticky). Shape into a ball. Chill several hours or overnight. Divide dough in half and refrigerate other half. Roll out to a thickness of 1/8 inch with a lightly floured rolling pin. Cut out with a 3 inch round cookie cutter as many circles as you can. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Roll out remaining dough; cut out in 3 inch circles. Cut out centers with a 1/2 inch round cutter. There should be an equal number of solid and cut-out circles. Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove cookie sheets from oven to wire racks. Let stand 1 minute before removing cookie sheets. Cool completely. Heat preserves in a small saucepan to melt slightly. Spread each of the solid cookies with a thin layer of hot preserves. Top each with cut-out circle and press together gently to form a sandwich. Place on wire racks. Sprinkle tops with 10x sugar. Spoon a dab of preserves into opening of each cookie. Let stand to firm slightly. Store in tightly covered containers in single layers with wax paper between each layer.

Taco Soup for Dinner

We have 7 guests coming for dinner this weekend to celebrate our
January birthdays.
I'll be serving Taco Soup and Fried Cornbread.
Apple Pie for dessert, maybe?

Here is my recipe for Taco Soup.
I hope that you love it as much as we do!

Taco Soup

1 lb. ground beef
1 tablespoon chopped onion
2 cans Rotel tomatoes - we prefer the hot ones
2 cans Mexicali corn, undrained
1 can black beans, undrained
1 can hominy, undrained
1 small can tomato sauce
2 packages taco seasoning - we prefer McCormick
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing mix
Chopped hot peppers as desired
(I use a mixture of jalapenos, tabasco (peppers, not liquid), and habaneros)

Brown ground beef and onions in a skillet.
Pour beef and onion mixture into a crockpot.
(If you're dieting, you can drain off some of the fat.)
Add all ingredients to crockpot and simmer
for at least 8 hours.
If the mixture is too thick, add tomato juice.
Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, and Frito chips.

We like things muy picante,
so we usually add a few drops of
Dave's Insanity Sauce.

Buffalo Sauce is great, too - if you can find it.

Cajun Pecans

I'm trying a new recipe for Cajun Pecans today.
If it's yummy, we will serve it at our annual Hallowe'en party.
If you try it, let me know what you think!

CROCKPOT CAJUN PECANS

1 lb. pecan halves
4 tbs butter, melted
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine all in a Crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes.