This past weekend I hosted my 4th annual Christmas party. In past years, in addition to eating, I've hosted a holiday-themed game. My friends secretly hate this, as I expect them to be able to draw things like "Kwanzaa" and "the Maccabees" (I said holiday games, not Christmas games!). Now that I'm married, I agreed to compromise on the chosen game: beer pong it was. Humbug.
I have fun planning the menu and even created some new recipes for the occasion.
Chicken Wild Rice Salad
-1 medium whole chicken
-1 Tbsp olive oil
-Poultry seasoning
-1 can cooked wild rice, drained and rinsed
-2/3 cup olive oil reduced fat mayonnaise
-1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
-1/2 cup finely chopped water chestnuts
-1/3 cup slivered almonds
Go ahead and roll your eyes- yes, I want you to roast a whole freakin' chicken. You'd be amazed at how much better tasting this recipe ends up being than if you used canned chicken. It doesn't cost that much, and it's easy.
1. Rinse off chicken and pat dry. Place breast-up in a roasting pan. Coat with 1 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle poultry seasoning (about 2-3 teaspoons worth) all over the chicken. Loosely cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 60 minutes. Remove foil and keep cooking for another 30, or until internal temperature is higher than 165 degrees (poke the thermometer around various parts of the chicken to make sure the entire thing is cooked). Once cooled, cut up the meat into smallish chunks (you won't find this level of un-specificity in no stinkin' Williams Sonoma cookbook). If you toss the meat into a resealable bag, it'll keep for a few days, so feel free to roast your chicken ahead of time if need be.
2. Mix chicken, wild rice, green onion, water chestnuts, and mayo in a large bowl. I added a few sprinkles of onion powder, pepper, and salt to mine as well. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Sprinkle almonds on top before serving.
Recipe makes about 8 servings. Per serving: 250 calories, 8 g carbs, 8 g fat, 33 g protein.
I served this with King's Hawaiian rolls cut in half. You could eat this plain, or on whole grain crackers or bread. Your call. If you want extra add-ins, try chopped onion, celery, or even red grapes.
I also tried another new-ish recipe:
Sloppy Joe Cups
-1 pound extra lean ground beef
-1 can Manwich
-1 can diced tomatoes, drained
-2 cups 2% Cheddar cheese
-2 packages of crescent rolls
1. Saute ground beef until fully cooked. Add Manwich and tomatoes. Let cool in the refrigerator. This mixture will keep for a day or two until you're ready to use it.
2. To assemble the cups, roll out the crescent dough and tear apart the triangles according to the perforations. I took a rolling pin and stretched them out a bit more.
3. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mold one triangle of dough into each muffin cup, letting the extra dough hang over the edge of the cup.
4. Stir the cheese into the meat mixture. Plop a large spoonful of meat into each muffin cup and fold the crescent dough on top (or else kind of mold it around the rim to prevent spillover while baking).
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, or until bubbly and browned. This recipe makes 24 cups.
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