Tuesday, June 21, 2011

A Cool Summer Lunch + Bayou Blues

It's been hotter than hot in Cajun country and one of the only ways to beat the heat is to hang out at the pool and eat and drink cool treats. Here's a recipe for my favorite chicken salad that is out of this world! My family loves to eat this salad on mini croissants and they are great for any type of gathering, too.  Cest bon,cher!

Marguerite's Chicken Salad 

 3 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup light mayo
1/4 cup Creole or Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. prepared horseradish
1 small red onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 tbs. sweet pickle relish
1 tsp.Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Salt to taste
Lettuce and tomatoes
1 dozen mini croissants

Combine all ingredients in large bowl, mix well, and chill until ready to use. Place salad in serving bowl and serve with croissants and a platter of lettuce and tomatoes.

*******
And what could be better than a platter of fresh fruit with a heavenly fruit dip. Fab!

Pina Colada Dip

1 pkg. instant coconut pudding mix
3/4 cup light whipped topping
1 cup skim milk
1 shot rum
1 cup crushed pineapple

In large bowl, mix with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Arrange cantaloupe, strawberries, and pineapple chunks on a round platter and fill dip bowl and place in center. These are my three favorite fruits, but you could use any fruits that you like.
*******
And to drink, why not make up a pitcher of this fabulous lemonade sweet tea.

Lemonade Sweet Tea

2 family-size tea bags
3 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups cold water
1 small can (6 oz.) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
Lemon slices and fresh mint sprigs for garnish

In 2 qt.saucepan, bring the 3 cups of water to a boil.  Remove from heat, add tea bags, and steep for 10 minutes. Discard tea bags and stir in sugar and stir until dissolved. Pour into a 3 quart pitcher and stir in lemon concentrate and cold water and mix well. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh mint sprigs. I also like to spike this tea up in the evening with a little bourbon, for dinner guests. So refreshing and thirst quenching! Enjoy!  (photos courtesy of Google)

*******
Bayou Blues

I've had a special request for some more bayou blues, so here's a little clip of a bayou blues jam that I took at Downtown Alive, in Lafayette. The fabulous Keith Blair and Marty Christian, on guitars, were really getting down. Grab yourself a cold one and crank it up for this one, cher!



Hope ya'll are having a wonderful week! Merci beaucoup for coming by!

37 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chicken Salad is the best, I can't wait to try yours! I enjoyed the music as well! I hope you have a fantastic day!
Take care,
Lisa

A Kitchen Witch said...

All of that sounds fab! I'd like to serve that Lemonade for my Bunco gals ; )

Joanne said...

Wow, perfect recipes for the first day of summer, that chicken salad looks divine ... You know how to serve up Summer :)

the wild magnolia said...

I can always, always, count on you for the best of the best recipes!

Thank you, a million times.

RNSANE said...

Your recipes are always wonderful and, of course, the music lifts my drooping spirits!

Kat said...

Looks perfect for the hot summer days. Happy Summer! I heard Anthony Bourdain was down your way shooting a show.

Rosaria Williams said...

O.k. I could eat the whole thing and go back for seconds. The music helps.

Kitchen Belleicious said...

awesome awesome awesome! Chicken salad is my ultimate summer time lunch and dinner favorite. I could eat it everyday- seriously, and your version looks incredible!

kitchen flavours said...

That's a beautiful lunch! Love everything! And that drink is making me thirsty! Have a great summer, Marguerite!

Cloudia said...

Your kitchen is a welcoming retreat, my friend!




Aloha from Honolulu :)

Comfort Spiral

><}}(°>


><}}(°>

<°)}}><

Eddie Bluelights said...

I'm getting adicted to all these treats. Wish I was there LOL

Dee said...

Girl, that looks amazing! Definitely gotta try this one!

Miriam said...

Great post and great food! Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters

April @ The 21st Century Housewife said...

Oh my, I would just love one of those chicken salad croissants and some of that lovely sweet tea for lunch today- even though it is raining! Your chicken salad recipe sounds amazing. This would be a perfect addition to the Let's Do Brunch linky I co-host. If you would like to come by and link up, it is here
http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/6/22_Lets_Do_Brunch.html
Hope to see you there!

Pam said...

Marguerite, great recipes! Love the chicken salad and sweet tea. I've got to try the lemonade/tea combo! And the dip! My fave summer ingredients, coconut and pineapple. OMG! A must try!

Love the blues!!!!!! Great song on the video! Thanks!!!!

