Curry Crunch Chicken Salad with Naan

Though it could've been one of the hottest weekends in my San Diego memory, we successfully pulled off our move with only a few missing items: hubby's chess pieces, a few towels, and my laptop power cord. Last time we moved, we lost a whole box of Christmas decorations, so I consider this a success! :) I have always been more of a fan of Santa then chess anyway.

I'm loving the new kitchen, though I still feel like a guest in someone else's house. Since we are still in the midst of settling in and getting used to our neighborhood, eating out has become increasingly tempting. A little happy hour here, a few drinks there...Tonight, however, we were determined to cook our first meal, though we knew it had to be an easy one.

I found Rachael Ray's Curry Crunch Chicken Salad to be full of flavor and as I mentioned, very easy to pull together. I poached a few chicken breasts, though in a bind, you could also purchase a rotisserie chicken and shred it. Spiced with cardamom, curry powder, honey and a dash of cinnamon, the chicken salad takes on a uniquely sweet & spiced flavor. Best of all, grapes and toasted almonds add a nice crunch to each bite. Served with warm and toasty naan bread and a few sauteed garlic scallions, you have yourself a full meal.

I hope to have more yummy eats to share this week. Now that I have a gas stove and a Henry's right outside my door, I have no excuses! Have a great week!

Curry Crunch Chicken Salad with Naan
Source: Rachael Ray
1 cup plain Greek style yogurt
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
ground cinnamon for sprinkling
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
3 cups poached chicken, chopped
1 cup red grapes, halved
4 scallions, sliced thinly
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
4 naan breads (I purchased Naan from Trader Joes)

1. In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, curry powder, honey, tumeric and cardamom. Sprinkle with cinnamon to taste and whisk in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Add chopped chicken, grapes, scallions and almonds to the dressing and toss to coat. Serve with toasted/warm naan bread.

Feta Stuffed Tomato and Basil Phyllo Pizza

Hope everyone had a happy 4th of July weekend! We spent the day relaxing on the beach, basking in the sun and visiting a few local drinking establishments. During those precious moments when I was not relaxing, drinking or sunning myself, I packed (...boxes and boxes of crap)! We are getting ready to move to a new house in just a few short days so sadly cooking has been on the decline.


Everyday, hubby packs up a little bit more of the kitchen and I find myself missing key kitchen items like my food processor, cutting boards, & knives while in the midst of preparing a recipe!

So, to save us both from WWII, we officially "shut down" our kitchen tonight with a very summery Feta Stuffed Basil and Tomato Phyllo Pizza from July's Cooking Light.


Our basil plant's life was coming to an end so we thought we'd give him one last chance to shine along with my favorite cheese, feta. Though phyllo is sometimes tricky to handle, this is a great "throw together" meal that's a perfect appetizer for guests or just a light dinner. As for us, we sat outside with two glasses of white wine, munching away on our last meal in our first apartment as a married couple :) Enjoy!

Click here for the recipe
*The only modification I made was to double the cheese & tomatoes and use full sheets of phyllo instead of halves.

Chipotle Chicken Tostada Cups

Hi World! It's me, the blog deserter. Y'all still there? :)


Shortly after catching my breath following hubby's graduation bash, I realized that doom and gloom was lurking on my doorstep. In all my excitement to come up with a fancy schmancy menu for the party, I had forgotten about an (expensive) certification test I was taking in just a few short days. Luckily, I can tell you all that I passed! ...And now back to my normal life.

While still coaching my parents on the wonders of uploading digital photography, I have just a few photos to share with you from the party. A coworker brought these yummy apps to a potluck and I immediately knew I wanted to make them for the party.



In true Sharon style, I kept meticulous grocery list spreadsheets and a timed cooking schedule, but somehow forgot to buy the main ingredients for the base of these tostada cups - a guacamole-esque mixture. After at least 6 separate grocery trips in one week, I am not sure how this happened! Needless to say, I powered on and just made the chicken filling for the tortilla cups and topped them with a sprig of cilantro so they wouldn't look too plain. Since the party was an all-day affair, I also skipped the sour cream topping.

I heard these were yummy, but I never got a chance to try them! It's quite an easy, fancy looking recipe that everyone loved. The cups are made by baking flour tortillas in muffin cups for a few minutes in the oven and topped with a chipotle chicken filling. I found that these browned up very quickly so watch them!

Now that I have my life back, I hope to be posting much more often. I also owe you the winner of the reader recipe contest so stay tuned!!

Chicken Tostada Cups sans avocado
Adapted from Cuisine at Home

3 flour tortillas (8")
3/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons chipotles in adobo sauce, chopped (remove some of the seeds if you're a wuss like me!)
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (used combo of breast and thighs)
cilantro for topping
sour cream, if desired
nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Coat both sides of tortillas with nonstick cooking spray. Stack the tortillas and cut into 8 wedges. Push the tortillas into muffin cups. Bake for about 5-6 minutes or until golden. Watch the tortillas carefully. Remove tortillas from oven and allow to cool slightly.

In a small saucepan, simmer ketchup, sugar, chipotles & adobo sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, chili powder, and chicken over medium heat. Cook until chicken mixture is syrupy.

Top each tortilla cup with chicken mixture. Top with a cilantro sprig and a touch of sour cream, if desired.