Mother-Daughter Weekend

This past weekend, my mom came to visit me in Connecticut. I can’t believe it had been EIGHT months since I had seen her last. Statements like that just make me sad. I’m hoping now that we’re on the same coast, it’ll be easier to make trips home more often to see my parents.

But this past weekend with my mom was absolutely perfect and so much fun! On Saturday, we had a fun get-together with the family at my uncle’s house (pictures can be seen here). It was a blast filled with lots of laughs and food. My mom and I made an Aloha Cake which I really enjoyed since we don’t get a lot of chances to bake or cook together. It didn’t hurt that the cake turned out be delicious!

Also part of our Mother-Daughter weekend – retail therapy! Three cheers for Labor Day Weekend sales!

Our mother-daughter weekend also included a spicier and healthier update on the classic chicken salad – Curry Chicken Salad. Now, I grew up believing that I wasn’t a fan of chicken salad. I think I still stand by that statement, so I’m going to make this salad the exception. It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and a little nutty. All of my favorite things! The traditional salad is healthified by subbing nonfat Greek yogurt for most of the mayo. And don’t worry, you can’t taste the tanginess of the yogurt since the curry flavor is strong enough to mask it.

Curry Chicken Salad

• 2 chicken breasts, poached* and shredded
• 6-oz. container plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 red onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped
• ½ cup golden raisins
• 2 tsp yellow curry powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Alternatively, you can mix mayonnaise, yogurt, and curry powder separately. Taste, and make adjustments before mixing in with other ingredients.

* You can prepare your chicken breasts using your preferred method of baking or substitute rotissary chicken from a grocery store.

Now, for all you doubters out there, all I can say is that I used to be one of you. Mayo, yogurt, and chicken just sound gross to me when combined together. But trust me – it works. And for anyone afraid of curry, feel free to start off by mixing in just a small amount (1 teaspoon) and work your way up until you find a level of flavor that you’re comfortable with.

My mom and I ate the curry chicken salad pretty much every way possible. Plain, on its own. On top of a bed of greens. In a sandwich. In a wrap. With blue corn tortilla chips. The possibilities are endless!

What are some of your favorite things to make with someone else in the kitchen?

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