Heat wave, coming through.

I worked over the weekend, so I wasn't privy to the temps during the day here. I was inside an air conditioned environment from 7 am to 7:30 pm both Saturday and Sunday. I mocked my husband some as he talked about how warm both days were.


Karma has caught me my friends, and today is the hottest day yet of this heat wave. I am off work, at home, where we don't have whole house AC, while my husband is at his office with nice cool air flowing.


I have the fans going, curtains drawn, blinds closed and the temp inside the house is holding at about 83 degrees, which is likely about 15 degrees cooler than it is outside. Still not cool enough to make me want to cook anything, any where. I don't even feel like going out back to grill.



I suppose, thankfully, needing to make a trip to my local Costco was a very good thing. I had some AC early on and was able to grab one of their rotisserie chickens to use in a chicken salad recipe for dinner tonight.

Besides being delicious, the dressing for the salad is really light, with no mayo. I like mayo, it's good, but on a hot day it can feel so heavy.

This is one of those versatile recipes that doesn't require you to stay between the lines. I throw in whatever vegetables I have on hand that sound good, today that included cucumber.

We tend to eat the salad with a  green salad and some good crusty bread.






Chicken Salad
Serves 8
Adapted from Epicurious


4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra, if desired
1 roasted chicken, skinned, meat removed from the bone, and roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/3 english cucumber, diced
2 green onions, diced
Coarse sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Whole wheat bread or crusty white bread and mixed salad greens, for serving, optional



1. To make the vinaigrette, in a small jar combine the mustard, vinegar, and garlic and olive oil. Shake until combined.

2. In a medium bowl combine the chicken and vegetables. Fold in the vinaigrette. Season with salt and black pepper and serve, either made into a sandwich or over salad greens.  You can also refridgerate the salad for a few hours prior to serving to allow the flavors to combine.