Jessica | Cajunlicious said...

Love this on the mini croissants!

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

Just loving this... BTW, that is a terrific photo of the sandwich. Really makes the salad POP!

Nancy said...

Love all these recipes for hot weather! Love the blues, too. Just starting to warm up here in the West.

alissa {33shadesofgreen} said...

Love all of these recipes - especially the ice tea. Sounds so refreshing! And of course, a little bourbon couldn't hurt!

Thanks so much for linking up.
Alissa

Marguerite said...

Lisa- Thanks, so happy you like them and want to try them! And glad you enjoyed the music, too!

KW- Thanks, cher! I'm sure the Bunco Gals would love the spiked version! lol Cheers!

Joanne- Merci for your sweet comment, cher! Nothing like cold treats on a hot day!

RN- So nice to hear from you, cher! Thanks so much, I'm glad you enjoy the food and the music!

wm- Thanks so much for the nice compliment and for coming by! You're welcome, it's my pleasure!

Kat- Merci, you're right, it is! Happy Summer to you, too, cher! It's raining again, right now! Yay!

Rosaria- Thanks, can't say that I blame you, cher! :) So glad you liked the music,too! Enjoy!

Maggie May said...

Love the food and had a taster of the music.
You must be in Heaven living so near to all that!
Maggie X

Nuts in May

Velva said...

I have never been able to prepare a really good chicken salad. I think I just found one. I am planning to try your recipe. I agree its perfect for summer and keeping cool.

Cheers.
Velva

hidden art of homemaking said...

I just love your blog...chicken salad is one of my favorites and yours looks so good....thanks for visiting..

Drick said...

now I just love the extra seasonings you put in your chicken salad, gotta be so much flavorful... hope all is well over there... hot as heck over here...

Marguerite said...

KB- Thanks, so glad you like it! The seasonings really give it a nice kick and I hope you give it a try!

kf- Thanks so much for your kind comment, cher! Hope you try the drink and have a great summer, too! Cheers!

Cloudia- Merci for the sweet compliment, cher, and for stopping by! Aloha!

Eddie- Yes, Cajun food, music, and people are all very addictive. lol
Glad you're hooked! lol Wish you were here, too!

Dee- Thanks, cher, so glad you like them! Hope you try em' all!

Miriam- Thanks so much for the nice comment, cher, and for stopping by!

April- Hi and welcome! Thanks so much for your lovely comment and for the invitation! See you there!

nanny said...

More great recipes to print and make......I love chicken salad.

KB and Whitesnake said...

Looks delish!

We'd love for you to share these recipe with us at
Simply Delish Saturday

Roz | La Bella Vita Cucina said...

Your recipe has got to be one of the best that I've ever read; most especially since it has a Southern flair and origin to it! Ever read the recipes from The Sweet Potato Queens series? No one makes better chik sal than Southerners! Being Italian, I never had the opportunity to enjoy it until I moved to SC 15 years ago! Just love it!

Roz | La Bella Vita Cucina said...

Oh Marguerite, I forgot to also mention that if you haven't already done so, please stop by and share this post on my weekend foodie blog hop going on until Monday....if you like. Have a super weekend and stay COOL!

SImple and Serene Living said...

I've been looking for this lemonade tea recipe forever. can't wait to fix it.

Kirsten @ Mushki Loves said...

Okay..I wanted to take a bite of the computer screen! It looks os delish! I found you on this chick cooks and I am your newest follower. I would love it if you would follow me back! I will be looking forward to your posts! Thank you and have a great day!

Mama.Mommy.Mom. said...

Oh My! Your blog is going to get me in trouble and certainly provide some new inspiration! YUM!

Jamie @ Mama.Mommy.Mom.
www.mamamommymom.com
www.facebook.com/mamamommymom
www.twitter.com/mamamommymom

April @ The 21st Century Housewife said...

Thank you so much for accepting my invitation and linking this delicious post to Let's Do Brunch. I've chosen it as one of my featured recipes for this week, so I hope you will come by and visit tomorrow to see it. Thank you again for sharing it!

Magic of Spice said...

What a pretty sandwich and I am loving that fruit dip...great way to stay cool :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing your yummy recipe with us at Cast Party Wednesday. I hope you come back and visit us tomorrow.
Thanks again.
I hope to see you there!

Unknown said...

I just love that chicken salad.

Life's A Tomato said...

We made this salad last weekend using roasted chicken. It is absolutely the best chicken salad ever. Thank you for posting it!