Ranch Chicken Salad

On hot days the thought of slaving over the stove is extremely unappealing..  (It is only in the 90's here and I'm melting...)  This salad is sooo simple and the perfect lunch on a hot day.

Chicken Ranch Salad
1/2 cooked chicken breast sliced
Spinach
Mexican cheese
tomatoes

Ranch dressing

My Great Aunt Barbara makes the best ranch dressing.  Here is her recipe with a couple of changes...

1/2 cup of Buttermilk

1/2 cup of Mayonnaise

1/4 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp Italian Seasonings

1/2 tsp of Mrs. Dash

1/4 cup of cilantro

In a small bowl mix all the above ingredients with a fork.  Do not over mix.  Pour into a air-tight container & enjoy.

Cleaning Research Project

I am not a clean/neat freak.  I am one of those people who is house cleaning challenged. My three tornadoes don't "help" the whole clean house concept but I can't blame it all on them.  I did some research and bought some stuff for my cleaning research project.

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For quite a while I have wanted to teach my 2 little men to clean on and around the toilet since most of that mess is theirs.  I just couldn't bring myself to hand them a bottle of bleach cleaner and a paper towel.  It can't be good to have bleach on their skin.  I didn't want to buy the "fancy" environmentally friendly cleaners.  Who can afford those?  I went online and began researching home-made recipes for household cleaners.  There are alot of recipes out there...  I am still experimenting with making a multi-purpose cleaner that I like.  The fun thing about making your own cleaner is it is cheap and you can decide what scent to use.  I tried a antibacterial bathroom cleaner recipe today on the sinks and my tub/shower.  It worked great and the best part is after I was done cleaning I didn't smell like bleach!  I smelled like peppermint... a great improvement.  This recipe can be found here (http://www.food.com/recipe/antibacterial-bathroom-cleaner-185505).

I also bought a book

This book is kind of small but I has alot of good information and recipes.  I am going to have fun trying these.  The good news is to try a cleaner requires cleaning something. (Deep huh?) 

 Here is to a cleaner and better smelling home!

Quick & Simple Oriental Chicken Salad

About a month ago my mother-in-law got me hooked on a chicken salad from Costco.  It got me thinking.  Here is my "home-made" version of the oriental chicken salad.

What you need:

1 cooked chicken breast

1 romaine lettuce heart

sliced almonds

chow mien noodles

Asian Toasted Sesame salad dressing

(This is the dressing I used.)

This salad is perfect when you need something quick for dinner.  Chop up the lettuce and then place chicken, chow mien noodles and almonds on top.  Done!  Can it get any easier?