RRC: Food Preparation

"Keep in mind that you should conduct yourself in life as at a feast."

-Epicetetus

RRC: Food Preparation
Suggested By Sherrie, of the blog, Sherrie's Stuff

Food... YUM. For me, the only thing better then eating food, is preparing food! I LOVE IT! Cooking is one of my most relaxing creative outlets. I create recipes, as well as, hunt them down on the net. I like to try new techniques for preparing just the right dish for the meals Alan and I eat. Oh, don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good frozen pizza from time to time, but I really love making my own pizza from crust to crowning cheese glory. I like that I get to control how fresh the ingredients are, and how many calories I get for my buck! The only downside might come when I have trouble with the arthritis in my hands, but Alan always jumps right in to help out. I am so grateful he enjoys cooking as much as I do!

We planted a nice garden this year, with all kinds of wonderful salad fixings. I was hoping it would be ready for presentation for this RR challenge, but unfortunately the only fresh ingredients ready for prepping is the beautiful lettuce. But that's ok, it will work nicely as the base for a recipe I have been developing. Here is the recipe, and the prep. I hope you like them both!

Balsamic Apricot Grilled Chicken Salad
w/Creamy Apricot/Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing



2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Balsamic/Apricot Marinade/

1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pink peppercorns
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
3 tbs. Low Sugar or Sugar Free Apricot Preserves

In med. bowl combine Olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and SF Apricot preserves. Halve the mixture and pour one half into a large ziploc bag. and reserve the rest in a chilled mixing bowl placed in the refrigerator. Add the chicken to the bag and toss to coat both sides. Marinate 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, grill the chicken breasts for about 8 minutes or until no longer pink inside. When internal temp. has been reached, remove chicken from the grill and let stand for about 10 minutes.

For the dressing; Take the second mixture of marinade and add the plain yogurt. Process until smooth. Prepare two dinner salads to taste. I use a mixture of red/green leaf lettuce, fresh spinach, chopped tomatoes, avocados and chopped strawberries and apricots. Slice the cooled chicken breast into strips and arrange on top of the salad mixture. Top with chopped, candied walnuts and the creamy Balsamic Dressing. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

A Dinner Salad In Preparation...

Starting with lettuce fresh from the garden


Guest starring Alan as "The Chef"










Now, go see what other Robins are preparing!

Linking List as of 12:00 AM, PT/MT 07/03/10

Sherrie... Sherrie's Stuff


Carly... Ellipsis
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Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
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Linda... Mommy's Treasures


Freda Mans... Day One


Karen... Outpost Mavarin
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Rich... Rich Image
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Jama... Sweet Memories
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Sandy... From The Heart Of Texas
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Fhaye... Your Daily Photo Depot
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Suzanne R... SuzyQ421's Photo Blog


Jenn... Shutter Happy Moments
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Be sure to come by the official Round Robin blog tomorrow, to find out what our next challenge will be!

-Carly