Review: The Chicken Salad Chick Express

I ordered from The Chicken Salad Chick Express for the first time today. It's located off College Street in Auburn, AL. I have heard many good things about it. And since I'm about to graduate and leave Auburn, I figured I should go ahead and try it.

I ordered "Our Signature Sandwhich." I got it with the "Fancy Nancy" chicken salad, which includes fuji apples, seedless grapes and pecans. I got it on a croissant with lettuce and tomato, with a pickle spear on the side.

I was a little worried as I was driving home because all I could smell was the pickle. But I was pleasantly surprised when I opened it up. The croissant was close to perfection. The outer layer was a flaky, golden brown. And as would be expected, the middle was light and fluffy. The lettuce and tomato looked fresh.

The first bite was delicious... and so was every bite after that. The apples gave the chicken salad a fruity, sweet flavor. The grapes were whole, which I found surprising. But biting into them added an even more interesting element to the texture. I was happy to discover the pecans were finely chopped, so you got the flavor without seeing the bulky pecans. My only suggestion would have been to add a hint of salt, as it would have played up more of the salty/sweet contrast.

Overall, I was very impressed. Especially for it just being a drive-through! The service was great- and fast. And the food only cost $5.35 after tax. A suggestion would be to get a side item, as the meal itself was light.

For more information about The Chicken Salad Chick, check out their website at: http://www.chickensaladchick.com/.

I'm still here...

I haven't forgotten about the blog. I promise. This week is a little hectic with trying to start winding up the semester. I have a couple new recipes I'll try to get up later this week.

I'm really excited for my little brother's 10th birthday party with the family this Saturday. I'm going to be making a variety of Mexican food. And it will be DELICIOUS. :)

Peanut Butter Cake

I got bored today so I made up a peanut butter cake recipe. I was actually craving chocolate, but I didn't have any in my apartment. So I came up with the next best thing. I'm really happy with how it turned out- and I hope you'll like it, too!

Ingredients
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter
1 egg
1 cup milk
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp clear vanilla extract
a sprinkle of ground cinnamon

In one bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, mix butter, sugar, peanut butter, egg and vanilla extract.

 Add a sprinkle of cinnamon to the mixture.

Alternate between adding flour and milk to butter mixture. Mix it well.

Once mixed, pour into glass baking pan that has been sprayed lightly with Pam.

Bake at 350 degrees for around 23 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on it (my oven is broken so cooking times are estimates). Cake should be firm and top should be golden brown when its ready.



*I made peanut butter icing to put on top of the cake. I would probably suggest doing a chocolate icing instead (so it would taste like a Reese's). How I made the icing, though, was taking the original buttercream recipe and adding a couple spoonfuls of peanut butter and sugar. Definitely leave the almond extract out of the buttercream icing when making it. It gave it a weird aftertaste.

Delish Fish Dish

Ok, this meal doesn't require that much "cooking." But I made it for lunch and it tasted great. And it was really easy to make, too!

Ingredients
Mahatma Basmati rice
extra virgin olive oil
Frozen tilapia
Emeril Bam! Original Essence seasoning
salt
pepper
Valley Fresh steamers: Garden Vegetable Medley

Ok, here's my trick for my favorite rice. You cook the Basmati rice according to the instructions on the packaging except replace about 1/8-1/4  cup of water with olive oil. And check the rice periodically. You don't want it soggy, but you don't want it rock solid, either! I like cooking it in a larger pot, too, because the rice gets more of a crispiness to it.

The steamers are easy- just pop them in the microwave according to the directions (like I said, this dish doesn't require that much effort).

Now for the tilapia. This was ridiculously simple. Just place the tilapia on a baking sheet and drizzle a little olive oil over it. Sprinkle Emeril's Bam! Original Essence seasoning over it and add a dash of salt & pepper. Pop it in the oven on 375 for about 10-12 minutes or until it's golden brown and flakes easily with a fork.

Seafood Twist on Mac & Cheese

Fridays during Lent don't have to be bland. This quick and easy recipe is perfect for an entre or even a side item.

Ingredients
Velveeta Mac & Cheese
Frozen shrimp (deveined, pre-cooked)
Olive oil
garlic powder
onion powder
oregano
salt & pepper

Cook Velveeta Mac & Cheese according to directions on box. While that is cooking, pour a tablespoon or two of olive oil into a pan. Add frozen shrimp, garlic powder, onion powder, organo, salt and pepper to taste. You can keep cooking it while the Mac & Cheese is being made. Serve while still warm.

Gimme Some (Cinnamon) Sugar! Cake Bites

These cinnamon sugar cake bites will melt in your mouth! I just made them on a whim today, and I'm really happy with how they turned out. I'm going to surprise my best friend later today by bringing them to her after an interview she has this afternoon. :)

Ingredients
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup softened butter

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Ideally, you should place parchment paper on cookie sheets. But in my cake, I had to just sprinkle some flour on the cookie sheet.

In one bowl, mix flour and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

In another bowl, mix butter, 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp almond extract.

After mixing, add the flour mixture. You just want to combine all the ingredients.

Once mixed together, drop bite-size pieces (about a tablespoon) on cookie sheet. Place in oven. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes, or until the bottom of the bites are golden brown.

 

While the bites are baking, mix remaining confectioners' sugar (3/4 cup) with the other 1/2 tsp cinnamon. I added a tablespoon of regular sugar and a dash of salt just for good measure.

Take bites out after the bottoms are golden brown. Allow them to cool for about 5 minutes.

While the bites are still warm, roll them in the confectioners' sugar/cinnamon mixture. Allow them to cool.

Tilapia Tacos

For those of you trying to eat a bit healthier (or find something delicious to eat on Fridays during Lent), this is for you. The version I made was pretty basic. I was just working with the ingredients I had on hand. But feel free to add whatever toppings you like on your tacos- onions, jalepenos and even sour cream would make great additions. Also, for a more simplified verion you could use a taco seasoning rather than the various spices listed.

Ingredients
Tilapia
Spices: salt, pepper, paprika, chives, onion powder, chili powder and cayenne pepper
Guacamole
Lettuce
Tortilla bread
Mexican shredded cheese

Spray baking sheet with Pam. Place tilapia on baking sheet and sprinkle all the spices on top of the fish. When cooking the tilapia, make sure to follow the directions listed on the packaging. I used frozen tilapia that called for baking at 375 degrees for 8-12 minutes. When tilapia is cooked, it should easily flake with a fork.

While tilapia is cooking, go ahead and get the tortilla ready. Place tortilla on a plate and spread guacamole on the tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese and shredded lettuce.

When tilapia is finished cooking, chop it up. Since it flakes easily, you can even just use your fork to do this. Then place tilapia over the lettuce. Wrap it up and you're done!