Mango Island Chicken

This is one of those quick and easy recipes that you throw in the crock pot and ShaZam!...you have a tasty meal that will seem like you spent hours on....Enjoy!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can of corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups of mango salsa
cumin to taste
lemon pepper to taste
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Add chicken and spices to the crock pot. Cover and cook until tender. Shred chicken on a separate plate and return to the pot. Save the juices in a separate bowl.

Add the corn, beans and salsa. More salsa can be added to taste. If the mixture seems dry then add some of the reserved juices.

Serve over rice. Garnish with cilantro if desired

Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

I like going to potlucks for this reason alone....because you'll find stuff like this salad! I don't know why but you can always count on some little old lady bringing her prized recipe she got from her friends at the clubhouse. This salad has it all...great taste and it's easy. The dressing is really what makes it so you can pretty much add what you want to it. I am not including measurements for the salad contents because you can make the salad as big or as little as you want. But the dressing recipe does make ALOT. So be prepared for that. You can't go wrong with this.....Enjoy!

Romaine Lettuce
Grilled Chicken with lots of lemon pepper, sliced
Red onion, sliced thinly
Crispy Bacon, crumbled
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Toasted almonds (or sugared almonds)

The Dressing....Yummmmm!

1 1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dry mustard
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 Tb chopped onion
2 cups canola oil *Please note: I started with 1 cup of canola oil because 2 cups seemed like alot. So you may want to do the same.
2 Tb poppy seeds

Mix everything but the oil and the poppy seeds in a blender until well mixed. While the blender is on, slowly add the oil until thick. Stir in the poppy seeds

Rhubarb Big Crumb Coffeecake

My husband is huge rhubarb fan. I hadn't much to do with the stuff until I met him. For his birthday he usually gets some type of rhubarb dessert but I decided to try something new and make this for his breakfast. This recipe is a little bit involved but the results are definitely worth it. Not a rhubarb fan? Don't fret because this could also be made with blueberries, raspberries, sour cherry or any other tangy fruit you can think of. Just adjust the sugar because they would need less sugar then the rhubarb. Next time I think I will try adding strawberries in with the rhubarb....Enjoy!

Butter for greasing pan

For the rhubarb filling:
1/2 pound rhubarb, trimmed and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground ginger

For the crumbs:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup melted butter
1 3/4 cups cake flour (all-purpose would work fine too)

For the cake:
1/3 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup cake flour (all-purpose would work fine too)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tb softened butter, cut into 8 pieces
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 8-inch-square baking pan. Toss rhubarb with sugar, cornstarch and ginger. Set aside

To make crumbs, in a large bowl, whisk together sugars, spices, salt and melted butter until smooth. Stir in flour. It will look like a solid dough

To prepare cake, in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix flour sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add butter and a spoonful of sour cream mixture and mix on medium speed until flour is moistened. Increase speed and beat for 30 seconds. Add remaining sour cream mixture in 2 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Scoop out 1/2 cup of batter and set aside.

Scrape remaining batter into prepared pan. Spoon rhubarb over batter. Dollop set aside batter over rhubarb.

Using your fingers, break topping mixture into big crumbs (all around the same size) Sprinkle over cake. Bake cake until toothpick inserted into center comes clean of batter (it might be moist from rhubarb), 45-55 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Optional: Sprinkle with powdered sugar!